Ranked #402

Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai

So, this is my first Review on my favorite manga and anime, KamiNomi!
I'll try to keep it short and clean c:

-Story & Overall-
What I would like to announce, this is not your regular average harem anime. It has a good plot and idea to it, actually and it does make sense in the world it was created into!
The way that the main character has to wear consequences and plan out his actions is just entertaining (as are the dialogs) and it definitely made me sit down and read/ watch.
KamiNomi does not try to be more than what it is and keeps going at it's own pace, always introducing different situations and new challenges the main characters have to face.

-Art-
Well, it is drawn by none other than Watanabe Akio - the designs, actually. If you watched and are fan of the Bakemono/Nisemono series, you already noticed this.
It really depends on the taste, though - I enjoyed watching the Art style for KamiNomi, however being a great SHAFT studio fan, I would have preferred (and as with many other shows I enjoy) if they had put in more visual effects like turning around and basically what Shaft does... *trails off*

The uniform designs are unique as hell - I seriously haven't seen anything like those before and it makes me want to wear them as well~!


-Sound-
Music wise, can I say that the Openings are epic? Have you seen an anime with Orchestra music yet? I mean really?
Whenever I listen to it, I feel like I am going to watch some church/Religion anime -- But the fact is, the music is heavenly. That s the only way to describe it.


-Character-
Oh the characters...
We have two main ones, Elsie and Keima.

Keima, your average gamer boy who hates reality to it's last bits. His character is simple - in a way, yet very well handled and developed to make the series to what it originally is. He is a very likeable character (not like some douches from other harem animes *cough*Makoto*cough cough*)

Elsie, your kind demon who comes from Hell and guides Keima to fulfill their mission! (Not spoiling much)
Very naive and innocent, Elsie is seen to be closed into people's heart quite easily. She is silly and her obsession with trains--

Scratch that, those were fire trucks, I'm sorry!
A big thank you Zaraquiel99 for pointing that out!

-- is just so out of nowhere, it is almost creative. I never saw a character with such interest, really now.


The rest of the cast is not shunned or put into a corner either - they each have their own backstory, flaws and emotions, giving us a deeper, in-depth look to them and not being handled as some harem-element.


-Enjoyment-
I see quite a lot of people who enjoy and like KamiNomi.
I even buy the volumes that I can get my hands on - it is the most bought manga I have in my room, which consist of 5 vols already.
I really do want to support Tamaki and his work, so I do not regret spending my money on this manga. At all.

He deserves it.



____

And that was my short review~ I hope I could convince you at some point... ; - ;
Please just give it a try at least! >///// read more

"Reality is a shit game!"

'Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai' ('The World Only God Knows') is about a self-claimed "Otoshigami (Capture God)" who can "capture" the heart of any 2D girls in dating-sim games. One day, he unknowingly signs a contract with a demon through email, and ends up in a quest to capture real-life (3D) girls in order to collect runaway souls residing within their hearts.


The first season of 'KamiNomi" involves the capture of 4 girls, with 3 filler episodes.
Katsuragi Keima is an interesting character. He's full of confidence in front of the PFP screen and calls himself "Capture God", backing up his claim with godly galge gaming and analytical skills. What's more interesting is that he applies eroge logic and theory to real life, disapproving people, objects, and events in reality as having "unrealistic settings". Keima is a reluctant hero in this show as he's only interested in 2D girls, and he received very little character development, but that's just fine because it shows how dedicated he is to gaming, and his "modern samurai" way of life. Filler ep-4 was a great display of his game philosophy and dedication.

Elsea is a demon who looks and behaves like a typical clumsy 2D girl. Her character development was very poor despite having a filler ep-8. Her very existence and costume/accessories is probably more suitable for 'Soul Eater' series, but her character is one of the best eye candy ever, and she's a package that makes the absurd premise possible.

Takahara Ayumi was the first target, a Sporty Cool. She was given only a single episode, but served well as an introduction to the premise.

Aoyama Mio is next, a Tsundere Princess. She seemed like an common archetype at first, but our Capture God finds out that she was no longer what she claimed to be. Her arc was an introduction to Keima's standard gaming strategy: Encounter, creating chances to meet often, formation of negative impression, and turning the negative impression into positive impression.

Then comes Nakagawa Kanon, a Yandere Idol. Her insecurity as a solo performer leads to unhealthy obsession with Keima because he shows zero interest in her. Her arc was rather draggy, but features quite a bit of insert songs and slapstick comedy.

Best was saved for the last with Shiomiya Shiori, an introvert librarian. The story's pace suddenly slowed for her arc, which turned from a slapstick-heavy comedy to serious artsy anime. Her character made this a very interesting arc. We as viewers can hear her "speech in the mind", but Keima who's used to be in our position suddenly realizes the difficulty in her capture because he had to work to draw out the inner voice. Shiori's character development was done very well with her gradual curiosity in the trouble maker at the library, and Capture God's eventual understanding of his target. It is extremely difficult to make slow, mesmerizing pace work, but the amazing direction and production had done just that. The atmosphere in the library and art house camera movement / perspectives were phenomenal, and painted a world of its own.

The final episode was a filler. While it was somewhat corny, it further establishes the protagonist's character and devotion to video games, and the pure absurdity of it was hilarious. The near-full use of 8-plus-minute oratorio also featured as OP was a nice touch that intensified drama. It also ended with a cliffhanger by introducing a new girl demon character, and hinting a sequel season.

Comedy was quite inconsistent. Sometimes intelligent, such as stating 3D girls' flaws with 2D logic, parodies, and God's Teachings. Other times, it's plain stupid, like Elsea tripping randomly.
Overall, the story and characters are very interesting, but as a fantasy comedy, it's filled with improbable situations, gimmicky story developments (like requiring the target to fall in love, girls losing memory after Capture), and the inevitable corniness that comes with it. Character development for all the heroines were done in a frantic speed as an arc-format anime, but every one of them were more than the typical 2D heroines thanks to numerous plot twists, and they were captured in unconventional methods that never gets tiring.
It is apparent that the ending was produced with another season in mind. In fact, at least 24 episodes may have been decided from the start, so it may still be a bit too early to judge its story and character development just yet.


The OP in 'KamiNomi' can only be described as a "Masterpiece". The animation quality, atmosphere, song quality, song choice, originality, transition flow, audio-visual harmony, appropriateness, effectiveness as OP, wow-factor... I would rate 10/10 for every aspect of it.

The art in this series is generic anime style drawn to perfection. Unique design for the protagonist, and Elsea must be the cutest anime girl ever. The supporting characters are generic but easily distinguishable designs, this works to support the plots where Keima predicts girls' personality based on appearance. Dynamic movements, funny chibi-forms, artistic representations, and great use of CG. The presentation was done exceptionally well with bunch of creative cuts, background effects for comedy and mood setting. Above all, the amount of detail is staggering, with the sheer number of objects in the background, books with pages of real texts, reflections on various surfaces, and attention to imperfections and stains on walls and floors. Characters also have up to 3 degrees of shading versus the typical 2. Despite the generic style, art work in this series is so outstanding that it can no longer be considered ordinary.

Seiyuu cast was excellent. The protagonist's voice had a wide range, from the absolute confidence while talking about eroge theories to humorous screams. Everyone else also sounded like they should, full of emotions.
BGM was really sophisticated and lively, complementing the story by enhancing the atmosphere of every scene. Different sets of BGM were used for each arc.
Kanon's insert songs were incredibly well done. Yes, they're moe pop songs, but the level of production was so high that it's hard to believe they were written solely for anime inserts.
Regular ED is a light pop song in good contrast with OP accompanied by a creative theme.

