[The Devil is a Part-Timer] The MgRib is back

Beezel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOpaIgPyZz0

In the land of the Enta Isles Satan is...well he's Satan. Prince of Lies, destroyer of hope and an evil mothafucka in general. He thinks he's got it made in the shade until the army of light starts picking off his generals one by one. Beaten and backed into a corner, The devil throws in a last ditch effort and rips a hole in time and space to escape his long time arch nemesis; The hero of Light. He finds himself in the modern day world, stripped of his powers and at the mercy of the elements and even his own hunger. The Dark Lord, Satan himself is forced to get a part-time job flipping burgers while his trusted lieutenant, now houseman and ward, searches desperately for a way to restore their powers and return to Enta Isle to stage their comeback.

Hilarity ensues.

(Available on Hulu streaming and funimation)

A bit of history

I was told about this series by a friend that insisted I checked it out. I took a casual look at it and expected one of two things: a) Insulting "Cute girls doing cute things" nonsense or b) Harem garbage.
What I found was a pretty smart and snappy, well animated situational comedy based on a light novel that, instead of relying on tired old anime comedy checklist nonsense such as "Accidentally groping a woman's breast" , "Accidentally seeing a female roommate naked and getting clocked in the face and/or balls" and other "hilarious" misunderstanding-based comedy, this series seems to lean more on traditional sitcom beats and timing.

Think Disgaea if Disgaea were roughly 25-30% more serious in tone.

Caveats

-The series is only 4 episodes long so far. The series itself is slated to only run 13 but there's still wriggle room to turn into A or B mentioned above but the overarching plot is moving briskly and has no signs of either at this point. (I'm hoping we don't get a dreaded beach/pool episode)

-I'm still uncertain if this series is trying to trick me into believing it is a romantic comedy or a romantic comedy trying to get me to believe it is not. Or maybe neither. You'll see what I mean when you see it.

-I don't know what I'd classify this show as. It's not really "moe" per se even though there is a character that would classify as a "moeblob" and it's not serious enough to go into the depression pile with Urobachi's latest offerings.

Disclaimer
I'm not a fan of that particular preview in the youtube vid above because it gives away a first episode plot spoiler.

DiannaoChong

Is there an overarching plot, or is it a sitcom?

Beezel

Overarching plot, which is surprising given the length of the series since I was expecting something a little more episodic

silence1186

This certainly looks less depressing than some of the other fare recommended around here; I think I'll give this a try.

B:L

This show is hilarious and very sitcomy, but I'd rather watch

Beezel

The Devil is a Copyright Dodger

Beezel

Figured I'd chime in on the episodes out right now and sort of mini-review, spoilers abound

Episode 1

The animation in the beginning was way slick and designs stayed on model and fluid throughout. The first 10-15 minutes do a good job of setting up the show's pitch but I was a bit disturbed by how easily The Lord of all Darkness settled into his role as a fry cook (Who would guess that Satan was such a laid back guy?) but the show is pretty good at reminding you that you're supposed to be watching a comedy and had a lot of very good gags throughout. I went into the show blind almost, and kind of regret putting up the preview I did because I felt the reveal of who the Hero was was handled pretty dang swell. The armor they showed her wearing in the intro was full bodied, practical and gave almost zero hint that there's actually a female under there. I thought it was just a slender man. Well done artists.

Episode 2

With the reveal out of the way I was kind of disappointed that we may have gotten "The fiery red-headed tsundere" But they did a good job of conveying her pure incredulity of having found her hated, mortal enemy after having crossed time and space, only to find out that he's broken down, powerless, living in a shoddy 1 room apartment and struggling to make ends meet as a burger flipper. I'm hoping they don't go the Sword Art Online route and "nerf" Emilia the same way they did Asuka. Episode ended on a higher note and we get a hint towards the larger plot

Episode 3

I'm semi angry at this episode. It was a "date" episode and was semi-fanservicy but not in a way that detracted from what was going on. Chiho is the "cute" character and I guess is supposed to come off as semi-clueless and they did a decent job of conveying that she is a teenaged girl about to go on her first date with a crush from work (Satan no less!) Satan (Maou) had other reasons to go along with it more related to his predicament of course and the ending event raised more questions than they answered. A lot of good jabs and jokes this episode just the same

Episode 4

Well it seems Emilia has some -very- good reasons for hating Maou the way she does and Ms. Landlord knows way more than she has any right to. The reveal at the end is kind of out there, supposedly Emilia killed Lucifer back on Ente Isla so how he's still alive, and has near full faculties of his powers should be a very interesting conversation.

