Since time immemorial the worship of higher powers has been a cornerstone of human civilization, but as mankind's understanding of the universe grew, so did his technology, and many ancient beliefs were gradually replaced or discarded by one means or another. Not all of them fell by the wayside though, and while some religions adapted their rituals and practices in order to survive in the ever-changing world, others were carefully hidden to keep the old ways alive, or to protect their secrets from being misused by humanity.
Originally a manga by Yamamura Hajime, Kamisama Dolls begins with a rather nightmarish scene in which three children are
...
being chased by a strange creature that can fire beams of energy from its mouth. The kids appear to have some kind of "robot" that tries to protect them while the brown-haired boy tries to carry the little girl and his friend to safety. Unfortunately the creature is too strong, but before it can land the final blow the brown-haired boy and the "robot" somehow manage to destroy it.
Years later, Kuga Kyouhei moves to Tokyo to attend college, and to escape his traumatic past.
It all sounds very exciting, but while the rather dramatic opening suggests that Kamisama Dolls is an action series, that isn't actually the case. Although combat does play an important role, it's often incidental to the main thrust of the narrative, and the plot is geared more towards character drama than anything else. In addition to this the series is refreshingly straightforward, but alongside this simplicity is a surprising degree of depth as the personal histories of the leading characters and the politics of the three priestly families play a major part in the story.
That said, while the simplistic approach makes everything easy to understand, it also exposes the fact that Kamisama Dolls can sometimes have difficulty deciding what it should be. This is mainly due to the rather slipshod manner in which the action and drama are meshed together, but the addition of some rather inane comedy and the inability to maintain a steady narrative progression don't help the show at all. To further compound matters there are several scenes that don't actually fit anywhere in the story, and because these all seem to include Shiba Hibino in some kind of compromising position, it's more than likely that they're only designed to promote merchandise involving her.
There's a surprising mundanity to the visuals that may cause some viewers to assume that Brains Base simply didn't care care enough about the series to make it look good, but it should be pointed out that a part of this is due to the limitations that come with any adaptation. The characters, background imagery and settings are decidedly "average", and there's a startling lack of anyone who is truly outlandish or flamboyant. In addition to this the animation is rather utilitarian, and while the basic ranges of movement are handled well, it's the combat between the Kakashi (the "dolls" that are considered gods), that really steals the show.
Which brings up an interesting point.
For many viewers it can often seem as though all of the creativity and imagination has been applied to the Kakashi, but Kamisama Dolls has a surprisingly subtle visual contrast at work that suggests that the somewhat bland designs and the straightforward animation are purposeful measures. Many studios feel an almost habitual need to exaggerate the characters in some way, but in order to promote the idea that everyone in the series is an average human being (including the Seki - the "priests" who control the Kakashi), Brains Base have approached the design with normality in mind. Sadly, they went a bit too far with the everyday look, and without anything extravagant to balance things, many people may find this a visually dull series.
Thankfully the same can't be said of the acting.
At first glance it may seem as though much of the dialogue is rather bland, but in truth this is nothing more than a continuation of the drive to depict the characters as normal, if flawed, human beings, and in a very real sense it works. The script is filled with conversations that only peripherally include the viewer, and although explanations about past events can sometimes become a little heavy handed, there's a logic to the serious parts of the dialogue that is missing in many other shows. The seiyuu are thus able to deliver some good performances, and the usual elements of cheese and ham have been toned down in favour of "normal" reactions.
That said, the slightly banal comedy does cause a few problem, and some of the actors seem to have difficulty coping with the rapid change from seriousness to humour.
One of the surprising things about Kamisama Dolls is the musical choreography, even though the majority of the series is free of any instrumental accompaniment. The few tracks on offer are usually reserved for tense scenes, comedic moments or action sequences, and their usage is generally rather subtle - by necessity. The haunting, ethereal songs of the Kakashi add an extra dimension to the background music that, at times, is almost religious in its effect, and the inclusion of these strange little pieces adds a completely different element to certain scenes. While the timing of all of these different audio strands isn't perfect, it's clear that attention has been paid as it would be all too easy for everything to degenerate into a cacophonous mess.
