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Feb 23, 2014
“God created the world on Monday.
On Tuesday, he drew the line between Order and Chaos.
On Wednesday, he arranged each and every number.
On Thursday, he permitted the ebb and flow of Time.
On Friday, God explored every nook and cranny of the world.
On Saturday, he rested.
And on Sunday, God . . . forsook the world.”
Based on the light novels of the same name, Kaminai, short for “Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi,” engaged many viewers with that first episode, by introducing us to a world without God. This isn’t the first anime to touch on the “God” subject, but it is one of the very few “Kamisama” anime
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I’ve actually seen, and very easily did I depict their similar unwillingness to deconstruct or delve deeper into the premise of their stories – thus, unappealing many viewers. However, I thought the premise was interesting enough to disregard those minor plot-holes.
Kaminai follows a young girl named Ai. Due to God’s abandonment, the world can no longer die or reproduce. As a result, humanity turns to different means of living and new prejudices and mysteries are born. It isn’t until Ai’s encounter with a stranger named Hampnie Hambart, that she realizes her desire to “save the world,” which forces her on a journey to re-discover her own world.
So why did God abandon this world? There are many theories that the characters touch upon as to why God may have abandoned them, but the story doesn’t dig any deeper into the question – it just sort of happened. Instead, it focuses more on deconstructing the new world that is born from it - via Ai’s journey. The storyline can best be broken down into a series of arcs, as Ai attempts to help those she encounters throughout her journey – filling in the role as God’s messenger, in a way.
The story touches on various concepts, like “wishes” and “prayers,” which I thought made the series really engaging. Also, it had some pretty good production values. The series is animated by Madhouse and even though there is a surprisingly low amount of head tilts :P, there is a lot of attention to the background, which results in some very beautiful scenery.
The music was also really good. It made the atmosphere, for the most part. My only complaint would have to be a large number of one-dimensional characters. I would have appreciated a little more depth in their characters. Even Ai, who is supposed to be the main protagonist of the story, suffers from a lack of depth. Nevertheless, the best thing about Kaminai is its premise, which was the main reason I stuck around in the first place, so I can’t complain much.
I’d say the turning point for this series is episode three. You either love it or hate it or find yourself crying by then.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Feb 23, 2014
Social anxiety and awkwardness are something we can all pretty much relate to. Don’t lie. You know you’ve had your fair share of embarrassing moments, but, here, Tomoko takes social awkwardness to a whole different level – forcing us to relive those tragic, bleak moments of our lives, while allowing us to laugh at ourselves too.
Watamote, short for “Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!,” which roughly translates to 'No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys Fault I’m Not Popular,' is a rather self-explained title about a teenage girl just getting into high school, with deep social anxiety
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issues, and her delusional expectations of what a high school life should be like.
Obviously, the extremity of her awkwardness was mainly input for the sake of comedy and jokes. It’s hard to say whether there are people like Tomoko because, unlike most people, Tomoko seems to lack the ability to read, or gauge, the feeling or mood of a social situation. Maybe her ignorance is due to her long-time isolation. Maybe instead of spending all that time watching anime and playing video games, she should have spent it on extra-curricular activities. Or MAYBE, she’s just fine the way she is.
I don’t know about you guys, but I always thought high school kids were pretty weird to begin with. Or, it’s not that they’re weird, they just don’t have a firm grasp of who they are yet (plus, we are more easily influenced at that age). It’s just a part of growing up. We can either embrace our loneliness and awkwardness, or we can work to be a part of other people’s lives. It all depends on the person and how they see it, I guess. However, the story doesn’t go out of its way to romanticize the idea that it gets better for Tomoko. If anything, her situation gets worse. But that’s what makes it funny . . . and also very dull. It works for Watamote if you can accept that dark reality, but repetition gets boring. In my opinion, the comedy relieves its shortcomings a bit. Some jokes were gold, others didn’t fully nail them, yet, her inner struggles were so sad I couldn’t help but giggle, though I was mainly laughing at myself.
Also, her relationship with her family was probably my favorite aspect of the show and a subject that I would like to touch upon. A lot of viewers seemed to have a problem with Tomoko’s parents’ “ignorance” and “insensitivity” towards her social anxiety. I, on the other hand, found it pretty hilarious. Because if they’re anything like my parents, they would have just brushed her off as crazy and made her do chores (which they do at some point) – the answer to everything, apparently. And, in a way, it’s true how small accomplishments can go a long way to change our moods and minor depressions, similar to the way that exercise releases endorphins, which causes us to feel good, or happy. Unfortunately, being an otaku gets along with physical inactivity. However, I wouldn’t take it personally if family members were to ever show that sort of “carelessness.” It just means they have a different view on what they consider problematic and significant. When you think about it, social awkwardness is actually very insignificant compared to larger world problems and something that can be easily cured with constant human interaction. Plus, Tomoko is still a freshman. Her journey of self-discovery has only just begun, and it’s a journey no one can take for her. Although, I doubt the author plans to stray away from the line of dark comedy anytime soon.
To sum up, Watamote is a “dark” comedy about a teenage girl, with very poor social skills, who is still struggling to find herself. The concept is really good, and I would recommend this series to anyone, though, I personally wasn’t overly enthusiastic to watch it every week.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 23, 2014
Specials, or OVAs, are great for a number of reasons. First, they can work as a means to promote a story or series to encourage viewers, or as a way to conclude a series and offer proper closure with an unsatisfied audience, if any. Second, they may hint at a possible continuation of a series. And third, it always works as an excuse for catering. Whether it be fanservice, or that much requested manga chapter that didn't make it to the "big screen" - there is always room for catering. Or, ultimately, as a means to make more money. But let's put aside these realities
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for a bit for the sake of this post.
The Sunday Without God Special promotes a total of three mini-episodes which, all together, make it episode 13. So in order to understand the episode, you should probably watch the anime beforehand.
Impressions:
In the spirit of all things great about Specials and OVAs, episode 13's first "mini-episode" offered a lot of fanservice, for the simple sake of fanservice - taking place around the third arc of the anime. Segments two and three catered to an audience who enjoys a little more development. Also taking place in the third arc of the series, it captures Alice recalling an encounter with Hampnie, while the third segment focuses on Hampnie's memory of how he met Hana - most probably taking place during the first arc of the anime. And, although, I don't know why they decided to break the special into three different side stories, they all offer a piece of insight into past occurrences of the series that could be considered worthwhile. Especially the third segment, personally speaking. Which also happens to be the segment that hints more towards a continuation of the story or not.
Could they continue the series? Of course they can! Assuming the anime was a complete success and the manga and light novel it's based on had plenty of material left to work with, then yes. But they can also discontinue the anime altogether, considering the special ended on a good note. Almost conclusively so, in my opinion. But I don't want to spoil you non-viewers of the special out there, so I'll leave it at that. In the end, I found something worth my time and whether you will or not is up to you to find out.
For a full review, visit this page: http://celybellyns.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/sunday-without-god-special-episode-13/
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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