Koi no Kamisama

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Mod Note: This review was initially posted for the one-shot, Koi no Kamisama, and was subsequently merged into Koi no Kamisama.

Many people will be familiar with Komi Naoshi, as his series [i]Double Arts[/i] has proven to be highly popular. However, the mangaka has received far more critical acclaim for his various one-shot manga, the most famous of which is [i]Island[/i]. That said, it should be noted that his other one-shots are also extremely good, especially as Komi is able to bring a certain... uniqueness, to his stories.

Koi no Kami-sama is a good example of this.

The story is about Tsuchibe Taichi, a boy who ... is [i]obsessed[/i] with shoujo manga and love. However his quest for love has proven fruitless so far, especially as he has confessed to over 50 girls in his school, and been refused [i]every time[/i].

Enter Kinokura Yasuko, a pretty young girl who transfers into Taichi's class. Upon seeing her Tsuchibe immediately asks her to go out with him, and thus the battle (and I mean that quite literally), begins.

You see, Taichi has a rival for Yasuko's love, and that rival is the most fearsome of all....

The artwork for Koi no Kami-sama is fairly plain compared to Komi's Double Arts series, however as this is a one shot it works fairly well. The simplistic style for characters and backgrounds is definitely more suited to the comedy element in Koi no Kami-sama.

As this is a one-shot, there isn't really much in the way of character growth, however I [i]did[/i] find myself rooting for Taichi - a testament to the strength of the story. All of the character are rather simple on the whole, and there isn't any real depth to them (maybe a veneer here and there), however this is pretty much irrelevant on the whole as the manga is only 49 pages long.

I have to admit that I enjoyed this one-shot immensely. The idea behind it ranks right up there with the "what if my right hand [i]was[/i] actually my girlfriend" concept for Inoue Kazurou's [i]Midori no Hibi[/i], and the comedy is a great mixture of slapstick and visual gags.

I'd recommend this to any fan of Komi's work, as it's shows another side to the mangaka's talents. I'd also recommend this to any fan of shounen comedy, or shoujo manga, as it makes a nice change from the typical fare available today.

Koi no Kami-sama is a very good attempt to bridge the shounen-shoujo divide, and is a great way to spend a few spare minutes of your day.

Mod Note: This review was initially posted for the one-shot, Personant, and was subsequently merged into Koi no Kamisama.

Personant is like a manga written by Akito Takagi from another manga called Bakuman. It’s smart enough to stand out from shonen generics, yet simple-minded enough to appeal to a young demographic. In short, it has the makings of a successful manga.

The year is 3333 and we begin with the 100th anniversary of the personant system. Everyone’s wearing masks, which have this cool blending-into-face sequence that probably looks spiffy animated. The purpose of the masks is to eradicate discrimination, conflicts, differences in appearance ... and class, and was apparently essential in the building of a society of equality and peace.

A guy called Damore wants to rip that peace apart, a reporter gal gets roped along and a big bad guy gives chase. That’s it.

So as mentioned above, this manga is a manga of two halves. Stuck between shonen and seinen. Big ideas ripe for exploration, but quick and easy execution. Like a burger dressed up as a...as a cow. Or something. Anyway, you become aware of this juxtaposition when the author immediately starts putting sweat marks or stress veins in characters' faces, even though 90% of the people in this manga wear masks, and the author's entire point of the manga is meant to be how wearing these masks strips us of our individuality, yet ruins it from the get-go by giving these masks characteristics. Way to go buddy!

But it’s not something to moan much about, you have to be aware of the demographic the manga is aimed at. You just can’t have the manga be populated by stoic plain white masks with no facial reactions. The young readers would become restless quick. Well, that’s the reasoning of publishers and editors at least, who knows if that’s the case in reality.

The manga speeds along with no restraints, not bothered with the gigantic plot holes left in its wake, completely oblivious of the contrived coincidences and convenient plot devices. This is all just one gigantic shonen franchise condensed all into one chapter, like a greatest hits, or 101 Tips On How To Make A Shonen Manga.

Personant is a decent read if you're a shonen fan, as you've realised by now, but for shonen readers who also happen to be seinen lovers there is this slight hint of what could have been with this manga. There is this idea of an anarchist being the protagonist plunging the world into chaos which seems really cool, but in Personant everything's nice and simple, no edgy ideas at play, the good guy is good, the bad guy is bad, and what the good guy is trying to do is positive and not questioned at all in any way.

That is the difference between seinen and shonen at the end of the day, one author will ask questions, the other will just give answers.

Mod Note: This review was initially posted for the one-shot, Apple, and was subsequently merged into Koi no Kamisama.

Komi Naoshi does it again--deep, comical, and thought-provoking all in one VERY prettily drawn package.

Story: Unique and interesting--Earth creating an ultimate being? and that being's destiny is to save the Earth from disaster? AND THAT BEING IS AN OTHERWISE FAIRLY AVERAGE TEENAGE BOY?! Quite interesting if I do say so myself. It had the potential to be drawn out a few more chapters, maybe 5 at most, but still a nice read. The ending is quite funny, too.

Art: What can I say? I love his ... art I love his art I love his art I love his art.

