Romance galore for the past season! Not to mention that there were so many good ones: Sukitte Ii na Yo, Sakurasou, and apparently Chuuninbyou and Tonari are also really good but I did not watch them. Kamisama Hajimemashita for me stands out as the best though. Why? Execution.
For the people who haven’t heard me repeat this over and over yet: the director of this series is Akitarou Daichi. He did Fruits Basket, Kodocha and Bokura ga Ita before so yes, he can direct really good romance, and yes, he can do this incredibly consistently. Kamisama Hajimemashita feels the most like 13 episodes of Kodocha, with a bit of its energy calmed down. Though it’s still a series that is full of energy, especially if you watch its first episode.
The trick with this series is that it has perfected its timing: shots last for the exact right duration. Jokes are timed perfectly. The energy is built up over each episode really well. The show managed to use its camera work to bring out the emotions of the characters really well, and especially the feelings of love and laughter. This show is really good at juggling these around, making you laugh hard one moment and feel sorry the next. No other romance this series was as balanced as this series.
And the thing is, that this is not the most ambitious series: the characters are simple, they don’t try too hard to be likable at all. The storylines are also really quite simple when you boil down to them. The character development too: simple. Yet this series shines in it, and due to this simplicity and polish it is really enjoyable. Not to mention that without exception, it manages to end every single episode with a really charming climax that is full of warm feelings (that ED works brilliantly with it). I don’t see many other shows pull the same.
The problem mostly is that this series really needs to be a 26 episode series. With 26, its story just cuts off in the middle with a hasty end boss, and the characters don’t develop as well as they could have. It loses most of its points on that.
| Storytelling: | 9/10 – Awesome timing, really uses its simplicity well and knows really well how to build up. |
| Characters: | 8.5/10 – Simple but effective characters. At first they might not seem much, but they grow on you. |
| Production-Values: | 8/10 – Well drawn camera angles, although they don’t move much. Catchy soundtrack. |
| Setting: | 8/10 – It’s the same old setting about youkai, but well used. |
Suggestions:
– Kodomo no Omocha
– Bokura ga Ita
– Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge
I’m rather surprised this show didn’t receive 26 episodes at all. Was it supposed to be 26 episodes or was that just a rumor?
Wait, you haven’t watched Tonari?
Man, it’s romantic comedy done right to the bone. With equal attention to both romance and comedy factor. And that’s very rare in anime of today.
It got me by a surprise. Right when I though shoujo is genre has nothing fresh to offer.
As for, Kamisama – it was sweet but lacking. Not in length particularly but I’d rather say creators hadn’t enough courage to deepen the characters and story.
Tonari’s not for everyone, though. It’s quite aggravating to some, and repetitive and one-note to others. Kamisama seems to click with the people Tonari doesn’t click for, though some also find it lacking, boring, and highly “formulaic”, so between them and Sukitte, at least most of the bases were covered this season.
The development in Kamisama was supposed to be slow even in the manga. The mangaka really took her time to flesh out the development of the romance and plot between the main characters during the different arcs, so when the anime came (and it’s only 13 episodes), the animators or whoever were then in a pinch in picking which to show. And I’m afraid I have to say that they chose quite wrongly because they chose chapters that reflect nothing new nor deep to animate. That is why I can say Kamisama’s manga was better because things get serious in it and more intense and yet it can still make you laugh, and also, you get to see the characters deeper than before, especially Nanami. The anime made her look like her shoujo anime predecessors near the end when she’s not.
For that one important guy to show up in the last ep…the one who bought the death mask, there’s great hope this show will have another season. Or the fans will rage. lol There are 15 volumes of the manga after all, and they only chose to adapt 5 and even not all those in the five volumes were animated because they got some chapters from the other volumes and then this anime original ending.
I’m hopeful for another season because the next arcs where the anime stopped are the best arcs. Actually I was thinking they would animate up to one of those best arcs because they showed glimpses of it with Kurama’s attire on the ED and Nanami sitting on that important sakura tree in the OP.
Oh psgels, I dare you to read the manga! XD (It’s my New Year Resolution to make guys read some shoujo manga.)
I have always considered Tonari (as have others I believe) to have characters, the main couple at least to be an anti-thesis for romcom protaganists so I would say in this way I wouldn’t throw the formulaic word at it personally as the offbeat nature of the leads seems to strike at formula. I agree it gets the balance right the best of the three.
Sukitte though I actually prefer because of its familiarity and conforming to shoujo romance formula and because its moreso a drama than tonari it sticks out more in my memory.
Don’t get me wrong, I do think tonari is a pretty good series, I just have my preferences.
In the end I like Kamisama most out of the three though for how it charmed me and I found it more amusing than tonari.
Mmm interesting… I may have to watch this one when I have the time.
I have a feeling that, if the anime does at least moderately well in DVD/Blu-ray sales, that a second season will be green-lighted for this fall or next winter. After all, the current manga arc will probably end within the next six months or so, and I can’t imagine that there will be many plot threads left to tie once the current arc is over. It wouldn’t be impossible to fit the manga’s remaining story (from volume 6 to the end of the current arc) into another 13 episodes.
I haven’t watched the anime yet, but I have gone through about 30 chapters of the manga. Judging by the screencaps, I pretty much read the material covered in the anime. I plan to watch it when I get the chance because I find the manga very charming so far. Though to be honest, the character design of the male lead is what made me interested in the first place. His intriguingly androgynous looks really attracted me. Yes, there are many girly-looking men in shoujo, but he stuck out among them in my eyes. I’m not sure what makes him so different.
Anyway, I was delightfully surprised by how endearing the characters were, and I am glad that many others are of fan of this work.
*a fan of this work.
Oh dear, it’s only my first post on this blog and I have already made an error. 🙂
Kamisama Hajimemashita has a really great story. I didn’t know I’ll love it. I was just looking for an anime to watch, then I clicked this and then booooom! THIS MADE MY DAY! I WATCHED IT FOR 7Hours I guess. It already ended, right? The anime? But guys, you must read its manga. It’s more detailed and and :””””””> Yeah. sooo…. yup lol. I still haven’t move on in this anime. <3 I really love it.
I am also watching Tonari No Kaibutsu-kun, it's the second best. 🙂 Its story is rare. I've been waiting for its update, but 🙁 It's last ep is 13. ;( Sooo sad.
This turned into a real treat for me. I wasn’t expecting much after the 1st episode like psgels was. The main duo were the only thing I saw potential in at the time. I kept up with it though and I was proven wrong on almost every level. The characters were awesome as expected, but everything else was pretty much awesome too. Boy I’m glad my initial impressions proved wrong on this one.
cute and funny all the way to the end. v.intrigued by the guy who bought the death mask. i’ve got a feeling it’ll get a second series
Good series! Anime like this are rare these days…
The only one that’s like this, but with less romance is InuYasha.
Kamisama Kiss lacks, i don’t know what to say, but it lacks…………………………..episodes!
If there were more, I think a lot more people would be into this!
Cute and funny the entire series!
It really needs to continue, because they showed an important character in the end of the 13th episode and in the OVA.
I wish this anime AND manga will never end :’).
I have a good feeling this will get longer!
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This anime.. Was like.. OMG, much shipment. At first, I didn’t wanted to watch it and I thought it wouldn’t have a good romance relationship. But when I watched the first 6 episodes, I was all googly eyeesss. There were so many shipments I wanted to put with Nanamiii. Other than then, I highly recommend this anime, it’s just like Inu x Boku SS, in my opinion.