Bingo 9: Heart
In a lot of ways, The Devil is a Part-Timer is a kind of generic comedy in which a fantasy hero, her arch-nemesis the king of demons, and a few allies end up transported in our world, and have to deal both with everyday things like groceries, jobs, transportation, as well as trying to figure out what to do about their conflict, started when Satan demon king invaded and destroyed the hero’s home. There’s a begrudging enemies to something else going on, and by this point in the series, both Maou (aka Satan) and Emilia (the Hero) are starting to have to deal with their feelings, both towards each other but also some of the other characters around them, and even about their own pasts.
Maou and Emilia now both work at McRonald’s but have found their own places in that world, but things back in their original realm are starting to get mysterious and troubling, backstories and history they thought they knew may not be as it seems, so Emilia goes back to Ente Isla, and learns some things, and has to start dealing with how she feels, not just about Maou et al, but also about herself and her past. Maou likewise has to confront how he feels about the past as well as some of the other characters; for being kind of dense about somethings, both Emilia and Maou are getting pretty in-touch with themselves.
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens when they finally meet back up, and not because of the obvious friends to lovers trope constantly being dangled since the situation is actually more complicated and thus interesting. Maou and Emilia both know someone else has those kinds of feelings for Maou, and he doesn’t seem sure how he’s going to respond ultimately to that person. Maou is also pretty convinced Emilia can’t forgive him for some things he admits to having done in the past, although he does at one point suggest he should probably get her a birthday present for a proposed birthday party for both Chiho (a co-worker at McRonald’s) and Emilia.
The personal relationships and self-examinations are actually getting better as the series progresses, since the plot is and was somewhat generic; we’re at the part where the team is separated but has enough understanding about themselves, each other, and their situation that they’re working their ways back together. I hope that part doesn’t get too dragged out because I wat to see how they all react when the threat is over. I also kind want to see someone explain the joke behind the “tofu and ginger” gag to Olba, although his ignorance is part of why it’s a good bit.