The World God Only Knows
The World God Only Knows | |
File:TWGOK VOLUME 3.jpg The cover of The World God Only Knows volume 3 as published by Shogakukan | |
神のみぞ知るセカイ (Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai) | |
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Genre | Romantic comedy,[1] Parody, Fantasy, Harem |
Manga | |
Written by | Tamiki Wakaki |
Published by | Shogakukan |
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Sunday |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | April 9, 2008 – April 23, 2014 |
Volumes | 26 |
Light novel | |
Written by | Mamizu Arisawa |
Illustrated by | Tamiki Wakaki |
Published by | Shogakukan |
Demographic | Male |
Published | May 19, 2009 |
Original video animation | |
Flag.0 | |
Directed by | Shigehito Takayanagi |
Written by | Hideyuki Kurata |
Music by | Hayato Matsuo |
Studio | Manglobe |
Released | September 17, 2010 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Shigehito Takayanagi |
Written by | Hideyuki Kurata |
Music by | Hayato Matsuo |
Studio | Manglobe |
Licensed by | |
Original network | TV Tokyo, Anime Network |
Original run | October 6, 2010 – December 22, 2010 |
Episodes | 12 |
Anime television series | |
The World God Only Knows II | |
Directed by | Shigehito Takayanagi |
Written by | Hideyuki Kurata |
Music by | Hayato Matsuo |
Studio | Manglobe |
Licensed by | |
Original network | TV Tokyo, Anime Network |
Original run | April 12, 2011 – June 28, 2011 |
Episodes | 12 |
Original video animation | |
The World God Only Knows: 4 Girls and an Idol | |
Directed by | Shigehito Takayanagi |
Written by | Hideyuki Kurata |
Music by | Hayato Matsuo |
Studio | Manglobe |
Released | September 16, 2011 |
Runtime | 24 minutes |
Original video animation | |
The World God Only Knows: Tenri-Hen | |
Directed by | Shigehito Takayanagi |
Written by | Hideyuki Kurata |
Music by | Hayato Matsuo |
Studio | Manglobe |
Released | October 16, 2012 – December 18, 2012 |
Episodes | 2 |
Manga | |
Magical Star Kanon 100% | |
Written by | Tamiki Wakaki |
Published by | Shogakukan |
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Sunday |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | March 27, 2013 – April 10, 2013 |
Original video animation | |
Magical Star Kanon 100% | |
Directed by | Mitsuko Kase |
Written by | Yūko Kawabe |
Music by | Hayato Matsuo |
Studio | Manglobe |
Released | June 18, 2013 |
Runtime | 24 minutes |
Anime television series | |
The World God Only Knows: Goddesses | |
Directed by | Satoshi Ōsedo |
Written by | Hideyuki Kurata |
Music by | Hayato Matsuo |
Studio | Manglobe |
Original network | TV Tokyo, TVO, TSC, TVQ, TVh, TV Aichi |
Original run | July 8, 2013 – September 23, 2013 |
Episodes | 12 |
The World God Only Knows (神のみぞ知るセカイ, Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai), abbreviated as Kaminomi (神のみ),[2][3] is a manga series written and illustrated by Tamiki Wakaki. The manga has been serialized in the Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine by Shogakukan since April 9, 2008, with individual chapters collected into 25 tankōbon volumes as of March 2014. The prototype version of the story was first featured as a one-shot in Weekly Shōnen Sunday on its 2007 Issue 32 release, and was titled "Koishite!? Kami-sama!!" (恋して!? 神様). The 2010 Issue #19 of Weekly Shōnen Sunday announced an anime adaptation. The anime aired from October 6 to December 22, 2010. A second season aired from April 12 to June 28, 2011, and a third season began airing from July 8, 2013 to September 23, 2013.
Plot
Warning: Contains spoilers.
Keima Katsuragi, a second-year high school student, is an avid player of gal games (video games that involve interactions with anime-styled pretty girls). He is known on the Internet as "The God of Conquests" (落とし神, Otoshi-gami) for his legendary skills to be able to "conquer" any 2D girl in games. However, in his actual school life, Keima is called otamegane (オタメガネ), a derogatory portmanteau of the two words otaku (オタク) and megane (メガネ, "glasses"), and is considered nothing but an intelligent yet gloomy geek with glasses.
At the start of the series, Keima receives an e-mail offering him a contract to "conquer" girls. When he accepts, thinking it is an invitation to a game challenge, a cute demon from Hell named Elsie appears: a Spirit Hunter. She asks for his cooperation to help her in catching the evil spirits that have escaped to the Human Realm: the "Loose Souls", which were once Old Demons from Hell. These evil spirits hide themselves inside the hearts of people (in their case, girls), feeding off the hosts' negative emotions to replenish their power and strength, in becoming whole demons once again (which in turn, the host becomes an empty shell of a person). Elsie suggests that the only method to force the evil spirits out is by "conquering" the girls hearts, making them fall in love with him and filling up the gaps which the escaped evil spirits hide in, in which she is then able to capture them. Interested only in video game girls, however, Keima is appalled by the idea, and refuses the assignment as he has no romantic real life experiences whatsoever. Nevertheless, with the contract already agreed, Keima has no choice but to help Elsie no matter what, as they will be beheaded by an invisible (to others) purple collar around their necks if they fail.
