The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated

Have you just finished watching a deep, dark, complex, and tragic series? Are you looking to unwind and watch a fun and lighthearted Anime to let all the darkness in your heart dissipate? Well, there are more than a hefty handful of titles that can get the job done, but if you have your eye out for more recent anime with vibrant visuals, there is quite the worthy contender waiting to take you on!

“The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!”, also known as “Jahy-sama Won't Be Discouraged!” or “Jahy-sama wa Kujikenai!” is a 20 episode TV Anime series that ran from the 1st of August until the 19th of December, in Summer 2021. It was produced by Square Enix and ABC Animation and brought to life by Studio SILVER LINK.

The primary staff behind its creation are Minato Mirai as Director, Hyadain on Theme Song Lyrics and Theme Song Composition, Fujimoto Kouji on Music, Nakashiki Saori on Character Design, and Chief Animation Director. It boasts the genres of Comedy and Supernatural and is targeted at the Shonen demographic. It received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older. The series was released in Blu-ray across five volumes from the 22nd of December 2021 until the 27th of April 2022.

The Anime is based on the source Manga of the same title. It began publication on the 22nd of August 2017 and is still ongoing, serialized in Gangan Joker.

The story revolves around the great protagonist Jahy, who refuses to go down despite all the odds stacked against her. While simultaneously battling starvation, the lack of Air Conditioning, and the tremendous weakness of having turned the size of a mere child, Jahy is experiencing great stress and mundane issues.

Having previously been the second strongest being in the entirety of the Dark Realm, all of her troubles could be traced back to the destruction of the very Mana Crystal that powered the whole Dark Realm.

If not for that disaster, she would still live a life of great power and luxury. Yet, there is no point crying over spilled milk, and thus, she now spends her days brawling with the landlady over rent, a tiresomely recurring event. To have a roof over her head and afford food to eat, she has no choice but to work part-time.

Regardless, her giant ego and pride will not allow her to live under such poor and laughable conditions for even a second longer than necessary. Thus Jahy vows to continue her bothersome journey to reassemble the Mana Crystal and reinstate the Dark Realm to its former glory once more.

The Story of The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated starts slow and doesn't seem attractive at first, but it takes a few episodes for viewers actually to warm up to it and potentially get hooked. Comedy is a significant element in the series, so be prepared for a lot of it.

Regardless, there are other underlying elements like a decent plot, clear narrative goals, and solid world-building. This is a rather playful take on the “good versus evil” battle and progressively shows viewers how a change in the environment and peoples’ influence significantly impacts a character's way of life and outlook.

Following numerous hardships and triumphs, Jahy grows to understand that there is so much more to the new world and even becomes fond of its inhabitants. In addition to the comedic appeal, the plot is unpredictable, with multiple characters transitioning between good and evil. Despite being a tale of demons, there isn’t much violence, and instead, it fosters the intriguing idea of how yesterday's enemy can turn out to be today's friend.

The Characters of The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated progressively enter the fray after Jahy is transported to the new world and engages in multiple fights, which usually end up as stalemates. She then drops the rivalry and goes on to befriend these enemies instead of killing them off for the protagonist’s development.

Viewers would expect the human characters to be afraid of Jahy, but on the contrary, they opt to help her in tough times or even fight her. These attitudes act as the biggest influences on her changing demeanor. Overall, the cast is dumb, comedic, lovable, wholesome, somewhat interesting, and has a decent depth to them. Each character is different from the others and flaunts their unique charm; love or hate them, they make the show fun and humorous.

The Art and Animation of The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated are its strongest points. The art is high quality and vibrant, while the animation is well handled and fluid as well. The character designs generally have a “moe” appeal to them, and the adult characters tend to be more explorative, all of which are consistent.

The set designs are excellent and appealing, consistent throughout the show. The only downside is that the Art quality sometimes drops in wider shots and the show has many such scenes. The Animation does not falter, though, delivering an overall visually pleasing experience.

The Sounds and Music of The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated are decent. The OSTs are made to sound adventurous and fun, which is a good fit for this series. The Sound effects are masterfully used to represent Jahy's hardships stemming from the ability to transform into adult form, making her child form more comedic.

These elements are well-executed around all the characters to enhance the audio experience. The Opening themes are "Fightin★Pose" by Yui Ogura and "Seikatsu Konkyuu Dame Dinero" by Sumire Uesaka, and the Ending themes are "Tsumari wa Itsumo Kujikenai!" by NEGI☆U and "Pedals (ペタルズ)" by Miho Okasaki, overall good. The Voice Acting is very fitting, comedic, and entertaining; especially with regards to Jahy, the Landlady, and Hero.

The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated is all about how Jahy and her underlings adapt to and live in the new world. In a world void of magic, royalty, peasantry, and social status, the cast is forced to succumb to its Work culture to make ends meet, all while seeking out the Red Crystals to repair the Demon realm. New worlds come with many complications, especially when making new friends and undergoing changes to suit it, either becoming successful, just-hanging-on or lazy.

This is a fun and playful comedy following a reverse-isekai format, full of promise and unexpected new developments. It is not without flaws, which delays initial plot progression and allows some events to drag out, but this is simply a comedy at its core. Regardless, it is an entertaining and enjoyable watch, especially due to the friction built up toward the end with relation to the Demon Lord and Justice. The Great Jahy: Will Not Be Defeated is recommended for a light and fun watch!