MAOU VERSUS THE ANGELS!
Creative Staff
Story: Satoshi Wagahara
Art: Akio Hiiragi
Translation: Kevin Gifford
What they say
Chiho has collapsed, and Maou and company have figured out that it must be the work of an Angel. The only thing left to figure out is whether they’re holed up in Tokyo Tower or the Sky Tree. When the group finally finds whoever’s responsible for hurting their friend, the ultimate Maou/Alciel combo is going to paint the town red!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
So much stuff seems to have happened in The Devil is a Part-Timer the manga. The series has long since surpassed where the anime left off and is continuing to tell us about the journey of a part-time Devil King who works at McRonalds. Oddly enough, McRonalds isn’t really featured in this volume, like, at all.
We begin our story with Maou, Alciel, and Suzuno shopping for a television. It’s been awhile since the last review for this series, but the Devil’s Castle aka their apartment complex was recently renovated and is now capable of using HD. Their helper in this shopping excursion is none other than Emi’s human friend, Rika Suzuki, who has a massive crush on Alciel. I think it’s great that there’s a focus on relationships outside of the main one (the one between Maou, Emi, and Chiho). While there hasn’t been much of a focus placed on the budding feelings that Rika has for the gaunt house husband, I see a lot of potential in the future to make things more interesting.
I’m also really beginning to like Maou. I’ve always thought he was a good protagonist. He’s straightforward, to the point, knows what he wants, and doesn’t act like a typical protagonist in a harem series. In other words, he doesn’t accidentally stumble on women while they are changing, blush, stutter, and then trip and faceplant into the woman’s chest. Not only does he not possess typical harem protagonist traits, but this volume showcases a lot of his better qualities. I think both Emi and Suzuno are beginning to see these traits as well. While I can’t say with any certainty, Suzuno at least seems to be going through some changes when it comes to her thoughts regarding this part-time Devil King.
While the first chapter might have been a relaxing excursion, the rest of this volume is intense. The first thing we learn at the end of chapter 1 is that Chiho is unconscious and won’t wake up. The gang visits her at the hospital, and fortunately, Suzuno is able to discover what happened. Apparently, her body is creating some Demonic Force and it was too much for her body to handle. Add in a sonar attack being sent through the television, and you’ve got a problem. Urushihara, aka Lucifer, was the one who discovered the sonar attack. He also discovered who is sending these sonar waves through the TV. It’s another angel named Raguel.
There are a lot of revelations and twists made during the following events. Maou and Emi split up to try and find Raguel. Emi runs into Gabriel, who gives her some really big info regarding her parents. Not only is Raguel after her mom, Laila, but it seems as though her father is still alive. This shocking twist sends Emi’s emotions into a spiral. Meanwhile, Maou and Alciel confront Raguel at the Tokyo Tower.
So far, we only seem to have a bit more information about everything that’s going on than we did before. There are some huge twists, but we’re not given a clear picture. Several pieces to this puzzle are still missing. We know there’s a problem in Heaven. We know that Laila was somehow responsible for it. However, there’s so much that we don’t know yet. I feel like Satoshi Wagahara is doing his best to keep us on our toes. I’m really wondering what will happen during the next volume, and I’m also really hoping some of these mysteries are solved.
In Summary
I think one of the greatest aspects of The Devil is a Part-Timer is how the series combines humor, wit, action, and drama into one big package. There’s so much that’s always happening. New information is being revealed, characters are being forced to confront issues that change them or their thoughts in some way, and the comedy never fails to make me laugh. There are a lot of good things about this series. Really, I think the only thing that bothers me is how there’s nothing really happening on the romance front. However, since the series doesn’t seem to have a high focus on the romance, I can at least accept that.
Content Grade: A+
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: May 22, 2018
MSRP: $12.99