As an aside I'm going to put a stop to any ootential waifu wars nonsense off the bat by saying that Alsiel is the best girl and he has already won. Everyone else can go home.

silence1186

This show is pretty great. It had me smiling.

You're definitely right a lot of the humor comes from the dialogue and delivery and not from physical comedy/misunderstandings, which can get tiresome.

And it may have sitcomy humor, but it's definitely not, with a reasonably interesting plot arc going on.

Also, the fight animation in the first episode was top notch, and that's not even really what this show is about. Total art/genre shift after the first few minutes.

Final aside, doing the "last episode recap" and opening theme song at the same time is a great way to save time in a medium that is famous for dragging things out (last time, on Dragon Ball Z...).

Professor Snugglesworth

I'm always down for a light-hearted Anime comedy that's done well and/or funny.

But therein lies the problem: a large amount of so-called Anime comedies tend to not be funny and often focus on one tired cliche: harems.

It's been the one constant focal point ever since Tenchi Muyo (which, to this day, is still legitimately funny, at least the first OVA and first TV series. Everything else is kind of meh-to-shit). Down on his luck everyday dork inexplicably gains the attention of every single living creature with a vagina.

And it's only gotten worse in the last decade or so by making these shows increasingly risque to the point that it's borderline softcore porn. So now you've got the same character archetypes, the same basic premises, the same body-types (there will be maybe one flat girl amongst a triage of titties, because that's yet another joke that's done to death), and the same jokes (guy trips, lands on girl, gropes something he shouldn't be groping, comical act of violence ensues).

When people groan about Anime, it's usually these comedies that are to blame. The main reason I'm embracing the "depressing" shows so much isn't because of the tonal difference, but because they're of the few Anime shows to break off the endless cliches presented in the harem market (which probably makes up most of the Anime market) and instead focus on good storytelling and unique characters.

Of course your mileage may vary; I'm not saying all of these comedies are bad, even the risque ones. But personally speaking, I've only found a small number of shows/series to be legitimately funny.

1. Tenchi Muyo

2. The Slayers

3. One Piece

4. Azumanga Daioh

5. Yotsuba (the best, right here)

6. Lucky Star (the closest thing to anime seinfeld)

7. Carnival Phantasm (though it mostly requires you be familiar with the source material it's parodying)

8. Shin-chan (mostly because of the dubbed version's localization, which basically rewrites all the jokes)

Anyway, I couldn't quite get the tone of this show through the OP's YouTube clip: seems to be a mix of action and comedy, but I am intrigued with the idea of a demonic being working at a fast-food restaurant. The designs seem more varied too, the only one skirting on fanservice so far being the bouncy (literally and figuratively) pig-tailed employee. I may give it a shot soon.

Beezel

Professor Snugglesworth wrote: »

I'm always down for a light-hearted Anime comedy that's done well and/or funny.

But therein lies the problem: a large amount of so-called Anime comedies tend to not be funny and often focus on one tired cliche: harems.

It's been the one constant focal point ever since Tenchi Muyo (which, to this day, is still legitimately funny, at least the first OVA and first TV series. Everything else is kind of meh-to-shit). Down on his luck everyday dork inexplicably gains the attention of every single living creature with a vagina.

And it's only gotten worse in the last decade or so by making these shows increasingly risque to the point that it's borderline softcore porn. So now you've got the same character archetypes, the same basic premises, the same body-types (there will be maybe one flat girl amongst a triage of titties, because that's yet another joke that's done to death), and the same jokes (guy trips, lands on girl, gropes something he shouldn't be groping, comical act of violence ensues).

When people groan about Anime, it's usually these comedies that are to blame. The main reason I'm embracing the "depressing" shows so much isn't because of the tonal difference, but because they're of the few Anime shows to break off the endless cliches presented in the harem market (which probably makes up most of the Anime market) and instead focus on good storytelling and unique characters.

Of course your mileage may vary; I'm not saying all of these comedies are bad, even the risque ones. But personally speaking, I've only found a small number of shows/series to be legitimately funny.

1. Tenchi Muyo

2. The Slayers

3. One Piece

4. Azumanga Daioh

5. Yotsuba (the best, right here)

6. Lucky Star (the closest thing to anime seinfeld)

7. Carnival Phantasm (though it mostly requires you be familiar with the source material it's parodying)

8. Shin-chan (mostly because of the dubbed version's localization, which basically rewrites all the jokes)

Anyway, I couldn't quite get the tone of this show through the OP's YouTube clip: seems to be a mix of action and comedy, but I am intrigued with the idea of a demonic being working at a fast-food restaurant. The designs seem more varied too, the only one skirting on fanservice so far being the bouncy (literally and figuratively) pig-tailed employee. I may give it a shot soon.

