Anime Review: The World God Only Knows (Kami Nomi Zo Shiru Sekai)

Aaaaaaaaah The world God Only Knows is truly one of the greatest and most entertaining anime I've watched these days.
First things first I will review it as a whole show not season by season but don't worry I won't spoil!

Before I start properly here's some general knowledge needed to understand the concept that is the heart of this anime: Dating Sims (aka Galgae)
As the name says a dating sims is a game were you play as the protagonist who meets lots of girls and interact with them. Through a serie of choices the player pick one route and end up dating the girl which is on this route. Of course the player has to make the right choice to conquer the girl.
That's it for dating sims, lets proceed with the review!

Story:

The story start with Katsuragi Keima, a young popular high school boy who conquered more than 10000 girls. One could say he is a player and yes in fact he IS a player because...

... the girls he conquered are all in GAMES. Keima is an intelligent boy, straight A student, who is playing Galgae since he is young and wherever he want; whether it is while eating or in class. He calls himself the capturing God/the conquering God (depends on the guy who translated it)

He one day received an email from someone telling him to conquer a certain girl.

Thinking that it was a challenge Keima accepts without second thoughts and suddenly a girl appears before him in a flash!

This girl is actually a devil from hell who came to help Keima in his conquest.... of REAL GIRLS (Rearu On'na)

Keima at first doesn't believe because

Why does he have to capture them? To chase out the loose soul inside their heart. Loose soul are evil spirits from hell that fled to earth and want to destroy it. So they hide in gap of young girl's heart!
Of course Keima is trying to reject this:

But he has no choice because if he doesn't chase out the loose soul:

A harsh and cruel contract if you ask me.
Also conquering the girl means making them fall in love. You may ask: "Why should he make them fall in love?". Because if they fall in love, then Keima will fill the gap in the girl's heart and then chase out the loose soul.

And so begin the the story of the gaming conquering God who is forced now to conquer "3D girls" as he likes to call them. And this is pretty much the pace of season 1 and 2.
As the story progress we learn more about the loose souls, the Weiss, new hell and the threat upon the world

Season 3 is a complete change. Season 3 aka Goddess Arc (Megami-hen) is a whole new concept. The thing is that Keima still has to conquer girls but this time the fate of the whole world is at stake. I would love to tell you more about the Goddess Arc but I shall leave it to you to watch it because it is perfect. Everything was perfectly done and the ending was also perfect. A true conclusion to the show (note that the manga is still ongoing and I will talk about it later)

About the anime in general it is really funny, serious sometimes and hilarious some other times. Some episodes where he is not conquering girls he is playing games.

Characters:

First is Katsuragi Keima. At the start of the series, Keima is completely detached from reality (although in a very friendly manner), showing absolutely no interest in any real girl, even pointing out that they are flawed and claims he is in no way sexually attracted to "3D girls" and sees such thoughts as below him. He hates virtually everything from reality, even himself. As a result, he takes refuge in his 2D world.

When talking to people normally without altering his personality, he is generally cold and distant. If he is paying attention to his PFP (their version of the PSP) or any other kind of game, he will even take no notice of other people around him unless called vigorously, physically abused or appealed to.
Though at the beginning of season 3 he shows some signs that he is finally starting to change. At the end we can see that he really changed! Because he (...)

Next is Elucia De Lute Ima aka. Elsie. Elsie is an overly optimistic individual with a playful personality. Despite claiming to be over 300 years old, she has the mentality of an incompetent teenager, and is in many aspects conspicuously immature and an airhead. Although earnest and hard-working, Elsie has become infamously inept at virtually everything save cooking (ingredients from hell) and cleaning, but she only owes her skills during her post as a custodian.
Yet, with all the insults and derision Elsie receives from Keima, she usually does not dwell on them for very long and continues to make mistakes anyway.
Furthermore, Elsie has the tendency to stay positive and persevere regardless of her flaws, demonstrating that she is at least the type of person who is determined to succeed while she still has chances.

Elsie also possesses a comedic obsession with fire trucks as well as with the popular idol, Kanon.

