(L) Hataraku Maou-sama! （はたらく魔王さま！） [Light Novel]

[NAJ P. Jackson]

Originally Posted by mark1246

With the announcement of the sequel for the novel, i thought this forum would be alive again.

& with the cover being set back in the past,

Spoiler for spoiler:

seem it an sequel timeline right after the end of the final vol then the timeskip

A Sequel to the Novel? After that trash ending?

This just screams desperation from the Author trying to fix his bad ending. I heard his new project isn't doing too well so maybe this is an attempt to reel back his old readers.

[Sparteh]

Originally Posted by NAJ P. Jackson

A Sequel to the Novel? After that trash ending?

This just screams desperation from the Author trying to fix his bad ending. I heard his new project isn't doing too well so maybe this is an attempt to reel back his old readers.

Pretty much. It makes me wonder how is he going to salvage it. I can't think of that many novels which had endings as hated as this one.

[Tenzen12]

It's not like HataMaou doesn't deserve getting fixed. It would be waste leaving on such low note.

[patcan3609]

Except I have no hope in the author fixing anything. How the hell did he think having Chiho as the ending love interest make any fucking sense?

[AndrewR5D4]

Chiho is boring, but is there any other reason people hated the ending?

[WingedAccelerator]

Less about Chiho, more about "It's not Emi!".

They banked on the main heroine winning this predictably and as far as I'm aware, Emi is the most popular character from the franchise in Japan. I remember Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax where she is playable while Maou is the support/assist character. She also placed in Top 30 of Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! female characters more than once. Maybe even the writing supported her because she was more relevant. So overall I think they counted their chickens before they are hatched, but the author didn't intend to have any of that shit, so they became really mad.

[Tenzen12]

Originally Posted by patcan3609

Except I have no hope in the author fixing anything. How the hell did he think having Chiho as the ending love interest make any fucking sense?

Well, it wasn't out of nowhere and author did good job keeping her in game, so her winning wasn't pulled out of authors ass. Problem is that whole story run on Maou-Emi dynamic. Remove that and you have no story. Not having pay-off of almost 30 volumes of their development, that's what hurt it.

[mark1246]

Maybe this is the bias in mea talking, but im glad it didnt fall under that troupe where the first girl win troupe.

And what i read so far (& the final vol cause of spoiler) I really only saw Maou-Emi As amazing good friends, i couldn't see anything more past that.

[Tenzen12]

There is difference between first girls win because she's first and first girl happen to win because she had most time to develop and is most important to story

Not to mention Chiho was first to be formally introduced (though she's certainly not most important).

As for being "just good friends" I don't think I ever seen anything that could be interpreted that way.

[NAJ P. Jackson]

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

Well, it wasn't out of nowhere and author did good job keeping her in game, so her winning wasn't pulled out of authors ass. Problem is that whole story run on Maou-Emi dynamic. Remove that and you have no story. Not having pay-off of almost 30 volumes of their development, that's what hurt it.

But the Author develop the Mao x Emi dynamic for 15 Volumes and then suddenly does a 180 and force Chiho in from 16 onwards. I think what upset readers the most is that Emi was thrown aside like a side character in the end.

[Sparteh]

I have to agree with what was said here. One doesn't simply drop the main driving force of the story and the most popular character, and still hope everything turns alright. At this point, I can't think of anyone besides hardcore Chiho fans liking the ending.
Now, the real question, how to fix it.

[NAJ P. Jackson]

Originally Posted by Sparteh

I have to agree with what was said here. One doesn't simply drop the main driving force of the story and the most popular character, and still hope everything turns alright. At this point, I can't think of anyone besides hardcore Chiho fans liking the ending.
Now, the real question, how to fix it.

It's gonna be hard to fix because it's already ruined. Maou already made his choice. One option the Author can do is go the harem route which was implied in the ending but I think fans will hate it even more. Not to mention as proud as Emi is I don't think she'll settle for being second wife because Chiho was insisting she be first wife.

[Sparteh]

Originally Posted by NAJ P. Jackson

It's gonna be hard to fix because it's already ruined. Maou already made his choice. One option the Author can do is go the harem route which was implied in the ending but I think fans will hate it even more. Not to mention as proud as Emi is I don't think she'll settle for being second wife because Chiho was insisting she be first wife.

That is my point as well. Honestly, I see no way to do it. As you have mentioned, harem path is not really an option here, pure Emi path doesn't seem like a possibility and Chiho's path would be ruining the story twice in row.

[Tenzen12]

That's a thing when it comes to subverting expectations. It works only if you can come with something of equal or higher value. Otherwise it's just mean spirited trolling.

[AndrewR5D4]

Salty, much? This reminds me of the time shippers got pissed after Bleach ended.

[SuitUp]

I mean if I was the author and I was to try and fix it so I could eat a warm meal I would either retcon it so the ending never happened or play it off as 'Maou and Chiho tried but they realised they worked better as friends, and he was also not over Emilia' either one could work, provided thats what hes tryna do, which I dont think it is lol

[Tenzen12]

Originally Posted by AndrewR5D4

Salty, much? This reminds me of the time shippers got pissed after Bleach ended.

You are aware that blaming all on shippers is just escapism right? As for bleach while I didn't finish that manga most complaints I heard about its ending had nothing to do with shipping either. Supposedly it was just trainwreck across the board.

[Shadow5YA]

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

There is difference between first girls win because she's first and first girl happen to win because she had most time to develop and is most important to story

Is there? That's just your way of saying first girls winning wasn't justified in other series but it is in this one.
For example, Chizuru has more screen and panel time than any other girl in Rental Girlfriend but that doesn't make people any happier that she's the clear favorite.

Your explanation does not work. People just simply wanted Emi to be with Mao and the series failed to meet that expectation.


For what it's worth, I've only watched the anime and read roughly up to what season 2 would be covering now, and I don't think it's that strange for Chiho to have won when she clearly was the only one making moves on Mao from the beginning and confessed to him. No one is denying that Emi is important to the story (and being forced to raise a child together does complicate things), but otherworld affairs aside she has always been fine letting Chiho have her chance with Mao.

[Tenzen12]

Well, yes. I am indeed saying that. There are works where first girl wining is justified and works where it isn't. In matter of fact as long as there is good justification, order in which girls appeared doesn't matter at all.

Anyway can't speak for Rental girl, I dropped it pretty early and I don't even remember who Chizuru is supposed be or if I ever got far enough to read about her. So whatever you trying communicate here by using it as example eludes me.

And again if author make people expect something and then subvert it, it's better to be equally or more satisfying for audience otherwise author screw up. I don't think it's possible make Chiho ending viable, but if Wagahara wanted do it, it was his job make people accept it or even make them praise him how well he managed pull that bait and switch off. Look on KamiNomi or Ichigo 100%. That said I already aknowledged Maou choosing Chiho make sense in uinverse. I was saying she had good chance when many people was calling it impossible on multiple occassions. Problem is that it hurt narrative as whole.

[AndrewR5D4]

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

You are aware that blaming all on shippers is just escapism right? As for bleach while I didn't finish that manga most complaints I heard about its ending had nothing to do with shipping either. Supposedly it was just trainwreck across the board.

In Bleach, Kubo was forced to drop the ball because his manga was about to get cancelled. It was either write a half-assed ending or lose the chance to finish the story. The shipping had many people angry, and it was that aspect that I was comparing to this series: People getting pissed because their favorite pairing lost.

I've learned from example that the cuter or more glamorous girl with the bigger breasts will typically be the winner, although there are many exceptions. Poor Crestia Bell never stood a chance.