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EP. REVIEW: The Devil Is a Part-Timer!! Season 2


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sakurahitagi



Joined: 12 Jan 2014
Posts: 70
PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2022 1:32 pm Reply with quote
Overall, I'd say this was a fun return to the gang. I prefer the old art style, but the face game is strong. I thought the first few episodes of season 1 were the best, so hopefully season 2 returns to that level.
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njprogfan
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Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Posts: 1147
Location: A River Named Toms
PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2022 2:07 pm Reply with quote
I was taken aback by the change in character design and the overall animation quality. I'm not looking for an exact copy of the artwork in the manga or even Season 1, but Chi-chan looks to be the worst out of all of them, especially missing that detailed vibrancy. When it's all said and done you can't go wrong with the story and the characters themselves, but I'm disappointed it looks crappy right out of the gate.
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Lizuka



Joined: 27 Jul 2018
Posts: 256
PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2022 2:40 pm Reply with quote
Did find some of the aspects of the art rather jarring, and it did feel a little odd having the first episode really only have any real plot at the very end, but still very much enjoyed seeing this crew again and really looking forward to the next one.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10830
PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2022 4:09 pm Reply with quote
The animation and design change takes some getting used to but the writing, character banter, and voicework still feel the same, so I don't mind much.

Chiho finally trying to get her own umbrella moment with Maou.

It's like fate ships Maou and Emi together as hard as the fandom to the point of saddling them with a kid.
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michizure



Joined: 28 Jun 2006
Posts: 177
PostPosted: Tue Jul 19, 2022 8:34 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
The difference in animation style and character designs also allows the show to lean more into exaggerated reactions and expressions of its characters; it's a change that might take a bit to get used to, but a welcomed one that plays on the show's strengths.

I'm afraid I couldn't disagree more. The core feature of the original season was that it played all of its absurdities absolutely straight, whether it was Maou calling out to encourage his precious "steed" or the camera implicitly comparing Emi and Chiho via MgRonald burgers. Yes, there were exaggerated facial expressions -- Chiho thinking that Maou has brought an ai-bento to work is a classic -- but they were earned, not gratuitous.

The constant Wacky (tm) seriously undermines the humor for me. I sincerely hope this is just for the intro, and the art direction will be less over-the-top going forward.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10830
PostPosted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 10:42 am Reply with quote
I see Takehito Koyasu couldn't help but show up here.

I can't think of anything more perfect than this wacky group trying to take care of a child who thinks Maou and Emi are its parents. She is adorable though.

Miss Kisaki with the surprise maternal vibes and good life advice!

I like how Emi always tries to play off her relationship with Maou but she's the one dolling herself up because she thinks she'll be seen as his wife.
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kgw



Joined: 22 Jul 2004
Posts: 1046
Location: Spain, EU
PostPosted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 3:37 am Reply with quote
I can't say I remember a lot of the 1st season, so when I feel this second chapter a bit underwhelming with the "date" between Mao and Emi that falls in every cliché of romcoms, i can't say it's following the first season pace or not.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18112
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Tue Jul 26, 2022 7:44 pm Reply with quote
^
The adaptation pace here is distinctly faster, as at current pace they're likely to finish novel 3 in only four episodes. (The first season spent six episodes on each of the first two novels.) However, I don't feel like anything of consequence is being lost here, as the story in the anime is sufficiently covering its bases and condensing a few things.

As for content seeming cliche, keep in mind that one of the franchise's standard gimmicks is to toy with cliches while still subverting them. The first season saw a fair amount of that, and you'll see a lot more in this season.
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redranger



Joined: 13 Sep 2010
Posts: 271
PostPosted: Fri Jul 29, 2022 9:51 am Reply with quote
Wow. Never thought I'd see a sequel to The Devil is a Part Timer. A surprise to be sure but a welcome one. Now we just need season 3 of Arslan. Please god please.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10830
PostPosted: Sat Jul 30, 2022 9:28 am Reply with quote
Emi and Maou do a surprisingly great job of playing a young couple with their child, and Maou seems to enjoy being a dad.

(So did they just...not really hear Alas Ramus talking about the sephirot before or...?)

Emi is learning more about Maou and demon culture. I guess she wasn't expecting to think that demons aren't so different from humans, or how Maou's childhood wasn't great, nor that an angel basically helped him become the Demon Lord.