Finally is Haqua Du Lot Herminium. She is kind of tsunderish and Elsie's best friend. They graduated at the same time. Haqua is shown to be very harsh on herself. She is aggressive, but has a soft spot for close friends. She grew up as independent person and is reluctant to accept help from others. She also goes to great lengths to conceal faults in order to maintain her reputation. For example, in the beginning she lied to Elsie about capturing 10 spirits even though she had yet to capture any. Nora (another devil) has also stated more than one time that Haqua is too honest and trusts others too easily.
She also has feelings for Katsuragi. She makes her first appearance in season 2. She is voiced by Saori Hayami (Sachi in SAO).

Sound:

The music is simply perfect! The 3 opening are in English (Engurishu) interpreted by Elisa (The 2nd opening featuring LiA)
I just can't describe it enough. The right soundtrack at the right moment. Full of small orchestral numbers and piano pieces; even a few j-pop songs thrown into the mix courtesy of one of Keima's targets being an idol. The music is simply heavenly. That's the only way to describe it.

Opening 1 - God Only Knows

Opening 2 - A Whole New World God Only Knows - Elisa and Lia

Opening 3 - Secret of the Goddess God Onlny Knows

And here's the orchestra OST that I like the most that should convince you 

 OST 1- Koi ~ Kuchizuke Made no Kyori

And finally the J-Pop part sang by the idol Nakagawa Kanon

Happy crescent - Nakagawa Kanon

Art and Animation:

The animation is good. We are within the norm of what we should expect these days. Nothing really outstanding except for ONE thing: The clothes. As a matter of facts the uniform designs are unique - I seriously haven't seen anything like those before and it makes me want to wear them as well

Difference with the Manga:

The anime doesn't diverge from the manga except some minor details. Also between season 2 and 3 there are some conquest that doesn't appear. It is not of big importance since they review them quickly in the first episode of season 3 but it is still fun to read, especially the body switch arc!

I should add that the manga is filled with reference to other anime like for example Evangelion. 

Also the manga is still ongoing

Conclusion:

The World God Only Knows is truly an awesome show and I loved every episode of it. Keima is a perfect protagonist also, he is calm, composed and always knows how to act! This anime could be called a harem but I won't call it a harem because actually Keima doesn't care about real girls! He only cares about games! Games! GAMES!
So to watch it it would be in this order: Season 1, 2, 4 plus one (OVA), Tenri-Hen (OVA) and then season 3 Goddess Arc!
Finally the grade. If we take everything into consideration and my personal enjoyment I would put to this serie a solid 9.7/10
With this the review ends! I hope you enjoyed it! Also I soon am going to be the proud owner of the whole manga serie!
Bye-Bye ^^

Anime Review: Date A Live

I have really mixed feelings about this anime... So I'll proceed with this review

A little word before I begin. Date A Live (デート・ア・ライブ Dēto A Raibu) is the anime adaption of the Japanese light novel series, Date A Live. It is directed by Keitaro Motonaga and produced by AIC PLUS+.

Well let the dating game BEGIN!

Story

Spacequakes, a mysterious phenomenon that destroys everything at the point of impact within a given radius. They are unpredictable and appear randomly. Itsuka Shido lives with his sister Kotori in a town that experiences lots of Spacequakes but has proper countermeasure to warn the population and limit the casualties. 

Here's an example of a spacequake

Oh wait wrong picture

One day Shido is (through some complicated circumstances) running to find his sister who is not in a shelter and a spacequake warning has been issued.

He doesn't find his sister but discover that those spacequakes are caused by a girl.

This girl called Princess (Hime) is standing in the middle of the spacequake impact. She is attacked by a squad called the AST who's objective is to kill these creatures called spirits.

Of course he is shocked. But he is more shocked when he discovers that his little sister Kirino.... euh I mean Kotori is actually the boss of a secret organization aiming to stop these spacequakes.

The more shocking fact is that to stop these spirits from wreaking havoc on earth the solution is actually to date them, show them that there are people who actual want her and won't deny her existence.
So yeah in the end Shido will have a harem. This gets a whole lot more interesting when the number of girls slowly grows and the attempts to sway Shidou’s heart commence.

Characters:

The characters all have some pretty unique personality to them that makes them pretty special. The main girls are all pretty interesting even though they aren’t really fleshed out that well. We have a kuudere, a yandere, a tsundere, a loli and the childish one.

