So, I’ve been vocal about how Isekai for me has been stale for a while now. Even those turn the usual tropes like Alas Ramus over their head while oversaturating the market. But if I had to choose between the two, those ‘reverse-isekai’ anime did hold some interest for me. Sometimes, they tend to be fun and have a genuinely innovative take on the genre. And the one I actively followed was The Devil Is A Part-Timer. And I say held because, well, the story just concluded and boy, are fans miffed.
The main issue is how the creator, Satoshi Wagahara, built this entire narrative between the two main leads, Sadao Maou and Emi Yusa. To the point where he even gave them an entire daughter ala Spy x Family. And yet, none of it mattered in the end. Because that daughter, Alas Ramus (whose name could give Elon Musk’s kid a run for his own), ended up being absorbed back into a sword while also living with her mom, somehow? And Maou completely forgot he had a kid? And decided to frolic off with Chiho, of all people?
Look, I get having plot holes or loose ends in a long-running light novel. Even the best writers suffer from leaving something unfinished. But like, how do you build a ship for multiple volumes, constantly telling the fans that, yes, they are the canon pair, only to throw it all away for some dumb plot twist? Like Wagehara spent so much time curating the chemistry between Maou and Emi, and creating an entire character that symbolized their love…for nothing?
That’s just bad writing, period. The daughter is not only a fragment of some magical shard (which means she isn’t given the same autonomy as an actual human child), but she also has to be forgotten by her dad and live with that awful name? Justice for Alas Ramus, I say! So, let’s dig into the aftermath of The Devil Is A Part-Timer ending and what was the fate of Alas Ramus.
A Promising Premise, A Disappointing Conclusion?
In theory, The Devil Is A Part-Timer had such a great premise. You have the literal embodiment of Satan who was waging war to conquer this place called Ente Isla, and he had to retreat through some portals because the pushback from the ‘Chosen One’ was too much.
And that’s how Satan ends up in Modern-day Japan. Working at what is the most blatant parody of a Mcdonald’s. Followed closely by the Chosen One, who is now a Japanese girl named Emi. And it’s so terribly fun.
Seeing this all-powerful deity be reduced to a minimum wage worker just to survive the daily grind? It scratches all the right itches. It was satirical goodness, with well-placed comedy and ingenious character dynamics all rolled into one. Like it was my first time actively seeking out an Isekai and enjoying it.
Sadao Maou and Emi Yusa: The Ultimate Couple That Never Was.
With how Maou and Emi were coded, i.e. enemies-to-lovers obviously, it wasn’t hard to see the chemistry between the two. Their relationship and growth are what pushed The Devil is A Part-Timer from casual Isekai to a genuinely witty piece of fiction.
And it even plays the ‘redeemed villain’ trope well, with Maou proving to be not the bad guy everyone believed he was. He started using his powers for good instead of to cause havoc. He was never the Evil Warlord that conquered lands casually, rather only getting into a conflict to help his underlying demons.
And Emi, though suspicious at first, grows to respect that. They have once sworn enemies and here they are now, in a foreign land, with only themselves as companions that know their truth. And that was what sold the story to me.
When Emi realized the Demon Overlord was not the Maou she got to know, well, it changed up their dynamic into something more complex. I mean, they were still antagonistic towards one another, but it was much more subdued, reduced to being friendly banter.
Alas Ramus: Wasted Potential?
The real change in the relationship came when the two became adoptive parents to a Yesod fragment that became sentient, named Alas Ramus. She would constantly refer to the two as her papa and her mama, creating this family dynamic.
And truly, it could’ve ended there but I think the author just slipped the ball towards their personal bias, which was to have Maou end up with Chiho. Which wouldn’t have been so bad if Maou hadn’t spent the entire time rejecting Chiho and growing closer to Emi.
It just reeked of last-minute decisions, and then to have Alas Ramus merge with Emi’s sword, Evolving Holy Sword “Better Half“? Removing her presence until Emi brings her over to Villa Rosa Sasazuka to see Maou?
It’s messy. The writer had the perfect enemies-to-lovers romance, and he went the divorced parents’ route. Just goes to show, that even the best of plots can flop with a few bad decisions!
