Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Lovin' it.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 30, 2014

There are probably many parents out there who feel they’ve been caught in the third ring of hell when visiting their local “golden arches” establishment with their children, especially if there’s a Playland attached and a quick egress is not exactly in the cards. Kudos, then, to The Devil is a Part-Timer for confirming that suspicion and in fact perhaps making the actual location of the burger joint closer to the first ring of hell rather than the suburbs, as it were. This fanciful if patently odd anime posits none other than Old Nick himself, Satan, as a refugee of sorts after an epochal battle in an alternate universe known as Ente Isla. Satan doesn’t as much fall as transport through a wormhole like portal to modern day Tokyo, where he finds himself in an unaccustomed human form. Accompanied by his right hand man, former minor demon Alciel, Satan, now going by the assumed name of Sadao Maō, has a quick brush with the law but manages to begin to make a new life for himself as a worker at MgRonald’s, about as convincing a change to a “brand” as The Simpsons’ famous nanny Shary Bobbins. The Devil is a Part-Timer is one of the more madcap anime comedies to come down the pike recently, and it rather consistently manages to defy genre conventions while eking out a reasonably logical story of outcasts from another dimension trying to figure out why everything on Earth (or at least Japan) seems to be going to hell in a handbasket.

One of the smart things that The Devil is a Part-Timer does right off the bat is get a lot of backstory dealt with in the first few minutes, even as the credits intercede now and again. We’re introduced to the world of Ente Isla, a group of five islands where Satan and his four minions Alciel, Lucifer, Adramelech and Malacoda are attacking, hoping to put the humans on the islands under their subjugation. A freedom fighter initially identified only as Hero rises up and begins leading a contingent of forces against the Demons, and against considerable odds manages to prevail. That ultimately forces Satan and Alciel to flee through the portal to what turns out to be Tokyo. While the first episode then deals largely with Satan and Alciel, now known as Sadao Maō (the subtitles transiliterate this as Maou) and Shirō Ashiya, first finding out their magic is depleted on Earth and then figuring out how to survive as humans, there’s the first of several surprises just as things are wrapping up. A young girl Maō helped in a rainstorm one blustery morning, reappears and confronts Maō about his real identity. It is instantly revealed therefore that Hero was a female, and that she is now on Earth herself, attempting to finish the job of demon slaying that she wasn’t quite able to achieve on Ente Isla.

Much as Satan and Aciel have been forced to adopt new identities in Tokyo, Hero, whose real name is Emilia Justina, has therefore become Emi Yusa on Earth, a raven haired girl who has found work as a customer service agent at a huge call center, and whose personality seems to ricochet between tsundere epithets and a somewhat sweeter demeanor. Emi has discovered one distressing fact about life on our little planet—her formerly impressive magical abilities are nearly nonexistent here, and even her trusty sword has been reduced to a five and dime kitchen knife. She seems close to killing Maō at their first real interchange, but of course that wouldn’t leave much of a show for the remaining episodes, and a number of relatively unexpected developments intrude that make that gambit increasingly unlikely.

There’s a bit of a lurching quality in the early going in The Devil is a Part-Timer, due perhaps to the creative staff’s desire to get right into the story and explain things later. That means that Maō is employed a MgRonald’s, including two quick promotions, before a bit of backstory is adequately detailed via some brief flashbacks. Maō and Ashiya have one main goal, namely returning to Ente Isla to finish what they began. But with their magical abilities at a nadir, they need to figure out how to reinvigorate themselves so that they can reopen the portal to their prior location, something that Ashiya is tasked with, leaving the harried acolyte to research the history of Earth magic in the local library, in the hopes that folklore or myth can lead them to an answer. That leaves Maō to be the breadwinner of the “family”, hence his job flipping burgers.

One of the interesting if over obvious details about The Devil is a Part-Timer is its assertion that people (and/or Demons) can change. Emi is actually confused by the transformation she witnesses in Maō. The former Dark Lord is now a helpful, cheerful worker, one thrilled by his upward trajectory at MgRonald’s. Maō is perhaps a little surprised himself by his new life, especially when he becomes the focus of amorous attraction by one of his co-workers, a sweet young girl named Chiho Sasaki. Interestingly, though there’s at least the foundation here for a (mini)-harem outing, The Devil is a Part-Timer shies away from typical romance anime formulations and keeps things relatively chaste.

And that’s not the only way The Devil is a Part-Timer defies expectations. While some elements—notably a quasi-tsundere turning into something like an ally or a buxom girl inviting outrage from a less voluptuous female—have been used many times previously in other anime, this series tends to arrive at even “traditional” plot points like this through unusual avenues. What’s consistently engaging about The Devil is a Part-Timer is how it doesn’t depend solely on its comedy, action, fantasy or even (slight) romance angles to move the story forward. This is an unusually diverse series that manages to deliver some good belly laughs at one moment and then pretty much seamlessly segue into an exciting action sequence.

While some may question what the ultimate point of the series is, especially when it takes a few detours winding into its final few episodes, there's a really refreshing spirit (demonic or otherwise) running through this show that makes even its occasional slight missteps tolerable. If any curmudgeonly anime fan questions your fealty to the series, I'd recommend just pulling out a quote from the late, great Flip Wilson and saying "The devil made me do it."

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Devil is a Part-Timer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a great looking anime in high definition, one that segues easily between crisp and sharp everyday sequences and more painterly, almost Impressionistic, segments detailing various aspects of things like the fight for Ente Isla. Line detail is very stable and the palette here is almost exotic at times, offering a huge gamut of tones that keep the imagery fresh and alive at virtually every turn. Once again, there are very minor instances of banding, especially evident in fades or dissolves, but otherwise this is a clean, clear and very appealing presentation that should easily delight fans.

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While original language purists will find nothing to complain about with regard to the Dolby TrueHD 2.0 Japanese track, I'd suggest at least checking out the English dub, offered in Dolby TrueHD 5.1. It's almost a reinvention of the wheel, offering much more boisterous overall amplitude and (obviously) a more fulsome low end and immersion. From the opening battles on through relatively more sedate scenes like some of the MgRonald's moments, there's nice attention paid to even minor ambient environmental effects. Dialogue and score are both rendered clearly and cleanly, with absolutely no problems to report. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range is very wide.

Note: FUNimation's authoring tactics have changed a bit recently, at least on many of their releases. Instead of being able to toggle between languages or turn subtitles on and off with the remote, these functions now must be accessed through the Pop Up Menu or Main Menu, with a requirement to then go to the Setup Menu. It's several extra steps for those who like to sample things, plus it deprives those of us who like to see how subs and the English translation match up from being able to do that, since subs only load when the Japanese audio is selected.

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

• Episode 1 Commentary features Christopher Bevins, Josh Grelle and Anthony Bowling.


• The Ente Isla Language with Jamie Marchi (1080p; 13:38) is an interesting look at the fictional language the Demons speak.


• Episode 12 Commentary features Tia Ballard, Aaron Dismuke, Felecia Angelle and Alex Moore.


• Textless Opening Song "ZERO!!" (1080p; 1:31)


• Textless Closing Song "Moon Flower" (1080p; 1:32)


• Textless Closing Song "Starchart" (1080p; 00:52)


• U.S. Trailer (1080p; 1:18)

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

The Devil is a Part-Timer is a real surprise, a series that manages to develop a completely unlikely premise into a very likable series. The characters are fun (and often quite funny), and there's a good balance between comedy and action here. This is one anime that doesn't coast through events after the basic setup is formulated, and those who stick with the series are in for at least a couple of surprises. Technical merits here are first rate, and there are decent supplements as well. Highly recommended.