Tag Archives: The World God Only Knows

The World God Only Knows S3 – Episode 9

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Who’s ready for some tears? I’m ready for some tears. Keima’s been getting away with this date-juggling for too long, and I think it’s time for the hammer to fall. Bring on the waterworks.

Episode 9

0:12 – It begins!  You might not like what you find, Ayumi!

2:49 – Oh god that expression.  Yeah, I know that feeling.

Chihiro is maybe the only capture-girl Keima actually seems to have real conversations with, and not just lines from that archetype’s script. I guess that’s the consequence of her being defined as the “normal” girl

3:07 – Jeez, this scene is really good.  Most romantic comedies that actually want you to care about the romance can’t pull together scenes this refreshingly grounded and honest

…yeah, you know what I’m talking about 

3:47 – NO!  BAD Katsuragi! We do not shove girls onto benches!

3:59 – Keima seems even more shook up than usual.  And look, he’s learned about consent!

4:15 – ABORT. ABORT.  Man, now I don’t want any delicious tears. These two are actually pretty adorable together

5:37 – HOLY SHIT KEIMA YOU TREMENDOUS ASSHOLE.  Keima plz no

5:59 – NO it is NOT oh my GOD be a decent person 

6:37 – She actually likes Katsuragi , and not one of his endless variations on debonair MC-kun. A new experience for him

7:42 – Ermahgerd this is such a good direction to take this.  Keima’s greatest challenge – a girl who likes him for him

8:35 – KEIMA NO FORGET THE GODDESSES THIS IS TRUE WUV 

8:40 – Keima no stop u breakin my heart 

8:55 – KEIMA WHYYYYY 

WHYYYYY 

WHYYYY 

WHYYYokay I’ll stop 

9:56 – Seriously holy shit this scene.  That was awful.

10:22 – Don’t even try it Keima . This is gonna be one satisfying slap

10:35 – Aw man even better.  HIT HIM AGAIN

Incidentally, I realize Keima’s working for the ostensible “greater good” here, but… fuck it, HIT HIM AGAIN

10:55 – Aw, Keima.  His position really is pretty terrible

11:58 – Oh goddamnit Diana , can’t you see Keima is not in the mood? 

12:23 – This is actually how goddesses think love science works 

13:03 – This scene is pretty great . Diana is a bad friend

14:00 – Is Keima even going to be able to go back to games after this arc?  Chihiro has pretty definitely shown the consequences of toying with people like this

14:16 – Suffering yesss 

20:50 – Oh right the plot has to go somewhere once we’ve found the goddesses 

21:35 – IT’S ALL CONNECTED . I actually love the silliness of these deductions

21:57 – Brilliant! 

And Done

Christ. That was even more tragic than I could have imagined. Goddamn was that Chihiro scene exhausting.

It’s nice to see Keima actually cracking, and also being forced to do some legitimately horrible things for the sake of the mission. Apparently toying with people’s emotions isn’t all fun and games after all!

Summer 2013 – Week 8 in Review

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Because both story structure and the 1-cour system are kinda inflexible, this week pulled the interesting trick of having almost every single show I’m watching put their protagonist through the emotional wringer, questioning their very base motivation and bringing them as close to “defeat” (relative to each story’s stakes) as possible. Fun times!

Uchouten Kazoku 8: Jeez, you thought last week’s episode was heavy? This week dove directly into the grieving process, exploring the brothers’ father more fully than ever before through a series of quirky and moving flashbacks. Yajirou’s relevant backstory was fully laid out, culminating in the beautiful image of a rail car terrorizing downtown Kyoto and fading with the haunting shot of the family standing on the roadside, waiting for their father to come home. Even Yasaburou was forced to reflect on his relationship with his father, and possibly acknowledge that he must take up the mantle of responsibility simply because no one else can. Still on track to be the fourth anime in my list of basically perfect shows.

Gatchaman Crowds 7: Another doozy. Hajime pointing out Rui’s hypocrisy pushes him to Do The Right Thing and directly confront Katze. And so his Hundred are murdered, he’s nearly killed himself, and the Gatchamen’s chain of command is shattered. Only Hajime is able to save them, and even then only because her intelligence and philosophy amuse Katze. But even she is shaken by the appearance of a character who seems to put the lie to her fundamental faith in our common goals and desire for connection and understanding. Rui chose to forego his own ideals in order to hopefully create a future worthy of them. Will Hajime be forced to do the same?