Probably the best summary of anime's general plight right here.
The first tenchi muyo, I felt, was great. But I blame it for being the mold that most modern harem shows (poorly) used in an attempt to emulate its popularity and where a lot of the hard line personality archetypes came from. I'm sure there were others before it but from all the time I've watched anime, I can trace most Harem nonsense back to either Tenchi Muyo or Ah! My Goddess.

silence1186

In my experience, things in anime have the potential to go up to 11 really quickly. If it's doing a raunchy romantic comedy, it'll escalate into near soft core porn. If it's doing a psychological thriller, it will be terrifying and the stuff of nightmares. If it's doing a violent action fest, it'll be blood explosions and gorn. If it's doing an episode of the week gag fest, it will be nonsensical and hard to follow. Some of which isn't necessarily bad; one of the advantages of the medium is the ability express creatively things that are hard to represent in live action media. However, this leads me to be very careful when selecting shows to follow, since things can get very extreme very quickly.

I haven't watched much anime pre-turn of the century, so I don't really know where a lot of current shows draw inspiration from (you mention Tenchi Muyo, for example), but even the past decade has seen a noticeable evolution in various sub-genres. At the same time, there's a lot of strictly formula, carbon copy shows that keep getting made with minor variations on the initial pitch.

Also, @Beezel, what day of the week are new episodes posted?

Beezel

@Silence1186

Show airs on the thursday, subbed eps should show up tomorrow on Hulu and Funimation's website if not later tonight.

Speaking of, holy shit episode 5 certainly escalated things quickly. Also an official intro/outro animation finally

Episode 5

Things we got this episode:

-That activated animation budget

-A battle for the city

-The church being dicks

-Lucifer being full of crazy snark

-Emilia going hero mode and kicking major ass

-Satan and Alsiel going devil trigger and ripping shit up

-Holy shit Alsiel acting like a competent badass instead of a pet rabbit that'll die if left alone

-Chiho knows everything now oh no!

My only concern at this point is this particular arc is wrapped up and its only episode 5. With 8 episodes left where do they go from here?

RT800

I can't say I'm over enthused about the anime so far. I like that it at least appears to have an over-arching plot. And the art is fairly good, compared to a lot of other shit coming out.

Also, I found Satan's sheer devotion and work ethic for his new job very... admirable. Wish I could give even half as many shits about my job.

It's rare for me to like the protagonist in a show like this but his laid-back attitude is the tops.

silence1186

Beezel wrote: »

@Silence1186

Show airs on the thursday, subbed eps should show up tomorrow on Hulu and Funimation's website if not later tonight.

Speaking of, holy shit episode 5 certainly escalated things quickly. Also an official intro/outro animation finally

Episode 5

Things we got this episode:

-That activated animation budget

-A battle for the city

-The church being dicks

-Lucifer being full of crazy snark

-Emilia going hero mode and kicking major ass

-Satan and Alsiel going devil trigger and ripping shit up

-Holy shit Alsiel acting like a competent badass instead of a pet rabbit that'll die if left alone

-Chiho knows everything now oh no!

My only concern at this point is this particular arc is wrapped up and its only episode 5. With 8 episodes left where do they go from here?

That's easy. Just introduce more characters, and the kudzu grows all by itself. This really seemed like an "intro arc" to show who the characters are, their personalities and dynamics, and set the tone for the rest of the show.

Beezel

http://www.funimation.com/the-devil-is-a-part-timer/episode/the-devil-and-the-hero-save-sasazuka/sub

episode is up on Funimation. Hulu is being as slow as usual unfortunately

Professor Snugglesworth

Just finished the first episode. That beginning sequence would have made a cool adaption for a Castlevania anime, or maybe Ghouls N' Ghosts.

Anyway, it's an amusing premise, and I like that they focus on the two demons' adjustment into modern day Japanese life. They both give me a Pinky and the Brain vibe, so I dig the show so far.

The show's title is misleading though.

He was already promoted to full-time by the end of the episode.

Falx

It's funimation renaming things again even though the original Japanese is perfectly easily translated into English.

The original name can be translated, Demon-Lord At Work.

Beezel

Jesus christ funimation/hulu is dildos. It's still not up on hulu and the link on Funimation's own site isn't working anymore while the episode's been available and subbed six ways from Sunday since Thursday. I really wish Crunchyroll had picked this up.

Edit: Up on hulu finally.
Edit2: That explains a lot. The animation house responsible for this also did Jormungand, Steins;Gate and Katanagatari

Professor Snugglesworth

Episode 2 done. I'm really enjoying how this show seamlessly blends slice-of-life with fantasy drama. I can imagine this scenario happening to any superhero and villain drained of their powers and forced to live a normal life to make ends meet.

