Original Manga by: Tamiki Wakaki
Written By: Hideyuki Kurata
Director: Shigehito Takayanagi
Production: Manglobe
Original Run: October 6, 2010 - to - Current
Episodes: 26?
My first title to review is a new one that people on this site especially can appreciate. It's about a gamer who uses his "m4d g4m1ng sk1llz" (mad gamer skills) to solve real world issues!
Katsuragi Keima is a hardcore gamer. Known online as the "Capturing God", Keima is without question the worlds best Galge expert, capable of capturing any girl in any game through any scenario. In responding to his thousands of fans' e-mails, he is presented with an e-mail that seems to challenge his skills at capturing girls. In responding yes to the challenge, he accidentally signs into a contract with a devil, one where he must use his skills to capture the hearts of real girls in order to drive out evil escaped spirits that are hiding in them. The big problem with this is that Keima hates the real world, especially real girls. In real life, he is a reclusive gamer who is perpetually made fun of by his class and peers, but besides that he genuinely wants nothing to do with the real, in favor more of playing games. However, the contract has his life as collateral for failure to perform, so he begrudgingly attempts to make the select girls fall in love with him. Elsie is a cute, young, and somewhat naive devil assigned to Keima to direct him to the girls that need capturing.
In my eyes, there are two things that stand out the most about this show so far. First, with the vibrant colors (the school uniform is bright red), the physics gags (Elsie's broom is capable of destroying a city block with a single sweep!), the frequent superdeformity, and overall lack of any blatant oversexuality and pointless fanservice, this is by far a prime example of the concept known as an Anime. Embarrassment is glossed over with absurdity, running gags are frequent but tasteful, Visual effects are appropriate to setting mood, and drama is paced and presented in order to establish the characters without us getting too attached to them. In other words, there are zero major turnoffs, everything potentially bad left moderate enough to tolerate in favor of the potential goods. An all around feel-good more than watchable anime that doesn't take itself too seriously or resort to cheep gimmicks or fan services in order to draw in viewers.
The second thing is that this anime proves that Evangelion, in fact, did Not ruin anime. Unlike the angst-wridden zenophobic bumbling nerds that Otaku are usually portrayed as, Keima is both confident and capable. He chooses to ignore the jidings and proddings of his peers because he deems them beneath him. When motivated enough to look away from his PFP handheld game system long enough to do anything (very difficult to do. He plays even during class or while taking a bath) he can look a girl in the eyes in public and confess in the corniest way possible without even blinking. Add to that a calculating genius that would embarrass Lulouche (of Code Geass) and earn a 'Well Done' from Light (of Death Note), you will find yourself watching, not to see if he succeeds, but instead to see how he succeeds, and to laugh at all those pathetic plot obstacles that naively try to stop him. That's not to say that he is athletic in any way, or that he won't throw a temper tantrum any time he doesn't get his way, but it's a pleasant change to see a male lead in a romantic comedy that isn't an emo "so and so".
Despite the wonderful lack of pointless fanservice, there is still a measure of gimmick that feels frivolous or outright pointless. Keima apparently needs a contract with a devil in order to use his mad skills. Said devil herself is a cute, young, and naive girl who clearly isn't the least bit evil. The closest association to a denizen of the netherworld that Elsie could be associated with is Fallen Angel Flonne, who isn't even a devil to begin with. Even her presence feels pointless and time-wasting. She shows up cutely, does some gags, points out the girl, then it's all Keima all the way. Also, with her ability to fly and her translucent 'robe' that can be shapeshifted into anything, she seems to come off as a sort of broken cheat code, used to push the story along instead of lingering on superfluous character development.
Yes, I know that I contradicted myself there, but I first said "Cheap gimmicks" that the lack of is a plus. I'm holding out on the hope that the whole devil thing is exploited as a plot device or a story arc later on. Until then, though, while still a gimmick, it does the job in setting up the real meat of the show.
As of right now, only 2 episodes in, I give this show a 7 out of 10. Good and watchable, entertaining, with a character we can really appreciate right from the begging, but loaded down with devices that could truly make or break the show later depending on how they are presented or expanded upon.
I happen to be a reader of the manga, and am more versed in Japanese than most other american fans, so there are a couple of things I feel I need to point out that the fansubbers got wrong. First of all, Keima's nickname among his classmates isn't "Dweeb". it's Otamega, which is a contraction of the words Otaku (obsessed fan) and Megane (glasses, or Foureyes), and also happens to be an alternate spelling of his proper name. Keima is notorious enough among his school that he deserves his own derogatory name, so one should use it. Secondly, Elsie's "robe" is a Hagoromo (divine raiment), that accurately looks like a flowwy scarf that floats around her shoulders. Hagoromo doesn't translate. It is a noun all its own, that also could be described as a footnote if they even felt they needed to. Trying to translate Hagoromo is like saying that someone is wearing some clothes when they are wearing a Kimono. Accurate in the broadest sense of the word, and absolutely reeking of laziness or ignorance on the part of the people I'm trusting to translate.
On one final note; this show has already been signed for a second season starting in April. If nothing else, it means that the producers feel that the show is destined to be popular enough to warrant it, before it's first run even went anywhere. That shows promise. Even guaranteed successes like A Certain Magical Index had to wait a couple of years before it was signed for a sequel.
The World God Only Knows trailer
-Ben M.
-Ben M.