After winning the hearts of several girls (and capturing the spirits residing in them), Keima and Elsie are given an even greater mission: to awaken the six goddesses who are daughters of the god Jupiter, the "Jupiter Sisters". Each sister is dormant in the heart of a girl among those they have previously helped, thus Keima must locate them and conquer their hearts a second time, as all girls had their memories of falling in love with him erased. However, the time for Keima to awaken and assemble all goddesses is limited as he must do so to prevent an imminent invasion of the human realm by a rebellious group of demons called "Vintage".
After Vintage's plans are thwarted, Keima starts seeing visions of a child who is somewhat familiar to him, and the goddesses send Keima and Elsie to the past with the task of helping her. According to them, the future of the entire world depends on their success, although they were fed with little to no information about the nature of their mission. Upon arriving there, they team up with a mysterious girl who apparently has some connection with Dokurou, Elsie's superior in the underworld, and Keima discovers that several occurrences in the past are different from what he remembers, leading to a tragic chain of events that he must avert to ensure that the present stays unaltered.
Once his final mission is completed, Keima is relieved from the collar and allowed to return to his normal life. Elsie chooses to remain by his side, altering the memories of everyone around them to be recognized as Keima's sister and a proper member of his family, while Keima himself chooses one of the girls he conquered during his journey to be his girlfriend for real.
In addition to Keima's romantic comedy adventures, the series makes fun of and parodies common, and popular cliches about dating sims, anime character stereotypes, and pop culture.
Media
Manga
The World God Only Knows is written and illustrated by Tamiki Wakaki, serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday since April 9, 2008.[4] Wakaki created a prototype version of the story which debuted as a one-shot in Weekly Shōnen Sunday 2007 Issue 32 and was titled, "Koishite!? Kami-sama!!" (恋して!? 神様!!).[5] Publication is ongoing in Japan by Shogakukan; the first tankōbon was released on July 11, 2008, and as of March 18, 2014, 25 volumes have been released.[6][7] A 3-chapter spin-off series, titled Magical Star Kanon 100% (マジカル☆スターかのん100%), portrayaing Kanon Nakagawa as a magical girl ran in Weekly Shonen Sunday from March 27, to April 10, 2013. The series was published along with additional chapters in a book, bundled with the limited edition of the 21st volume of the main series, released on April 16, 2013.[8]
The series is licensed in South Korea by Haksan Culture Company, and the first two volumes of the series has been simultaneously released on August 2009 with limited edition supplement for each.[9]
Light novel
A light novel entitled The World God Only Knows―God and the Devil and an Angel (神のみぞ知るセカイ―神と悪魔と天使, Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai Kami to Akuma to Tenshi), written by Mamizu Arisawa and illustrated by Tamiki Wakaki, was released on May 19, 2009, published by Shogakukan under their Gagaga Bunko label.[10] The novel features a completely original story, disparate from the series, with original novel characters.
A second light novel entitled The World God Only Knows 2 Prayer and Curse and Miracle (神のみぞ知るセカイ 2 祈りと呪いとキセキ, Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai Inori to Noroi to Kiseki) was released on May 18, 2010.[11]
Anime
The anime adaptation was officially announced in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday 2010 Issue #19.[12] It was announced that script writer Hideyuki Kurata, character designer Watanabe Akio, and director Shigehito Takayanagi would be working on the project.[13][14] The studio in charge of the animation is Manglobe.[15] A prologue OVA episode was released and bundled together with the tenth manga volume on September 17, 2010.[16] On September 18, 2010, Crunchyroll announced the anime would be streaming online on their site.[17] The anime aired on TV Tokyo from October 6 to December 22, 2010,[18] with the second season airing from April 11 to June 28, 2011. A second OVA episode, titled Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai: 4-nin to Idol (神のみぞ知るセカイ 4人とアイドル, "The World God Only Knows: 4 Girls and an Idol"), was released on a DVD, bundled together with the fourteen manga volume on September 16, 2011.[19] At Anime Weekend Atlanta 2011, Sentai Filmworks announced that they have licensed both seasons of the anime in North America and will release the first season on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in January 2012.[20] A third OVA, titled Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai: Tenri-Hen (神のみぞ知るセカイ 天理篇, "The World God Only Knows: Tenri Arc"), was released in two parts with the 19th and 20th volumes of the manga, on October 16 and December 18, 2012.[21][22] A third season of the anime and a spin-off OVA based on the character Kanon were announced in the 2013's combined 2nd and 3rd issues of Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine.[23] The spin-off is titled Magical Star Kanon 100% (マジカル☆スター かのん100%) and was released bundled with the 22nd volume of the manga on June 18, 2013.[24] The third season, titled The World God Only Knows: Goddesses (神のみぞ知るセカイ 女神篇, Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai: Megami-Hen), began airing on TV Tokyo on July 8, 2013, and was simulcasted on Crunchyroll.[25]
