Anime Review: Hataraku Maou-sama!

Since I'm on a roll, I'm posting two reviews today! Just before Maoyuu, I watched another anime with a Demon King and Hero, so here's the review!

Hataraku Maou-sama! (The Devil is a Part-timer!)

13 episodes, completed 2013

My rating: 8.5/10

The anime starts off with the typical scenario: demons and humans at war, a hero arises and faces off with the demon king. Demon king runs away and escapes via a magical gate into another dimension, ending up in present-day Japan. And there's where the typical stuff ends. I had thought that this anime would have the typical airhead demon king who is a bit weak, but ends up getting enough power to do the right thing when necessary (no doubt a typical image, perpetuated by the likes of Kyou Kara Maou :P)

Surprisingly, (and happily), this demon king is never what he seems, always somehow surprising the other characters and occasionally me as well. And there lies the charm of this anime, along with the hilarious and unexpectedly realistic storylines (like a Demon King actually applying for a real ID and opening bank accounts) and unusual characters. 

The Hero, who is a girl by the way (they need a love line after all, yeay!) and the Demon King develop a curious relationship, not the typical romance type nor the I'm-in-denial-I-can't-be-in-love-with-him/her type either; a bit vague but not irritating somehow (which it usually is for me :P) 

Both supposedly have the traditional traits of their titles (e.g. the Hero is noble and always is the enemy of the demon king) but often act differently to what is expected of them. 

(The evil Demon King models in his boxers XD)

The general theme of the anime seems to emphasise that nothing is as clear cut as it seems. Everything is life is grey, not black or white. The supposedly evil Demon King is shown to have a normal life, works hard and is capable of kindness; the Hero is shown to be clumsy in heels (I can relate :P) and not as sure about good and evil as she should be. The great Demon General eats expired soba and becomes a resident of the toilet >.< 

No one is perfect, and everyone is struggling to do the right thing and work hard in their own way, which is a message I think a lot of people can relate to, which is the main pull of this anime :)

Not to mention the hilarity and novelty of seeing fantasy characters living a typical Japanese worker's life in modern Japan and caring about the mundane stuff like getting a promotion from part-timer to permanent staff at MgRonald (teehee, copyright issues :P) 

*the evil MgRonald employee practicing his devil grin*

Art and graphics are nothing special, typical clean style of newer anime. It's from a relatively new studio called White Fox, which has made some nice animes ( e.g Jormungand, Tears to Tiara). The jokes and gags are quite laugh-out-loud worthy (or maybe it's just me, I tend to laugh a bit too loudly anyway -.-") and gives quite a nice portrayal of the kind of life modern Japanese part-timers lead, though I'm not sure how realistic it really is though, since I've never been there :( The characters are quite distinctive, and each are given quite a fair amount of emphasis, which is one thing I particularly like. 

I docked some points because it's too short (it's too good to end like this!!!) and also because I think the characters need more personal development, but overall I would definitely recommend this anime, especiall if you're looking for a funny anime which isn't too cliched. Go ahead and enjoy!

My first review: Maoyuu Maou Yuusha (Demon King and Hero)

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my blog about anime, manga and related stuff. Whether you're a complete newbie to it, or a veteran otaku, I hope you'll enjoy your time here!

Having sold my soul to the world of anime at the relatively tender age of 15, it is surprising that it took me this long to actually start writing a blog about anime. 

However, I would like to assert that all my reviews and comments on my blog are merely my personal opinions and observations, and I take no responsibility whatsoever if you disagree with my reviews. 

All I want to do is share my love and passion for anime and manga with as many people as possible! It is simply a world too wonderful and amazing not to share, as I'm sure most of you (who are probably reading this blog because you're already an anime fan :P) would agree.

So let's jump straight into it, my first review! (P.S I will give warning if spoilers are coming up!)

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha (Demon King and Hero)
12 episode anime, released 2013

My rating: 8/10

So I just finished watching this 10 minutes ago and I'm still crushed by the disappointment that it only lasted 12 episodes. "I want more!!!" usually means that it's a good anime, and this one certainly is!

Demon Kings and Heroes are nothing new in the anime and manga world, heck all gamers are probably familiar with the various demons and heroes already, so in that sense it isn't a new concept. The twist is that this time the Demon King and Hero are working together (and did I mention the Demon King is a woman? Ah, now you see the love line forming :P)

However, the reason why I am so impressed with this anime is the storyline: demon king and hero working together and trying to end a war without fighting it via establishing economic and agricultural advancement. Yup, sounds like a university lecture (don't run away yet!!) but this anime manages to make it very realistic and interesting without boring our socks off with facts. 

The Demon King is very intelligent and is an accomplished scientist; bringing advances to agriculture, economics and even creating some new inventions. How does this help end a war and bring peace? Watch to find out. 

The smart storyline and realistic portrayal of how economics and technological advancements played out in the medieval era is stunningly done without being too complicated to understand (we're watching anime for fun after all :P), and is woven with light-hearted comedy and romance, along with more emotional moments of politics, war-realities and the strength of the people. 

Another interesting point is that the characters have no personal names; they are all called by their titles/occupation: hero, knight, maid, demon king etc. 

I think that perhaps this was done to make the characters seem more universal and hence more relatable; anyone can be the maid, or hero, or king. The characters themselves are colourful and dynamic, and grow throughout the series. However, as an old romantic at heart, I would have preferred more romance scenes >.<

Overall, the look of the anime is quite neat and focuses more on the characters instead of sceneries (I find an odd similarity of the character art to the Romeo x Juliet anime) 

I'm giving the anime an 8 because it's way too short or me (so minus 1 point there) and also for the cliffhanger ending with a lot still left unexplained (pretty much two same reasons XD).

If you're looking for an anime with a unique storyline, realistic portrayal of world issues ( see, anime isn't just about fantasy, we learn stuff too!!) and an adorable demon king-hero relationship, look no further!

P.S The seiyuu (voice actor) for the Hero is my favourite, Fukuyama Jun!! Hooray!!