Hataraku maó-sama!

I must say I still like the first season of Hataraku Maou-sama! a lot. I like the concept of a conflict between fantasy creatures and their everyday life in the modern world with all the common everyday problems (work, housing, bills...) that every member of society has to deal with. What is especially great is how realistically these ordinary worries are depicted and how the Demon Lord deals with them. What made the entire series amazing were the characters. They were likable and their interactions and chemistry between them were the driving force behind the whole excellent experience. The supernatural issues made me want to know more about everything and everyone. It's funny, it's interesting, it's enjoyable. White Fox did a very good job in terms of animation, so the series still looks great today. It was nice to remember this enjoyable series after years. 9/10 (2022.09.29)

It took almost ten years, but the sequel is finally here, and it’s far from disappointing. Its above-average quality still largely builds on the characters and their interactions. The chemistry between them still works after all these years. The atmosphere and vibe of the whole series are just as enjoyable as before, and the plot is still interesting enough. Some things start to unravel a bit in the last few episodes and others get slightly tangled up, which balances out the middle part (the beach and farm episodes) where I sometimes felt like nothing important was happening. New characters have appeared, and all I can say about them is that Alas Ramus is incredibly cute, Lyra is quite interesting, and I want to know more about her role in the story. She's obviously very important to both main characters. Gabriel is a witty yet dangerous and cunning enemy that I appreciate more than Sariel in Season 1. The show is still very enjoyable for me despite some of its weaker parts. What I didn't like, though, is the new animation style. I know Studio 3Hz very well, I've seen almost all of their work and I like it, but here it just feels off. I recognize most of the characters visually, but something about them feels different, and even the attention to detail and drawing just seems worse than in the first season. Plus, most of the fights that take place here feel worse overall, sort of bland and dull. Yes, you can get used to the style, and the fights aren't everything, but it still takes at least a point away from an otherwise great experience. When I subtract half a point for the weaker plot in places, I'm at 7.5/10 which corresponds to how much fun I had. It's still a decent and above-average series for me, driven by the characters, story, and atmosphere. I’m even looking forward to the third season which has been announced for 2023, but compared to the first (almost a decade older) season, it leaves a little to be desired (especially in terms of the visuals). (2022.09.29)

Maybe I let my nostalgia and excitement over the return of the demon lord from McDonald's cloud my judgment of the previous season, but for this season, I have to give a lower rating. The whole storyline revolving around Ente Isla, the transfer to this world, and everything that unfolded just didn't grab me. I understood what was happening and what each character was aiming for, but I couldn't bring myself to care. The series' conclusion left me completely underwhelmed. Even the final battles, which should have been epic, felt lackluster and dull. But I could have overlooked all of that if it weren't for the vomit jokes in two consecutive episodes. I can tolerate it once, especially if it's part of the episode's theme, but having a similar cringe moment in the next episode was just too much. What am I even watching? I guess I prefer it when the main character from another world deals with the everyday problems of a McDonald's employee in Japan, like in the first few episodes here. Returning to a world I know almost nothing about, which I logically don't care about, felt empty and uninteresting. In the end, I'm disappointed that my impression of the third season dropped to 5.5/10 (and maybe this rating is still partly influenced by nostalgia and the fact that I still like most of the characters here). I'm not sure if I want to see how it continues. On the one hand, I think, "enough already," but on the other hand, the heroes' return to Japan could bring back the witty take on everyday problems, which is what made the first season so great. (2023.09.29)