Now that’s what I call a split cour.
In the annals of recent anime history, the lack of a sequel for Hataraku Maou-sama has long been one of the strangest mysteries. It’s finally here, some nine years after the first season. That leaves Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun as perhaps anime’s most inexplicable one-and-done. They share much in common – highly popular source material, an anime adaptation that sold well on disc back when that was crucial, broad critical praise, no shortage of source material. Perhaps we’ll get that Nozaki-kun sequel one day too – I certainly hope so, as I liked the original if anything a little better than Maou-sama’s.
To be honest I don’t remember all that much about the first season of this series. Plot-wise, anyway – I remember liking it, remember liking Chi better than Emi as far as love interests are concerned, and Ohsaka Ryouta’s performance being one of the strongest of the year. He’s back of course, and the cast is one of the few aspects of the production that hasn’t changed with this new version. New studio, new director (though Yokotani Masahairo is back in charge of series composition), and quite a different look. At least from what I remember.
I don’t totally trust my memory when it comes to what’s different on-screen, in fact, not just because of the time gap but because my own aesthetic as an anime fan has changed so much since 2013. To be blunt this played as quite a bit less punchy than the old show, if my memory isn’t playing tricks on me. The characters have a more generic look to them, and the music (including the OP and ED) is quite forgettable. This struck me as quite a mechanical production – competent certainly (in contrast to something like Samidare), but lacking any sense of creative value added. Kind of a one foot in front of the other transfer of source material to screen. But hey – it could just be me, nine years later.
One does slip back into the story pretty easily, even without the cold open (I normally loathe that sort of exposition by explanation and recaps, but after nine years it’s understandable). Maou living his threadbare existence (no A/C is pretty rare in Tokyo even for cheap apartments, though) with Ashiya as the eternally put-upon house husband. Urushima a full-on NEET freeloader, Emi a nosy neighbor and unvarnished tsundere, Chi the adoring kouhai at work. I don’t remember much about Suzuno to be honest – I feel like she came in midway through the season, and maybe didn’t make that much of an impression on me.
The gags here are pretty standard, and work well enough. Much of the comedy always seemed to revolve around Ashiya and so it is here, as he tries to turn Lucifer into somewhat less of a leech on the household. The idea of the Prince of Darkness being so terrified of a cockroach remains amusing – the sort of thing that’s elemental to the series’ core conceit. Satan being basically a good guy is the essence of Hataraku Maou-sama – it just doesn’t work unless you buy into that – and Ohsaka’s immense likability is crucial to that suspension of disbelief.
As for the Alas Ramus (Kino Hina), she I’m almost sure is a totally new character. Initial impression is “moeblob”, but given that pre-open she’s clearly part of Maou’s back-story in some way. Though not, I would wager, as the actual daughter of Satan and Emilia – that I would guess is more metaphorical than literal. Taken as a package, this premiere was a bit of an indifferent experience – vanilla production, and no moments of real comedic or dramatic genius. But it was fine, entertaining enough – and it did have the thankless job of easing us back into the mythology after almost a decade away. I feel like I’ll have a much better handle on Hataraku Maou-sama!! – and my feelings about it – after next week’s episode.
Todd Clawson
July 16, 2022 at 9:00 amGekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun was definitely a fun anime and I really wished they had continued it. As for the Devil is a Part-Timer, I have mixed feelings on it. My wife and I always enjoy talking about how nice it would be to have more of it, but it has been nine years with a different studio and director as you said so I am very cautious on how well it will compare to the 1st season. It also doesn’t help that the ending of the light-novel series was extremely unpopular even in Japan from what I have heard so I am worried about getting invested again only to be disappointed by the end. I guess it will depend on if they try to make an anime-original ending or stick to how the light-novels went.
Marty
July 16, 2022 at 10:45 amThe way I see it, if The Devil is a Part-Timer, Tiger and Bunny, and Bleach can get continuations, then Nozaki can too (a person can dream).
Guardian Enzo
July 16, 2022 at 11:49 amIt really is inexplicable. Or at least, I’ve never heard an explanation that makes sense.
sonicsenryaku
July 17, 2022 at 4:44 amChi-chan over Emi any day. Tsundere types need to actually feel like people with interesting character dynamics for me to able to appreciate them. Emi is just your bog-standard tsundere; Makise Kurisu she is not. If there was more to Emi’s personality, her character, and her interactions with Maou beyond that, I’d be more of her fan. On the other hand, I was more in favor of chi-chan because I always felt like she represented the heart of the show’s major themes; the humanity Maou learned to acquire during his time as a human and wholesomeness he experiences with building relationships with the humans his spends his time with, especially Chiho.
That aside, as someone who vividly remembers the first season, this second season is a noticeably downgrade in visual quality. In terms of production, there isn’t any trade off that redeems this art and animation change. Typically you might have a change in character designs across seasons, but an improvement in the art quality and animation; this ain’t it. Character designs are less striking, art less vivid, animation less dynamic. Even the storyboarding, editing, color composition, and cinematography are less interesting; all of it is a downgrade; there’s just no tradeoff in the visuals from season 1 to 2 that I can praise other than saying that the production is, like you said, at least competent. It’s not bad, but now it just looks like your average run-of-the mill production with nothing to make it stand out. The only elements left to compare to determine whether there was a positive tradeoff somewhere will be the storytelling between both seasons, let’s see if the comedy held the test of time after these 9+ years and whether or not it will control its pace better than the second half of the first season.
Guardian Enzo
July 17, 2022 at 8:09 amAgain, “mechanical” is the word that came to mind for me. One foot in front of the other. There’s really no stylistic imprint that I can detect.
Rasu
July 21, 2022 at 8:09 amI also have a void in my memory as to who Suzune was, but somehow I did recognize the blue haired guy who works in the opposite food franchise.
I don’t remember Chi being so cheesy, but I do know she’s always been way better than Emi.
Poor Ashiya, it seems that being a house husband has made him grew older (which even as a gag it’s still funny).