'KamiNomi' had a fantastic pacing and offers comedy, drama, and emotional attachment. All of it was backed by a masterful presentation that was incredible to the point of over-production. Despite its inherent corniness, I found this show to be extremely enjoyable. It is the series with a sense of highest degree of completion among all series I've seen so far. In fact, the production value in this series rivals that of theatrical anime movies.

I really liked the way they presented the empty feeling you get after the girls forget Keima's involvement after the kisses. It must be devastating to be the only one having the memory of their time together even if he wasn't interested in 3D girls. Nevertheless, our samurai hero will stand strong and keep the memories of "The World God Only Knows" in his heart as he continues on to fulfill his mission of capturing girls' hearts in the second season. I will definitely be there to hear the demon's "dorodorodoro" detection of another wandering soul and witness the Capture God`s miracles.
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It's funny how trends, tastes, and even perceptions can change over time. Less than a decade ago being called a geek, nerd or otaku was considered an insult, and while those terms have maintained their derogatory status to a degree (especially in Japan), the steady march of technology has dictated the rise of the "Beta Male", and nowhere is this more apparent than in the entertainment industries.

In 2001 the PC and Dreamcast game Comic Party was adapted and released as an anime, and with it came the birth of a totally new genre - the otaku comedy. Since that time there have been numerous manga and anime that have utilised the theme in some manner, from the romanticised look at otaku life that is Genshiken, to the insane classical stylings of Nodame Cantabile's heroine, Noda Megumi. These days the number of titles that have some involvement with the genre is on the rise, and while some take a decidedly rose-tinted view of the subject, there are others (NHK ni Youkoso!, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (no, seriously), ChäoS;HEAd, etc), that allow glimpses into the darker side of otaku life.

There are also those that approach the subject of otaku in an imaginative, yet decidedly tongue-in-cheek manner.

Kami Nomi Zo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows, or KamiNomi), tells the story of Katsuragi Keima, the "king" of bishoujo games (galge), and dating sims, who is better known throughout the internet as the "Capturing God". He is content to live his life in the virtual world because "reality is just a crappy game" where the girls are impossible to deal with. All of that changes when he answers a mysterious e-mail addressed to the God of Conquest (another one of his monikers), and subsequently meets the demon girl Elucia de Lut Ima (Elci).

The plot attempts to meld several different themes into one continuous narrative, and in order to do this it utilises a number of devices that can sometimes get in the way. Like Amagami SS, the storyline follows the "short arc for each girl" format, complete with the "reset" at the end. This is accompanied by some fairly typical "soul possession" concepts, basic yet still humourous slapstick, and a rather interesting take on dating sims in general.

Unfortunately it doesn't completely work.

The problem is that while KamiNomi is essentially a straight forward otaku comedy, the inclusion of so many disparate themes eventually causes a degree of conflict within the framework of the story. The major issue is the idea that one can use dating sim methodology to form a real world relationship, and while it is possible to learn the basics, this can never replace actual experience. In addition to this is the fact that the viewer is supposed to believe that a notorious game addict like Keima can suddenly turn on the charm when dealing with real girls, many of whom he initially can't stand to be around, and this in itself raises the question of suspicion on the part of the girls.

There is an attempt to rectify these issues, but this relies on the tried and tested method of memory manipulation rather than an explanation of how a social recluse is easily able to communicate with others. That said, the series utilises some well placed visual gags to divert the viewers attention away from any plot holes or conflicts, and the story is interesting and humourous enough to make it accessible to a much broader audience than one might initially expect.

When it comes to looks, KamiNomi is pretty much back to basics in virtually every department, with one area of notable exception (we'll get to that in a moment). That said, while the degree of genericism in the visuals is high, there's also something slightly more subtle at work as well. The character designs are taken directly from the manga by Wakaki Tamiki, and what's interesting about this is that while the mangaka made a conscious effort to allow the comedy to flourish, he also tried to show what each character is, rather than simply trying to define them as individuals.

Confused? I'll explain then.

The plot is partly derived from that of the common or garden dating sim or galge, and as regular players of these games will know, characters of a specific type will share certain visual features. Wakaki has attempted to incorporate some of these into the design of the girls that Keima goes after, and this in turn defines their personalities as they have been created to fit a specific mould. In addition to this, because the player is usually faceless in these games, Wakaki chose to parody a few of the better known "genius" characters from anime for his "God of Conquest", in particular Lelouch vi Brittania and Yagami Light.

So don't be fooled by the simplistic looks.

The area that really stands out is the effects, in particular the variety, timing and imagination that has gone into making them. While the rest of the anime may look colourful yet average, KamiNomi is surprising for the quality of a number of its visual set pieces, but it's the audio choreography that changes those scenes from simply being pretty into something worth watching.

In anime, as in life, timing is everything, and in this respect Manglobe have a very good pedigree. But then what else would one expect from the studio that brought us Michiko to Hatchin, Samurai Champloo and Ergo Proxy (unfortunately they're also responsible for the abysmal Sacred Blacksmith, but we won't go there). While this is very clearly a comedy series the studio has made the effort to deliver a quality show, and because there's little that can be done about the design of the visuals, a lot of effort has gone into making this anime sound great.

The opening sequence is indicative of this ethos at work, and features some clever imagery that is well timed to match the changes in the theme song (God Only Knows, performed by Elisa). The ending sequence is a bit more complicated as there are actually four tracks and sequences on offer. The main ED, Koi no Shirushi, is a fairly average J-Pop track, but for the majority of episodes the female leads take turns singing it (while the rest perform backing vocals). As for the remaining tracks, Tatta Ichi Do no Kisei by Sakurai Tomo (episode four), along with the visuals, is meant to be a play on the average ending sequences of dating sims and galge. On the other hand Happy Crescent by Toyama Nao is supposed to be a "live" idol performance, so it's a shame it's such a generic song.

To be honest, the best of the EDs, is the final one, Shuuseki Kairo no Yume Tabibito, which is sung in a completely amateurish and off key style by the lead man himself, Shimono Hiro (with support from the female seiyuu who apparently are collectively known as Oratorio The World God Only Knows), and is very much in keeping with the slightly delusional and slapstick comedy of the series.

Unfortunately there's one big flaw in KamiNomi, and that's the lack of character development. Normally this shouldn't really be an issue for what is effectively an otaku comedy/parody, but because of the inclusion of certain plot themes, aspects like characterisation and growth become more prominent.

Basically, the more complicated a story is, the better the characters have to be.

While there is some development due to the soul possession aspect of the story, it never really impacts on the overall narrative due to the "reset" at the end of each girl's arc. This has the effect of nullifying what has gone before, and even though Keima and Elci aren't subject to it as a rule, there is very little given over to their growth over the course of the series.

The real strength of the characters comes from the comedy side of the show, and in this respect the seiyuu are pretty good. Shimono Hiro (Keima), and Itou Kanae (Elci), are great as the proverbial "Odd Couple", and while there are some great skits from the other leading ladies, their timing and delivery, especially with each other, is sometimes a joy to behold.

Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai is a strangely mixed bag that works on certain levels, but ultimately it would have been better off trying to weave fewer themes into the plot. Individually the concepts behind the series are imaginative and somewhat inventive, but the complications caused by trying to blend several ideas together sometimes creates a quagmire in the storyline, and inserting a joke to brush over it is nothing more than papering over the cracks. That said, the series is enjoyable enough to warrant at least one watch, and viewers should also keep in mind that this twelve episode anime is nothing more than a prelude of things to come, especially as the manga has already gone beyond the 100 chapter mark.

While the incomplete nature of the story may put people off, the fact that a sequel is on the horizon may signify that all hope is not yet lost. Then again, they may simply "cop out" by ending the series before the real storyline begins.

