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Satan's Secretary #1
Satan's Secretary, Vol. 1
Satan has awoken and is dead set on conquering the human world. His secret weapon? A human woman with an unimaginable talent for organizing his demon army and keeping the conquest on track. But why would a mild-mannered woman like the Secretary betray the human race? And will Satan survive her strict schedule? Either way the human world is in big trouble!
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 12, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 17, 2018
Humans really are the scariest monsters.
July 11, 2018
This is an awesome book. The secretary is a BEAST. She rules from the shadows with an iron fist! This is a pretty funny manga.
May 23, 2021
3.5 stars
Extremely entertaining concept, and I liked it—even when it dragged due to it relying on the one gag of “satan hires a scarily competent secretary who actually freaks out the demons with her competence” a bit too much.
Extremely entertaining concept, and I liked it—even when it dragged due to it relying on the one gag of “satan hires a scarily competent secretary who actually freaks out the demons with her competence” a bit too much.
June 7, 2020
When a child is born with the Crest of Light on the back of his hand, it's a signal that Satan, too, will soon become unsealed and threaten world domination. Satan's a bit of a heavy sleeper, though, so it takes another 13 years for him to drag himself out of bed. After he finally gets up, he demands that a female human scholar be brought before him, so that he can torture her for her knowledge of other humans.
The human his minions find for him is a secretary. She came willingly and has, in fact, been planning world domination for a while now. Not long after being brought before Satan, she negotiates herself from "human slave" to "paid employee with a conveniently nebulous position in the demon world's new organizational chart." As she completely reworks the Demon Lord's army to her own specifications, the Demon Lord is left wondering what happened and how he can somehow keep himself from becoming a mere figurehead.
Satan's Secretary was originally created in 2014 and first published in Japan in 2016 or 2017, so the parallels I saw between several things in the first half of this volume and current events and the Trump administration were probably accidental. But this volume was first published in English in 2018, and the translator had to have known what they were doing when they had one of the human characters say "We need to make the kingdom great again." Between that and one of the secretary's more detailed plans eerily resembling what's going on in the US right now, the first half of this volume occasionally made for uncomfortable reading. Oh, and then there was the way both the human king and Satan were so easily manipulated, and the king proposing the annihilation of some demons as a way to distract his subjects from his bad leadership and decision to use tax money for his own personal benefit.
So 2020 may not have been the best year to read this. But even if I had read it at a different time, I'm not sure it would have worked much better for me. Layout-wise, this volume was a bit of a mess. Panels were crammed with text and tiny art, making this a more exhausting read than I was expecting. And the comedy wasn't particularly funny. It was one part corporate humor, one part satire about bad leadership, and one part experimentation with conflicting tones.
The secretary tackled everything from new hiring practices for the Demon Lord's army, to improving the morning commute, to the complexities of providing financial aid to demonic families. It was clever, and I suppose it was a little amusing watching the Demon Lord struggle not to be overshadowed by his new secretary, but there was nothing that really made me laugh.
The Demon Lord and his minions were terrible but, despite mentions of torture and rape, were largely presented as jokes. It was no wonder they never succeeded at world domination. The secretary, on the other hand, was true evil. She came to Satan with multiple detailed plans for accomplishing world domination, and, if the demons hadn't had more of a conscience than she did, she'd likely have managed it by the end of the volume. While I liked her efficiency, her competence, and the fact that she didn't take crap from anyone, she was so coldly evil that I found her impossible to root for. There was a single moment when readers were given a glimpse of her motivations, but even that didn't make her more sympathetic or relatable.
One last thing before I wrap this up, more of a note for my own purposes than anything: there's a scene involving a lust spell that confirms that the secretary is canon asexual and aromantic. I still wouldn't recommend this for that reason, though, because it's not like the world needs another evil aro ace character. Also, it makes the moments when Satan imagines the secretary as his sex slave even slimier.
I didn't think this was completely terrible, but it wasn't to my tastes and I doubt I'll ever read more of it.
Extras:
Single-page extra scenes in between chapters, five pages of the original 2014 doujin version, one full-color page, and an afterword by the author.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
The human his minions find for him is a secretary. She came willingly and has, in fact, been planning world domination for a while now. Not long after being brought before Satan, she negotiates herself from "human slave" to "paid employee with a conveniently nebulous position in the demon world's new organizational chart." As she completely reworks the Demon Lord's army to her own specifications, the Demon Lord is left wondering what happened and how he can somehow keep himself from becoming a mere figurehead.
