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Okay, so hear me out. This is gonna be my first and last review on this site.

I've watched, read and witnessed all Key works up to this point. So far, my favourites always have been the stories that have been conceptualized and written down by Jun Maeda - long, developing tales that really make the characters grow to you and that make you feel things that you thought were uncapable of. That was the power of Jun Maeda.

Unfortunately, with the recent development of Angel Beats, Charlotte and Kamisama ni natta Hi, there is no longer the money and determination of having a proper setup ... for Jun Maeda's story. 13 episodes doesn't cut it, but hey, you could smartly arrange it and come up with an emotional impactful and fulfilling story, if you handle it smartly.

Guess what? Kamisama fails in all regards. The once genius Jun Maeda that was able to tell emotional and investing stories? No more. The only thing left that he's good at is music composition (he still is a god in that regard, don't get me wrong). I'm rather disappointed than angry about the show, because it could have been so much more. The first 10 minutes of episode 11 showed you, what the potential was - a gritty, close-to-life dramatic tale about a girl who tries her best in life. You keep this promise and thoroughly build upon it, boom, a solid 7/10. Good job Jun Maeda.

Once again, unfortunately, the first 10 episodes are completely wasted on characters that noone cares about, on plot points that seem random and keep being random just for the sake of being random, the same unfunny and completely mood-ruining jokes that noone cared about, plot points about characters who never appear again, different plot lines that are never built upon...

You get the idea right? If this were a visual novel with different routes and a true, final ending, this could have been very, very good. But nope! We just get over-rushed nonsense on top of non-sense that feels like 5 different Jun Maeda stories, accumulated into a single one and stripped by 95% of its content.

The only redeeming thing? The music tbh. The opening is very good, the ending acceptable, and everything in between is Jun Maeda - easy and memorable, not bad at all. It's wasted on this show. Utterly, wasted. Even the parts where it tries to be serious with itself, it completely fails by just pulling everything into comical territory. Tonal consistence is obviously an unheard concept nowadays. Charlotte was miles better than this, and even Charlotte was bad, don't get me wrong.

So, I can continue rambling on and on about how this is the most disappointing show I ever watched. And you know why I keep on watching it? Because every episode keeps surprising me and makes me cry with how bad it turns out to be. I'm not trying to be extra edgy or salty here, those are my honest feelings. I cannot fathom how any company decided to put forward a considerable budget and ressources in order to realize this project, the concept and execution seemed doomed from the very first episode.

I literally had a Jun Maeda bingo going on from the first episode, and we figured out the plot twist and the emotional climaxes of the story by the end of the first episode (!!!).
It's okay if you repeat your story ideas and concepts, Jun Maeda. Just please, don't do it just for the sake of doing it - apply them to the context of the story and have them make sense in-universe. Otherwise you're just ridiculing yourself and us viewers. I hope your next project will be something better, I still believe in the power and magic of your work. I truly believe and pray that you reach the magic again, that you showed us in Clannad After-Story. God bless

edit: typo