You know, we see so many stories about people travelling (by choice or by death-induced force) to other worlds. What you don't see as often are characters from other worlds travelling to ours.
THE DEVIL IS A PART-TIMER (Hataraku Mao-sama!), based on the light novel by Satoshi Wagahara and Oniku, and art by Akio Hiiragi. First published in 2012 and first published in North America in 2015.
PLOT:
In another world, a holy warrior squared off against a great and terrible demon king to stop him from conquering the entire world. Mid-battle, he and his attendant were transported through a magic portal to modern-day Tokyo. Their magic is limited, and they find themselves without money, identification, or any idea of how to return to their world. Thus, the once powerful demon king must survive by any means possible, even if that means becoming the best possible fast-food worker. What will they do when they discover that they weren't the only ones transported, and that an even more powerful force may also be coming for him?
STORY:
It's hard to translate a light novel to a manga. I've seen far too many of them fail because of heavy otaku pandering, difficulty in translating all their clumsy exposition into a visual form, or amateurish art that betrays their status as quick cash-ins. The Devil Is a Part-Timer! manages to be one of the rare exceptions to this trend. It's got a memorable premise, a small and engaging cast, a decent sense of humor, and a minimum of otaku bullshit.
The premise is your standard fish-out-of-water story, but its simplicity doesn't stop the writer from mining as much humor out of its as possible. What really makes a difference in this series is Sadao Maoh, our literal and titular demon king. The way he throws himself so wholeheartedly into providing superior customer service is amusing, as is his motivation. To paraphrase the old Scarface quote, first he gets the money, then the power, then enough forces to make a grand return to his original world and finish the conquest he started. Therefore it is absolutely vital that he work his way up to daytime manager. The story often likes to highlight the contrast between Sadao's lust for glory and his innate decency and charisma. He doesn't even bear Emiya, the holy warrior-turned-office lady, any particular ill will. He simply has a plan and won't let this strange new world stop it from coming to fruition.
The rest of of the cast comes off as a bit lackluster in comparison. Shiro (Sadao's second-in-command) essentially becomes the housewife of their household, making the most of Sadao's meager paycheck and cooking all the food. He has a dry wit, but he only gets a few moments to let it shine. Meanwhile, Emiya goes from stalwart warrior to standard tsundere with shocking speed. There's also Chiho, Sadao's teenage coworker. She's mostly there for the sake of adding romantic tension. She's crushing on Sadao badly, but because she's oblivious to his true nature she presumes his fighting with Emiya is flirting. She's the most pedestrian element of the story. This demon king is fine as he is - the last thing he needs is to start accumulating a harem.
ART:
Alas, there's one way that The Devil Is a Part-Timer is like other light novel-to-manga adaptations: the art kind of sucks. Hiiragi draws everyone in a rounder, flatter style than that of the original novels and the whole thing looks rather mundane. They also indulge in a LOT of fanservice, which means that poor Emiya has to suffer through a completely pointless shower scene and a running gag about her breast size. This is a series that really begs for a decent gag artist, someone who could breath some life into these panels and punch up the humor without leaning on cheap fanservice.
RATING:
This series is published by Yen Press. This series is ongoing with 16 volumes available. All 16 volumes have been published and are currently in print.
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