We'll have to wait and see.
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Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai, The World God Only Knows, is an anime that centers on an otaku gamer's life. When I first found this series, I researched on it a bit on Wikipedia, found it somewhat unimpressive in plot, character and art, and didn't even bother reading the manga. I have to say that I was wrong to judge this series by merely the front cover of its Wikipedia article. After the anime came out and my anime savvy friend directly recommended this to me, I found that I was drawn into the story, something that rarely happens for an ardent critic like me. This anime aims to set a standard for humor and adventure, and I believe that it achieves both.

Art (9/10)
The art is great. Although I've seen better and more creatively drawn animes, with regard to the context of this anime, the art is drawn very appropriately. For example, during the comedy scenes, the art is drawn chibi but with some elements that further resonates the humor, whether it be a small action or item in the background. The art never hinders your enjoyment of this anime and even improves the experiences with elegantly drawn characters like Elsie.

Story (9/10)
The World God Only Knows is about the life of a 2-D "Game God" Keima. He is known throughout the web as the conqueror of all visual novel, bishoujo games. One day he unknowingly signs a contract with the devil, mistakenly taking the contract as a challenge to his Otaku God position, to help a demon girl Elsie collect escaped souls from hell that hide within the empty space in girls' hearts. Should he not comply with the contract, both he and Elsie will lose their heads. Literally.To exorcist the evil soul, he must make the girl fall in love with him and kiss him. The only problem is that everyone in real life calls him an otaku and avoids him for his addiction to 2-D girls and games. This story incorporates comedy right into the base and still embodies an objective to be achieved throughout the course of the series... all while giving the viewers some LOLs in the process.

Sound (8/10)
Although I do not usually comment on the sounds, I did notice that certain things were outstanding. This anime does not have a particularly "addictive" opening and ending theme, but it has creativeness that far surpasses some addictive-themed animes. In episode 4, there is an extra opening and ending that really personifies the storyline and shows diligent planning that went along with it. This ability to creatively adapt to the content of each episode with compatible musical compositions is what really separates this anime from others and also earns the music producers some well-deserved kudos.

Characters (10/10)
The characters in this anime are exemplary. Keima, especially, was someone who really stood out from the mundane, long list of modern anime characters. Although he doesn't embody the cold, taciturn personality that I usually look for in male protagonists, he is clearly distant from the level of backboneless "male" (sometimes I really do question their gender) protagonists that get beat around by the females. What I like most about Keima is that he establishes his ideals and is determined to do what he believes in. He overcomes many embarrassments and obstacles and always seems to plan for the worst (I hope some people in real life would learn that). Other times his dedicated assertions, like "Life is just a crappy video game" and "Real life girls suck. 2-D girls are better", were really similar to mine and gave me some lulz. As someone who likes to relate to male protagonists, I really felt that I could connect with Keima and understand his ideals - part of the reason why this anime drew my attention. Elsie, the pretty female protagonist, was also a very likable character. She embodies the "kawaaiii" personally and really tries her best to help Keima (despite the fact that some efforts have opposite effects). She is never arrogant or unpleasant and always tries to care for Keima to act like his "little sister" (although there definitely are some love feelings between them).

Overall (9/10)
The World God Only Knows is a great anime overall. It combines humor and adventure successfully into a masterpiece that many previous animes have tried and failed to attain. For someone who had such cynical and critical attitudes before watching, it took only 10 minutes of the first episode to turn me and my ideals 180 degrees into zealous enjoyment. If you're looking for a funny anime that still has a good story played out by likable characters, The World God Only Knows is definitely an anime that you should put on your list. read more

This. Is. Amazing. One of if not THE best anime I have ever watched. It was just...my kind of anime. There was never a dull moment for me, although there were some bits that I didn't enjoy as much as others. At first I didn't know why I liked the anime so much, but then I re-watched the series over about 3 times and then it CLICKED. But you'll find out why with the rating section.

Story: 10/10
Completely original from what I've read and seen up to this point. I'm a good amount upset that they don't have season three out yet, but I understand with the availability of voice actors and processing and editing and many many other factors to consider. But, i digress. The plot. Right. At times, the story seems to be absolutely serious, and then you're thrown a comedic curveball from nowhere. It also has much abundant comedy woven into it, and the main story is never forgotten among all the hilarity, as it has been in other animes. The one filler episode where it shows different points of view in one day was the only no-go for me, but hey, no one's perfect. The first episode is perfectly paced to get the viewer used to the concept of the anime, with it's fantastical outlandish story telling. Not much is truly explained, but it is in the second season, so just wait it out. Well, I can't think of anything else for this section, so moving on...oh, wait, the main character does go on random tangents where he will bash on real girls and say why video game girls are the best, and also has little story lessons when he explains why he's doing what he is, and all the while being totally hilarious.

Art: 10/10
Clean. Crisp. Beautiful. Everything feels like it's in soft lighting, so it's easy to see and understand what's going on. Nearly every scene is hilarious, and is sometimes portrayed in the art with a lack of shading, a scene cut out, or bubbly, cutesy drawings. Not graphic intense whatsoever, like with some animes where so much is going on that you can't see anything you understand, like with the Transformers movie (no copyright infringement intended), when the robots were fighting, there was so much going on I didn't know who was winning. Anyways, back to this. The art is detailed in little, subtle places, but is overall simple, so it just works.

Sound: 10/10
This is it. What made me love it. I didn't know at first because it's so subtle. I only realized it after listening to the ost on Youtube (again, no copyright infringement intended) and hearing all the tracks that I never noticed. I then re-watched the anime and fell in love. Not with the girls, though, that's Keima's thing. Anyways, that's all I have to say. That and that words are not enough to describe all my feelings. Each piece was a masterpiece. Each and every second. That's the closest I'm getting.

Character: 9/10
The only reason I'm doing this is because for the anime (wink wink, nudge nudge), once one girl is done, she's just gone. Poof, never a major part of the story. Until the second season, then...nevermind, I won't ruin it. I'll just say that if the anime caught up with the manga, then this section would be a 10 as well. By the by, the character interaction is hilarious, yet most of them actually have a slightly complex buildup, although I think that's only if you see it that way.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I think that all my previous things say why I enjoyed it, but if you just skipped all that, then I'll do this for your sake. The comedy is seamlessly woven in, except for the moments where there is a completely serious atmosphere only to shatter like glass in all the perfect ways. The art is not graphic intense at all, allowing the viewer to enjoy in leisure, and the sound is...well, you'll have to read that section. Just wow. The character development is great for as long as they last...you'll understand when you watch the series.

Overall: 10/10
If I could, then this would receive a 15/10. The story is original, the art is beautiful and simple at the same time, each subtle BGM that's played is a masterpiece that's unappreciated, the characters are hilarious in their interactions but complex at the same time. At least most of them. Enjoyment, all the time. I'm getting tired of typing, so here's the conclusion.

Sorry if this is bad, it's my first review. I figured if I wrote about something I like, it would be easy, but wow. That was a lot. Well, time to finish my homework. That's right, I was bored of homework so I typed this whole review instead. Pointless, I know, but I was always bad at time management and staying on task. Oh well. Hope you watch and enjoy this anime like I have.

With love,
The Asian read more

Manga adaptations are, by and large, a double-edged sword. On one hand they can be a guaranteed-profit venture for the production company, while on the other it can be incredibly difficult to capture the charm of the original work and can often leave us fans bitterly disappointed. Being an avid fan of the original manga, it is needless to say that I expected a lot from the anime adaptation of The World God Only Knows (or TWGOK). Unfortunately, it joins the long list of manga-turned-anime that have fallen just short.

