Ranked #131

The World God Only Knows (Manga)

What happens when you unwittingly sign a contract to help someone claiming that they are a demon from the underworld?

Do you collect spirits? Yes, of course! But, the originally is the way you do it...by stealing a girl's heart!

Story (9/10)
- "The World Only God Knows" is quite original, as stated above. The plot is basic and dull sounding at first, but then you question what the heck is going on when you continue reading this manga. Why was a CLEANING demon sent after a 17 year old boy that can only woo girls in video games? Why is the demon calling him "God"? The storyline is great and very humorous because of this, but since some parts are repetitive, I can't give full credit.

Art (8/10)
- The art is simple, but that's what makes it beautiful. Many of the characters are very cutely drawn, bringing out their personality. I've seen in some manga that the hair is drawn with multiple lines/layers. To me, this style is better. The colors are richer and makes reading more enjoyable. The hair, outfits, etc. are very clear and the faces are well drawn. The only problem is when the characters are supposed to be serious, the "cute" effect hinders the "serious" effect. Also, the characters are supposed to be in their late teens, but the look like young 12-13 year old kids.

Character (8/10)
- When you think of demons, you don't except cute young girls that are skilled in the arts of...cleaning and cooking. And when you think of video game otakus, you don't except them to be "god-like" creatures that can make any woman fall in love with them. These two, Elsee and Keima, are the main characters of this story, and make one heck of a team. The other characters, sadly, are stereotypical and mostly girls. Not much background information is given about the characters, either.

Enjoyment (9/10)
- When you're bored or have nothing you want to do, this manga is a great read for lots of laughs. Though at times you feel like something is missing, another chapter or two will make up for it. But, beware, the first couple of chapters repeat events. Later on, the story gets better.


Overall, I averaged the ratings and gave this manga a 8/10 because I know it's a manga I won't drop anytime soon, and maybe re-read a couple of times for laughs. read more

Before reading any of my reviews, please keep in mind that I am a VERY harsh critic. I do not hand out 10's easily and anything I rate 7 or higher I consider recommendation worthy.

Story: 9/10
Humor level is VERY high for anyone who (like me) is familiar with the visual novel genre. I've often joked around saying stuff like "Real girls are overrated, the only girl I'd ever want is an animé/manga/visual novel girl!" because I get attached to them rather easily (<3 Akane from ONE ~to the radiant season~, Mahoro from Mahoromatic and Hisui from Tsukihime). So after reading a couple chapters the only thing I was thinking was; "Why has nobody thought of doing this before?" and "Wow. This guy is me, only TO THE EXTREME!" I never thought that a series parodying the entire visual novel genre could rip off just about EVERYTHING I've ever watched and read and still prove to be a very unique and refreshing reading experience. I really like how Keima takes a complete visual novel approach to winning the girls (and everything really). When he continuously throws in visual novel terms like "route", "event", "encounter", etc. it really makes me chuckle. And his "I can already see the ending!" is classic. The fact that the girls all forget afterwards is a little convenient, but it's not really any different from starting a new route in a visual novel now is it? So it's acceptable simply because it hammers home the visual novel feel it's trying to give off. Just like how calling the chapters "flags" also helps. The only real problem I have with the story is that in trying to compress an entire visual novel route in 1-3 chapters a lot of stuff naturally has to be left out relation development wise. We get to see all of the event encounters, but are missing most of the backstory and character development scenes. Leaving the reader to fill in the blanks by themselves which may be a little difficult for those not familiar with the visual novel clichés and stereotypes. Overall though I have to give the story a 9/10 for originality and potential. I'm hoping it only gets better from here.

Art: 7/10
Okay. I admit it. Erushi is cute. DAMN cute. But other than that the art is pretty good but really isn't anything to special. The switching between simplicity and complexity stands out at times, but for the most part is rather pleasing to the eye (especially Erushi!) and doesn't take away from the story. The character design is rather cute, which is a really good thing (for me anyway) and their expressions are pretty good (especially Erushi!). Passing grade, 7/10.