Satan's Secretary was originally created in 2014 and first published in Japan in 2016 or 2017, so the parallels I saw between several things in the first half of this volume and current events and the Trump administration were probably accidental. But this volume was first published in English in 2018, and the translator had to have known what they were doing when they had one of the human characters say "We need to make the kingdom great again." Between that and one of the secretary's more detailed plans eerily resembling what's going on in the US right now, the first half of this volume occasionally made for uncomfortable reading. Oh, and then there was the way both the human king and Satan were so easily manipulated, and the king proposing the annihilation of some demons as a way to distract his subjects from his bad leadership and decision to use tax money for his own personal benefit.
So 2020 may not have been the best year to read this. But even if I had read it at a different time, I'm not sure it would have worked much better for me. Layout-wise, this volume was a bit of a mess. Panels were crammed with text and tiny art, making this a more exhausting read than I was expecting. And the comedy wasn't particularly funny. It was one part corporate humor, one part satire about bad leadership, and one part experimentation with conflicting tones.
The secretary tackled everything from new hiring practices for the Demon Lord's army, to improving the morning commute, to the complexities of providing financial aid to demonic families. It was clever, and I suppose it was a little amusing watching the Demon Lord struggle not to be overshadowed by his new secretary, but there was nothing that really made me laugh.
The Demon Lord and his minions were terrible but, despite mentions of torture and rape, were largely presented as jokes. It was no wonder they never succeeded at world domination. The secretary, on the other hand, was true evil. She came to Satan with multiple detailed plans for accomplishing world domination, and, if the demons hadn't had more of a conscience than she did, she'd likely have managed it by the end of the volume. While I liked her efficiency, her competence, and the fact that she didn't take crap from anyone, she was so coldly evil that I found her impossible to root for. There was a single moment when readers were given a glimpse of her motivations, but even that didn't make her more sympathetic or relatable.
One last thing before I wrap this up, more of a note for my own purposes than anything: there's a scene involving a lust spell that confirms that the secretary is canon asexual and aromantic. I still wouldn't recommend this for that reason, though, because it's not like the world needs another evil aro ace character. Also, it makes the moments when Satan imagines the secretary as his sex slave even slimier.
I didn't think this was completely terrible, but it wasn't to my tastes and I doubt I'll ever read more of it.
Extras:
Single-page extra scenes in between chapters, five pages of the original 2014 doujin version, one full-color page, and an afterword by the author.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
March 1, 2020
Kinda silly, and I am definitely not the target demographic. Satan is the clueless, old-school, blustery yet easily cowed boss, while I'm not quite even sure what all tropes the Secretary is fulfilling, but is so clearly Millennial (in the generational sense) as to be a caricature. Sort of an SJW for the devils while yet an enemy of the human race (or is she?)
Also, the pace is too slow—like, how many issues can we drag this out?—the writing uneven, and the format rather too small for my eyes. And frankly, where it is funny, it's just not funny enough: perhaps a rueful chuckle, tops, never an actual laugh.
I likely won't seek out the rest of the series.
Also, the pace is too slow—like, how many issues can we drag this out?—the writing uneven, and the format rather too small for my eyes. And frankly, where it is funny, it's just not funny enough: perhaps a rueful chuckle, tops, never an actual laugh.
I likely won't seek out the rest of the series.
January 6, 2020
It was kinda boring to where I'd tune out, but other parts where interesting and funny.
May 30, 2019
I liked it enought but felt it could have been better
October 3, 2019
Meh, Just wasn't for me.
July 1, 2018
When a ruler of the demon realm has his cronies abduct a beautiful secretary from the human realm to be Satan's slave, they get more than they bargain for. She's got ideas to help the demonic army and isn't willing to back down from them.
This is a comedy, but the story is a bit in the vein of "Realist Hero". Essentially, the secretary is their version of Souma Kazuya, implementing human ideas into a fantastical society made up of various races. In Realist, they have the "talent search". Here they had interview processes to figure out who could join the army and what their skill set is. It's yet to be seen how all the demons that passed the process will be used (especially the Momma's boy), but we do see some of the fruits of her labor (dancing mind control distractions, division of labor, renewed interest in joining the army + staying happy because of labor benefits).
The one caveat I have with this is, it has the potential to get tired joke wise. I think it already is there, a few too many times going to the well to show Satan's lazy incompetence in the face of the hardworking secretary. Luckily, it looks like we'll get some fresh blood added to the mix with the hero next chapter. The secretary's backstory (orphaned) makes me think something special will be happening with her too (maybe she's half demon? Idk).