The plot centres around Katsuragi Keima, known on the internet as the “Capturing God” of galges (dating sims), who has no interest in the real world. But this all changes when he accidently signs a contract with Hell, meaning he has to go around catching runaway spirits with the (admittedly cute) demon-in-training, Elsie. These spirits hide inside the hearts of real girls and it is up to Keima to “capture” their hearts and drive out these spirits.

The story overall is refreshing and unique. Some of the situations that Keima and Elsie get into are genuinely hilarious, as are all the parodies of eroge stereotypes. It is also quite faithful to the original manga. However, it suffers from a major setback, and that is the short 12-episode container.

Yes, it has been confirmed that there will be a second season starting April 2011, but where does this leave the first season? All in all it is an entertaining watch, but it’s hard to look past the fact that by itself it is just a series of random "captures" with little-to-no plot development bar the first episode. Some of the arcs seem unnecessarily dragged out, making the pacing a bit awkward. Furthermore, Manglobe insisted on throwing filler episodes into the mix which completely bewildered me. While it’s true that these fillers (or breaks, or whatever you want to call them) are present in the original manga, in the anime they just served to intensify the shortfalls in the plot.

As readers of the manga know these initial captures are just the introduction to the greater underlying storyline, and it’s unfortunate that the anime adaptation had to finish a whole season without even touching on it. For an anime series whose length will be determined by DVD/Blu-ray sales, Manglobe didn’t do the franchise any favours with the 12 episode format and the fillers.

As looks go TWGOK is not too bad, but it’s not great either. The character designs are a little inconsistent, but they hold up to a good standard overall. The colour palette is the standard comedy fare, as is the animation. Some of the scenes seem overdone and there is very little use of light and shade. But there are some good bits; the animation of Keima’s theory scenes always got a laugh out of me and Kanon’s concert sequences are also a highlight. The final result is a slightly better than average looking anime.

The music one of the strengths of this anime. The opening, composed especially for the show by Tenmon, is perfectly suited. The full song being 8 minutes long, the parts not used for the opening sequence are used for background music in addition to some other instrumental tracks to add to the atmosphere. While the soundtrack is a bit lacking in variety it suits the mood of the show very well. The cast of seiyuu also do a surprisingly good job of portraying the characters despite there being no real standout performances.

The diverse range of characters is what really makes the TWGOK manga really stand out. Katsuragi Keima is the enigmatic anti-hero, obsessed with his game world and disillusioned with the real world. Wakaki subtly pokes fun at practically every single galge stereotype with Keima’s flawed personality and the vast range of girls that Keima captures; tsunderes, yanderes, kuuderes, every other type of –dere you can think of, and many more. These elements have been retained in the anime, and Keima still shines though as a unique and thoroughly entertaining protagonist.

Then there is Elsie, who takes the role of the cute and quirky sidekick. While it is always fun to see more of Elsie, sometimes a disproportionate chunk of screen-time is given to her and the capture targets. The extra character development that this screen-time allows is welcome but it tends to unbalance the whole show. The story should revolve around Keima, and at times the writers at Manglobe seem to lose sight of that fact.

Finally, the curse of the 12 episode container strikes again, meaning that we don’t get to see any other recurring characters besides Keima and Elsie. The lack of variety in the recurring cast hurts this anime pretty badly, which is a shame since more of these characters are due to be introduced right after the point where the season ended. The lack of episodes also means that the anime fails to address Keima's motivation in all but the first episode, which trivializes his character somewhat.

Now I have been fairly critical of TWGOK, though that is not to say that I didn’t enjoy watching it. It is, if nothing else, entertaining, and I recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good rom-com with a twist. However, the simple fact is it could have been much better had they done a few things differently. The current format does very little to attract new people to the franchise, and it will be a huge shame if the series is axed after the second season because of the mistakes they made in the first.

Nevertheless, bring on season two. Here’s hoping Manglobe learns from their mistakes. Overall score: 7.2/10 (rounded to 7) read more

It’s funny how a parody somehow has license to nab the actual appeal of its subject matter. It’s almost unfair, and that’s exactly what Kami Nomi does. Lets be honest, dating sims are sexist, treating girls like puzzles to be cracked, and those who would never touch such a game can appreciate how this series exaggerates its common character archetypes and lampoons them. The final romantic moments though are completely straight faced, and at times, somewhat touching as they should be in a dating sim. A satisfying romance this is not, but it is riotous, with a few sweet moments on the rare occasion.

Keima is a high school student dubbed “The God of Conquest” due to his proficiency in beating dating sims. He is popular amongst dating sim players on the net, but his classmates find him disgusting. He is issued a challenge by a mysterious sender and as soon as he hits reply, the demon Elsee comes to him telling him he’s already signed a contract. Keima must displace wandering souls (who only take refuge in high school girls’ hearts?) by inspiring love in the hosts’ heart. If he fails, both he and Elsee will be guillotined. To save his life, Keima must become a real pickup artist, even though he’s never even held a girl’s hand. To avoid complications, the girls he picks up promptly forget about him after the climactic kiss that liberates them, allowing him to move onto the next target without breaking any hearts (except maybe his own…awww).

Oddly enough, all his moves in the dating sims work just as well in real life. Keima isn’t a smooth talker, James Bond type. He uses a somewhat creepy, perhaps slightly endearing earnestness. It’s usually an over the top, “that guy is way too into me” kind of thing. He also has a great talent in that he can say the cheesiest, cruelest, or most socially unacceptable things with a straight face. The girls are all overblown cliché’s with comedic exaggerations or twists thrown in. A wealthy, slightly sadistic ojousama, an athletic girl, a pop idol, and a quiet librarian are the primary story arcs. Keima coldly observes them and calculates the best way to wriggle his sleezy self into their hearts. The girls have some burden that they endure, so Keima tests the waters until he understands their issues, then with his love (bleh!), he resolves it.

The climaxes are similar to those of dating sims. In one instant, the girls’ problems are solved, and the romance is sealed with a kiss. The Ojousama and Idol ones were particularly cute, but the highlight is always the journey itself, which is anything but typical. Keima often gets shot down in the most hilarious ways. Unphased and undaunted, he will continue to proceed with his ridiculous plans. On his very first target, the athlete, he hangs banners of love and praise down the side of the school building, and just stands beside them without the slightest hint of embarrassment. She beats him, insults him, ignores him, but he persists.

The animation is usually solid. The character designs are truly generic (as intended no doubt), but the dancing, singing, and soul capturing sequences are all exceptionally well animated. The playful orchestral piece really adds a lot of romantic atmosphere to the climaxes, and the music overall is good. There are several pop songs (some of them quite funny) written just for the series but they often insist on playing them for the full duration. The idol arc itself contains maybe 3-5 music video sequences. They do drag a bit, but that’s a minor complaint.

Kami Nomi is funny in so many ways. The parody of dating sims and Anime girls in general is just the beginning. Keima’s campy cheese (one example: “You don’t have to worry about rank. You’re already first…in my heart”) is ceaselessly amusing as well. The hilarity of the side characters, Keima’s mother, Elsee, and others is just a plus.
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Story: Inside Kami no mi zo Shiru Sekai, or The World God Only Knows, lives the God of Conquest name Keima Katsuragi. He is called the God of Conquest because there is no girl that he cannot conquer. His reputation reach all the way to Hell, which makes a contract with him, believing that he can help them capture run away spirits, which resides in girls heart.To capture a run away spirit he needs to make girls with the run away spirit in their heart to fall in love with him. What the people from Hell didn't know is that he is the God of Conquest in the game world, while in reality he just looks like a dork that is addicted to games. This proves to be a challenge for him because he dislike 3D girls and prefers 2D girls, but has no choice but to help because if he does not, it will cost him and his partner Elsie, their heads. So Keima now has to balance his time between conquering real girls and game girls, how long can this last?

