Showing posts with label Satoshi Wagahara. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Satoshi Wagahara. Show all posts
Monday, November 23, 2015
Manga Monday: There's even competition in the school lunch game
Misunderstandings abound, and a few new characters are added to the mix as well in The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School! Volume 2.
Note: The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School! Volume 2 is part of an ongoing series. For the review of Volume 1 click here. Otherwise, read on!
Monday, November 2, 2015
Manga Monday: A new neighbor appears
Monday, August 24, 2015
Manga Monday: Devil King for Student Council!
The crowd's all here - from Maou and Emi to Mayumi Kisaki and Lucifer in The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School! Volume 1.
Once again, Maou-sama has to find his place in this strange new world, and now there's even more drama than in the backroom of the fast food joint. He is, arguably, in a better position to take over all of Japan, and then the world now.
Every great leader needs a great education, you see, and what better place to start than in high school?
A high school has plenty of room for our favorite faces. Alicel is working as custodian so that he and Maou get free room and board. Emi and her friend Rika Suzuki transfer in shortly thereafter, and poor Chi-chan was here to begin with. Maou's boss from MgRonalds is now their teacher, and other characters wander in over time.
The story roughly follows that of the light novel and manga, with Maou planning to take over the world using Student Council President as just the first stepping-stone. There's a challenge to sell the most curry puddings, and Emi becomes injured on a class field trip. Even though we've heard the song before, the remix still entertains.
The whole 'high school' versions of popular manga is becoming more and more common. While it's kind-of fun to see favorite characters in a completely different setting, the whole idea is just a bit bizarre. The gaps in ages are scaled down, so that Chi-chan is the same age as Maou and Emi, which changes the dynamic of their relationship a bit. And figuring out how to wedge in side characters stretches the bounds of credibility. Even so, The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School! Volume 1 is a fun alternate story for big fans of the existing series.
Highs: It's cute that even her, Alciel ends up cleaning up after everyone.
Lows: How many students can transfer into the same class in just two days?
Verdict: Only meant for real fans of the original series, The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School! Volume 1 reads like a high school fantasy of a fanfic - in all the best ways.
Further Reading: The Devil is a Part-Timer! (Light Novel) Volume 1, The Devil is a Part-Timer! (manga) Volume 1, Rin-ne
Once again, Maou-sama has to find his place in this strange new world, and now there's even more drama than in the backroom of the fast food joint. He is, arguably, in a better position to take over all of Japan, and then the world now.
Every great leader needs a great education, you see, and what better place to start than in high school?
A high school has plenty of room for our favorite faces. Alicel is working as custodian so that he and Maou get free room and board. Emi and her friend Rika Suzuki transfer in shortly thereafter, and poor Chi-chan was here to begin with. Maou's boss from MgRonalds is now their teacher, and other characters wander in over time.
The story roughly follows that of the light novel and manga, with Maou planning to take over the world using Student Council President as just the first stepping-stone. There's a challenge to sell the most curry puddings, and Emi becomes injured on a class field trip. Even though we've heard the song before, the remix still entertains.
The whole 'high school' versions of popular manga is becoming more and more common. While it's kind-of fun to see favorite characters in a completely different setting, the whole idea is just a bit bizarre. The gaps in ages are scaled down, so that Chi-chan is the same age as Maou and Emi, which changes the dynamic of their relationship a bit. And figuring out how to wedge in side characters stretches the bounds of credibility. Even so, The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School! Volume 1 is a fun alternate story for big fans of the existing series.
Highs: It's cute that even her, Alciel ends up cleaning up after everyone.
Lows: How many students can transfer into the same class in just two days?
Verdict: Only meant for real fans of the original series, The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School! Volume 1 reads like a high school fantasy of a fanfic - in all the best ways.
Further Reading: The Devil is a Part-Timer! (Light Novel) Volume 1, The Devil is a Part-Timer! (manga) Volume 1, Rin-ne
Monday, July 27, 2015
Manga Monday: The Devil King and The Hero get a few visitors from home
More visitors from Ente Isla means more trouble for the people of Earth in The Devil is a Part-Timer (manga) Volume 2.
Note: The Devil is a Part-Timer! (manga) Volume 2 is part of an ongoing series. For Volume 1, click here. Otherwise, read on!
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Part-time work can be a special kind of hell...
A good worker is a good worker, whether he's leading demon hoards or slinging burgers, in The Devil is a Part-Timer! (Light Novel) Volume 1.
It was a humiliating retreat. The Devil King Maou could not hold ranks, and the only avenue left to him was to open a portal for himself and his top general Alciel to flee through.
But after battling to a standstill against the Hero Emilia Justina, neither had the energy to control the intermensional portal they had created. They fell from the portal into a world unlike any they had ever seen before. Buildings reach up to touch the sky. Lights line the streets, stretching into the distance.
And there doesn't seem to be the supply of magic that they're accustomed to in Ente Isla.
After a humiliating few days trying to acclimate themselbes to this strange, human-run world, The Devil King Maou and Alciel begin to get their feet under them. Using a bit of their remaining magic, they obtain the background paperwork necessary to obtain housing and employment.
