I Couldn't Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job (2013)

[勇者になれなかった俺はしぶしぶ就職を決意しました。]

Director: Kinji Yoshimoto
Studio: Asread
Starring: Keisuke Komoto, Azusa Tadokoro, Kanae Iwasaki
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
A would-be hero whose dreams were dashed by the defeat of the Demon Lord takes up work at a magic goods store and his newest coworker is the daughter of the Demon Lord.

Impressions:
If this review were to have a light novel title, it'd be "I Saw a Clip on Youtube that Demanded More Context, So I Ended Up Watching an Entire Series that Had Just Enough Going for It for Me to Watch Until the End." This is somewhat similar to The Devil is a Part-Timer! in that it has fantasy characters doing minimum wage labor, but rather than being a reverse isekai, the world of the story is basically our own (complete with real-life convenience store chain Lawson) but with magic power replacing electricity. You might call this underwhelming in terms of worldbuilding and I'd agree with you. You have all the drudgery of retail work spiced with a few fantasy elements and ecchi moments. The main draw for me was the comfy dynamic between Raul and Phino, with Phino's demonic antics being a decent source of comedy. (I also like Raul's relationship with Elza, where you can tell there's interest but it's not played up for the usual romcom shenanigans.) There was some nice dynamic animation for action set pieces early on and at the finale, but otherwise the production values are passable but nothing amazing. (Given the ecchi side of it, you'd think physics less akin to water balloons would be desirable, but apparently not.) Nothing here is particularly exceptional and in every facet you're likely to find it come up short, but it's not like there's no appeal at all. As I said at the beginning, the show has just enough going for it for me to watch it to the end, so it may do that for you as well and maybe not. Take it or leave it.

Rating:
50/50