If I had one real complaint, it's that the fake language is kind of fake-sounding. Gargantia does a much better job with its made up language, although to be fair this show has a lot more of it.

That and that the show is still technically a harem comedy, with the two main females both having a crush on the main guy and both possessing harem-specific characteristics: we've got the angry tsundere character who constantly finds excuses to be around the main lead, and the younger energetic type who harbors a crush on the lead (and also happens to be big-breasted...small wonder she's the more popular of the two).

I'm also curious what company Emi's supposed to be working at. I'm guessing an MMORPG support line?

Beezel

Although I can probably see it coming down the pipe I wouldn't say Emi has a crush on Maou just yet. When you get to episode 4 it really spells out why that's not a possibility yet. The thing that kinda throws me off about whether or not this is a harem comedy is the fact that there's no real place for the viewer to self insert themselves as maou like in other typical harem shows with their blank, clueless protagonists. He has his own goals and motivations, most of which have nothing to do with either girl.

Which is a semi-flaw about this show. It really doesn't know how serious it wants to take itself. Both parts of it are done well enough that you can't complain too much but at the same time I don't know what sort of expectations I'm supposed to be having. Maybe that's what they're going for?

P10

i doubt that emi and sadou will end up having anything romantic between them.

if i am wrong i will prob. be disappointed by the turn the show takes

silence1186

Professor Snugglesworth wrote: »

Episode 2 done. I'm really enjoying how this show seamlessly blends slice-of-life with fantasy drama. I can imagine this scenario happening to any superhero and villain drained of their powers and forced to live a normal life to make ends meet.

If I had one real complaint, it's that the fake language is kind of fake-sounding. Gargantia does a much better job with its made up language, although to be fair this show has a lot more of it.

That and that the show is still technically a harem comedy, with the two main females both having a crush on the main guy and both possessing harem-specific characteristics: we've got the angry tsundere character who constantly finds excuses to be around the main lead, and the younger energetic type who harbors a crush on the lead (and also happens to be big-breasted...small wonder she's the more popular of the two).

I'm also curious what company Emi's supposed to be working at. I'm guessing an MMORPG support line?

I really don't see this turning into a harem. For one, there would need to be at least one more girl, or it's a Betty/Veronica triangle. Two, I think Emi and Maou work better in their current straightman/funnyman relationship, with no romantic underpinnings. Three, I think it's basically impossible to avoid female characters in anime not having some amount of the cuteness tropes. There's too damn many of them, and some of them are included as second nature at this point, just to differentiate the characters a bit.

Professor Snugglesworth

P10 wrote: »

i doubt that emi and sadou will end up having anything romantic between them.

if i am wrong i will prob. be disappointed by the turn the show takes

The law of averages regarding Anime tend to state that whenever someone says "It's not like that", it almost always is.

Granted, they might pull a subversion here and nothing will come out of it, but as it stands you can certainly see them teasing the idea.

P10

Right, okay, but

Sadou killed Emi's father. And he's a demon responsible for tons of terrible things on Ente Isla. Having her fall for him would be terrible.

Professor Snugglesworth

It's not a deal-breaker for me either way. The premise is amusing and the characters are likeable, even if it does go the romantic route.

I just do wish more anime comedies would just avoid that cliche. Maybe this show won't have it at all, but I would honestly be surprised if they don't at least tease the idea.

Greeper

It will almost certainly go that route.

Professor Snugglesworth

Ironically, this is an outcome that could happen to any hero/villain who share a longstanding rivalry and are forced to live a normal life while helping/hindering one another. It's psychoanalytical in a way.

Void Slayer

Regarding the possibility of romance/friendship between Emi and Saudo

Episode 5 spoilers

It may be that the war that seemed black and white is actually more shades of grey, perhaps the church burned down the fields and slaughtered the peasants to keep them from being used by the demon lord?

Maybe Saudo had a damn good reason for wanting to conquer the world?

I would still be disappointed if it actually turned out to be romantic, but the idea that she might forgive him enough to become an ally is not totally out there. The fact that the opening sequence was so "standard fantasy world" may mean that they are trying to subvert it in more then just with the part-time (I mean FULL time employee) devil.

Also, they should totally just visit cancer patients! It's a good deed and they can feed on sorrow!

