The Devil is a Part-Timer Season 3

Episode 18

Would you look at that guys, we're finally getting some plot! This episode is far from perfect and a lot of my nitpicks stem from the presentation which, big surprise, is extremely lacking. That has been one of the most common complaints of the season. But I never really felt like bringing it up because it didn't feel like the show was trying to flex its animation in any way. This episode tries so hard to create a sense of dramatic and anxious tension and the presentation just doesn't do it any favors whatsoever. The movements are stiff, there's an abundance of still frames and even something as simple as flying across the sky looks janky like something right out of a 1990s anime. It sucks because I feel like if the presentation was given just a bit more attention then I could see myself getting more invested into what's going on than I was because, on paper, this is a pretty solid episode.

It's nice seeing Chiho have some agency and try to utilize her limited skills to address a situation the best way that she can. I like the fact that it didn't take long for Maou to confront Alas Ramus's sister and Emi's father which immediately lead us into the next inciting incident. I was genuinely worried that was going to be a plot point that would be saved for later, so I'm glad we're getting the ball rolling now. There's also a good amount of suspense and mystery with what's going on. I even liked the little dramatic tension between Shiro and Rika as he struggles to find the right way to explain the situation without diminishing her intelligence. I feel like in other shows, a character's intelligence would be downplayed for the sake of them not being allowed to interact with the wider story but now that the show has made it clear that Rike is going to get involved whether she likes it or not, it will be interesting to see where that goes. Overall this episode is primarily there for setup and I like what's here. Let's just hope it's not too little too late.

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The Devil Is a Part-Timer! Season 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu