The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!

Spoiler Alert!

Yes, yes!

Kneel! Beg! Offer tributes to you and the Demon Lord! Ha, ha, ha, ha!

Yes, this is life!

*RING!* *RING!* *RING!*

Uuunnnh…

*RING!* *RING!* *RING!*

Argh! Wretched alarm clock! What a way to ruin dreams of days long gone!

You toss your hand on top of the clock, switching it off.

Your work shift at the izakaya will start in about an hour, so you’d better get ready.

You clutch the mana stone pendant around your neck and concentrate.

Right, time to go!

…

“Miss, I’ll take two beers.”

“Coming right up, sir!”

“Can I have the check, please?”

“I’ll be with you in a moment, sir!”

It’s 10:30 pm and finally past the height of dinner time! After several hectic hours of non-stop standing, taking orders, serving food, picking up dirty dishes, and washing them, things are slowing down for the day.

The Boss calls to you.

“Hy-chan, you can take a short break. I can handle things here for now,” she says with a cheerful smile.

You gratefully stride to the break room. Even a few minutes sitting in a chair after all this will be such a relief…

What the heck are you doing?!? Working for a living? Eating only sprouts? Using what little magic you have on such a petty undertaking?!

Whatever happened to collecting mana crystal pieces and restoring the Dark Realm?

Still, who would’ve thought that living in the human world would be so hard?!

You feel tears welling up in your eyes.

Everyone in the Dark Realm except the Demon Lord herself had to beg for your favor and wait on you hand and foot. Now you’re serving humans?!

This is cruel and unusual!

A gentle voice breaks your reverie.

“Good job as always, Hy-chan! Not much longer until closing time, so hang in there!”

“O-okay…”

“I shall raise your hourly rate by 80 yen starting tomorrow. I know you’ve been working hard…oh, and I’ve put aside some leftover fried chicken for you to take home.”

M-m-meat?! How long has it been since you…oh right, back to work!

You mustn’t forget…to restore the Dark Realm!

The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! (ジャヒー様はくじけない！, Jahī-sama wa Kujikenai!, lit. “Jahy-sama Won’t Be Discouraged!”) is a manga and anime written by Wakame Konbu (昆布 わかめ, Konbu Wakame).

Second only the Demon Lord, Jahy was feared and respected throughout the Dark Realm and lived a life of luxury. All this came to a literal crashing end on the day that a magical girl fights her way into Jahy’s palace and destroys the gigantic mana crystal that serves as the heart of the Dark Realm itself. As the Dark Realm falls apart, Jahy loses nearly all of her magical power and somehow ends up in modern-day Japan as a child. Powerless, penniless, and alone in an unfamiliar world, a despondent Jahy wanders the streets until she meets an izakaya owner, the Boss, who offers her a part-time job as a server and a small apartment for rent. Humiliated yet left with no choice, Jahy reluctantly accepts the offer while vowing to restore the mana crystal and the Dark Realm.

Having once lived a carefree life of conspicuous consumption, Jahy struggles to adjust to her new life at first. Cooking, housework, sickness, frugality, persistence, building relationships – she experiences it all. In time, Jahy gradually becomes better at her job, earns more money and learns how to be more considerate to others while collecting mana crystal pieces painstakingly. Despite her hardships and sorrow, Jahy somehow keeps her chin up.

Eventually, Jahy regains enough of her power to confront the magical girl who destroyed the Dark Realm, Kyouko Jingu, and eventually befriends her after a brief battle. At Kyouko’s house, Jahy discovers a large cache of mana crystal pieces…and the revived Demon Lord as a child! Kyouko later reveals that she was granted power and told to destroy the Dark Realm by a mysterious being of light. After a couple of failed attempts to create a magical girl to replace Kyouko, the said being directly confronts Jahy and Kyouko but was stopped by the Demon Lord. The being and the Demon Lord fight each other until Jahy is knocked unconscious while protecting the Boss’s izakaya.

Sobbing uncontrollably, the being introduces herself as Su, the Demon Lord’s younger sister, and confesses that she only wanted to contact her sister after she secluded herself in the Dark Realm. Realizing that all of her pain and sorrow was caused by a childish fight between siblings, Jahy furiously declares that she will never forgive Su.