Of a sort.
What folows is a hilarious fantasy/slice of life. The Devil King, now known as Sadao Maou, finds work at the fast food giant MgRonalds, and begins his plans for world domination through climbing the ranks within the MgRonalds corporation. Alciel - Shiro Ashiya - is focusing on his support role for Maou, keeping the household and budget in order, as well as researching any possible sources of magic in this new world.
Maou and Ashiya aren't the only ones frmo Ente Isla to find their way to Earth. The Hero Emilia followed her quarry through the portal, and has also set herself up with a job and a new identity. Being rather more pragmatic than her enemies, she manages to use her ability to comprehend and speak any language she hears to obtain a relatively cushy job at a call center.
The longer our exiled warriors stay on Earth, the more involved tehy get in their new lives. Maou earns the respect of his manager and subordinates alike. Ashiya becomes involved with the same challenges as any househusband, competing to get the best deals at market and bemoaning their lack of funds. Even The Hero Emilia - now Emi Yusa - makes a friend at work.
And strange things have been happening around Sasazuka station. Odd earthquakes that are very tightly centered around a coworker of Maou. Voices warning her of a bigger event happening soon. Even an attack on Maou and Yusa as they argue after Maou's shift at MgRonalds. It soon becomes clear that they are not the only new people in the area.
And whoever it is, they're upping the stakes.
The Devil is a Part-Timer! (Light Novel) Volume 1 gives more depth to the story than either the manga or the anime is able to. Motivations are more clear, and the interactions more detailed. The thoughts and feelings of Yusa, and the straightforward befuddlement of Maou, are both hilarous and telling. Th\is format lets the writing of Satoshi Wagahara shine, and shows why this is such a well-received series.
The Devil is a Part-Timer! (Light Novel) Volume 1 is both a great introduction to the series, as well as a supplement to the collection of media surrounding this story.
Highs: Maou's day out with Chiho was totally a date...to everybody but Maou.
Lows: I'd love more details about some of the side characters back in Ente Isla.
Verdict: This is perhaps the best way to first experience the series, and is both hilarous and endearing in turn.
Further Reading: The Devil is a Part Timer! (manga), My Neighbor Seki, Moribito, Rin-ne
It was a humiliating retreat. The Devil King Maou could not hold ranks, and the only avenue left to him was to open a portal for himself and his top general Alciel to flee through.
But after battling to a standstill against the Hero Emilia Justina, neither had the energy to control the intermensional portal they had created. They fell from the portal into a world unlike any they had ever seen before. Buildings reach up to touch the sky. Lights line the streets, stretching into the distance.
And there doesn't seem to be the supply of magic that they're accustomed to in Ente Isla.
After a humiliating few days trying to acclimate themselbes to this strange, human-run world, The Devil King Maou and Alciel begin to get their feet under them. Using a bit of their remaining magic, they obtain the background paperwork necessary to obtain housing and employment.
Of a sort.
What folows is a hilarious fantasy/slice of life. The Devil King, now known as Sadao Maou, finds work at the fast food giant MgRonalds, and begins his plans for world domination through climbing the ranks within the MgRonalds corporation. Alciel - Shiro Ashiya - is focusing on his support role for Maou, keeping the household and budget in order, as well as researching any possible sources of magic in this new world.
Maou and Ashiya aren't the only ones frmo Ente Isla to find their way to Earth. The Hero Emilia followed her quarry through the portal, and has also set herself up with a job and a new identity. Being rather more pragmatic than her enemies, she manages to use her ability to comprehend and speak any language she hears to obtain a relatively cushy job at a call center.
The longer our exiled warriors stay on Earth, the more involved tehy get in their new lives. Maou earns the respect of his manager and subordinates alike. Ashiya becomes involved with the same challenges as any househusband, competing to get the best deals at market and bemoaning their lack of funds. Even The Hero Emilia - now Emi Yusa - makes a friend at work.
And strange things have been happening around Sasazuka station. Odd earthquakes that are very tightly centered around a coworker of Maou. Voices warning her of a bigger event happening soon. Even an attack on Maou and Yusa as they argue after Maou's shift at MgRonalds. It soon becomes clear that they are not the only new people in the area.
And whoever it is, they're upping the stakes.
The Devil is a Part-Timer! (Light Novel) Volume 1 gives more depth to the story than either the manga or the anime is able to. Motivations are more clear, and the interactions more detailed. The thoughts and feelings of Yusa, and the straightforward befuddlement of Maou, are both hilarous and telling. Th\is format lets the writing of Satoshi Wagahara shine, and shows why this is such a well-received series.
The Devil is a Part-Timer! (Light Novel) Volume 1 is both a great introduction to the series, as well as a supplement to the collection of media surrounding this story.
Highs: Maou's day out with Chiho was totally a date...to everybody but Maou.
Lows: I'd love more details about some of the side characters back in Ente Isla.
Verdict: This is perhaps the best way to first experience the series, and is both hilarous and endearing in turn.