Reception
The third volume of The World God Only Knows was the fourth highest-selling tankōbon in Japan on the Oricon Comic Chart for the week of January 13 and January 19, 2009, with over 50,500 copies sold that week.[26] The following week, it was the twenty-first highest-selling manga volume in Japan, having sold 30,600 copies the week of January 20 and January 26, 2009. As of January 2009, the third manga volume have sold about 81,100 copies.[27]
Carlo Santos of Anime News Network reviewed the anime's first season and gave it a B where he was surprised how much he enjoyed the great storyline despite its plot description alone might be off putting to some saying, "By most expectations, anything involving ditzy demon girls and gaming-obsessed geekboys and a rotating lineup of high school beauties should have been the stuff of critical derision. Yet the show's sharp sense of humor, honest emotions, and polished production values prove that working with familiar clichés doesn't have to result in a clichéd product. With the right prodding and poking, any anime series can indeed become greater than the sum of its parts."[28]
References
- ^ "The World God Only Knows Manga Gets New Video Anime". Anime News Network. June 10, 2011.
- ^ As seen on Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine.
- ^ 2008, April 25-Tamiki Wakaki's blog Template:Ja icon The author also acknowledged Kamishiru (神しる), Misoshiru (みそしる), Kamiseka (神セカ) as alternative abbreviation
- ^ Wakaki, Tamiki (2008-04-09). "4/9:孫悟空の髪の毛のごとく。" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2009-07-26.
- ^ Wakaki, Tamiki (2007-07-25). "7/25:外れメール送信終わりました。" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2009-07-28.
- ^ "神のみぞ知るセカイ 24 クリアファイルセット付き限定版" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
- ^ "神のみぞ知るセカイ 24" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
- ^ "神のみぞ知るセカイ 21 マジカル☆スターかのん100%コミックス付" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2013-06-18.
- ^ "Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai question" (in Korean). Haksan Culture Company. 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2009-07-21. [dead link]
- ^ "Shogakukan : 神のみぞ知るセカイ" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
- ^ "Shogakukan : 神のみぞ知るセカイ2" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
- ^ "Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai Manga Gets Anime Green-Lit". Anime News Network. April 2, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
- ^ 2010, May 14 - Announced at Tamiki Wakaki's blog Template:Ja icon
- ^ As seen on Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine 2010 Issue #25, #26.
- ^ As seen on Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine 2010 Issue #27.
- ^ "The World God Only Knows Manga to Bundle Anime DVD". Anime News Network. August 4, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- ^ "Crunchyroll Adds Squid Girl, KamiNomi, Letter Bee 2". Anime News Network. September 18, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- ^ "Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai's 2nd Season Listed for April 2011". Anime News Network. October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
- ^ "The World Only God Knows Manga Gets New Video Anime". Anime News Network. June 10, 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ^ "Sentai Filmworks Licenses Towa no Quon, The World God Only Knows". Anime News Network. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- ^ "神のみぞ知るセカイ 19 OVA付限定版 (少年サンデーコミックス)" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ "神のみぞ知るセカイ 20 DVD付特別版 (特品)" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ "The World God Only Knows Anime Gets 3rd Season & Spinoff OVA". Anime News Network. December 7, 2012. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
- ^ "The World God Only Knows' New OVA Slated for June 18". Anime News Network. March 11, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ "Crunchyroll to Stream More World God Only Knows, Silver Spoon, Makai Ouji". Anime News Network. July 6, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
- ^ "Japanese Comic Ranking, January 13–19". Anime News Network. 2009-01-21. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
- ^ "Japanese Comic Ranking, January 20–26". Anime News Network. 2009-01-28. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
- ^ "The World God Only Knows Episodes 1-12 streaming". Anime News Network. 2011-01-23. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
External links
- Manga series
- 2008 manga
- 2010 anime OVAs
- 2010 anime television series debuts
- 2011 anime television series debuts
- 2011 anime OVAs
- 2012 anime OVAs
- 2013 manga
- 2013 anime OVAs
- 2013 anime television series debuts
- 2009 novels
- 2010 anime television series
- 2011 anime television series
- 2013 anime television series
- Comedy anime and manga
- Fantasy anime and manga
- Gagaga Bunko
- Harem anime and manga
- Hideyuki Kurata
- Light novels
- Sentai Filmworks
- Shogakukan manga
- Shōnen manga
- TV Tokyo shows
- Manglobe