Character: Fairly good. Everyone can learn something from the main character. His friend could have been devloped a bit more, though.

Enjoyment: I really liked reading this! I liked it almost as much as Fruits Basket or Double Arts, even though it's very short.

Overall: 7.9/10

Mod Note: These review was initially posted for the one-shots, Apple and Koi no Kamisama, and was subsequently merged into Koi no Kamisama.

Mod Note: This review was initially posted for the one-shot, Apple, and was subsequently merged into Koi no Kamisama.

[b]Story:[/b]I have to say, the concept and all was very interesting and everything, but I found the story to be quite rushed. I seriously think that it could have been extended into a much longer story.

[b]Art:[/b] The art was very nice, however... there were some scenes that I felt could have been drawn better, where the details were overdone and such.

[b]Character:[/b]The character development is another ... thing that I felt could have been extended out more then what it had.

[b]Enjoment:[/b] Mine was very low... end of story.

[b]Overall:[/b] It may just be me... but I kind of felt that this was great and all, but it could have been a lot longer and more developed then what it was.

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[b]Story[/b] The best way to desribe the story is to say that is is like Greek and Roman mythology, except with comedy instead of tragedy. If one were to read this, they would understand what I was saying here. Another difference is the hero isn't some uber... in fact, he has no big major power except determination.

[b]Art[/b] It had an ugly place, but... here is the but, the ugly place was used to help furthur the manga storyline rather then to hinder it and helped to add emphasis to that one point in time. In other words, it was used effectivly.

[b]Character[/b] It was a one shot, so not much character development. So, since it was a one-shot, the characters came across as likable. That was what the author intended.

I do admit that I hadn't a clue what to think of the guys grandmother, she was extremly off the wall... and acted like she was so cool, yet she was in charge of a temple.

[b]Enjoyment[/b] I at first thought the guy just had bad luck, then I kept laughing at the fact that... well, it is one of those things that one has to read to find out... if I tell, it will spoil the story line.

[b]Overall[/b] I have to say... pick it up once to give it a shot... you'll likely have a good laugh at it. Expessully the subtle humor about Manga's in it.

Mod Note: This review was initially posted for the one-shot, Nisekoi, and was subsequently merged into Koi no Kamisama.

This was the most well-written one-shot I had read at the time. It definitely got me interested in the main story and I still read it again time and time again. Anyways... xD I clearly don't know how to write a review :p

Kinda did this on a whim... but this a must read love-comedy :P

The main character, Ichijo, usually has a rude or direct way of speaking in front others and looks really unreliable. However, he can be very considerate of those around him and is always ... sticking into other people's business. Burdened with the pressure of being the next-in-line for the Yakuza, he is suddenly forced to act as a couple his the girl that kneed him in the face that very morning. Unfortunately for him, he has no choice, not unless he wants the city to be destroyed that is.

The sudden events that pop up time and time again are completely unexpected and original. Yet they do not feel rushed. It is well-paced and very interesting. There will be many laughs and 'Wow' moments.

Mod Note: This review was initially posted for the one-shot, Nisekoi, and was subsequently merged into Koi no Kamisama.

One-shot mangas have been like a thorn in a flesh, because the creator has to do something extraordinary in it with just a few tenths of pages. Now you would think hard about the story, to make it simple, extraordinary but it's different than the mainstream story.

Let me tell you upfront, Komi Naoshi lacks originality in this one shot.
Instead he made it VERY enjoyable to be read.

Flowing characters and conflict is the main point of this one-shot, and makes you wonder what will happen next. Few ... laughs here and there makes this one shot even more enjoyable.
Komi Naoshi did a very well done job, even though lacking story originality, he overcomes it by making it enjoyable, leaving no time for the reader to think that the story is cliche.

Mod Note: This review was initially posted for the one-shot, Koi no Kamisama, and was subsequently merged into Koi no Kamisama.

After reading this one-shot, I feel especially compelled to write a review, especially since I've read all of his works published till now. They are Double Arts, Apple, Island, Personant, Williams and Nisekoi.

All of the series/one-shots he wrote have one very similar characteristic: changing one's real/perceived destiny.

This trait can especially be seen in Koi no Kami-sama, where they guy defies "impossible challenges" for the other girl. This one-shot also reminds me vividly of his cancelled series "Double Arts", where there are unique characters ... (Tsuchibe's grandma), and where the main guy and girl must not get away from each other or disaster will happen.

Well, as for the story it is a bit predictable and the very end was a bit weak. However, the comedy and inspiration this one-shot gives is commendable.

Mod Note: This review was initially posted for the one-shot, Personant, and was subsequently merged into Koi no Kamisama.

This manga isnt very popular most likely due to the facts its a one shot,but I think It deserves to be me much more popular.


Story 7:Its very interesting overall,the story revolves around a world where everyone wears a mask no one know what people true face reveals but theres one man who rebels against those ways. It makes for an interest experience and I enjoyed it for the most part

Art 9: Very very good looking art, I wanted to draw something on nearly every page.

Enjoyment 9: ... I read this the whole through which is very hard for me unless its very interesting,it may not be for everyone but I enjoyed quite a bit

Overall 9: I think everyone should make an effort to read it, one of the best oneshots Ive read.