The introductory song, "Fukanzen Nenshou" by Ishikawa Chiaki, has a decidedly Latin flavour that fits rather well with the stylized character montage used to open the show. In contrast to this the ending theme, "Switch ga Haittara" (by the same artist), is a bittersweet yet melodic piece that plays out alongside a rather interesting take on the traditional closing sequence. While the ED does feature images of the more prominent character, some of them are merely patterned silhouettes until they appear in the series proper. In addition to this a few of the more important scenes from the episode are recapped in the "eyes" of the Kakashi, which may be a metaphor about how the "gods" view the actions of man, or it may just be a case of aesthetics.
At first glance many of the characters may appear to be nothing more than bland variations of certain stereotypes, but while there's an element of truth to that perception, it only really applies at the beginning of the series. There's actually a decent amount of characterisation from the outset, especially where the lead roles are concerned, yet while these do make a reasonable platform upon which a character can be "grown", many anime fail when it comes to the underlying logic of this process. In that respect Kamisama Dolls deserves a little praise, in particular for the manner in which Kyouhei's apathy and Aki's desire for revenge are justified as both mesh with a few small, but important, threads in the plot. In addition to this the supporting characters offer a nice mixture of personality types, and there are occasions where they are used to cleverly foreshadow some event that will happen at a later time in the storyline.
That said, certain developmental aspects fall on the shallow side because the show has difficulty getting to the point, and more importantly, sticking to it. More often than not a scene will offer some insight into the reasons for a person's actions or behaviour, but this is quickly ruined by unnecessary fanservice and bland comedy. While these moments do visibly decrease towards the end of the series, they do a lot of damage to the viewer's perception of the characters.
Kamisama Dolls is one of those anime that tries to give the audience a little bit of everything, and because of that it fails to deliver on some of the more important aspects of the story. As a concept, the series has a lot to recommend it, but at a mere twelve episodes there's simply not enough time to develop the plot or the characters to the degree necessary to make the narrative work. In addition to this the emphasis on "normality" may cause people to assume that the show is nothing more than a healthy dose of tedium.
Patience is a virtue though, and the rewards can sometimes be surprising. The series really does take things up a few notches towards the end of the show, and the clarifications and justifications begin to make much more sense. It also becomes clear that the first twelve episodes are merely the first portion of a larger story, and in all honesty if the follow up maintains the pace and progression that occurs at the end of the first series, then the second season could well be one to watch.
While this anime does have many flaws, unlike many other shows it can also redeem itself, but only if the next installment lives up to the true potential of the concept.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Kami-sama Dolls
Japanese: 神様ドォルズ
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
13
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Jul 6, 2011 to Sep 28, 2011
Premiered:
Summer 2011
Broadcast:
Wednesdays at 01:30 (JST)
Producers:
TV Tokyo, Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Media Factory, Half H.P Studio, AT-X, flying DOG, Sony Music Communications
Licensors:
Sentai Filmworks
Studios:
Brain's Base
Source:
Manga
Demographic:
Seinen
Duration:
24 min. per ep.
Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
Statistics
Ranked:
#45072
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#2538
Members:
72,956
Favorites:
94
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 20 / 20
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Your Feelings Categories Dec 2, 2011
Since time immemorial the worship of higher powers has been a cornerstone of human civilization, but as mankind's understanding of the universe grew, so did his technology, and many ancient beliefs were gradually replaced or discarded by one means or another. Not all of them fell by the wayside though, and while some religions adapted their rituals and practices in order to survive in the ever-changing world, others were carefully hidden to keep the old ways alive, or to protect their secrets from being misused by humanity.
Originally a manga by Yamamura Hajime, Kamisama Dolls begins with a rather nightmarish scene in which three children are ... Oct 2, 2011
I just read some review about Kamisama Dolls, and, yeah, I saw the score too. It was quite funny so I'll talk my mind here.