Itsuka Shido, the good looking character who gets all the girls etc etc etc.... Your typical protagonist in a harem anime, very generic. Shallow, bland at best, he only serve to advance the harem. An interesting personality Shido has as described by Kotori: "onii-chan had become strangely sensitive to the despair inside people.—Mm. Something like everyone rejecting oneself—thinking that one will never be loved by anyone else. Well, basically what he had been like back then. If there was someone with such a melancholic expression, even if it was a complete stranger, he would probably go help them without a second thought."

The character that caught my interest the most is Tohka Yatogami. It’s still not quite clear how she gains the last name Yatogami. On my first impression, she resembles Saber from the Fate Series. The usage of armor, the aura she gives off and her nickname “Princess” are all very similar to Saber. She even shares the same hobby as Saber (specifically eating). It is hard to tell whether or not the author did this on purpose. Tohka is voiced by Marina Inoue (Mikazuki Yozora in Boku wa tomodachi ga sukunai)

Next is a..... uh.... how should I say it... Oh yeah a Yuno rip-off (Mirai Nikki). Kurumi Tokisaki, who is was the second character that caught my interest. She dresses like a gothic lolita which is not very common these days in the anime industry. She is depicted with a very sadist/masochist yandere tone and I must admit I kinda like it

Next is Kotori Itsuka serves as the protagonist’s beloved imouto (little sister). Technically, Kotori is Shido’s foster sister. Like any other kawaii imouto, Kotori was doomed from the beginning to become lolicon material, much like Yoshino who is also essentially a loli spirit. Other than her loli physique and her tsundere personality, there is nothing moe about her. Well there isn’t much to fit the criteria of moe anyways... Also I should mention that she is voiced by Taketatsu Ayana, some might know her other no...

Sound:

I don't have anything to say, the music is good, the opening is good but I have to talk about ending #1 and #2 Save The World and Save My Heart. They are pretty addictive and I kept listening to them for a while
Edit: The second opening was also a really good surprise and I enjoyed it a lot!

Animation and Art:

The animation and the art were really good, it is always a pleasure for the eye to watch anime with such a good quality. The level of details is really high but still not the best we can get (KyoAni does that). The animation during the combats is smooth and the quality never dropped which is very good point. Here's some image to let you judge.

Difference with the light novel:

Didn't read the novel can't say

Conclusion:

It's pretty complicated to say what I feel about this anime, it is your typical harem anime with some new stuff added that actually doesn't make it like all the other harem. I personally enjoyed watching it because I like Tohka and I would recommend that you watch it
My original score would be 8/10 but the fact that season 2 should be airing around Spring 2014 I shall rate Date A Live : 8.5/10
EDIT: Dropped the rating to 8 because season 2 was... not that good, and the animation quality was awful... 8 because The movie: Mayuri Judgement has been announced and confirmed for 2015.

Enjoy

Kamisama Hajimemashita

Introduction:

I was listening to "Just Tonight" by The Pretty Reckless and somehow it reminded me of a task that has been on my laptop's sticky notes for quite a while: "Read Kamisama Hajimemashita's 100th manga issue". So, instead of searching for the translated manga issue, I decided to write a review for the anime hoping it would reignite my passion for the manga (it never died if you ask me) and refresh my memory regarding certain events.

Editor’s side note: Although this anime may look like an underdeveloped one , there is more than meets the eye. I also have a thing for bad-ass demons that have animal ears and tails ( call me a creep but the anime had quite a nice flavor especially when I was quite stressed due to my exams).

So what is Kamisama Hajimemashita about and what sets it apart from other anime that fall under "shoujo, slice of life, and mystery"? Let us take the first step and introduce the plot and hopefully things will interest you and get you watching the anime or even reading the manga which is much more developed and intriguing!

1- Plot: ( YOU by The Pretty Reckless is playing in the background which fits perfectly :P )

Momozono Nanami is a regular highschool girl until she is evicted from her house thanks to her reckless father who left her with debts and made his escape just before the debt-collectors claimed their rights. ( Quite a role model for a father if you ask me :P ! )

We are presented with Nanami sitting on a lonely park bench when she hears a man's voice requesting "HELP". Nanami sees a full grown man on a tree being harrassed by a dog. Nanami comes to his aid and chases the dog away.