Monogatari S2 7: Man, I act all cool and brooding about this season’s two Anime Worth Discussing, and then we get to Monogatari which was all derping around with loli Hanekawa and making terrible decisions about time travel. So far, this new arc has been much more comedy-focused than the first, which is fine as long as the comedy is good, and Araragi/Shinobu still have a fantastic dynamic. This episode was entertaining for what it was, but I’ll be happy to get into the meat of this time travel nonsense next week, and discover exactly how badly these idiots have fucked everything up.

C3-bu 8: Back to frowntown for this one, as Yura’s incredible insecurity has led her to first prove her worth to the team at any cost, and now seek victory in the same way. Cheating? Why, I never. I find pretty much everything about this show outside of Yura’s character development pretty flat (routine plotting, workmanly direction and dialogue), so it’s fortunate that they’re doing such solid work with her arc.

Free 8: And wrapping up my “everything sucks for everyone” roundup, this week featured Haru feeling really sad about not winning at swimming. Aaand not much else – the very distinctive direction from last week has been tuned down again, so once again it’s mainly watchable because I make silly jokes the whole time. I sure am excited for KyoAni’s next show…

TWGOK S3 8: I think this show’s turn will come next week, when Keima’s overt two-timing blows up in his face, but this show has always been more episodic anyway. Regardless, this particular week was mainly a rearrange-the-board style episode, setting up pieces to be knocked down in the next couple episodes. That’s fine, that’s sometimes necessary, but it’s not the kind of episode that shines in a weekly context.

So yeah, kind of a downer week overall, but the shows I’m invested in are still doing their thing with aplomb. As long as 2-3 shows continue to impress me, I’m happy.

The World God Only Knows S3 – Episode 8

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Oh right, I knew I had something important to do today. Watch a silly harem comedy and overanalyze its self-aware takedowns of genre craft.

Episode 8

0:10 – This show is extremely silly . Was Haqua and Elsie’s entire graduating class female?

2:13 – Man, Keima does so much work to make this more watchable than your garden-variety harem. Most harem leads are such milquetoast self-insert “nice guy” nobodies that it immediately strains credulity that a handful of girls would all suddenly fall in love with them. It makes the power fantasy angle kind of overwhelmingly evident, it makes for a set of totally unbelievable female characters, and it results in regularly stilted and repetitive banter. Keima, on the other hand, always works to make himself some kind of bizarre anime-negaverse brand of charming, and he always knows exactly what he wants. That lends itself to more distinctive little dramatic arcs, better banter, and much more believable romantic progression.

Plus the show both doesn’t get caught in static love drama and also draws great humor from the distance between anime character psychology and human psychology. Which is kinda key, since taking any of this seriously as actual romance swiftly leads to dark places .

3:19 – What self-respecting Hell government bureau doesn’t have a gift shop? 

6:37 – Why is that doll so funny 

6:48 – Life is suffering for Keima 

8:42 – Well this is different 

9:57 – Thank god for Keima’s anime-logic universe . If this were the real world, he’d be screwed

10:30 – Man, these wings keep getting easier and easier

13:27 – Nora’s doing  a great Varys impression 

16:31 – His strategies are almost immediately defeated  by any girl who isn’t introverted/isolated. Kind of a limited power

16:42 – Meaning the goddess isn’t inside Chihiro, and things are going to get extremely messy 

19:33 – TWGOK keeps it classy 

20:05 – Oh god, this is gonna be so bad. He’s gonna make some big play, and it’ll actually work, but she won’t have a goddess, so gaaahhhhh man I’m uncomfortable just thinking about it

And Done

Welp, this is gonna end miserably. Brace for impact, folks

Summer 2013 – Week 7 in Review

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Management: I think a lot of people find this format more friendly/useful than the timestamp writeups, and I write these things either way, so I think I’ll be posting them here going forward. Also, feel free to let me know anything you’d like more of in the comments.