Kamisama Dolls, at first it seems like a good anime. Art okay, Sound that you don't even hear -which is neither good or bad-, story seems great... Well, the characters are pretty shitty but Aki is here so you kind of find some comfort. That's what you think when you've finished to watch the first episode. But... You keep going on to just find out that while Kamisama Dolls makes 13 episodes, it could have be only 4. You're overbored most of the ... Jul 30, 2011
I have finished this series and this is an update on my original 4 ep review
Story: 8/10 The story is pretty good. Though i admit when i first read the summary i didn't think it would be. I expected more of a chill anime without any killing, mass murder, psychopaths, and rival clans but i was wrong. It moves at a good pace and development has been very good imo. They're cliffhangers so it makes you want the week to go on by faster. All 13 episodes are either decent or pretty good. The main plot is kind of vague though and that's one thing i ... Jul 6, 2011
Seeing as only the first episode has been released, there's only so much I can say:
Synopsis aside, I was expecting something something light-hearted with a splash of moe, but I couldn't be more wrong. The intro was done quite well. Granted, I have no idea what in the world is going on (though after watching a bit into the episode, you may begin to make connections), but I'm seeing a lot of death and destruction -- I'm hooked. The OP song is average, as is the OP itself. Nothing special to me, but I'm don't feel forced to skip through it (though I probably will in ... Sep 27, 2011
I thought the anime had the perfect amount of highs and lows. It was a very well balanced show with the right amount of drama, comedy and action. The main protagonist, Kyouhei, is actually older than your typical protagonist in action anime. In this case, he is a college student who is making ends meet. Underneath the plainness, there is a secret and a emotional baggage that he harbors. It is this struggle to come to terms with his past that makes him interesting since it shows that we are all flawed in some way. Moreover, the show never
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Aug 31, 2011
This is one of those series's that could easily be great, yet proves a bit of a trap by kicking off to a great start, only to slow down drastically.
The pace is slow, the initial story is fine and that characters are of the most basic, I'll delve further... Plenty of grusome scenery to start off with as a villian comes into place and his only true opponent is a little girl, however, the villian is connected to another main, he flits in and out of the story, a backstory to make the audience feel sorry for him has been put in place. He hasn't really ... Nov 14, 2015
So, the name of this show was Kamisama Dolls, so I thought it would be light hearted like how Kamisama Kiss was. Boy was I wrong and looking back on it now; I’m not sure why I thought it was like that. We started out with a really haunting depiction of a chase scene that had a large monster going after what I thought to be three children. It was surprising but also a little intriguing in the sort of morbid way. Then again, after the title screen we were into a bar with people drinking. These sorts of jumps just make me wonder what
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Mar 17, 2015
Decent enough time killer but it has a few problems.
So Kamisama Dolls is kind of a Meca action/drama with a bit of harem thrown in for good measure. Some of the characters are "seki" which means they can control the meca with their minds. The premise is reasonably interesting and the action kind of proceeds how you would expect but the show does have a few issues. Well first of all one of the things this show does well is the sound. The background music was pretty good as well as the cool singing that the mecha does when its fighting. I personally enjoyed the intro ... Nov 28, 2011
Hello everyone!! This is my very first review so don't expect too much from me :)
Today I will be reviewing Kamisama dolls (神様ドールズ) Story: It was good but it is easy to predict on what is going to happen next and because of that the story suffers from not being able to surprise anyone, It also depends heavily on flashbacks about the main character (Kuga) past. Art: It was not bad but it was also not great. The colors were dark in the actions scenes but sometimes it brightens up for the comedic scenes. Overall a decent job. Sound: Opening: Very unique and it fits the story but ... Feb 6, 2016
Prior to watching this anime, I had already known about the events that would take place due to reading the manga. Nevertheless, it showed great promise having the opening minutes be with a scene filled with action and also one surrounded by suspense.
The anime is about a few selected people within a village who are chosen to have a Kakashi (god doll) due to their capabilities of controlling them. The main character, who is from the village, tries to escape from this life by moving away. Little did he know that he could never escape the village and he would be trap within its grip. ... Jun 3, 2015
The beginning enthralled me. When making an anime, manga, or book, you need a good hook. That's the bait, it's the first impression.
The story was very good, besides the fact that there was a male yandere and the main character was also very crazy. When you consider the other facts such as their emotion embedded into that first scene, it was just amazing. The art, next up, was good. The detail wasn't all that beautiful, but the battle scenes were detailed enough. When you look at Utau's shrine-maiden dress, it's okay. When you look at their, faces, they didn't look all that... Original. Now ... Jul 26, 2014
A very underrated anime ( which forced me to write a rare review).
