With angels like this, who needs demons?
What They Say:
The stranger Suzuno met at the train station has her reconsidering her position on the Devil. Yusa, however, is unwavering.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Last week, I caught up on this series with two episodes at once, and found that not much happened in regards to the plot even with twice the time. It was still lots of fun, so I didn’t mind. However, this single episode is absolutely packed with plot development, and is possibly the single most serious episode of the entire series thus far, although thankfully not completely lacking in its usual comedic banter.
It was obvious something was about to go down when the SFC manager appeared to Suzuno at the end of the previous episode, showing himself to be, as suspected, not the normal sleazebag fast food manager he played himself off to be. After exchanging some words with Suzuno, she recalls her past in Ente Isla, and decides to take drastic action against our lovable hero who she’s been observing since her introduction. As Emi is the hero and the two have found a connection through their lives in both worlds, she considers her a potential ally and wishes to obtain her assistance in her mission. Chiho is also with the two of them, and it doesn’t take long for her to realize that Suzuno is from the same world as pretty much everyone else in her life. A large part of the episode is spent on this verbal confrontation between the three of them, debating over what action should be taken in regard to Maou, and what his true intentions are.
I will say that the ability to blend the silly with the serious that this show has displayed so impressively falters just a tiny bit when trying to transition between Maou’s job at MgRonald’s to a very dramatic scene showing how much Chiho cares for him, beyond just being a girl with a crush. However, it pushes past this slight silliness somewhat surprisingly well, and before long it becomes very compelling and emotional. Ultimately, all does not work out as might be ideal for the characters we’re obviously rooting for, but the content we got was very strong, and of course the conflicts become much more interesting as a result.
What seems like it will have to be the final battle of the series gets underway, pitting our villain against Emi at first, then taking actions that will clearly draw the rest of the cast into the fray for one final epic showdown. Ashiya was mainly used for comic relief in this episode, unfortunately still using the same bathroom humor, until Urushihara finally forces him to go to the hospital, which is a bit more amusing. However, this actually serves a greater purpose for the darker side of the episode, and the final scene of him shows that there really won’t be a single character absent from the big event of these final couple of episodes. Again, the “comedy” involving Ashiya’s sickness is not appreciated, but the usual dynamic of the main cast when everything is peaceful still makes for some very funny exchanges and gags. It seems like these will have to be toned down in the coming episodes, but I bet it will all work together quite smoothly.
In Summary:
After some brief moments of fun and peace, the series takes what will likely be its final and most serious turn, setting up some major conflicts to go down in the last few episodes. Although there are some overused gags and a minor awkward transition, for the most part this episode provides very successful emotional material, and an exciting cliffhanger for the next one.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: FUNimation
Review Equipment:
Custom-Built PC, 27” 1080p HDTV.
