The Devil Is a Part-Timer!! Season 2

Episode 11

And so begins act one of the final arc of the season and like last week, this has been an excellent balance of comedy, plot progression, and world-building. The whole situation revolving around Emi's friend having a crush on Ashiya and the back-and-forth about getting cheap udon noodles while trying to buy a TV just carries this simple charm that I can't help but smile at. We get a glimpse of what I assume is going to be the main antagonistic force of this arc dressed as if he came straight out of the 70s, and the current situation even has a lot of callbacks to some inciting incidents from the beginning of season one. The state that Chiho was in throughout this episode is a direct parallel to the sonar waves from season one that got her involved in the first place, and it's actually a clever way to include her in a situation that seems to be affecting all of Japan.

This ties into probably the main thematic beat of the episode and I'm curious if this will be carried throughout to the end. While it is refreshing that Chiho keeps an open mind to a lot of the supernatural happenings around her and doesn't let them get in the way of her judgment of everyone, there are still dangerous situations that can arise from her involvement. Kamazuki makes a very good point about distancing themselves because all they'll end up doing is dragging normal people into fights, but Mao has a surprisingly refreshing comeback to that. Not only does he point out that it's a little too late to bring that up since everyone has more or less already established roots here on Earth and that Emi's friend falling for Ashiya isn't really that different than Emi having a best friend at all, he kind of leaves the choice of a persons well-being up to the person themselves. That idea of “hey let's just tell them the truth and let them decide if they wanna put up with this or not” is valid, and one that I don't think gets brought up enough in stories regarding secret identities. If you're making a decision about your involvement in a relationship/situation that another person values, it's worth also consulting the person about whether or not they agree with said decision. There are some holes in that logic which this episode addresses: even if you accept the responsibility of that relationship, you could still get hurt or not be prepared for the consequences of your actions. Just because Chiho loves the main cast, I doubt she was asking to be put in a magically induced coma. It'll be interesting to see if this is just a one-off plot point or if it will be a major theme moving forward but overall this is another solid episode that is reigniting my excitement for the show in the 11th hour.

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The Devil Is a Part-Timer! Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.