Character: 8/10
8/10 is as high as I can possibly go on this. . . Erushi and Keima are a 10/10 and 11/10 respectively, but everyone else so far are waaaaaay too flat. Like I said, compressing a visual novel route into 1-3 chapters removes most of the character development. Also, I find Kanon to be rather annoying. Love the stun guns (yes gunS, plural), but she's easily the worst character I've seen so far. 12 chapters in and I'm hoping they soon add another recurring character. This story is great, but they're going to need more than Erushi and Keima if they want to keep this story going for any length of time.

Enjoyment: 9/10
Enjoyment level is high simply because Erushi is extremely cute, Keima is absolutely hilarious and the story is unique, funny and has a lot of potential. I am a huge fan of romance series and the visual novel genre and I can kind of relate to Keima (which is kind of scary o.o;) and that really helps me to enjoy this series. Certain things (characters like Kanon. . . and the holes in character development) take away from the enjoyment of the series and prevents full marks. But overall this series is worth reading and I am anxiously awaiting the next translation release. 9/10 and hoping they keep up the good work!

Overall: 8/10
As much as I'd LIKE to give this a 9, the nearly non-existent support cast, combined with the holes in character development is forcing me to rate it an 8/10 overall. I wish there were decimals here, because I feel it's an 8.5 honestly. I highly recommend this series to anyone who is familiar with the visual novel genre. Anyone can read this series and enjoy it, but to those who are familiar with the genre it would probably be all the more enjoyable. I know this series has a long way to go. I'm only 12 "flags" in and it's still possible that the series may end badly. But I'll keep reading every "flag" hoping that Keima keeps building up Erushi's "event flags" and unlocks her "good end". Sans the H-scene of course. :) read more

Alright, I know, the warning bells are going off; perfect 10-score. But hear me out.

At the time i'm writing this, there are only four chapters of this manga translated in English right now. So I'm basing my perspectives on these chapters, and hopefully what's to come.

A 10 equals "outstanding" in this ratings system; for all four categories, I must say, after a significant amount of thought, A World Only God Knows definitely falls into those precedents.

When I look for a good story, there's one undeniable element it must exhibit; originality. If it's the same thing you've seen before, you'll probably find yourself bored very quickly. There has to be something that seperates itself from the rest of the pack. While the boy meets girl aspect is nothing new to romantic comedy fans, this manga puts a devious spin on the formula. Integrating dating sims, the Japaense otaku staple of virtual fantasy courting, into the story of a boy roped into supernatrual circumstances where he must get specific girls to confess to him to release the evil in their souls fufills my standards of an original story. Plus, it has an incredible amount of potential for future installments.

The artwork might be a matter of taste, but if it is, it's definitely my taste. It's fairly simple, but I have yet to see a situation where it can't work. All the characters are well-drawn and expressed, especially Erushi, the protagonist's demonic sidekick.

Character development is present and vital to the plot; Keima, the otaku so adept at dating sims he's considered a "capturing god" to his kind, must employ his "skills" in the real world to make a host of different girls fall for him so he can release the evil spirits haunting them. Even if you're not versed in the world of dating sims, you'll still be suitably entertained watching Keima discover the real world is less and more like his games than he thought.

This is one of the few manga I find the need to read each chapter at least three times over. Everything blends into a truely entertaining exprience; currently, The World Only God Knows is my favorite up-and-coming series. I don't know whether it will gain popularity, but even if it doesn't, people just won't know what they're missing. I'd recommend this to basically anyone; it's still starting, so you won't waste too much time if you don't like it. And if you do... join the club and enjoy. read more

if you're wondering why this manga deserved straight 10's then please, read it first (even the first 3 chapters would do) then read my explanation.

one thing that makes this manga unique is that it breaches the boundary of real world and online gaming. who would've thought that an approach in the game world can be made possible even in the real world?

in order to spare his head, keima must use his mastery of visual novels and sway the hearts of spirit-possessed girls to his side. aided by elshee, the spirit capturer from hell, he embarks on one wacky, romance-filled adventure.

one thing that makes this manga unique is the visual novel theme applied in real life. while it is true that some approach is dire impossible, the mere thought that it can be done in reality has been visualized by keima. making this manga catchy and fresh in its own taste. the art matches the slapstick comedy very well along with how it creates a feel of cute (MOE) characters and the snob protagonist.

story-wise, there isnt seem to be a major plot going on except for the fact that keima has to deal with his real world problems using his game world solutions. there are different characteristics of women per manga arc and keima uses a different approach each time as based on his game world experience.