The art is fairly good. All the demons have their unique appearances. None of them really get named, they're occasionally referred to by their job status, but that may change next volume (at least the secretary has plans to name and categorize everyone).
There are a handful of fun references to pop culture, especially game culture here (references to stuff by Nintendo and Konami). This isn't a hard hitting series in terms of content, though I would say it's still probably older Teen audience since there's some innuendo and the occasional borderline drawing of Satan's fantasies (always just barely covered up). While it's certainly fictitious, the political spectrum of the story mirrors real world strategy (leader starting a war to distract the citizenry from his own incompetence and their scorn).
This is a comedy, but the story is a bit in the vein of "Realist Hero". Essentially, the secretary is their version of Souma Kazuya, implementing human ideas into a fantastical society made up of various races. In Realist, they have the "talent search". Here they had interview processes to figure out who could join the army and what their skill set is. It's yet to be seen how all the demons that passed the process will be used (especially the Momma's boy), but we do see some of the fruits of her labor (dancing mind control distractions, division of labor, renewed interest in joining the army + staying happy because of labor benefits).
The one caveat I have with this is, it has the potential to get tired joke wise. I think it already is there, a few too many times going to the well to show Satan's lazy incompetence in the face of the hardworking secretary. Luckily, it looks like we'll get some fresh blood added to the mix with the hero next chapter. The secretary's backstory (orphaned) makes me think something special will be happening with her too (maybe she's half demon? Idk).
The art is fairly good. All the demons have their unique appearances. None of them really get named, they're occasionally referred to by their job status, but that may change next volume (at least the secretary has plans to name and categorize everyone).
There are a handful of fun references to pop culture, especially game culture here (references to stuff by Nintendo and Konami). This isn't a hard hitting series in terms of content, though I would say it's still probably older Teen audience since there's some innuendo and the occasional borderline drawing of Satan's fantasies (always just barely covered up). While it's certainly fictitious, the political spectrum of the story mirrors real world strategy (leader starting a war to distract the citizenry from his own incompetence and their scorn).
July 12, 2018
Enjoyable humor comic about an evil demon lord who kidnaps a secretary and gets more than he bargained for. The focus is heavy on he humor, since nothing really happens in the story most of the time except the secretary constantly reforming the demon kingdom and the demon lord sort of vacillating between lust, admiration, envy, and disgust with her. Some of the jokes are pretty clever, and the artwork is pleasant if a little nondescript. As usual with this sort of thing, some of the humor is off color, including some occasionally sexy art of the secretary featured mostly in the internal fantasies of the women... as well as a deadbeat tentacle monster dad. Probably won’t read anymore, but I enjoyed it for what it is.
April 18, 2019
Satan is unsealed and gains a secretary to help him eradicate humans.
This was a cute manga but there wasn't enough story for me to continue reading in the series. The secretary is way more hardcore than Satan and she seems to really be up for destroying (most of) humanity. I kept waiting for a sly 'cover story' type reveal, but it seems to be fairly straightforward. The art is solid though the humor sometimes made me groan.
This was a cute manga but there wasn't enough story for me to continue reading in the series. The secretary is way more hardcore than Satan and she seems to really be up for destroying (most of) humanity. I kept waiting for a sly 'cover story' type reveal, but it seems to be fairly straightforward. The art is solid though the humor sometimes made me groan.
April 18, 2020
This was not my favorite Manga I have ever read. I definitely liked the art style and that was about it. The parts that I thought were supposed to be humorous fell short. I feel like nothing really happened in the book. They spent the entire time raising an army, but never really got to any sort of fight. Overall this was just disappointing. I thought the story had a lot of potential, but it definitely did not reach that potential.
November 12, 2019
My only problem is that it didn't keep me gripped; it's easy to put down as there is no plot. They say they're taking over the world, but they're just maintaining Hell.
It's well drawn, simple. I do wish a little more detail and shading. I love all the different demons shown, with a few of the same demons for continuity.
I do think the Secretary's glasses are a bit weird; there's large flaps that made me think she had demon ears.
It's well drawn, simple. I do wish a little more detail and shading. I love all the different demons shown, with a few of the same demons for continuity.
I do think the Secretary's glasses are a bit weird; there's large flaps that made me think she had demon ears.
August 20, 2025
I would term this a mind candy book. It's mildly entertaining and it's a pretty quick read.
I was a little frustrated that they didn't progress the story sufficiently (in my opinion) before the first volume ended.
