ED reveals depressing truth behind Devil is a Part-Timer!
Episode 06 of The Devil is a Part-Timer debuted a new ending filled with disturbing imagery that I believe reveals the true nature of the show. Throughout the ending, there are several motifs that stand out.
The first obvious theme is Chiho’s multiple outfits. She’s shown dressed up in one outfit after another, as if she can play many different roles.
The second motif is the clock theme. The clock shows up in nearly every scene (although it’s harder to find in some of them), but it’s a very blatant symbol, as the hand keeps ticking down time in each of the sequences.
The third motif is Chiho’s utter alone-ness. No matter the situation, she is always alone - often accented by empty theaters or wide, open spaces.
Chiho as an astronaut, all alone, with a large clock in the background.
The ending showcases Chiho going on several adventures - safaris, dancing, even into outer space. And yet tucked away between all these exciting adventures of her looking happy is one moment of tears. As if she knows something we don’t. What could it be?
The final scene in the ED gives us the big reveal. Chiho stands in front of a display case showing all of her friends as mannequins - implying that none of them are real. The wild adventures Chiho has been having in this ending sequence are all products of her imagination, and this story is just another imaginary tale that she’s dreamt up. It explains why she took such a liking to Mao in such a short time - she created him to be her ideal man. The fact that his behavior is suddenly empathetic (despite him being a human-slaying demon in the other world) is testament to this. “Beauty tames the beast” is a very popular romance trope. Everything about the story works in her favor. All the other girls who show up carefully avoid being romantic rivals. Chiho understands the language of Ente Isla - supposedly due to second hand exposure to magic (coincidence?). She finds herself at the center of every conflict, but winds up largely unhurt. Conflicts even resolve themselves in a fairly quick and painless manner (Mao lets Lucifer move in, even after the murder attempt? That’s pretty swell of him!) Despite Chiho being an absolutely “normal” person, the world and conflicts still find a way to revolve around her. The truth is that Chiho is utterly alone, and this story is a fantasy she’s built in her mind so that she can have the companionship she longs for.
Okay, so what’s the deal with the ticking clock? A ticking clock almost always represents running out of time. In Chiho’s case, she’s probably dying, which is why she’s currently alone. She’s lying in a hospital be somewhere, and going all adventures in her mind in her last moments. Think that’s a stretch? Let’s go back to the first image from the ED.
What’s that on her head? Headphones, you say? What about those weird bumps on the top? Could it potentially be something monitoring her brainwave activity? IN THE HOSPITAL?
The Devil is a Part-Timer may be a fun series on the surface, but the ending sequence reveals the truth is much darker. Feel free to watch it for yourself here.
