Jahy-sama wa Kujikenai! – 17

「魔王様は遠慮しない！」 (Maou-sama wa Enryo Shinai!)
“The Dark Lord Doesn’t Hold Back!”

For the seventeenth Jahy-sama wa Kujikenai! episode, the message of change and self-improvement is flipped on its head when some of the denizens of the Dark Lord’s realm are feeling the effects of living a more altruistic lifestyle. But whereas Jahy and Druj can still be considered to be themselves even with the positive changes they’ve made, Saurva’s good deeds have made her a convenient pawn for a battle between the light and dark realms.

IT SHOULD’VE BEEN ME! NOT HER!

What makes the first segment fascinating is how Druj comes to terms with the power that she’s gained along the way. Now that Druj owns her very own company and can produce whatever idea she has in mind, she’s walking a mile in almost the same shoes that her beloved Jahy-sama once wore.

It sounds pretty familiar when Druj considers that she has the full authority to tell a fleet of underlings what to do. Similarly, she also expects those working for her to match her feverish work ethic. But seeing that people are only human, they have a hard time seeing Druj’s ethic as something they could realistically keep up with.

However, even with the same kind of authority that Jahy had, Druj still feels inadequate and looks up to Jahy as if she’s calling the shots. It doesn’t help that she is left feeling incomplete because Kyouko looks like she’s been trying to replace her. Even if Jahy would kill to have Druj’s status, she places such high expectations on Jahy that any instances where she shows compassion are a far cry from the Jahy she knew and loved.

Druj ended up getting exactly what she wanted by tricking her mind into thinking that Jahy is paying attention to Kyouko as a method of punishing her through a netorase situation. But I just thought it was interesting that Druj came across a fortune that Kyouko and Jahy could only dream of, and practically has printing money as a hobby, but she’s still stifled by the Jahy-shaped hole that’s been left in her heart since she started living on earth.

A SHEEP IN WOLF’S CLOTHING

Druj’s concerns aren’t entirely unwarranted though since Jahy’s been making far more positive strides to assimilate into the human realm. While many of her cohorts and underlings are busy trying to climb back up the ladder once the Dark Lord’s realm is re-established, Jahy’s busy treating herself to a new futon.

Her biggest strides in this episode were having her heartstrings pulled when the Barkeep tells her that she places a lot of trust in her. She might not be happy with wearing the Barkeep’s kid clothes and her old habits kick in as she mentors Kyouko in the workplace, but she’s had a pretty easy time assimilating to human customs.

The only person whose been having a better time getting accustomed to those around them is Saurva, for better or worse. It was funny to see her revel in all of her delightfully devilish plans as she does all of the kindest deeds for those around her. Honestly, if it wasn’t for her failing quest to take Jahy’s throne, she would have a pleasant time on earth with all of the hot springs and community service she’s had a good time with.

But it looks like Saurva being enchanted by the same goddess who made Kyouko a magical girl will throw yet another wrench in her happiness. It’s clear-cut that the goddess would want to use Saurva just as much as Kyouko given that they’ve now courted a demon to do work for the holy realm responsible for the destruction of her hometown. Still, it’ll be fascinating to see if the show starts to tackle the dichotomy between Saurva’s ambitions of being the Dark Lord’s aide and Saurva’s current ordeal of becoming a holy magical girl.