Light Novel Review: The Devil Is A Part-Timer! Vol. 1

Title: The Devil Is A Part-Timer! Volume 1

 The Devil Is A Part-Timer! (はたらく魔王さま! Hataraku Maō-sama!) is a hilarious light-novel fantasy series about the devil who is working a part-time fast food job while he is trapped in Japan as a human. ASCII Media Works has published 14 volumes since February 2011 and the series appears to be going strong. Additionally, there have been two manga adaptations published by ASCII Media Works. There is also a 13-episode anime adaptation produced by White Fox that was directed by Naoto Hosoda. It aired between April and June 2013. In the United States, if I am correct, The Devil Is A Part-Timer really didn’t gain fame until Crunchyroll began streaming the anime series. Before this, I really didn’t hear much about this series despite it being around since 2011. For those Outerhaven readers who aren’t too sure what a light novel is – it’s basically your manga without frame by frame illustrations. Think of it as one of those breezy chapter books you would have read in grade school. I’m using that as a comparison since there are occasional illustrations throughout the text. The reading level for this series is actually 13 and up so you won’t be finding it in an elementary school. The light novel is less time consuming than reading… Game of Thrones which goes on and on for thousands of pages. Light novels are also gaining popularity! So you should get used to reading them now while you can still hop on the boat.

The Devil Is A Part-Timer! follows The Devil King who fled from Ente Isla after his world conquering plans were thwarted by Emilia The Hero. He ends up in Japan under the human identity Sadao Maou and pursues a career at MgRonald to earn income while he and his loyal companion think up a plan to absorb enough magical power to return to Ente Isla and take over the world. Unfortunately for the peaceful and friendly Sadao Maou, Emilia The Hero follows them to Japan under the human identity, Emi Yusa. These three magical humans live out ordinary lives in Japan while plotting their plans. You can witness the characters morals unfold as they are forced to live in a new situation that is uncomfortable and completely foreign to them. Things like cuts and scrapes hurt for the first time and don’t automatically heal. They feel hunger and need to pay rent. They also end up with human friends who can look beyond their weird tendencies. Eventually others from Ente Isla who want to destroy both The Hero and The Devil King for their own glory and power head to Japan and hilarious battles and complications ensue. Once this happens, The Hero and The Devil King must push aside their hatred for each other and team up to protect humanity from troublemakers while figuring out ways to kill each other. The result is comical genius and it’s amazing that this series hasn’t garnered more attention in the US.

Final Word:

Since this was volume 1, it was tough to judge if the series was worth it at first. I found the first twenty or so pages to be very slow and difficult to follow. Since I knew this was a solid series with a good reputation I was able to overcome the slow beginning and I became completely submerged in the world Wagahara created. Watching someone who is supposed to be pure evil train teenagers at MgRonald in addition to ending up on a date with a co-worker is unexpected and funny. After enough time with both Emi and Sadao, it seriously seems as if the religious and pious Emilia the Hero is amoral compared to The Devil King’s human form. There are many characters who we are introduced to in Volume 1 and all of them really add to the story and amusement. I suggest checking out this series because it seems really promising once you get past the first few pages of the first volume. Not only that, as I mentioned, this series does have a strong following and can only get more popular as all of the books in the series get released in the US.

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**This item was provided for review.