Further Reading: The Devil is a Part Timer! (manga), My Neighbor Seki, Moribito, Rin-ne
Monday, April 6, 2015
Manga Monday: Did you ever suspect your shift manager was a devil?
It's the eternal battle between good and evil, centered around Ente Isla. Emilia, the Champion of the humans is locked in mortal battle with the Devil King. As Emilia gains the upper hand, the Devil King opens a gate to another world, vowing to return and finish what he's started. As he and his second-in-command Alciel escape, Emilia has no choice but to pursue them, wherever that gate might lead.
And this is where we join our merry cast of characters in the manga The Devil is a Part-Timer (manga) Volume 1. To survive in this magic-bereft world, the Devil King (now called Sadao Maou) and Alciel (Shirou Ashiya) have to adapt to life on Earth. They get their paperwork in order, find a place to live within their nonexistent budget, and while Ashiya is researching magic in this world, Maou-sama gets a job to support them.
At MgRonalds. Taking orders behind the counter. Promoting their new Black Pepper Fries.
Eventually, the Champion Emilia Justina (now Emi Yusa) discovers where the Devil King has been hiding out, and confronts him. She's been marginally more successful at life on Earth, picking out a less strange name for herself, finding a decent apartment, and getting work at a call center. But even as she confronts Maou outside his work, there's something else going on as well. As they walk and bicker, his mighty steed Dullahan (a bicycle) receives a near mortal wound to its front tire. As they stop to inspect it, more gunfire erupts and they run for their lives.
Who else might know that they are more than they seem?
In the meantime, Maou-sama's coworker Chiho Sasaki has taken an interest in him as well. Ever since Maou appeared, she's been having strangely prophetic dreams about the earthquakes that have been plaguing the area, and she asks Maou out to talk about them. But with both Ashiya and Emi spying on them, things get awkward. And then another disaster.
The Devil is a Part Timer! (manga) Volume 1 does a good job keeping the action moving. Fans of the anime series might be annoyed that nearly four full episodes are contained in just the first manga. This shortening, however, keeps the pace quick and make sure the reader is never bored with overlong exposition. Fans who want a more in-depth look at the series may want to hold off and pick up the light novels when they come out later this year. However, for seasoned anime fans, as well as big fans of the anime, the manga is a fun reminder of the anime series and a good refresher before more of the plot is released for its English-speaking fans.
Highs: Emilia's backstory comes through better in manga form than it did in the anime, and really makes the reader start to cheer for the Champion
Lows: Pulled straight from the anime series, there's nothing new to offer storyline-wise
Verdict: The Devil is a Part-Timer! (manga) Volume 1 is a bit of a placeholder until further volumes come out for those who have watched the anime, but is still a hilarious romp for those for whom the story is new.
Further Reading: The Devil is a Part-Timer! Light Novel, Moribito, Rin-ne
And this is where we join our merry cast of characters in the manga The Devil is a Part-Timer (manga) Volume 1. To survive in this magic-bereft world, the Devil King (now called Sadao Maou) and Alciel (Shirou Ashiya) have to adapt to life on Earth. They get their paperwork in order, find a place to live within their nonexistent budget, and while Ashiya is researching magic in this world, Maou-sama gets a job to support them.
At MgRonalds. Taking orders behind the counter. Promoting their new Black Pepper Fries.
Eventually, the Champion Emilia Justina (now Emi Yusa) discovers where the Devil King has been hiding out, and confronts him. She's been marginally more successful at life on Earth, picking out a less strange name for herself, finding a decent apartment, and getting work at a call center. But even as she confronts Maou outside his work, there's something else going on as well. As they walk and bicker, his mighty steed Dullahan (a bicycle) receives a near mortal wound to its front tire. As they stop to inspect it, more gunfire erupts and they run for their lives.
Who else might know that they are more than they seem?
In the meantime, Maou-sama's coworker Chiho Sasaki has taken an interest in him as well. Ever since Maou appeared, she's been having strangely prophetic dreams about the earthquakes that have been plaguing the area, and she asks Maou out to talk about them. But with both Ashiya and Emi spying on them, things get awkward. And then another disaster.
The Devil is a Part Timer! (manga) Volume 1 does a good job keeping the action moving. Fans of the anime series might be annoyed that nearly four full episodes are contained in just the first manga. This shortening, however, keeps the pace quick and make sure the reader is never bored with overlong exposition. Fans who want a more in-depth look at the series may want to hold off and pick up the light novels when they come out later this year. However, for seasoned anime fans, as well as big fans of the anime, the manga is a fun reminder of the anime series and a good refresher before more of the plot is released for its English-speaking fans.
Highs: Emilia's backstory comes through better in manga form than it did in the anime, and really makes the reader start to cheer for the Champion
Lows: Pulled straight from the anime series, there's nothing new to offer storyline-wise
Verdict: The Devil is a Part-Timer! (manga) Volume 1 is a bit of a placeholder until further volumes come out for those who have watched the anime, but is still a hilarious romp for those for whom the story is new.
Further Reading: The Devil is a Part-Timer! Light Novel, Moribito, Rin-ne
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