Otaku Central

Without a doubt in anyone’s mind, Hataraku Maou-sama!! was highly anticipated. For years, many people like myself, have always wondered when there would be a second season. Hataraku Maou-sama! happened to be one of them. I remember watching the first season all those many years ago in 2013. Who would’ve thought that after almost ten years that the anime world would give Hataraku Maou-sama! its second season.

It’s safe to say that there was always going to be high expectations for the second season, it was unavoidable. The studio knew it, I knew it, everyone knew it. So how did Hataraku Maou-sama!! do in that regard? Allow me ot share my thoughts.

While the original cast returns to reprise their respective roles, which is something I love. The biggest negative for me so far is that the art style is no where near the original and its very off-putting. At first I said to myself “I’ll adjust to it”, I mean there have been plenty of anime where the art style from one season to the next changes. Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei is an example of this, but also Oregairu.

Now it becomes a matter of did it become better? No, I actually think the new art style is worse. I would be fine if they (the studio) tried their best to make it feel and look similar to the original, like what Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei tried to do. Half of me thought that we’d see an improvement in art design, given that it’s been nine years since the first season.

But that was me expecting a little too much of the anime. Now that I am three episodes in, I’m finding it very hard for me to adjust to the revised art design. I think it sticks out like a sore thumb and I wish that wasn’t the case.

The second big negative for me is that I don’t really understand the point of the child, Alas Ramus. To me, the introduction of the child is pretty random given that the original season didn’t mention anything about a child. I don’t remember there being anything that would hint at this child. Granted, the first season probably wasn’t made with the intention of there being an additional season. But still. I would’ve liked there to be a little bit of a transition between the two seasons, so that it would’ve felt like season two was a continuation of the ongoing story rather than an entirely separate anime.

All that said, I am fairly optimistic. In large part because I don’t know what is to come. The unknown is what excites me about Hataraku Maou-sama!!. I mean that could very well be me expecting and hoping for something spectacular to happen. Which is both good and bad because expectations are generally quite high. However, the potential is there for the second season to be a fairly good one and that is what I’m hoping for.

As the start to Hataraku Maou-sama!! less than ideal? Yes, without a doubt this contributed to the fairly poor first impression. But I believe that the best is yet to come. The last thing I would want is for this anime to turn into one of romance.