Editor’s side note: This was quite a hilarious start if you ask me. Seeing the man on the tree, and having a young school girl chase the dog away ( by simply shaking her foot at it) made my mother laugh as she, my older sister and I rewatched the anime.

Mikage thanks the young girl for her help and inquires about her current state. Nanami retells how she has no home to return to and how her father left her to fend on her own as he made his escape. As a result, Mikage draws Nanami a map and tells her she can have his home, after all, he has been absent for 20 years and "TOMOE" would knock his teeth off if he sees him. Mikage kisses Nanami's forehead and tells her to make his home her own.

    Enter Tomoe :3 ! <3

Editor’s side note: If I were Nanami and a strange man kissed my forehead or even approached me, I would dropkick him so help me GOD! ( I just wanted to point that out :P .)

There is no doubt that for every "golden deal" there is a catch, for there is no such thing as a "free lunch"! Apparently our young hero walked into what she calls an AYAKASHI haunted house. As she enters she is attacked by an angry fox familiar ( Tomoe, who is quite a hottie with epic fox ears and tail ). The latter tries to rip her throat out, only to stop at a split of a second pointing out that the girl is not MIKAGE. At that moment, two shrine servants, Onikiri and Kotetsu, state that she has Mikage's seal which deems her the deity of the shrine.

Onikiri and Kotetsu being harassed by the ladies who serve Tomoe wine :3

As a diety and the official inheritor of Mikage, Nanami has to attend to several tasks. Things start to hit a wild turn when several tests of faith, will and power are thrown at her. Will Nanami rise to the occasion  or give up to her mere mundane nature? More importantly what does Nanami have to do to make Tomoe acknowledge her? Will she succeed in fulfilling her role as a diety of a shrine when her weak state and mundane nature constrain her from seeing "deity-fit tasks" to their proper ends?

Nanami sealing the familiar contract with Tomoe ( nyahahahahahah :3 )

2- Characters: (Need you Now by Lady Antebellum is playing which is quite true because I miss Tomoe)

Other than Nanami, we have Tomoe as a lead character. He is a fox demond and Mikage's familiar serving as the shrine's guardian. Other than the shrine tasks, he also writes down the believer's prayers which he has kept in journals that are neatly saved awaiting Mikage's return. In the past, Tomoe was quite a demon who would wreck havoc, massacre humans, and hunt just for the pleasure and to satisfy his blood thirst. This is revealed in the manga in more details, the latter lays the foundation for the coming arcs relating to his past and how it links to Nanami's. ( It was a great read discovering Tomoe's past and secrets; the manga left me eager and demanding ).

Kurama Shinjirou is a prominent pop-idol who is supposedly a fallen angle from hell ( his stage image :P ) when in fact he is a Tengu who descended the mountain 16 years ago. He picks on Nanami on the first day causing her to cry. Later on, when he discovers her deity nature, he tries to devour her, to which Tomoe comes to the rescue and injures Kurama with his fox fire after turning the latter into an ostrich. After that encounter, Kurama befriends Nanami and helps her out on several occasions including the event when Tomoe is shrunken into chibi/baby form and left defenseless.

There is also Mizuki who was the familiar of a different shrine deity who died and her shrine was submerged under water. He is one hell of a funny character ( wait until he starts playing the flute). Also, Mizuki has white hair and green eyes and usually rides on a snake and makes divine wine!

3-Music:

The into and closing songs is quite addicting. My mother ended up happily humming them all day!  I wouldn't blame her for the tune is quite catch and the rhyme is a memorable one. The original soundtracks are quite.

COMMENTS:

I loved the anime; it was warm, mysterious, and quite relaxing. The story develops more and takes some good twists and turns both in the anime and more evidently in the manga. I bet manga issue 100 is going to be a total mind-blower. Keep in mind, that Tomoe has a very dark past and you will not be let into that past except by looking at the hairpin shown in the anime. The anime does not show anything regarding his past, yet , I hope there is a season 2 since  the manga develops the plot further and will leave you with an open jaw on several occasions. 

There is beauty in the anime/manga's simplicity, and a touch of eccentricity that sets it apart. I recommend it to you all give it a 9/10 compared to its fellow anime that fall under the same sub-genre.

I hope you enjoyed the review and would give the anime a try :3 ! I am off to read manga issue #100 !