For a while there, I thought I had finally lost my mind. Just go ahead and lock me up because obviously my memory can’t be trusted. I keep up with The Devil is a Part-Timer! light novels, but I had absolutely no recollection of Maou and company heading out to a farm to help out some of Chiho’s relatives. And it’s too good to forget considering Emi takes down an unusual opponent.
Well, it’s not me. This volume of the manga version of The Devil is a Part-Timer! covers Volume 5.5, a bonus novel included with the anime home video releases in Japan. So for English audiences, here is some all-new, never-before-seen content being adapted for the manga, and that’s the #1 reason to add this to your collection.
So the guys head off to do some manual labor (much to Urushihara’s chagrin) with Chiho accompanying, and of course Emi and Suzuno aren’t far behind. As it’s based on a side story, the plot is lighter than the usual fare thanks to its shipteasing and general humor. Chiho takes a nighttime stroll with Maou, and Emi teaches him about all the hard work that goes into a farm. Meanwhile, the two still squabble, and Urushihara so doesn’t want to be here. The best part though is when a bear comes and threatens the crops. How can the Devil King and the Hero defend their daughter and their friends in front of normal people? I could tell you, but it’s much more epic to see, and the aftermath is hilarious as well.
Otherwise, the group meets more of the Sasaki clan, and their hard work is in jeopardy when warnings come of robbers who are stealing from farms. I don’t expect this to have a supernatural twist like most The Devil is a Part-Timer! arcs, and even if it does, the events here will probably be insignificant and hardly — if ever — referenced again. It piles on some of the characterization that readers are already familiar with (Chiho’s wish that everyone can be friends, Maou’s regret, etc.), but this isn’t unwelcome. Maou knows a lot about working with food and conserving it, but it’s a whole other experience dealing with food in its original state, how much effort it takes to get to his home or MgRonald. Plus, Alas Ramus playing the big sister to Chiho’s relative was adorable and not something that we’d normally see in Sasazuka.
I found it extremely odd that Chiho refers to her cousin as “Big Bro Kazuma”. That’s really odd since the manga version of this series uses honorifics and Alas Ramus’ baby talk version of “nee-chan”. It sounds more like something from the light novels (which doesn’t use honorifics), so perhaps the translator forgot to get back in manga mode for this? It would be easy to do considering the light novel’s story has long passed the manga’s.
So in light of that, it’s possible many The Devil is a Part-Timer! fans have abandoned the manga version or treat it as a low priority. For now though, Volume 12 of the manga should be a must-have since it brings new content…and even if the bonus light novel Volume 5.5 is picked up, it’s still a lot of fun.