Art: The characters design are quite simple. There is not much detailed put into it, and there are many scenes that are quite humorous. Like how Keima constantly throws in random comparisons between real girls and game girls to prove his point that game girls are superior. These short scenes are quite entertaining even though it has nothing to do with the story.

Sound: The opening theme in my opinion is quite catchy and I like it. There aren't any theme songs in the series though that help make the mood, because most of the tone/mood are seen in their conversation and facial expressions.

Character: The main character Keima and his partner Elsie are quite funny. Keima is constantly playing his PFP(looks just like a PSP) while Elsie is easily distracted by almost anything. I really like Keima's determination and his passion for dating sims, especially those scenes where he explains about the games.

Enjoyment: This review was probably really bias, because I have read the manga, and I loved it. So when I watched the anime I was not disappointed at all. The anime stuck completely to the story line of the manga, and it included a lot of the random game explanation scenes just like the manga. I though have to admit that this series have a really weak plot, so if you want something more solid/serious I suggest do not bother watching this series. But if you want to watch something with alittle randomness and humor, then I suggest this series. Well hope you enjoy this series as much as I did! read more

TWOGK's a really good cheeseburger anime. I mean that in the sense that you know it's not necessarily "deep" or particularly "meaningful", but it makes you happy and satisfied when you watch it. Hell, it's junk food, but it's damn good junk food.

TWGOK basically runs like a dating sim game, with a new girl basically every chapter/episode. Even though it's kind of silly, and it's somewhat harem (not in the annoying way, because the girls forget him after he captures them, so there isn't this whole cat-fight thing), but it's fun and interesting, and very pleasing to watch. It doesn't really have a message, or even a great storyline, but the romance is cheesy and satisfying-- you know he gets the girl in the end, and it's fun to watch him do it, gal-game style.

I've been following the manga for a while now, and I've been really really looking forward to the anime adaptation, and this first episode really was everything I expected, and more.

The art for the anime is pretty high quality, I think. It's no Advent Children, or even 50cm a second, but it's detailed, pretty and appropriate-- the whole anime basically runs like the CG captures that you "Get!" in dating sim games (if you don't play, you have no idea what I'm talking about, but it's just pretty good/sharp art in general).

The voicing/sound/music is also really good. The music that's played when Keima does his "I see it-- the endinguuu~~!" is pretty epic. The music is sharp, and the anime has this weird techie/computer/DIGITARUUU feel to it-- pretty neat.

Honestly, I give this anime pretty average scores in storyline and character, but this anime is just fun and enjoyable to watch-- so it's a 9 :D

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Usually I would get bored when a show follows a formula that makes things typically predictable – especially when it comes to the mystery and thriller genres. I am an avid psychological mystery thriller fan who loves gore and violence. When I happened to stumble upon this show, my first thoughts were, the title sounds like something a psychological series. Consequently, my instincts were incorrect. First impressions are everything; when I first saw the trailer, it did not really show any affection to me. Good thing that I would try almost anything and gave this a shot and to my surprise, words alone could not express the god-like comedy experience that you get from watch this series.

Story (9/10)

Although it is repetitive and follows a formula, every single episode was done delicately and will give you a different kind of amusement every time. This was meant to be a parody type of show so it is meant to imitate another show, company, and so on and turn it into something funny – in a way, a mocking manner. The satires, the irony, the stereotypes and the exaggerations are never-ending.

This is how to do a show with a repetitive plot. It gives the viewers a kind of sensation that, nonetheless of the predictability of the series, makes people hold on and not to give up on the show and would actually expect more and want more.

Art (8/10)

The art suits the style of the anime with all the exaggerated scenes – to the point of actually feeling to be inside a fantasy within a fantasy. They did a great job in the character designs; especially the girl with a skull hair clip. As mentioned, it is a parody anime so some characters may appear stereotypical or looks like something you have seen before. The demon girl, if you look close enough, looks somewhat like the girl from Elfen Lied. The guy looks like a typical intelligent nerd in a fantasy. The rest, looks like a typical girl that you see in a fantasy or harem anime. Despite of the uncanny resemblance, it suited the theme of the show – a show with a divine comedy.

Sound (10/10)

Everybody has their own taste in music. The show has a combination of modern and operatic twist to it. If you are an opera or Victorian fan, you will find yourself addicted to its music. The themesong would start out as something modern and techno and it would seamlessly shift into something operatic. Furthermore, the music suited the god theme in the series. Listening to the music will make you shiver down your spine and feel like the feeling of being a god flow into your bloodstreams. Other than that, the show has a couple of modern pop sounding song. It was not really special nor is it that bad. It just suited the scene of a typical modern pop culture.

Character (10/10)

The art, the story and the music are great but what makes anime or any kind of show stand out is the characters. A gloomy intelligent nerd who does not care about the 3D world and shows no real emotions towards the girls in real life despite the fact of making them fall in love with him, an innocent childish sibling that is trying hard to make his big brother happy and endless stereotypes of girls.
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Unexplainable. It's completely unexplainable how big an approval this anime got from the overall anime fans. There isn't a single reason I can see to that after watching The World God Only Knows 12 episodes (being painfully tortured by the last 5 episodes).

It's cliche after cliche every single episode. It's true that they tried to cover it up, by coming up with the whole "I don't get in touch with real girls because the games girls are so much better but I'll use my gaming skills to stereotype girls and it'll work out" stuff, but while it worked well on the first episode, it got boring right after it.

The story is really lame. Like, totally lame. Lamest of lamest. The guy is a master on finishing dating games with the heroine. He then, receives a "challenge" asking if he really can capture every girl and accepts it. The thing is that the challenge was about real girls, who are possessed by loose souls and to free those souls he has to make them fall in love with him and have a "happy ending" with them.

The girls with whom Keima ends up on each arc are painfully dull. They act exactly as you'd expect from them. No surprises at all. It's like they're actually following a book for cliche girl characters on animes. The hyperactive-strong-tempered girl, the high-and-mighty-tsundere, the popular girl who fears being alone and the freaking annoying silent and shy librarian (god, how I wanted to shoot my screen while she went on about books! The hell was that, some sort of "go read a book" brainwashing?) I'm not gonna even bother mentioning Elsea cuz she's just there to add another boring character to the whole set.

The soundtrack felt out of place during the whole anime! Epic songs, characters suddenly singing, seriously, why? The art was nothing more than you could expect from a harem anime. Even this aspect feels like a cliche.

I was able to enjoy myself a lot in the first episode, and a little bit up to episode 6 or 7. After this, god knows where I gathered strength to watch it till the end.

I really can't understand all the hype behind this anime. There isn't a single trace of originality nor attempt of seeking it. I wasn't this dissatisfied after watching an anime since Shuffle! read more

Harem anime usually have the problem of deciding how its story is going to be told. If it decides to have the hero focus on one heroine, the other girls are left out and it alienates anyone who would have preferred the hero to be with another heroine (single route). Some harem anime have addressed the bad side of this approach by giving each heroine a self-contained arc within the series to develop a romance for each of them and it pleases more viewers. But the hero’s development resets at the start of every heroine’s story arc (omnibus format).

Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai solves the problem of how a harem anime tells its story because of the story itself. The series revolves around Keima Katsuragi and a demon girl Elcea de Rux Ima (Elsie) who hunt and capture Loose Souls that have possessed people—all girls—by using the emptiness in their hearts. To drive out and capture a Loose Soul from its host, the emptiness in their hearts needs to be filled with love—cue Keima’s romantic involvement. When a Loose Soul is driven out and captured, the girl loses all of her memories about Keima and the Loose Soul possessing her.

The brilliance of the story is twofold: The romantic interest built up for each heroine is self-contained (omnibus format) while still affecting Keima and Elsie’s development throughout the show (single route). It’s the best of a self-contained story and a continuous story.

