The Splendid Work of a Monster Maid Volume 5 Review

Despite having only begun its English release in early 2022, we’ve already reached the end of The Splendid Work of a Monster Maid with Volume 5. It may have been a short stint, but nevertheless, it’s time to say goodbye to this magical series. But first, let’s find out if it can deliver a satisfying conclusion to the story!

Volume 5 picks up right where we left Volume 4, showing us the history behind how Rose and Ivy became friends and escaped the Demon King’s castle before the start of the series. With Ivy being held captive after the rival maid group kidnaps her in Volume 4, Sumire and the others have been left with no choice but to storm the castle. But are they prepared to face off against the enemies that are lying in wait? And what about the former Demon King; is he ready to face his brother and take back the throne? 

It’s safe to say that our cast is woefully unprepared to fight having not finished collecting the former Demon King’s magic. Without restoring him to full strength, there are very slim odds of winning. At least, not unless they can turn some of their enemies into potential allies…?  

As you may have gathered from this summary so far, Volume 5 of The Splendid Work of a Monster Maid is what can only be described as an intense battle arc. Each of the main cast ends up separated from one another and facing off against one of the evil maids we’ve come to know across the last few books. This is a very shonen-like approach to storytelling as we get the backstories of some of the enemies while our heroes try desperately to defeat them or win them over to their side. 

It’s a shame that much of the character development for our foes has been left for this final volume but to the credit of Yugata Tanabe, this largely pays off well. This instalment is jam-packed between the character stories and the fights, but somehow it holds together and proves an engaging read all the way through. There are a lot of impressive battle scenes here, which showcase the best of the mangaka’s talents and make use of the fact this is one of Yen Press’ larger print sizes. 

We’ve come a long way compared to where this series started as an episodic monster or magic of the week format. The number of characters has certainly grown considerably, even within just five volumes, but still, the creator has done a good job of juggling everything. It’s not perfect by any means and I do think the antagonists were underutilised until closer to the end, but that doesn’t distract from the strengths of the series overall. 

From beginning to end, there has always been something to enjoy, whether it be the artwork or the stories of the main cast or those they meet on their missions. And in some ways being such a short manga may encourage more readers to pick it up rather than if it had run for even eight or ten books. It feels like a complete tale, something where we can leave these characters safe in the knowledge that their story has been told with little left unsaid. 

The Splendid Work of a Monster Maid Volume 5 comes to the West thanks to Yen Press where it continues to be translated by Eleanor Summers with lettering by Lys Blakeslee. As usual, the translation reads well with no issues to note. As we’ve come to expect from the series, this release opens with a beautiful full-colour spread. 

Overall, The Splendid Work of a Monster Maid Volume 5 brings the series to a satisfying conclusion. This manga has had plenty of ups and downs, but it’s hard to argue with how charming the whole series has been. If you’ve enjoyed this manga so far, this final instalment certainly won’t leave you disappointed. 

Our review copy from Yen Press was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.