despite having the ability to stay happily in the real world due to his game application, keima would still prefer to live within his own world of games, a denial of what he is capable of doing.

on elshee's part, aside from acting as comedic relief, she influences keima to open u with the world around him. story-wise, keima refused interaction with the real world not until elshee showed up. with their first encounter and how keima interacts with elshee, elshee slowly helps keima in becoming true to himself. if not, at least less ignorant of the real world around him despite the fact that keima still prefers to his own world.

as there are different personalities/characteristics involved in this manga, i believe that this displays a lot of causality and effect. with little change, what would happen? with every situation that keima encounters with a different girl, what would he do? how would it affect the outcome of him reeling her in? does a little change really matter?

if life is a game then i suppose that The World God Only Knows is one guide that would help us go through with it. it tells you how funny live could be, how romantic it is, how fun the adventure will be and how our thoughts, imaginations, can make things possible. read more

this is one of the most succesful manga i have ever saw. i like romance manga and i like dating game, Mix of those two is this manga. (well not the part where you play game) this manga is just so good, i read over all 13 chapter that came out at the time being about 12 times now. (yea i know i clearly need a life) it's just that good

The World God Only Knows (TWGOK) is a manga created by Wakaki Tamiki. This manga is really great and easily enjoyable, everything is nice. The story, which is unique, made it's readers love this series. Also, the characters are really lovable, starting from the otamegane* Keima to the sweet Elsee, each one takes the spotlight. I like how the story is divided into arcs, it gives a different shot. Also, the targets, each one has a different attitude, a tsundere* girl, a sporty one, tough or shy girl------ name it! The Art, though not really that outstanding for a shounen manga, is nice. Wakaki's art is simple yet appealing, so the readers will really love to see those characters.

If TWGOK will be adapt into an anime, I have my seiyuu picks. For Keima, I think Satoshi Hino (Other Roles: Saito Hiraga of Zero No Tsukaima, Yuji Sakai of Shakugan no Shana) will be fine. Well, I can't really think, hehe. For Elsee, I think Yui Horie's voice would really fit. Yui Horie (Other Roles: Yuuki Cross of Vampire Knight, Ayu Tsukimiya of Kanon) is really good, and she can deliver her voice really good. (And besides, she's one of my fave seiyuus toooo!) For Hakua, I bet Rie Kugimiya (Other Roles: Taiga Aisaka of Toradora!, Alphonse Elric of Full Metal Alchemist) will be the best option. Since Hakua is a tsundere-type, and Kugimiya voice tsunderes, there is no one you can ask for. And for Tenri's voice, Mamiko Noto's gentle voice will be good. (Other Roles: Nodoka Miyazaki of Mahou Sensei Negima, Ai Enma of Jigoku Shoujo.)

All in all, TWGOK is a totally awesome manga, and recommended for all otakus there.

NOTES:
*otamegane- combination of otaku and megane.
*tsundere- type of characters who hates something/someone, but really loves it. read more

Story: 9/10

I will say that when you start reading it you will realize that this is one of those never ending stories. The kind where there's no cap on the enemy in the beginning of the manga, so the story can drag on forever. These stories also usually happen to be the ones with fillers in the manga. But it makes up for it with an interesting story and interesting characters!

Art: 10/10

This is definitely my style of anime! For one thing, even though Keima is a boy, he has feminine features but he wasn't drawn as a girl without boobs. Which I guess is sort of confusing, but there are so many stories that are good, but the main male character is just a girl tweaked so that she looks like a man... Besides that, most of the characters are cute.

Character: 10/10

To have a male character that is so into games that he doesn't really enjoy the real world is the opposite of *most* things that I read. Usually the guy loves girls both outside and inside the virtual world. This is the first I've read where the boy is looking for perfection that can't be achieved unless the girl is a program-- and the program doesn't come to life. The demon character is a standard demon character, but being paired with this type of main character makes her special.

Enjoyment: 10/10

It doesn't take much for me to enjoy a manga. Something that is interesting and will keep me reading is good, but if I really don't like the art style, then I get annoyed and will eventually stop. Even though the story can be lacking a little at times, I still enjoy this for the most part because it's funny and interesting and cute all at once!

Overall: 10/10 read more