But having the best of both worlds presents its own problems. As a continuous story, Keima repeatedly falling in love stretches the suspension of disbelief even by anime standards and such a problem doesn’t happen in single route harem anime. As a self-contained story, let it be known the omnibus format has its own problems of trying to properly develop each heroine within a limited time span. Fortunately, the heroines are all developed as much as two or three episodes will allow. And while they aren’t the most complex characters around, they don’t need to be when they’re all distinct from each other to please the heroine taste of as many viewers as possible. Added with the limited amount of time Keima spends with each heroine in-universe and it’s apparent they couldn’t be developed as much as one might want because of those time constraints.

Visually there’s not much to talk about. The colors and designs vibrantly represent all of the characters whether it’s the normally apathetic-to-the-real-world Keima, the bubbly could-bounce-anywhere Elsie, or even the placid and unassuming Shiori. There’s nothing to fault here but nothing that stands out too much either. Audio-wise, the music track that sticks out the most is the one that plays whenever Keima successfully romances a heroine; most of the show’s music is noticeable in every scene but not enough to stand on its own while occasionally using a lack of music to good effect.

The show isn’t anything more than good but that isn’t a criticism against it. After all, it’s uncommon for a story itself to address the storytelling problems a harem anime usually has. Being a combination of the single route and omnibus format approach lets the series take a unique role as a show that finds success from being a hybrid of two very different ways of storytelling. Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai’s lack of flaws and solid strengths make it a very solid anime that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. read more

Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai, The World God Only Knows, is really better than it should be. From only reading the simple plot description, it may seem like just another romantic harem comedy, but it's quite unique in execution. It takes advantage of the tropes of both it's genre and it's subject matter to create a really entertaining, and light weight ( in a good way) anime.

Story: (7)
The concept is pretty simple. Keima Katsuragi is an obsessive otaku gamer known as the God of Conquest due to his skill at Gal Games (dating Sims). There's no virtual girl that he can't win, but in real life he is antisocial and views the world as flawed and annoying. One day, he unknowingly answers a message from Hell and ends up being forced to help the cute demon girl, Elsie, hunt down loose souls that have hidden in the hearts of various real life girls. He is reluctant to help at first, but is forced due to the contractual obligation of he and Elsie losing their heads from the magical collars on their necks in the event that he chose not to help. To capture the lost souls, he has to make each of the affected girls fall in love with him, and get a kiss from each to break the spell. So, he and Elsie proceed to pretty much play a real life dating sim.


It's not a very deep concept and might seem rather shallow when taken at face value, but it proves to be an effective one. This is due to how it's executed. It is great fun to watch Keima and Elsie research each girl and then apply Keima's gaming strategies. Plus the harem element is addressed in an interesting way due to the fact that each girl forgets Keima after the soul leaves them, so there's no drama between girls or anything like that. Just like choosing different routes in a dating sim. Surprisingly, this doesn't feel cheap or exploitative. Keima really doesn't get anything from the girls except a kiss, and the girls move on with their lives improved. The "captures" even tend to be the on the sweet side of romantic and usually feels genuine.

12 episodes is certainly not enough to contain this story, but that's okay because it had more seasons planned from the start. (Just recently a 3rd season was announced)



Art: (7)
The animation is smooth, the character designs are pleasing and the art is nice all around. It's not anything really special, but is above proficient. Where it excels is the sight gags and style. It takes advantage of it's subject matter and uses a nice and humorous combination of "god, heaven, and gaming imagery; Especially when Keima is lecturing Elsie (and the audience) over the various types of girls, and his different philosophies on gaming and romance.As a fan of video games I was also impressed at the amount of detail at into the gaming aspect. All the games Keima played were realistic and detailed The series really knows its material. The attention to detail and all the over the top symbolism/comedy gags (even some anime references) makes up for the perfectly normal art.



Sound: (8)
The music is good, and used effectively throughout. One of the high points is the epic opening; it sets the tone perfectly for the series and is even used throughout. It's just great. There is also an arc dealing with idols that features some nice, appropriate performances. As for the voice acting: it's also above average. All the voices match the characters' personalities and/or archetypes. Nothing outstanding but also nothing weak either.


Characters: (8)
Keima is an excellent protagonist. As opposed to the vague "dense male lead" or "self insert" types usually seen in romantic comedies and harem shows, he is very defined. He is an arrogant, intelligent, analytical, anti hero along the lines of Lelouch Lamperouge (Code Geass) except he is also a delusional otaku gamer that has no ambitions or plans for the real world and only focuses on being "god" of his niche obsession. He applies game rules to all parts of real life and especially this job of capturing the souls.(This is often used for comedy)
Although he is calculating and temperamental, at times you can see he has caring and honest side when he's helping the girls deal with their problems.

Elsie is a cute, clumsy, air headed demon girl who is charged with collecting the souls along with Keima.She isn't a very complex character, but she isn't annoying (except to Keima) and is well meaning and funny. Her ignorance of the human world is a major element of the humor in the anime.

The conquest heroines are also interesting. Even though they are all gaming and anime archetypes, (tsundere, idol, athlete, etc,) they are charming in their own way. This lends well to Keima's explanations of the personality types, and gives the show the same vibe as a gal game


Enjoyment: (8)
Very enjoyable. A perfect watch for when you just want to watch something entertaining but not complex. Pretty much just quality entertainment, but with some clever themes, concepts, and parody for added flavor.


Overall: (8)
Though I enjoyed it, I was going to give this a 7 because it isn't all that deep and had a few fillers that weren't up to par with the capture arcs. What made me upgrade it to an 8 is the fact that during the capture arcs I would immediately rush to each following episodes just to see how it resolved. Even when I finished it, I went straight into the next season.This made me realize how much I enjoyed it, and how effective it was at hooking the viewer. Well worth watching.

Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai, The World God Only Knows, is a really nice, non-typical romantic comedy that often shows surprising attention to detail. read more

This anime adaptation is a fucking disgrace to the manga.

I have followed the manga since its very start and have enjoyed it very much. I'll stretch out as far as saying it is a masterpiece, ranking as one of my favorite mangas of all time. Then there is the anime.

As you have already noticed, I'm already annoyed how the anime turned out. I'm gonna rip and analyze one point of the time, and we're gonna start straight on...

Keima: This is the main character. He is, as the title implies, a God. The God of Galge Gaming, or that's at least what he should be. In the manga, he was bitchin' cold to everyone else and showed no interests for real girls. Because 2D-girls was his thing, due to his world consisting ONLY of galges. So when he got forced by Else to do all the captures, he simply accomplished his tasks and moved straight back to his galge gaming. He was asocial. The forced tasks were simply business with no personal emotions attached. This made him cool, or perhaps even godlike because he was unlike any other spineless romance comedy main characters. This coolness aura was completely swiped away when he fucking BLUSHED IN THE VERY FIRST EPISODE OF THE ANIME. That might sound trivial to you, but that single element alone killed his cool personality. He was reduced to yet another one of the countless male main characters in comedy romances who blush by every little thing the girls say. He was made weak, and it ticked me off. And also, it doesn't help when he has the voice which sounds like every other pussy male main character in comedy romances. By the way he acted in the manga, which is in a godlike, intelligent way, he should have gotten a voice that corresponded to those characteristics. Maybe something like Lelouch (that's not a perfect match, but you get the idea). But back to the blushing. Keima blushed for the first time far into the manga, and that signaled a character development. But since he blushed in the very first episode, he would receive zero character development. Luckily, he wasn't totally stripped of his personality. One example of that is that he is still gaming most of his time in the anime. But that alone isn't very redeeming.

