The Devil Is a Part-Timer!: Season 2 Part 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!: Season 2 Part 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

The Devil is a Part-Timer! Season 2, Part 2 continues the action-comedy fantasy with a return to the cult series started so many years before – the original season being produced over a decade ago in 2013. Bringing back the cult anime, The Devil is a Part-Timer! features animation produced by Studio 3Hz (Princess Principal, Celestial Method). Created by Satoshi Wagahara, The Devil is a Part-Timer! Season 2, Part 2 features the original character designs by 029. The Devil is a Part- Timer! also features theme song performances by Minami Kuribayashi (opening) and Marina Horiuchi (ending). Featuring voice- performances by Ryōta Ōsaka and Yōko Hikasa.

Sadao Maō (Ryōta Ōsaka) has a new mission in life. The Demon King Satan has returned for another round at MgRonalds. Time for another serve! The new plan for Sadao is to try and create a harmonious world where both demons and humans find peace and interact with one another without any problems. Emi Yusa (Yōko Hikasa) needs some help first.

Can Sadao help to save Emi before it is too late? Or will a serve at MgRonalds get in the way? The work of the devil might be part time but Sadao must fight both creatures – angels and demons – on his new path. What’s a part time demon to do?

The series returns from the grave. The characters are funny and charming. Sadao is a worthwhile lead and adds to the series sense of fun. The character dynamics are a big part of the comedy. There are worthwhile character designs by Yūdai Iino. Fans will appreciate the characters style and the way it connects to the original. Though these aren’t the most original designs – compared to the best anime productions – there are still worthwhile qualities. A well-done effort overall.

The animation is enjoyable and has some good production merits, too. The Devil is a Part-Timer! Season 2, Part 2 features art direction by Manabu Otsuzuki (Tokyo Revengers, Unbreakable Machine-Doll). The series features chief animation direction by Yoshihiro Takeda (Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon: Data Squad) and Yūdai Iino (Jujutsu Kaisen, Chidori RSC). The art is similar in style to the original and has impressive art. The team of animators had some fun with the aesthetic and wanted to explore the sandbox well. There is a good amount of care given to the background animation and the artwork.

The cinematography by Ryō Iijima (A Flying Princess and a Secret Island, The Magic Lamp and the Moving Islands) is a noteworthy part of the production. The cinematography has some effective elements. These elements make an impression and help to round out the visual style. There are noteworthy aspects. The bright and colorful aesthetic shines through.

The score composed by Ryosuke Nakanishi (High School DxD, Sakura Trick) is a reasonably engaging element of the series. The music is a nice backdrop to the comedy. The score adds some worthy elements. There is a lot to appreciate about the score and its part in adding to the series.

Written by Masahiro Yokotani (Wasteful Days of High School Girl, Sakura Quest), The Devil is a Part- Timer! Season 2, Part 2 continues to expand on the comedy. Fans of the original will find things to appreciate about the continuation. The comedy remains a big component of the production. For comedy fans wanting to see the series continue there is a balance of character dialogue and the underpinnings of the comedy-story.

Directed by Daisuke Tsukushi (Kaleido Star, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Visions of Coleus), The Devil is a Part-Timer! Season 2, Part 2 brings back the elements fans enjoyed about the original: characters, setting, and comedy. The Devil is a Part-Timer! Season 2, Part 2 brings the series more episodes sure to please established fans. The fan-base will certainly want to delve back in and continue their journey with the series. While the new season might not bring in a huge swarm of converts to the production – especially given the over-a-decade later revival is quite a gap in time between seasons. It might seem surprising to some audiences to even see a revival after such a big gap but big fans of the original are going to want to come back for more.

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!: Season 2 Part 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, The Devil is a Part-Timer! Season 2, Part 2 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series features a solid high-definition presentation. The series is not an upscale presentation. The animation is crisp and colorful on the release. The background animation and line artwork are impressive looking on the presentation. The presentation capably brings out the best in the animation.

One of the highlights of the Blu-ray format is the encoding quality. Streaming video services often have lower bit-rate video compared to physical media. For home theater enthusiasts and those who cherish picture-quality highly, the difference can be noteworthy. Streaming video often has more compression, lower bit-rates, and subtle differences in quality and detail.

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!: Season 2 Part 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The Blu-ray release preserves the sound direction by Jin Aketagawa (anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet). The audio presentation is clear and easy to understand. Dialogue is crisp and easy to understand. The presentation soundstage is well-defined and makes a solid impression on the audio encoding. The release also provides worthwhile English subtitles. The English subtitles are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!: Season 2 Part 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes an o-card slipcover. The o-card slipcover is limited to the first print run of the release. The packaging artwork underneath the slipcover is the same as key artwork on the front slipcover. The artwork being the same between the slip and under-sleeve artwork is a little bit disappointing. It is a lot better and far more preferable to get reversible or additional key artwork. Something that adds "dual artwork" or the like.

These types of releases look so much nicer in hand and add some additional value to the package. The standard-art being duplicated isn't as exciting and there is something less impressive and collectable about these types of slipcover/sleeve art situations. For packaging to reach peak collectability and desirability, the reverse/additional art goes the extra mile. Slipcover fans may still appreciate having a slipcover added to the package nonetheless but it could have been a bit more well-rounded design-wise.

On disc supplements include:

Recap Special From Sasazuka to Ente Isla! (HD, 23:43) is a special recap. It is nice to see the recap provided on the release for those interested in it.

Commercial (HD, 00:17) advertising The Devil is a Part-Timer!

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:32)

Unfortunately, the release has an underwhelming supplemental package. The release doesn't include much in the way of meaningful supplements. The release could have been improved by providing a selection of audio commentaries, cast/crew interviews, making-of featurettes, art galleries, photo galleries, and more.

These kinds of supplements can make a big difference in the quality of the supplemental package. Sometimes the extras help to sway someone to make a purchase. This is considerably important especially in a day and age where more and more people simply opt to stream something as a one- and-done.

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!: Season 2 Part 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Devil is a Part-Timer! Season 2, Part 2 continues the comedy-fantasy adventures with more fun for series devotees. Fans of the series will be pleased to see the production return. Even with over a decade long break between seasons, established fans will want to return to the well. The series brings back the main characters that made the original a cult favorite with fans.

The Blu-ray release provides a solid high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. The release also comes with an o-card slipcover. The slipcover is limited to the first press of the release. Fans looking to own a permanent copy for their collection may wish to opt for a purchase. Recommended.