Retaba

I like this show.
Voidslayer, have you seen all the episodes on hulu, if not stay out

Not sure which episode it is, but when she reveals that the monster army killed her father he says he didn't understand how humans were and that seemed to be the basic reason for his attacks against them. Also he said he was sorry but it wasn't a very good one. I've been considering that the monsters all had villages and stuff in the past and humans expanded pushing them out and eventually Satan collected them all and formed a kingdom in the center. But at this point I doubt it is something like that he is just a devil king who did evil stuff because it is in his nature and somehow in the Modern World he isn't like that. Although it is weird because without magic he reverts to a human form so I'm not really sure if they are just using the "magic" excuse or if they plan on explaining things in more depth.

Beezel

Episode 5 still managed to have a couple of good laughs worked in despite the taste of action we got for the later half of the episode.

The monk and his portal sickness

foul ball energy blast right into Maou's face

Alsiel giving advice on discount movie tickets as he lay dying

Revived demon form Alsiel going home to put on his general cape before joining the fight.


Also, Lucifer had the best "I have made a terrible mistake" face I'd ever seen after Maou instant teleported right up into his grill

As an aside, is it weird to be watching and enjoying a show that has made me cheer for Satan unironically?

RT800

It was somewhat interesting that

Maou didn't kill Lucifer.

I wonder if he's gonna make Lucifer hang around and help pay rent on the castle.

Beezel

RT800 wrote: »

It was somewhat interesting that

Maou didn't kill Lucifer.

I wonder if he's gonna make Lucifer hang around and help pay rent on the castle.

If the rumors I'm hearing are true, then Lucifer goes on to

Become a NEET living at Maou's that spends all of his time eating snacks and trolling internet forums.

DiannaoChong

Ok, I gave this a chance, first episode was kind of iffy, but I lost it at the start of the second episode. This is great stuff.

edit: and caught up to ep 5.

Maou since moment one in the new world:

gave the air of wise old leader. He went with the flow, knew it was better to learn of the world then to attack what he didnt know. Also where Alsiel said "you should be bragging now" and he actually humble bragged, etc.

It makes me wonder if something is up with the whole setup. I mean, theres something definately up. The whole "Get power from suffering" never made sense to me, where do heroes get their power from? peoples hope? There's not a ton of that when the hero is needed.

Skeith

Beezel wrote: »

RT800 wrote: »

It was somewhat interesting that

Maou didn't kill Lucifer.

I wonder if he's gonna make Lucifer hang around and help pay rent on the castle.

If the rumors I'm hearing are true, then Lucifer goes on to

Become a NEET living at Maou's that spends all of his time eating snacks and trolling internet forums.

I would absolutely be okay with that.

vagrant_winds

Oh shit, I didn't realize you'd made a thread for the best show of the season. I haven't laughed this hard to an anime since FMP? FUMOFFU and My Bride is a Mermaid. It's so nice when humor's understated and natural based upon good writing and comedic timing then "look at how funny our 4koma gags are guys! they're funny, right?!".

Episode 5 was fantastic. I look forward to this every Wednesday.

Beezel

2ch apparently cracked the language used on Ente Isla

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
　　　　　　　　　　　↓
AZYXEWVTISRLPNOMQKJHUGFDCB

Rchanen

I watched this and loved it.

One does hope they avoid the Harem route, but that does look like how things are going. I like the slice of life gags and the action more than anything else. The Romcom ain't bad, but it's been done.

Rchanen

vagrant_winds wrote: »

Oh shit, I didn't realize you'd made a thread for the best show of the season. I haven't laughed this hard to an anime since FMP? FUMOFFU and My Bride is a Mermaid. It's so nice when humor's understated and natural based upon good writing and comedic timing then "look at how funny our 4koma gags are guys! they're funny, right?!".

Episode 5 was fantastic. I look forward to this every Wednesday.

Hey I like 4koma.

Okay I like Yandere Kanojo. That's the only 4koma I like but I still like it.

Retaba

Beezel wrote: »

2ch apparently cracked the language used on Ente Isla

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
　　　　　　　　　　　↓
AZYXEWVTISRLPNOMQKJHUGFDCB

Now we must scout every episode deciphering their language to learn their secrets!

(I am guessing others are already doing this so, we just have to repost it and THE KNOWLEDGE IS OURS (and also theirs))

DiannaoChong

Retaba wrote: »

Beezel wrote: »

2ch apparently cracked the language used on Ente Isla

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
　　　　　　　　　　　↓
AZYXEWVTISRLPNOMQKJHUGFDCB

Now we must scout every episode deciphering their language to learn their secrets!

(I am guessing others are already doing this so, we just have to repost it and THE KNOWLEDGE IS OURS (and also theirs))

All the text just reads

"holy potter blood of a sorcerer and a dragon"

Professor Snugglesworth

I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be disappointed if they didn't turn Holy Potter into an actual series.