Fillers: Really? They had 12 episodes to go on and they dared to use three episodes for fillers. That's just a fuckin' waste when you have shitloads of chapters to use from the manga. I DO NOT WANT TO SEE AN ENTIRE EPISODE DEDICATED TO ELSIE. GOD. And if that wasn't enough, some of the episodes with content from the manga were unnecessarily stretched out, like the Kanon-arc. You know what? In the first chapter of the manga, the first girl Ayumi, kissed Keima of her own will. But in the anime, they fuckin' "accidently" fell down the stairs and that resulted in a kiss. That is one of the very many cliches the mangaka wanted to avoid, and here it is in the anime. I suspect that all these decisions on fillers, whether on a smaller or bigger scale, were aimed to please a specific crowd of the audience. And for that, I hate.

Voices and sound: I've already ranted on Keima's voice, so we'll leave that be. However, all the other voices were as I had imagined in the manga, or at least approximately, so that was good. I wasn't too fond of the OP, though. I applaud for making it different than your average comedy romance OPs. I liked the ED more, as it was imaginitive and colorful.

Other than that, they followed the story fairly decent. In general, I liked the animation and the colors the studio went for.

SUMMARY: Fillers, fillers everywhere. Okay, not everywhere, but I had to pull that meme out. Keima was the pillar of the series, and because his personality got butchered, the anime fell apart. Go read the manga. It's so much better.

PS: If you want to dislike my review or whatever, give me constructive critisicm on my page. read more

"The world is just a crappy game"
"2d girls are better than 3d(Real)girls"
-Keima Katsuragi, the protagonist of this anime

Story

Keima Katsuragi, being the geekest of the geek, the 'God of gaming' has been dragged into a world of harem like no other. In this anime, the main protagonist gets forced to play a reality game in which he needs to conquer real girls.

Well for me, I can see myself as a gamer too but without the harem. lels
One day, he received an email containing a message in which he was challenged as a 'God' to conquer girls. This is the time when his devil assistant Elsie/Elsea came to his side. They were ordered to capture girls with runaway spirits, otherwise they'd get their head cut-off. The only way to capture these girls is to make them fall in love with Keima.

THE SETTING
The whole story sets in Maijima school. Keima studies there and is later on accompanied by Elsie after she gets to transfer. Yes it's the typical school setting where the main guy gets chased by other girls but there's just one difference here in TWGOK, because fantasy was also integrated into the setting. Keima gets a devil (Elsie) by his side to help him conquer the girls. I expected that this kind of story will be short as it is not a very complicated one and the story has only one route it follows: GUY-->CONQUERS GIRLS--> SUCCEEDS-->FINISH. *Spoiler* This might be true for the first and second season of TWGOK, but as far as I know, there are many changes and added arcs in the manga which are not shown in S1 & S2 but I think those arcs (Goddesses,Vintage) will be shown in S3 of TWGOK which was announced to be realeased soon.

The story was medium-paced and there’s a proper time for a break after Keima succeeds with a girl. Though for me, the story was interesting enough to hook you up. One main thing that you’ll love in this anime is Keima teaches his ‘conquering’ techniques, and he acted like they were still in a game, thus he computes all the routes and decides what personality and action he would take depending on the girl. These actually taught me techniques that I can use in real life! Interesting indeed. I would rate the story 8.5/10

Character

Ok so for our main protagonist we got Keima Katsuragi. He is a pro gamer who obviously doesn’t want anything else but his games. The reason why he is like that? The anime didn’t bother to give much information in his history, family background, and life. Hell I don’t even know who his father was nor how did he become a professional, apathetic, unsociable gamer. Don’t bother knowing about his past as this would not be shown in the anime. Though his mother was shown in season 2 if I’m not mistaken but not much detailed information was given about their family background. All in all, his definite role in the was to be this self-proclaimed ‘God’ of conquer, dating sims etc. who was forced (apparently) to help capture the spirits. This was nice because all throughout, he didn’t change his role nor swayed his personalities. And as for our Elsie, she was a…hmm clumsy all the time, she was worthless—for Keima. Some may find her annoying for she likes to butt in into somebody else’s affairs, kinda irritating once in a while when she gets to bug Keima with that childish mind of hers. Well, Elsie’s voice fits her right, teenish voice which for me is kinda cute and childish at the same time.

HEROINES
All of them I’d say, earned the right to be a heroine. Well I don’t play dating sims etc. and I don’t date that much. But to me, these heroines definitely will be loved if you look into their personalities more. And yes, they are not the same, each of them have their own uniqueness and character. Some are typical tsundere type, shy, conservative, the athletic ones, and etc. I would say they are distinguishable to each other by their own characteristics but if you’d compare them to other girls in other anime, they’re pretty much the same. But one thing I liked in this anime is that it doesn’t focus only on the ‘conquering’ part, we also get to know the heroine’s background, and her history. That is enough to make this story held in together and into full pieces.
As for characters, I’d go for a 9/10

Enjoyment

I enjoyed this anime pretty well, definitely a harem worth watching. I was not satisfied enough with the whole anime series though, it was short and I expected more so I continued TWGOK in the manga. And trust me, it’s worth reading the whole manga too. But as I’ve said earlier, if you’re looking for Keima’s background or history, give up..not gonna be there. Well, it’s one of the best harem anime out there for me. And I’ve learned some girl techniques too!So 10/10 for enjoyment.

And overall, sorry if I didn’t include a review for the sound and art for I have difficulty comprehending Arts and sound. Dunno why but I look at anime more with their story and plot rather than how they’re presented and done. So… for me it’s an 8.8/10 ^^ any feedback, suggestions or comments feel free to post on my profile! Thank you!
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In the past couple of days I watched season 1 and 2 of The world god only knows or Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai. Yes I watched all of it back to back over the period of 2 days (thats probably around 10 hours worth of footage give or take so that's about 5 hours per night).Every now and again I will come across an anime that really makes me want to immediately start the next episode, and this is one of them. So let me get down to what this anime is about.

Lets start with the protagonist. He is known as the capture god, and he gained that name from always playing visual novels and being able to capture any and every heroine. Literally about 90% his screen time shows him playing on his "PFP". His actual name is Katsuragi Keima. As you can imagine he is branded as a nerd by his classmates. Although this doesn't matter to him as real life is just a bad game (I agree with this statement). I kind of like this character as he represents the ultimate gamer. Whats more is that he doesn't seem to play games as an escape from real life. In fact he is able to ace all his exams whilst also playing games at the same time. I think this is a goal many gamers would like to achieve. In fact it kind of makes me jealous. Life is a bad game indeed.

Next is de Lute Ima Elucia. She is a demon. Although there is very little "demon" about her. She is your typical sidekick character.
I'll need to discuss the story a little before I continue. So down in Hell it is actually more civil than you would expect. All the evil demons were sealed away to bring peace to hell. However the souls of these demons have escaped into the living world to hide inside the hearts of humans with empty hearts. So to counteract this threat Hell has put together a team to capture these "loose" souls.
De Lute Ima Elucia is part of this team. In order to find a "buddy" to help take care of loose souls, Elucia came to Keima under the impression that his ability to "capture" any girl. This is because the best way to get a loose soul out of hiding is too fill the heart with something else, like love. However Elucia didn't know that Keima's ability to capture any girl only applied to games, and he has never attempted to capture a real girl. Unfortunately Keima had already unintentionally signed a contract that meant if he didn't complete the contract he would lose his head.

So that about summaries the setting of the story. Keima has to capture real girls or he'll be headless (and dead). All the heroines in this story are actually quite similar to the girls inside games giving Keima all the knowledge he needs to capture the girls. I quite like most of the heroines in this story. There were a couple of heroines who I didn't really like but I found them interesting never the less. Each heroine does have a bit of an in depth story or problem which Keima ends up solving.

