The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!

Episode 19

Episode 19, “The Demon Lord is Relentless”, is a direct follow-up to episode 18's cliffhanger, picking up ahead of the OP with Jahy and Druj facing off against a foe that definitely looks like a souped up version of the Dark Lord. And, post-OP, we do get into that, but also, we get a bit of background on Druj, and her ability to manipulate the hearts of others. It's a power that's made her much maligned, even amongst demons: a power that people resent her for and to some great degree, made people afraid of her. It's a power that drove her to give up her mana crystal, just for the sake of feeling “normal”… that is, until Jahy took her under her wing and gave her purpose.

And what follows is a sequence that really reflects on all of the series in its own way: a sequence of scenes that greatly understands Druj and Jahy's dynamic, shows us why they're the way they are, and actually reveals the former second strongest to be a kind person, even in her avarice. It's an action that resonated with Druj ever since, and is why she takes a stand with Jahy against the clearly a Dark Lord shaped being of light.

However.

This also, comedically, comes right in the midst of Jahy and Druj gearing up to fight, which is lampshaded by the cat-haired demoness herself. Still, it's a really touching moment in an episode filled with a lot of really, really good moments, and it dovetails into even more pleasant moments once we're back at the izakaya, which is where most of episode 19 takes place. Also, this definitely turns into a food episode in the first half, which… unexpected? Yes.

Delightful? Oh, for sure, but that's just par for the course now that The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! is back on its a-game, especially in the back half when Jahy confronts that strange, glowing entity, who's actually not the Demon Lord, but is an entity of light that happens to look like one very hungry doppelganger. Thankfully, the buck doesn't stop there: episode 19 digs in a bit more to this newcomer, making for a really delightful episode that sets up a nice parallel to the Demon Lord, who's still a bit MIA from the series by and large… until now because y'all: we get an epic fifty-foot woman fight that's Demon Lord v. Demon Lord but using Light (I believe her name is Su) and it's actually solid action in a series that's largely divorced itself from drawn out action scenes. It's also incredibly well done, animation-wise, lending to some pretty impactful Jahy character moments.

In its own way, episode 19 feels like the culmination of nineteen weeks (roughly) of thoughtful character growth. It feels like the anime is exactly where it needs to be: on the cusp of the end with a good amount of loose ends that leave me eager to see them get tied up. It's the rise as we look towards the penultimate episode in four weeks and the finale in five. It's good stuff, and at times in this episode, great and even excellent stuff, and I'll gladly continue to eat up every second of the rest of this cour.

Early in my reviews, I said I'd be dipping into the source material, but honestly… I haven't. That said, as an anime-only viewer, I still feel like I've got this wonderfully full picture of the Dark Realm's second strongest: she's gone from a prideful, narcissistic tot to less prideful, more understanding tot with some pretty good food and a better bed. Really, she's become an incredibly protective, caring person while not losing a lot of the really funny aspects of her character. It's a proverbial rags to riches story that's got a lot of heart, which feels great as we look towards The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! ending in the new year. And while I'm genuinely loath to let this show go, it's episodes like this that remind me just how delightful slice of life comedies are when they're done as well this series is.

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The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Mercedez is a JP-EN translation and localization Editor & Proofreader/QA, pop culture critic, and a journalist who, when not writing for ANN, writes for Anime Feminist, where she's a staff editor, and for But Why Tho?. She's also a frequent cohost on the Anime Feminist Podcast, Chatty AF. This season, she's devouring Restaurant to Another World bite by delicious bite. When she's not writing and reviewing, you can find her on her Twitter or on her Instagram where she's always up to something.