What happens when the Demon Lord comes to the human world? He gets a part-time job, apparently. When the now named Maou Sadao and his loyal commander Shiro Ashiya arrive at modern Japan, conquering the world isn’t an option. Instead, they learn the ways of living in Japan. One of the first problems they encounter is money. To overcome this, Sadao gets a part-time job at MgRonald’s. However, Sadao and Ashiya are not alone. The Hero, now known as Yusa Emi, is stuck in the same situation after following the two demons through the portal to Earth. Things get an unexpected turn for the worst when Sadao meets Emi, who reveals her identity to him. Now powerless, Emi is unable to defeat Sadao to accomplish her goal. Hence, she has no choice but to live in Japan until she regains her powers.
The Good:
Hataraku Maou-sama had an interesting start. It also has a unique plot. I’ve never heard of another story where a demon has to work in the human world. I’m really curious about the language of Ente Isla. Is it a real language from a country or did the animators make it up? I really enjoy the humour in the story, especially the part about the postcard sent by the landlady. Sadao and Ashiya being mistaken as cosplayers when they just arrived at the human world was hilarious.
I like the opening song and its bright, colourful animation. It’s cool how they compare the Ente Isla characters in the different worlds, one in Ente Isla with their elaborate costumes and one in the human world. It doesn’t strike me as one of the best openings I’ve seen, but it’s good. The ending song is just okay to me. Nothing I really dislike, but nothing I really like about it either.
The Bad:
Nearing the end of the first half of the series, I stopped watching it and only picked it up again recently since I read many positive reviews about the anime as a whole. I stopped watching it last time because I felt that the humour was somehow dying and somehow the jokes didn’t seem to tickle my funny bone at that time. Also, perhaps another reason is because of Emeralda Etuva, Emilia’s friend from Ente Isla. I find her voice extremely annoying. In fact, it’s so annoying that she deserves the Most Annoying Character of 2013 award.
The Verdict: 7/10
All in all, Hataraku Maou-sama is the funniest 2013 anime I’ve watched. The overall humour is great and the plot is original. Also, the interactions between the characters are fun to watch. Even though it isn’t the best anime I’ve watched, it’s worth a watch for a good laugh.
Otaku Daydreams 