Season 2 pretty much follows the same setting of find loose soul, quality time with the heroine, capturing the loose soul and then adding in a filler to break the ice a little. Despite this simple layout it still stays just as good. Behind each heroine is a different story so it isn't really repetitive and could effectively keep going.

I would definitely recommend this anime.

Well that was more of summary than a review so please let me know what you think. As my first review I'm a bit worried that is bad or whatever.

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Lately, harem anime seem to really bore me, although i wasent expecting much from this anime, i was surprised to actually discover a quite decent anime in the end. Of course, it could have been better, but it was actually quite good for a harem and acceptable as a romance/comedy.

story (6/10): the story of this anime is quite acceptable, but not that original or developed in the anime. the story is about a guy who has to charm girls to send the evil spirits out of their hearts and save them, if he fails to do so, he loses his head, literally. The whole story was not that original for it goes straight to the harem part, plus the romance part is quite undermined, focusing too much on a gamer approach of the thing and quite frankly not being as original as i could be.

Art (710): I was actually quite surprised by the art in this anime since it was surprisingly good at times. for instance in the eleventh episode there was a scene where the library kinda exploded, and it was a quite beautiful sight. the anime could have taken advantage from more scenes as those, but quite sadly, it didn't

sound (6/10): the sound in this wasn't half bad, the voice acting was okay , though somewhat annoying at times but was good in the end. But the background music wasn't all that good, relying on excessive piano use to jerk some feelings out, but it doesn't work. either was, the sound was okay.

character (6/10): the characters were actually fine, but they lacked character development. By that I mean since they adopt the ''amnesia'' way of doing things, they destroy their only way to give some character developments to the secondary characters since they forget everything and the main characters actually didn't have that much development in their personalities. Plus, a lot of characters were quite clichéd , not offering an intense uniqueness.

enjoyment (5/10): I cant say I have enjoyed this as much as i could have enjoyed it, i think it had some great potential on many levels and that it failed to exploit it, it was entertaining, but not much than your average harem anime.

overall (6/10): it was okay, but nothing more than that. It was acceptable for a harem anime, but it failed to become more than that. they had a good idea and a good base, but they failed to push it further and let it become better, lets hope they can get that in the second season.




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In five words : cliche, repetitive, clever, different,enjoyable.

Story : the storyline for this series is EXTREMELY repetitive. Keima and Elsie track down a escapee demon soul (who just happens to be inhabiting an attractive, yet strange girl), Keima uses his sim dating skills to woo the girl, she falls in love. Copy, paste then repeat. Thankfully the series is short which, in a way, balances out the predictability (however it becomes almost unbearable in the second season). You can expect your cliche twists and such but don't expect much major plot development. 5/10

Art : the art is reasonably good, the character designs tend to be well thought through and depicted well with much detail. The animation is pretty good and even the fight scenes are quite well executed however as the series isn't action based don't expect spectacular brawling. Overall the art is a high of the series and pleasant to view. 8/10

Sound : personally I really enjoyed the opening which was a well needed deviation from the regular high pitched squeaking of a very cutsie sounding girl (in fact it was the opening which attracted me to this series..). The ending was a bit bland however wasn't unbearable. 7/10

Character : I have to admit, characters aren't the strong point of this show. Keima is an arrogant loser who spends his life playing on video games and is frankly the best character in my opinion. The rest of the cast ,which are notable, are mostly girls and all VERY irritating, stubborn or just plain stupid. Take for example Kanon who is egotistical, constantly worrying that people don't know who she is, and clingy, constantly needing reassurance from Keima. Some of the girls peronalities will have you cringing and banging your head off the wall. 5/10

OVERALL: despites it's many plot holes the basic idea of this series is quite inventive and entertaining for most of the series. As I have mentioned this series is very predictable and boring however I did enjoy this series for the most part and would recomend this series for m/f aged between 13-18. 7.5/10

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"Life is just a crappy game."
Keima, main protagonist

Keima, main male protagonist of this anime, represents probably worst possible meaning of word "geek" you can ever imagine. Completely addicted to computer games, dating sims in particular, with zero interest in real life. Only thing he is doing is playing on his console literally all the time and everywhere and anytime, no matter if he is home or at school. He calls himself "God of conquest" since there isn't a dating sim he can't complete (and hence no virtual girl he can't get) and loves to brag about his gaming achievments on internet to the point his fame reached the Hell itself. By answering the email Keima unintentionally accepts the contract with Hell to capture thousands of escaped souls which tends to hide in hearths of women and he is given an assistant female demon named Elsie.
From that on, things are going from bad to worse, since to get a escaped soul off the hearth of female host, you have to seduce the girl to the point she falls in love with you. Easily said than done, especially if you are Keima who never really spoke to real girl, not mentioning any love or relationship. But contracts with Hell cannot be canceled and any attempt to break the contract will result in him being beheaded and same applies to his demonic aide Elsie. You can imagine what is going to happen from this point ...

Above somewhat complicated and long description basically sets out the plot for the entire two series, Keima tries to "conquer" the girls he is pointed on using all strategies he got from dating sims and surprisingly enough, believe it or not, it actually works! (in this show, not the real life, obviously). Each few episodes there is a new girl and after he succeeds, soul is captured, girl loses her memory about all the events, story undergoes a reset and whole madness can begin again and again.

STORY - silly, repetitive to extreme, but still rather fair, it is mainly somewhat romantic comedy and it won't probably excess anything written above and set in the first episode

Now - CHARACTERS - obviously writers focused on characters driving the entire story and they are used to compensate the poor story-writing (and succesfully, if I a may add)

Keima as a lead male is a geek, as we already know, but not an idiot. He is intelligent and his over-complex strategies to get the girl are hilarious.
Elsie, Keima's demonic sidekick, is exact opposite. She is childish, rather simple if not completely retarded and a poor excuse for a demon, but completely loyal to her male partner.
Whole comedy factor relies on this strange combo of main characters.
Of course, there are always the girls which needs to be seduced/conquered, each with her unique personality and thus unique, specific approach needed to get to them. Literally a parade of all personalities ever seen in the animes, but since they forgot what happened after escaped souls leaves their hearth, it's not much needed to focus on them.


ART and SOUND, nice, nothing to complain about and nothing to focus to.

ENJOYMENT and OVERALL ratting. Due to main plot, it represents rather a unique approach to harem show and romance (well, unique enough to make difference, not a masterpiece), could be quite enjoyable if you are into this kind of shows or if you are looking for light-hearted relax from serious stories.
Unless you especially hate all the harems/romantic shows, it is in my opinion worth to watch and whole show could be rated as very good (8/10)
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1st time doing a review.... here it goes...^^


Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows) is a RomCom anime thats focus on Keima Katsuragi, an otaku that likes 2D girls and dating sims games and hates reality and real girls.But one day, a mysterious girl approaches him and said to help her to catch runaway spirits by making the girl fall in love with him.This is the start of his conquest on being a "Capture God".

In the 1st season, Keima needs to captures 4 girls..namely...

Ayumi Takahara, a track and field runner

Mio Aoyama, an arrogant tsundere

Kanon Nakagawa, a popular idol

and

Shiori Shiomiya, a non talkative bibliophile...

For the rating....

8- for the story because i like the story of the four girls and how Keima make them fall in love with him.....

7-on arts like the drawing and coloring but lack on contrast

9- on sounds...i like the OP and ED and also the voices and background musics

8-on characters ...personality and attitude..check ..the seiyuus suited on their respective char.

9-on enjoyment ..really like every funny scenes in this anime

and Overall 8.....why?.... like how the story flows,characters,plot ,everything but still needed more arts and respective backstory.....^^







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