Kamisama dolls has everything expected of a great, enjoyable and thrilling anime. The story is interesting but it takes a few episodes to get everything going ( probably that is why hasty people rated it low). The story takes a few turns which keeps it interesting, it also has a mystery element attached to it throughout the show which keeps the viewer hooked. One of the strongest point of Kamisama Dolls is its characters. The characters are unique and all have some strong background stories particularly the apparent villain.Viewer gets attached to main characters ... Nov 24, 2015
I'm writing this review having watched Kami-sama Dolls 3 times. This is one of my all time favorite animes, for some reason. I just really like the story and the history behind it. I have to rate it objectively even though it's one of my favorites, though. So no 9 or 10. As with many anime I've watched (with the exception of Tokyo Ghoul), I dive into it without having any idea of what it's all about. Which generally works in my favor when it comes to enjoyment.
What I enjoy about this anime is that if there were no Dolls, it would be a ... May 9, 2014
Despite how it looks, this series is actually fairly dark. A lot of issues dealt with in this series have to do with murder, guilt, jealousy, hatred, revenge... and the list can go on.
I'm not sure if this series will actually get a season 2, despite the last episode saying "To be next story" which I assume is a broken English version of "To be continued." I've heard that it didn't sell well, so a season 2 may actually never happen. Either way, I'm going to review this series with the viewpoint that it IS getting a season 2. (Honestly I'm just keeping my ... Apr 24, 2018
First of all, this is a Seinan Anime.
It's not about a kid training to be better at using a fighting robot, or about the MC secretly being more powerful than everybody else. It's about being responsible. Kyouhei Kuga is a Tokyo college student who comes from a little village up in the mountains where the dominant families have magical robots. In the past, he had control of one as well, but he has given it up. The story starts from a conflict between Kyouhei and his step brother brother Aki, a tough who was in prison for murder, and then spirals out as various people come from ... Jan 1, 2017
This is not so much a review as a warning: There's no damn second season! This show is engaging enough such that given what little is wrapped up, and the large amount of unfinished business left dangling right in front of our eyes at the end of episode 13.... am I better off having watched it all the way through? maybe. I just wanted to warn unsuspecting viewers before they commit to watching the thirteen episodes.
Oh, and as I write more words for filler, I noticed the similarity to "World ... Aug 4, 2018
*English is not my mother tongue. So, I hope everybody can understand this review. *
Starting off, I would say that this anime is what you can call "underrated". This anime is wonderfully writen and directed. Not only fot It's story, But also for the character line up. You will hardly ever find another anime with such an evolving antagonist. I always like comparing "Aki" with "Shogo Makishima " from Psycho-Pass. Those characters are what it is commonly known as "anti-hero". Besides, the story disinvolve in a way that step by step it show us more about the psycology behind them. I say this because, from ... Sep 8, 2018
Kamisama Dolls initially made me think that it was going to be better than it turned out to be. I’m going to preface this review by stating that the ending of the series is completely inconclusive, and it felt like there was a massive build-up for nothing. As well as weird plot conniptions that felt like you would only understand if you read the manga, but I don’t even know if the manga really explains anything else.
• Much like Rahxephon, there are creepy mechas that sing and that add an eerie atmosphere to the series, which I liked. To be honest, most of the ... Mar 22, 2017
Main protagonist with a mysterious past, check. Cute little sister with a brother fetish, check. Buxom love interest lacking the powers of other characters, check. White haired friend of our main protagonist turned enemy, check. New character with unexplained ties to our heroes, check. Cute mascot to sell toys, check. Character with unrequited love for main protagonist, check. As you can see it's very cliched and all that's fine. The characters are designed great and the animation is smooth and fluid. I enjoyed this anime way more than I ever thought I would. But I have two major issues with this anime that lower its
...
Nov 2, 2011
First of all, i was sceptical about this series.
I thought that the story about this series only war about robots, or other sci-fi things. But after I saw all of the episodes, I found it rather good enough. while watching, sometimes i feel anxious, blue, pissed off, funny, etc. Also, I found the artwork is good enough, it has a smooth changing frame. Overall this series can provide action, drama, and anxiousty story.. CMIIW Overall Rating 8/10 |