Hataraku Maou-sama! (The Devil is a Part-timer!) – 09

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The latest episode of Hataraku Maou-sama! proves that even the most mundane of activities can make for a good story.

So, this episode begins with Yusa, Suzuno, and Rika going to Sentucky Fried Chicken to discuss Maou.  Rika highlights the fine line between love and hate when she insists that Yusa is lying to herself about her feelings toward Maou.  Rika’s insights are really interesting all throughout this episode.

Through Ashiya’s hilariously ridiculous yet remarkably accurate description of his, Maou, and Yusa’s pasts, we finally find out how long they’ve all been in Japan: one year.  Good to know.  I’ve sort of been wondering about that from the beginning, so I’m glad it’s finally been cleared up.

Speaking of this scene, it’s also nice to get a discussion of the past from the demons’ side.  We’ve seen things from Yusa’s side, and a little bit from Suzuno’s side (if only that she’s part of the Inquisition or whatever they’re calling themselves now), so it’s nice to hear things from Ashiya’s side, even if it’s masked by real-world metaphors.  Seeing his loyalty to Maou is really touching.

And it looks like Ashiya finally gets a love interest!  I like Rika and Ashiya together, so I sort of hope that continues.  The more that’s revealed about Rika, the more I like her, even though she’s sort of a secondary character.  I wonder if she’s going to continue to play a bigger part in the show.  I hope so because, as I said, I like her more and more as time goes on.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but the Sentucky manager’s cryptic statements are definitely starting to build up some tension in this anime.  I really want to find out who the heck he is, because he can’t possibly be just a fast-food manager.  He’s got to be someone important to the plot in some other way.  I’m still leaning toward him being Maou’s other general, but his cryptic-ness makes it so hard to figure out exactly what he’s trying to say.

I really enjoyed the end of this episode.  We get more insight into some of the selfless things Maou has been doing since coming to Japan, like volunteering in neighborhood cleanup.  His dedication to his job is really inspiring, especially for those who work in non-specialized jobs like fast-food and retail.

As usual, Hataraku Maou-sama! does a great job of keeping the audience interested, even in an episode that’s more backstory and character development than action.