Japanese Light Novel Book Club discussion
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The Devil is a Part-Timer Light Novel, Vol. 1
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The Devil is a Part-Timer Vol. 1 Group Read
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Terrence
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Oct 03, 2016 11:33AM
I don't know if I'll have time to read this one in between all the books I've got, but I have watched the anime and read volumes 3+4. Series is pretty fun, and you may learn a little bit about Japan as you read through (particularly Japanese festivals / customs and their train stations).
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I'm on page uh... 14? Sadly I started reading it last week and forgot what I read already.. But I remember a few details, like the plot seems like it's interesting but I get a bit confused with the weird PoV changes. I don't know if it's the writer or translator but sometimes I can't tell whose thinking or saying what. Hopefully it's not No Game No Life over again... But we will see.
Same it was when the were talking about fleeing their homeland and I thought it was the overlord guy found out it was the vassal. Not sure if this is the author's first book or not but head hopping is usually something that happens when you're a new writer. I'm relatively new to writing too so I do it. It's not enjoyment breaking for me though, I read The Asterisk War and it did it all the time. It's just confusing.
One thing is that every major character has their personality traits you'll discover over time, and I think it's reflected in their speech. You may even want to check out the TV series to just get a feel for these personalities so you can recognize them in text. I think it can still confuse on occasion though. Overlord dude and vassal I think start pretty interchangeably in the early going, though Alciel is the lower of the two (he refers to the devil king as "Sire" in the show), but also the more proper / overly eloquent speaking. The demon king is more quippy and brash. Alciel is all about protocol.
I didn't write about this issue in my review of Book 3, but I may have just forgotten between finishing that and starting the review on Goodreads. I'll definitely take your word for it.
I'll pick it back up later today. I'm glad to hear it gets less confusing. :)
I already finished the whole book. It was a library book and I had to take it back. In the first part, it seemed pretty clear that the Moru and Hero are enemies. You wonder how it's going to play out as they have lost their powers.
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Not much going on here. Unfortunately I don't know where we are in the story since I already read it and had to give it back to the library. Maybe we could somehow post a table if contents.
Nek0 Neha, thanks for helping me to know where we are in the story. I just meant that there are not a lot of people posting here for this part of the book club. I like all the characters but I think I like the Satan character best. An interesting fact that was pointed out to me by my son is that the literal translation of this title is not "Devil" but "Demon" or "King Demon" That makes a difference when one is thinking of one of the characters as Satan because Satan would have to be evil no mater what. I do like seeing the way they fall into a routine in Japan.
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@ Nek0: I've noticed that demons/devils aren't always evil as well. I wonder if it's something to do with the culture over there.
I think I always liked the anime, the Bllack Butler for its dark humor and because as a demon, he seems better than those "good" vharacters.
The writing style seemed good to me. It flowed like it was an anime which made it fun.
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I like Chiho myself, but maybe that's because I had a friend in high school who was a bit like her personality-wise. I could see people disliking her, though.
Just wait until you see some of the later characters, though. I predict a certain chicken salesman will make you cringe in later volumes lol (at least, I don't think he's in the first volume)
I like Chiho, but I'm not sure if that's her personality or (spoiler up through end of volume 2 / the anime)(view spoiler). Her voice acting in the TV show was solid in both English and Japanese. I think she does get more tolerable as the series progresses, but yes, I see how people get annoyed at her too. I don't recall her screwups at McGronalds carrying over to her life outside of work though if her dropping potatoes is a part of your dislike.
I liked Chiho from the beginning. She seems like a typical high school girl. She reminds me of myself at that age. Yes, I AM a BIT older than that LOL! It brought back memories of meeting someone I liked and going through all the stuff teens go through. Perhaps one might say these insecurities are the same for adults.
I picked up the latest Part Timer novel volume (5), but it's going under the XMas tree. =)
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I have to wonder about the land lady. It's even more apparent in the light novels that she's well aware of their origins in Ente Isla. I wonder if she's really a human or if she's something else. :)
Oh gosh, I'm way behind. >.<
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Mod
Don't feel bad. I'm a little behind too. :3
Selena wrote: "So I find this kind of interesting. In the novel, Emi's hair is described as "jet-black." Th..."
The person who does the art is not necessarily the person who does the writing. You see it on YA covers all the time, where a character's described one way and shown another (though, usually they're depicted white and are described as any other color or ethnicity).
My guess is, the artist didn't know Emi's hair color and went with something that would make her stand out from other characters.
Ok so where are we in the story now just so I can avoid spoilers.
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I'm about halfway through the last chapter of book 1. It finishes the battle with Lucifer.
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I think Lucifer, much like Olba, just wanted power, and neither can be positive they get to get/keep the power until Satan and Emilia are dead. I don't think Lucifer wanted power over heaven at the time, just to take over the demon armies at that point. Hard to say, though.
Ok Selena about Lucifer's motivations...I thought is was cool and funny how Mauo was holding up the bridge and everyone was fighting. Also, I liked the faked death stuff where both he and his assistant let themselves be killed so they could become more powerful. Then Lucifer is suddenly in a reversal and cowering. I was really on the edge of my seat and couldn't stop reading at that point.