The Great Jahy’s quest to restore the Dark Realm continues!

Main Characters

Jahy, a part-time server at the Izakaya Maou (創作居酒屋まおう, Sōsaku Izakaya Maō) and former second-in-command of the Dark Realm. Ambitious, confident, determined, and proud, she often has difficulty accepting help from others because it would hurt her pride, which sometimes causes unnecessary hardship. As she becomes considerate to others and makes friends, Jahy gradually learns to regret her former selfishness during her days in the Dark Realm. Having lost most of her power after the collapse of the Dark Realm, Jahy usually appears as an 8-year-old child. She can use mana crystal pieces to regain her adult form, usually when working at the izakaya, or perform various feats of magic.

Boss, the propreitor of the Izakaya Maou and the Landlady’s older sister. Generous, motherly, patient, and a bit spacey, she is the first to lend an ear, provide advice or show some kindness whenever Jahy is in trouble. The Boss is a skilled cook, bookkeeper, and housekeeper. She affectionately calls Jahy “Hy-chan”.

Landlady, the landlady of Jahy’s apartment building and the Boss’s younger sister. An aggressive, sarcastic, and stern tsundere, her attitude conceals a genuine concern for Jahy’s well-being. The Landlady often gets into heated arguments with Jahy over rent, but she quietly respects Jahy for being a hard worker. Although she lacks her sister’s domestic skills, the Landlady is quite strong and often wrestles with Jahy during their arguments.

Druj, a.k.a. Nana Dojima (堂島 ナナ, Dōjima Nana), the owner of a financial consultancy and Jahy’s former aide in the Dark Realm. Charming, dedicated and honest, she is loyal to Jahy to a fault and is hopelessly masochistic when she receives pain or humiliation from her mistress. In the past, Jahy often abused and tormented Druj for her amusement. Now jealous of her former aide’s wealthy life on Earth, Jahy often hides her current, poverty-stricken life from Druj. The former aide has the unique magical ability to manipulate others.

Kyouko Jingu (神宮 きょうこ, Jingū Kyōko), a high school student, a magical girl, and the destroyer of the Dark Realm. Lonely, undaunted, well-meaning, and somewhat unhinged, she is a friendless young girl who suffered considerable misfortune for most of her life. Desperately searching for a purpose, Kyouko found it when a being of light appointed her as a magical girl and ordered her to collect mana crystal pieces, which bring tragic misfortune to any humans who touch them. When Jahy eventually offered her friendship, the lonely Kyouko accepted it with little hesitation.

Personal Thoughts

After losing her cushy job and luxurious lifestyle, Jahy was obliged to adapt to a poverty-stricken life in an unfamiliar land and painstakingly rebuild what she has lost. In the beginning, she had a hard time curbing her pride and disdain for humans, but she gradually learned new habits and developed empathy for others. There were many times when Jahy seriously considered giving up or became frustrated with how her life was seemingly going nowhere, but she somehow managed to persist through sheer willpower with support from her friends. As she reflected on her life, Jahy also learned to regret her former selfishness and cherish her friends.

In fiction and real life, going to a strange place and struggling to survive is a common occurrence. These people get through and eventually prosper through their perseverance. You can have talent, beauty, intelligence, strength, or something else, but these will mean nothing if you don’t have the persistence to make use of them. A persistent person with average skills is likely to achieve more than a lazy, talented person. Perseverance is also crucial in learning because it allows us to keep going despite mistakes and discouragement. What would happen if everyone in the world gave up as soon as something went wrong? Can people like Florence Nightingale, Elon Musk, and countless others achieve without perseverance?

Perseverance is what lets us grow and become better people. As children and teenagers, we persevere through learning and gaining experience. As adults, we persevere towards earning money, raising a family, working on a project, and other goals. Even winning at a video game needs perseverance! A journey begins with a single step and many steps will be needed, but even one step at a time is progress.

Moral

No one can survive or succeed without perseverance. Even going one step at a time can make things happen if we keep moving.