I haven't read a lot of manga, so this was an okay read to dip my toe in the water.
I was a little frustrated that they didn't progress the story sufficiently (in my opinion) before the first volume ended.
I haven't read a lot of manga, so this was an okay read to dip my toe in the water.
January 23, 2019
I picked this up as a step out of your comfort zone read for a readathon.. It was a little too far out of my wheel house. I couldn't get into the story, and I found the plot to be tedious. There were clever moments, but they used the same gimmicks and foe me it grew stale..
August 27, 2021
4.5
This was a lot of fun! I found myself laughing out loud and had a smile on my face the whole time. The bit does start to get a little tiresome after a while, but that may just be because I read it one sitting. I definitely recommend!
This was a lot of fun! I found myself laughing out loud and had a smile on my face the whole time. The bit does start to get a little tiresome after a while, but that may just be because I read it one sitting. I definitely recommend!
June 8, 2018
When I read the Metal Gear reference, I cracked up so hard I fell off my bed. Highly recommended.
August 23, 2018
Absolutely hilarious.
January 12, 2019
deadbeat tentacle monster dad. this one weird ass manga.
June 2, 2019
เนื้อเรื่องฮาดีครับ เป็นคอเมดี้เบา ๆ ที่หยิบมาอ่านได้เรื่อย ๆ ตัวละครเองก็ออกแบบมาดีงามมากครับ
ปล.ว่าแต่เมื่อไรเล่มสองจะมาล่ะเนี่ย?
ปล2.คุณภาพการพิมพ์นี่ดีจริง ๆ
ปล.ว่าแต่เมื่อไรเล่มสองจะมาล่ะเนี่ย?
ปล2.คุณภาพการพิมพ์นี่ดีจริง ๆ
July 28, 2019
Seems like a book with tons of good humor.
August 16, 2020
Love this Manga!
Great read, this Manga has a great plot, fun characters. A person can enjoy this Manga at any age. Can't wait for the next vol.
Great read, this Manga has a great plot, fun characters. A person can enjoy this Manga at any age. Can't wait for the next vol.
March 29, 2021
Great book. I look forward to more volumes!!
March 17, 2024
I loved the basic idea of this manga. It could have been great! The world-building was fun and interesting. Sadly, it was too sexual for my taste.
July 15, 2024
Funny. cute. Unique. Sometimes the flow of the panels was a miss...at worst.
August 24, 2025
This may be the wordiest manga I've ever read -- way too many words. The only decent art is of the nameless secretary and her earth boss. I call this, "Corporate Governance Goes to Hell."
July 2, 2018
I love this
The manga is well drawn, and the story is really good. This take the cake. Hope they would release these faster
The manga is well drawn, and the story is really good. This take the cake. Hope they would release these faster
August 6, 2018
I really adore the dynamic the secretary and satan have; it's pretty entertaining. And Satan is quite the character, haha!! I especially admire the whole 'being given a name is a huge deal'. I wouldn't give it 5 stars simply because I feel like it is a little too simple of a story, but I feel like the second one has potential of getting it to a 5 star manga.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2020
I picked this up, hoping for a bit of Ratman-esque comedy (that is: a good person ends up working for the bad guys. Hijinks ensue), and I wasn't disappointed. Satan's Secretary is a charming, witty slice-of-life comedy series, with plenty of nods to other series and games. It's nice seeing an author take on tired (and nonsensical) fantasy tropes, like the Last Boss only sending out weaker monsters and keeping the strong ones nearby as guards, and point out their flaws. But beyond that, the series gets into the behind-the-scenes logistics of running an army; even demon soldiers need recreational facilities for downtime, and maternity leave to prepare the next generation of troops.
Satan's Secretary is quirky, fun, and very self-aware. This volume also tries to get a bit sentimental toward the end, and while the developments are nothing astounding, they do help round out both the Secretary and Satan as characters. The art's fairly decent, too. All in all, I had a good time with this, and I'll definitely be picking up the next volume.
Satan's Secretary is quirky, fun, and very self-aware. This volume also tries to get a bit sentimental toward the end, and while the developments are nothing astounding, they do help round out both the Secretary and Satan as characters. The art's fairly decent, too. All in all, I had a good time with this, and I'll definitely be picking up the next volume.
March 2, 2022
4.5★ rounding up, because it had true laugh-out-loud moments. Slightly silly premise and some fan service, but nothing over the top. The secretary is a BOSS LADY and I am here for more of her ruling with an iron fist.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews