Here’s an excerpt from author Wagahara’s author notes that I’d like to respond to:
“I think we’re starting to see a climax coming, but not even I know what that will look like until I’m done writing it. What kind of conclusion is awaiting us? Is it really good for a book’s theme to be “The Manager at My Part-Time Job” when we’re talking about ending the series?”
The answer is no. In fact, it’s a no.
So what happens in “The Manager at My Part-Time Job” The Devil is a Part-Timer! volume 18? The characters talk.
And they talk.
And maybe the gang goes wild and throws in a walk when they talk — how exciting!
Worse yet, it’s not even interesting conversation. It’s either, “Should we/they go here or there?” or a TED talk about college or good management.
So Maou and the others must wait until a couple months for their assault on heaven. Some of the group is in Ente Isla, trying prepare for it. From the ending of volume 17, the plan appeared in jeopardy after the Church’s Archbishops announced it was time to fight against a new evil. Most of volume 18 though…has everyone just continuing with their assigned roles. The Ente Isla teams discusses temporary blockades and meeting reps of other territories. But the situation is not dire as they still find time to debate whether a girl needs to come to Ente Isla for the true chocolate-making experience.
Japan-side, the MgRonald’s workers meet their new manager, and although she’s taking over a well-run shop, there’s about to be a massive turnover (plus Maou and Emi’s “vacation”). So they’re wondering how she’s going to run this place as a manager and with a skeleton crew.
One of the workers leaving? Chiho. She’s initially unsure about her future even though her friends are buckling down for college entrance exams. She’s especially unsure since she wants to find a way to support (well, really, be with) Maou, so she gets some advice from Rika and Kisaki.
And according to the two of them, there seems to be a very high chance their relationship will come to that. Kisaki recognizes Chiho’s dedication to Maou, and Rika thinks Chiho has no real competition for Maou’s heart — and if she does, it’s probably Suzuno.
Yes, Suzuno. Emi? Pfft, no way! That doesn’t seem right to me, but heck, Emi can’t even claim the spotlight in her own titled chapter over Chiho. There is an Emi-centered scene in the novel’s final chapter. However, it’s a shared chapter, and the section kind of seemed tacked-on.
Even when I thought the novel was going to deliver some new information — or even a recap of everything — it drops the ball. In one case, even Maou was disappointed the answers to his questions were so anti-climactic. The report he made? Don’t get to read or see a summary. This volume provides so few breadcrumbs for the plot.
The writing itself also stumbles. The dialogue isn’t supported by good descriptors of how people are talking/reacting, and even who is speaking sometimes takes some discerning. There’s a map of Ente Isla at the beginning, but it also felt like Wagahara is so engrossed in his world that he forgets not everyone is going to be as invested. That may be why he thinks readers will be so excited to learn about how a desert people make soap. I know I didn’t care.
And in case it wasn’t clear, I didn’t care for this volume. I mean, you know Kinanna, the reptile who everyone was monitoring so closely last time because he could be destructive? A non-factor here, as later they figure out he may be wasting away. I didn’t expect to say this, but I miss lizard babysitting. The Devil is a Part-Timer! has always had slice-of-life elements, but if you want this level of day-to-day life, you’d be better off just reaching out a friend. They’ll likely either talk about their boss, give you advice, or go out somewhere with you. That way, you’ll get the volume 18 experience without having to suffer through it.