(OWLS POST) The Devil is a Part-Timer: Never Give Up

Hi everyone, welcome to another OWL’S post on this blog. For anyone who is here for their first time, my name is Scott from and I run this little blog called Mechanical Anime Reviews. Yes, I am a major fan of mech anime series, but I like a lot of other types of shows as well. This is yet another example of this. Devil is a Part Timer is a series that I learned to love immediately because of its situational comedy, great dub, good production values, and wonderful characters. Of course, as you all know, there is much more to the series then that. Since it seems like everybody else is going the more dramatic route, I decided to go for something light and fluffy.

Before I dig into this show, it’s time to talk about what OWL’s is and this month’s prompt. OWLS stands for Otaku Warriors for Liberty and Self-Respect. It’s a group for bloggers, mostly anime but not completely, so use a monthly prompt to promote acceptance of all individuals, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religions, and disability. For more information, click here and you will find all the information you need about this group.

Okay, here is this month’ OWLS’ prompt:

“What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?”
-Langston Hughes

Due to recent events that happened in September, this month’s OWLS topic will be on “Dreamers.” Every individual has a goal or ambition that they devote their whole life to with passion and courage—whether it’s landing your dream job, traveling, or finding the love of your life. However, there are those who spent their whole life working towards a dream but it was cut short due to an unexpected occurrence. Those people are left only to dream and wonder about the possibility.

This month’s topic will be dedicated to these characters in pop culture entertainment. We are not going to focus on the individuals that achieved their aspirations but instead, we will focus on characters that weren’t able to. We will explore what happens to characters who had their wings forcefully cut off as well as those who gave up before they even started their journey. We will also discuss what it means for “a dream to be deferred.””

Mao the Devil

The Devil is a Part Timer is a series that starts with the usual fantasy set up, but then changes the formula entirely by being set in the modern world. Sadao Maou, the Demon Lord known as Stan in the world of Ente Isla, was seeking to conquer the world by annexing all four continents. Before he and his four general could do that, they are stopped and over run by Emilia the Hero and her army. Maou and his general, Alciel, escaped through a portal to modern Tokyo, which is where the story starts. He was so close, yet so far from conquering that world.

Mao the Immigrant

Ever since finding his way into Tokyo, Maou and Alciel were completely powerless and had nothing on them besides what they were carrying on their backs. Yes, the magic of the world they came from doesn’t even exist in the world that Mao found himself in. He is at ground zero and needed to find a way to gather a foot hold in this world that he found himself. Since he had no qualifications, no additional skills, and this is a comedy anime, Mao started working at MgRonalds. Yes, the anime equivalent of Mc Donalds. The devil is working at a fast food restaurant. Needless to say, hilarity ensues.

While the details of how Maou and Alciel adapted to Tokyo society never came to light, there is a lot of extraordinary things about it. Their appearance in japan is something similar to so many immigrants appearing in so many other foreign countries. Making their way to a foreign land that they have almost no understanding to and finding a degree of success is amazing. I know that this is a comedy anime and something dramatic and interesting as that would never be the main focus of the story itself, but it’s something that I wish for.

Mao the Determinator

Despite all the comedy in the series, there is something in the air that makes think that starting from ground zero is something Mao is used to. This is based around a lot of assumptions and how generic royalty characters act, but Mao would act a lot more stuck up and demand to be served instead of the position he is in now. It would be his general and best friend Alciel working instead of Mao, if this was the case. Here, Mao is the one working and making all the money, which allows these two people to survive in this world. Mao and his friends must have started with nothing to get in that position. To me, it just looked like the “same old, same old” for Mao. That’s what is amazing about this character. He never lets anything shake him and he continues toward his goal anyway.

It’s amazing how proficient and a hard worker this guy is. Even if he is only working at a McDonalds fast food place like place, Mao gives it his all. You can walk into that store and find that you have the most charismatic person ever waiting to take your order and serve you food. Or you see this guy putting in as much effort as possible to that franchise, even if he gets a small pay check that barely allows him to survive for the next week or so, just so he can move up in the chain a little bit, which puts him closer to achieving his goal. Yes, it is funny that this guy is the devil, but that’s only a part of the point. Though Mao is the devil, he understands that effort is something that needs to be there in order to move up in life. A lot of slice of life comedy comes from it, but that just shows how many layers there are in this anime series.

A Personal Tale

This is why I love watching anime like this, because it helps me to keep on moving to achieve my own goals. Those of you who aren’t in the know, I want to eventually acquire a job in the engineering field. Despite acquiring a degree a few years ago, I still haven’t been able to achieve this yet. I’m doing more to try to achieve that, because I am working on finishing my master’s degree and am working at a job that will give me experience toward achieving my final goal. I’ve been through so much doubt and worry along this path and I don’t know how I keep moving forward from time to time. Thank you, anime.

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Thank you for reading. It means a lot to me to have some great people reading this blog.

If you want to read more, please read Moonid’s post on from Monday and be sure to read Lyn’s post on Friday. To see who else is posted something this month, please look at the blog schedule right here.

Once again, thank you for your time.