This week was so good. My top two shows for this season are swiftly becoming two of my all-time favorites, and both of them had fantastic turns this week that seemed to indicate a honing of focus for the second half. Those first:

Uchouten Kazoku 7: This episode got me right in the gut. It started off extremely strong, with one last beautiful Benten vignette before returning the focus to the brothers. But the key here was the ending. This whole episode, the perspective shifted subtly but in a crucial way – while Yasaburou was still prominent, the focus this week was on illuminating the various sides of his put-upon older brother, Yaichirou. Seeing the contrast in his behavior towards the professor (calm, deferential), his rivals (confident, authoritative), and his brothers (childish, honest) really drove home the fact that his family is the one thing he truly relies on and lowers his guard towards. Which made the final scene, when his brother confessed to his role in their father’s death, absolutely heartbreaking. Yaichirou starts off essentially begging his brother to be innocent, and falls apart with a cry and collapse when he is let down. Right now, the political issues are secondary – this is Yaichirou realizing the one thing he trusts cannot be relied on. In a narrative sense, this moment clearly points towards what conflicts will cloud the second half of this show. But in its own context, it is one more incredibly personal and relatable moment in a show absolutely brimming with them, and its tragedy does nothing to diminish its beauty.

God, I hope this show maintains this quality to the end. So far I think it’s a goddamn masterpiece.

Gatchaman Crowds 6: Not to be outdone (by much, seriously, that Kazoku episode killed me), Gatchaman Crowds pulled out all the stops this week. The cliffhanger meeting from last week was delayed only so the existence of Gatchamen could become public knowledge, and the repercussions of this were as predictable as they were awesome. While the Gatchamen went to ground, Rui was forced to act – the existence of actual superheroes would throw a serious wrench in his “everyone’s a hero, no-one’s a hero” master plan. And so he arranges a meeting with Hajime through a fun set piece demonstrating the power of GALAX, ending with a clash where Hajime takes all of five minutes to acknowledge, question, and dismantle Rui’s philosophy. Hajime ain’t nothing to fuck with. Sugane and Hajime’s relationship also progressed this episode, with Sugane finally getting it through his thick skull that Hajime is far smarter than any of them. This show is heating up.

Monogatari S2 6: It sure is tough being the first seed in a season with two of the best dark horses in recent history. This episode of Monogatari got a bit too indulgent and pointlessly Isin-ish in the first half, but the second half was a lot of fun. Shinobu’s lack of fucks regarding the dynamics of time travel, and Araragi’s extremely valid and well-thought-out concerns (which he only mentions after the fact, of course, because at the time a girl had said she needed his help), made for an extremely entertaining ride. These two have one of my favorite dynamics in the show, and sending them off on a buddy cop time travel story promises all kinds of great shenanigans.

Free! 7: Thank god. Last week’s slice of life tedium feels thoroughly behind us, because this week saw a new episode director (the one behind K-On and Tamako Market, surprisingly) inject a massive infusion of visual distinction and purpose into the proceedings. Great direction and cinematography throughout this week, and virtually everything that happened was purposeful. This show’s narrative is absolute pap, but good direction can make almost anything compelling, and this episode proved that. Nice work, Free.

TWGOK S3 7: One of the funniest episodes yet for TWGOK, with this episode attempting to pull a double-booked-date double-seduction hat trick (yes, I know a hat trick involves three things, shut up). Not much else to say – last week disappointed me because it played the romantic scenario too straight, and this week bashed two or three romantic scenarios together at the same time, with Keima continuously ratcheting up his ambition despite barely being able to stand. This is comedy I can get behind.

C3-bu 7: Eh, I’m just enjoying this show for what it is at this point. This episode was pleasant, and the characters were pleasant, and the pacing was pleasant. Yura slowly becoming a moesoft tyrant is pretty great, and her characterization is well-realized. It’s a show with middling ambitions that pretty much always hits the mark.

Hunter x Hunter 93: This show is so great. This week transitioned from a tyrannical genetic mutant establishing a human meat farm to… a teenage boy tailing his friend on a date to watch out for any funny business. And it worked. It always works. I don’t know how they do it, but this show is fun and fast-paced and well-directed and full of creative ideas or great twists on old ones every single time.

