Hataraku Maou-sama!

If your wanting an all weekend anime marathon this is the anime for you. It's fun, comedic, and short with a side of action. While I scrolled through the list the title is was caught my eye, "The Devil is A part Timer". There are many thoughts that came to mind so I decided to please my curiosity. From the start to finish the plot flows in a consistent manner. The characters development is great despite the short amount of episodes that are allotted (13). The animation is great as well as a decent english dubbed version. Can't really point out anything badin particular other than the stereo typical loud tsundere chick. But all in all, quick and fun just like I like it.

Every year a cluster of anime release for people to gobble whatever they can get their hands on. However a few well made anime somehow don't get as much public attention they deserve. The hidden gem among piles of sand. This anime is the one. While sucky reboots and trashy sequels keep spreading their vice like grip among people who haven't breathed outside air for a long time, Hataraku Maou Sama is the odd kid in the block. It has a totally new concept which totally works for its genre. While most other stuff still don't know their true identities after 10 episodes, this anime knowswhere its comedy lies and executes it very well. It may not send you into hysterical fits of laughter, but rest assured you will be having a loony grin plastered on your face while watching it. The best word to describe it will be 'Delightful'. And it has a pretty decent story as well. Being 11 episodes only it will be a short journey though. But at least its a memorable one. Characters make or break a show. HMS has great characters with their own idiosyncrasies and attitude. From the Lucifer who turns into a NEET to our own hero who turns from being a apathetic dark lord to a guy who works at Mc Ronalds. Yeah you read it right. This makes up for interesting situations which never fail to amuse. Should you watch it? Yeah. Once in a while you need an anime like this to clear your mind and relax

This was one of the most pleasant surprises I got to experience in 2013. Since I just got into anime in the beginning of 2013, I saw that Kotaku listed Devil is a PT as one of the 5 spring 2013 anime that one should watch. I figure, hey, 13 episodes isn't much, let's give this a shot. Turns out I marathoned this anime in 2 days since it was just so much fun for me. The first episode has a bit more violence and is darker in tone than the rest of the anime, especially during the first 7 minutes or so, but I'd sayother than that, this anime is suitable for PG-13 and up. Younger children will probably not understand some of the jokes in this anime. The concept of this anime is very fresh, and thus very enjoyable. I found it drastically different than the usual school-based or workplace settings that are commonplace in other anime. All the characters (Maou, Yusha, and his minions and coworkers) all get a lot of valuable screen-time, and hardly any of the screen-time is wasted in my opinion. There is a bit of fan service in this anime, but it's not overused in my opinion. The art, animation quality, and sound are pretty typical. Nothing in the audio-visual department will WOW you, but they get the job done. Besides, the script and the banter amongst characters are what make this anime so darn appealing. If I could say one thing, it's that the last episode in this series ends abruptly. There's no real closure to anything, and I can only hope for a season 2 that's in the works whenever the light novel has enough content to warrant a season 2. A solid 9 out of 10 overall from me. If it wasn't for the sudden ending, this would easily be a 10 just for sheer enjoyment purposes. For those curious, Kotaku writer Richard Eisenbeis' full review for this anime is here http://kotaku.com/the-devil-is-a-part-timer-is-clever-witty-and-just-p-606147259

We can all agree that most comedies in recent anime seasons have always tried to cling to similar situations or settings. The most obvious one is school comedy shows. You never get to see writers try to develop different kinds of circumstances that could be brilliant. But once they do, it usually comes off either decent or just plain forgettable. It’s not often we get a show like Hataraku Maou-sama that is light-hearted and fun and boasts some of the best comedy writing in an anime I’ve seen yet this year. The title Hataraku Maou-sama is precisely what the show is. In English, it means TheDevil is a Part-Timer. You have a character named Satan, the dark overlord of this world, unlike ours. He is now put into our world in hopes of finding a way to bring his life in order and his magical powers back. What happens then is nothing short of unique sets of humorous set pieces that are funny just by the jokes themselves and how they reflect our everyday lives in the real world. They maturely handle Satan’s situation by making him do work that any citizen of any 1st world nation would do to live in stable conditions. The writers don’t try to hammer nonsensical fluff into the mix to make it “exciting.” They make the actions the characters do feel very in tune with how we would do, even with the minor deals like dealing with house payments and workers' pay. At first, you find it funny how a demon overlord can do all these things without breaking a sweat. Once you look beneath the background and delve in more in-depth, you notice a hint of satire mixed in with how we often hate working in part-time jobs. It is great for the writers to make the message subtle so that it doesn’t feel like it’s being forced down people’s throats. Otherwise, the news would have a harsh tone to it. You can’t just talk about the show without talking about the characters. Maou-sama casts a whole array of great comedic characters that fit together exceptionally well with clever writing to go with it. That isn’t to say the script does every joke justice, but then it is self-aware that it’s ridiculous in its subject matter, and they take advantage of this fact. What works so well is how each character has great chemistry that feels so real and doesn’t feel contrived or cliched. It’s an excellent connection whenever characters interact with one another. While rivals, Satan and Emi settle their disputes differently than you might think. It’s handled cleverly and doesn’t hamper their archetypes simultaneously. The art design is nice and clean with the art and sound department without any limited budget. One unique thing to mention is the characters' facial expressions whenever a humorous scene is present; some are unforgettable, such as the famous tsundere Emi face that she makes in the police interrogation room. The voice actors do an excellent job in delivering their lines, especially those involving jokes. With every comedy we get in the following seasons, there always seems to be this constant need for a plot structure that has to be serious. Maou-sama is no exception to this rule. While there’s nothing wrong with comedies of any fashion delving into the drama to some degree, the plot given in Maou-sama is nothing spectacular at all. The worst part is that they try to put some comedy into the urgent moments here and there to remind us that it’s a comedy show. That is not to say that the humor can’t be done right. But unfortunately for Maou-sama, it just doesn’t feel natural and is not written very well. Fortunately, only one episode isn’t purely focused on comedy and quickly gets back to what makes it a brilliant one. There is the finale, but it is at least handled a little better. There is, however, another minor gripe that involves the main villain of the show and the fact that he is not at all threatening. While this is supposed to be in context with the show being a comedy, they try to make us think we’re supposed to take him seriously when it isn’t convincing. Regardless of the flaws mentioned above, this show is not meant to be missed by anyone who appreciates comedy. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that this can be funny by people who aren’t a fan of comedy anime because it hardly draws any Otaku pandering like most comedies that have been released in the following months of the seasons. It is undeniably a nice break to see an anime comedy delve into different territory. It’s a clear sign that shows like Maou-sama can capture an entire audience without regurgitating empty premises. Sequels and moe comedies may sell big, but studios can’t rely on them for long. People will eventually want something fresh. Only time will tell. Grade: A-

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