Hataraku Maou-sama! Review

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 The Devil 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-