So yeah. Almost everything was excellent this week. No complaints from me.

The World God Only Knows S3 – Episode 7

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Alright, one goddess to go, let’s get to it.

Episode 7

0:24 – What Elsie’s been up to: Established 

4:56 – I like how Keima himself has no silly pride outside of his game-mastery. Since he’s not really dealing with emotional issues any more, he’s basically just making himself a different kind of moe  for each of the girls

9:15 – His dark powers grow stronger 

10:22 – Think faster, Lelouch 

12:24 – Wow, he’s really reaching.  Well, everyone in this world is a stereotype anyway, I’m sure it’ll work out

13:19 – I figured after the last two episodes that we were done with all the wacky double-date shenanigans, but they are seriously committing to this one. But that particular romcom scenario never tends to end well…

13:55 – I don’t even…  See, normally these scenes play out with the protagonist (man or woman, this cliche is gender-neutral) simply trying to keep the two dates from running into each other. Here, he’s perfectly happy trying to seduce everyone simultaneously.  Goddamn, Keima

15:14 – This scene is amazing 

18:44 – I think he’s earned a beating this time 

18:57 – Fortunately for Keima, characters in this game-world are entirely incapable of reading moods or subtext 

And Done

Welp, Keima’s fucked. He got too ambitious and deservedly had it blow up in his face. Ayumi being an adult about the situation is going to make his secret harem ending pretty difficult – apparently dating three members of the same band is just one too many.

Great episode. It was one of the funniest of the season, both because he and Ayumi have a great dynamic and because the wacky misunderstanding double-booked-date hat trick is inherently ridiculous. That approach also answered my biggest complaint about last week’s episode, which was that it played its simple romcom narrative extremely straight – this week started off with one cliche (the sick visit), rudely merged it into another (the double-booked-date), and then had Keima actually attempt to double-win the date, which is completely insane and also extremely Keima. Better luck next time, Lelouch.

Summer 2013 Halfway Point: Season So Far

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Management: Sequel to this post. My general thoughts so far on the winners, losers, and casualties of my summer season.

This has been a very good season, and though there hasn’t been anything I enjoy as much as I enjoyed OreGairu in the spring, I think the top show is technically better this time. But the top tier is really good all around. In descending order:

Continue reading →

Summer 2013 Halfway Point: Week in Review

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Management: Speculatively calling this the first half of a two-parter on the summer season. This half will focus on the specific episodes that have marked the halfway point in my schedule (I’ll probably add in Monogatari after it airs), and the upcoming one will cover my thoughts on the overall series so far.

So! Halfway through the summer season, and there really haven’t been any crazy upsets so far. My top tier is still Uchouten Kazoku, Gatchaman Crowds, and Monogatari, but I’m enjoying the also-rans as well. Let’s check in on what the crap everybody was doing this week.

Free! 6

This episode felt kinda tedious to me. I think this show has pretty much only three things that make it watchable to me:

  • The concept is funny and results in some cute subversions of genre tropes
  • It’s very pretty and the direction is occasionally inspired
  • The better episodes are actually very funny in their own right

Unfortunately, this week focused on the character relationships, and KyoAni’s slice of life characters are always too thin to afford compelling character drama. I mean, I love character-focused stuff, it’s my favorite thing, but for character-focused stuff to be compelling you need characters with a little more depth than “the genki one,” “the glasses-pusher,” etc. Bleh.

Uchouten Kazoku 6

I didn’t like this episode as much as the last two, but its first and last acts were still tremendous and heartfelt and beautiful. However, the centerpiece of this episode was a long conversation that I’m frankly still trying to figure out. Tanukis being eaten by humans (and that just being accepted as something that happens sometimes) has always been the point of greatest disconnect between this show’s fantastical flourishes and sharply grounded character conflicts, and this episode basically dove directly into that disconnect, presenting a long monologue by the mild-mannered but strongly pro-tanuki-eating professor, complete with a flashback where Yasaburou’s father displays absolute complacency towards being eaten, and only professes a hope that he doesn’t ruin an otherwise agreeable hot-pot. And Yasaburou is pretty much charmed by him!