Rika and Ashiya's budding romance is pretty adorable. Ashiya is so worried about finances, he could use a positive relationship with an outgoing and caring girl like Rika, and Rika flustered so much is amazing to watch.

So we've got Kikuko Inoue and Takehito Koyasu as angels. Gabriel being so desperate not to seem like a "bad guy" even though he ate their pizza (but at least he said he'd pay for it!) was pretty amusing. Koyasu is really having fun with this.
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BaronViolet



Joined: 27 May 2018
Posts: 212
PostPosted: Sat Jul 30, 2022 10:00 am Reply with quote
I kinda rolled my eyes when the Arch Angel back down because Chio cried. I mean I get it. Comedy and it was to show that the Gab isn't all bad but come on. How do you think his superiors will react when they discover that he left because a big boob girl begged him to leave Mao alone? If this was chainsaw man Chio would have gotten her head chopped off. I am curious if a REAL big bad is going to show up later in the series because at some point, the story is going to need someone who won't back off so easily.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Sat Jul 30, 2022 12:00 pm Reply with quote
review wrote:
It's also from this angel that Maou originally learned about the human realm, which means that him coming to this world wasn't just some random happenstance.

Actually, that comment refers to Enta Isla, not modern-day Japans.

Quote:
I'm very curious about how Maou went from an orphaned demon whose parents were killed by his own kind to someone that wanted to rule his entire realm, especially after seemingly being looked after by a well-established angel.

This is elaborated on more in bits and pieces over the entire course of the novel series, so you won't learn everything about that within the scope of this season.. However, some more details should be coming next episode.

MFrontier wrote:
(So did they just...not really hear Alas Ramus talking about the sephirot before or...?)

Lack of context. (And, well, Alas Ramus does have the pronunciation proficiency of a typical 2-3 year old, so if she's not directly speaking to Maou or Emi, it would probably be hard to understand her.)

BaronViolet wrote:
I kinda rolled my eyes when the Arch Angel back down because Chio cried. I mean I get it. Comedy and it was to show that the Gab isn't all bad but come on. How do you think his superiors will react when they discover that he left because a big boob girl begged him to leave Mao alone? If this was chainsaw man Chio would have gotten her head chopped off. I am curious if a REAL big bad is going to show up later in the series because at some point, the story is going to need someone who won't back off so easily.

This Gabriel is even more of an oddball than Sariel is, albeit in an entirely different way. He is, I think, meant to be a parody of those who see themselves as super-PC and super-sensitive but overemphasize it to the point of obnoxiousness. And he lets Chiho get away with it because he really doesn't like being seen as a villain.

That being said, the execution of that whole scene is the weakest part of the current season from both adaptation and interpretation angles. The way it plays out does follow what's in the novel, but the intensity is lacking.
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Spike Terra
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Joined: 21 Mar 2016
Posts: 358
Location: Maryland
PostPosted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 12:08 pm Reply with quote
Key wrote:

That being said, the execution of that whole scene is the weakest part of the current season from both adaptation and interpretation angles. The way it plays out does follow what's in the novel, but the intensity is lacking.


I think that comes from just the large amount of content that they put into this episode. From the opening, I think we are covering books 3-5 this season. That's one more than the previous season and I will say that it shows. That being said, this a very solid adaptation and I'm impressed with how close it is to the source material. At this point, I realize that I just took Key's quote and presented it worse. I'm going to change gears for a moment.

Gabriel is one of my favorite characters in the series, so I was hoping that he would be voiced by Tomokazu Sugita. Takehito Koyasu is killing it in this role and I think he's a perfect fit for Gabriel.
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njprogfan
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Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Posts: 1147
Location: A River Named Toms
PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 12:29 pm Reply with quote
I hate to beat a dead horse, but the artwork freakin' sucks and for me personally, distracts. There are so many times characters go off model and the camera moves around at wanky angles it takes me right out of the story. The script and voice acting are fine, as good as season one which makes this such a disappointment. I was SO looking forward to this season and the stories coming up....sigh, it's now just a middling anime and that's a shame.
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Amuro1X



Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 171
PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 12:33 pm Reply with quote
Knowing where things go...

[EDIT: I strongly recommend against anime-only viewers peeking on this spoiler. It refers to a highly controversial point about what happens at the end of the franchise. Trying to make a judgment on that based only on what's been shown in anime form so far is, I feel, counter-productive to enjoying this season. - Key]

spoiler[seeing Emi and Maou look like a happy family is just utterly infuriating.]
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