Episode 20 – The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!

Episode 20, “The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!” is a title drop episode of epic proportions that starts off with a literal bang (in the form of some party crackers) and a party full of food, food, food, and more food! Oh yeah, and Jahy plans on opening her own restaurant and immediately forgot she was going to do that because of, you know, the pretty big fight with the Dark Lord and her sister that involved fifty-foot demonesses.

However, in the wake of episode 20, that’s largely a non-issue in a kind of hilariously hand-wavey way. In fact, most of the episode is spent on planning towards Jahy’s future, and where she plans to continue working in the wake of said plans. Of course, she decides to ultimately stay with the izakaya (for now) while Druj does all of the hard work on setting her up for a bright future. In the meantime, Jahy keeps living life as she does, which results in a low-key finale that builds to a heartfelt moment: i.e., a festival, which is everything I wanted from this series.

There’s a lot of comedic nuggets to be found here, including Jahy carrying the shrine because she wants a prize, some good ol’ slapstick-y antics, and Saurva existing. It makes for a nice comedown from last week’s action-heavy episode and a perfect, joyful sendoff to twenty-odd weeks with this cast while still bringing in some fresh comedy to end things off with a bang. Plus, there’s just something so nice about seeing the ensemble cast in the same place again, especially at such a non-serious event. Highlights include Saurva dressed up in a carnival-esque outfit, a bit of fourth-wall breaking, and more Jahy and Kokoro antics.

I knew when the piano version of the first OP started playing that this was the only way for the cast to close the show. It’s the perfect, mellow ending to a show that’s had its ups and downs, though The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! has had many more ups than downs. As you watch the ensemble cast watching the fireworks, there’s this sense that they’re going to be okay, moving forward. Of course, there’s also the fact that the manga’s ongoing: I feel immensely gerateful for that, especially since I’m going to need a Jahy fix in 2022.

I somehow thought that this series was going to be twenty-four episodes instead of twenty, which means that my time with The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! is… well, it’s done. And gosh, what a sendoff to a series that I didn’t really expect to be this passionate about. It’s not necessarily breaking the mold: in fact, episode 20 is leaning on a lot of what made the series funny in the first place, including the really good Saurva’s bits. In doing so, however, it sticks the landing, and while I’ve got a few complaints about the pacing (in light of this being the finale), I do still think that the past few weeks with everyone’s favorite feral demoness have been, by and large, quite enjoyable.

At the heart of The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! is well, heart: this is a series that’s all about community and the kindness of others, even if it takes Jahy a while to cotton to that idea. When I think back to where she started and compare that with how far she’s come now, I see a young woman who’s really leaned into the humanity around her and is a funnier, more dynamic character for it. By the end of this episode, she’s no longer a selfish demoness looking to regain her former glory: instead, Jahy is a kinder person who looks to the friends and found family around her for support in her everyday life versus just looking out for number one.

In the end, The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! leaves me with three main feelings: firstly, a desire to read the manga; second, a lot of love for the series as one of the most relaxing, comedic shows this year, and thirdly, a lot of gratitude for all of the women and girls in Jahy’s community. I look forward to continuing being a Jahy Stan with the manga, though maybe, there’s a future where Jahy gets more anime installments. But if that future never comes to pass, I think I’ll still find myself quite pleased with this series by and large.

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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.