I just don’t know how to square this – perhaps on a thematic level eventually all these contrasting viewpoints will fit into neat holes regarding the value of a life well-lived (we’re actually pretty close to that point, I think), but on a more practical character-empathy level, I just can’t relate to the way these characters treat the tanuki-eating. Which is frustrating, since this show is normally incredibly good at grounding its fantasy in universal human emotion. So while I can’t say this was a “bad” episode, it was certainly a tough one for me to wrap my head around.

C3-bu 6

C3-bu is also turning out to be more slice of life than I could have hoped for, but fortunately this show is more fun in concept, more creative in execution, more regularly funny, more dramatically sound, and populated with much better characters than Free. I’m actually just enjoying this show on its own merits at this point – Yura’s personal issues are being handled with more grace and thoughtfulness than I expected, and it really knows how to handle either a fantasy-world or standard gag setpiece. You’ve won me over, moesoft.

The World God Only Knows S3 6

TWGOK slowed down the pace this week, which I guess is fitting for the Shiori episode. Shiori’s inner monologue was both funny and relatable, and her own fantasy-world imaginings are always great, but this story itself felt far more lazy and convenient than this season has been so far. I feel this show’s strengths are its humor and its habit of pointing out and subverting cliche story structures, but this one just played entirely by the book – Keima’s plan was very simple and it worked perfectly. It was perfectly watchable, but I was still kinda disappointed.

Attack on Titan 18

This episode was definitely a step down from the previous two (which I very much enjoyed), and felt a bit like one of Trost’s renowned “oh shit this story doesn’t correlate to our number of episodes let’s check in with everybody maybe take five for a flashback and move the plot forward seven inches” episodes. The first half was more excitement with the female titan, who’s apparently beginning to favor some style in her kills, but the second half consisted of people getting up into some trees and wondering why they were in them. I’m not worried, since the female titan represents a much more immediate threat than Eren not remembering he was human or the giant boulder ever did, and this show is still leagues better in its second half, but that second half was still not particularly engaging stuff.

Hunter x Hunter 92

This arc has gone totally nuts, and this episode was a nuts cherry on a nuts cake. Desperate giant-ant surgery was witnessed, vows of parenthood and brotherhood were made, and now a minor army of powerful monsters with hallucinogen-prompted designs have begun spreading out to conquer the world. This show is basically my definition of entertainment.

Gatchaman Crowds 5

This show never lacks for ambition, does it? This episode focused on the not-so-secretly most important character, Rui, and had him basically set out his thesis statement on his ideal, communal, utterly crowdsourced society. Showing its usual respect for easy answers, this speech was immediately shut down by one of his subordinates rightly calling him a naive, idealistic fool, and promptly hanging up on Rui to go play with his adorable daughter.

Rui’s plan has always had a number of internal inconsistencies, with his belief in a human nature that’s far less reliable than he thinks certainly being one, but another being the fact that for all his rhetoric regarding the death of heroes and the equality of his system, he is king of his powers. He decides when they’re used, he pulls the trigger, he is judge jury and executioner. This episode was the breaking point on that internal tension, when the collapsing tunnel finally prompted him to make himself the hero-celebrity he’s never wanted to be. Now he’s finally going to come into direct contact with Hajime, who is perhaps the only human being who truly represents the spirit of community his hundred were supposed to embody. This show just keeps getting better and better.

And the rest

Monogatari was a recap this week, and I’ve officially dropped Watamote – the show seems to really not have any aspirations outside of humorously and deservedly dumping on Tomoko, and that’s just not too compelling to me. I’m very excited for next week, though – a new arc in Monogatari, a new day in Uchouten Kazoku, and the long-awaited confrontation of Gatchaman’s two leads promises plenty of action, excitement, and thoughtful understated character drama. My favorite things!

 

The World God Only Knows S3 – Episode 6

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Well, last episode was funny and unique and pretty adorable. We now have two goddesses left, with in my opinion the girls from the first and second seasons’ most memorable arcs possibly hosting them. But as long as Keima keeps up his business-time Lelouch impression, I’ll probably be happy whatever this episode does.

Episode 6

1:42 – Shiori’s got some fairly understanding priorities there. Dating other men while crossdressing is pretty much fine, but breaking your promise? 

2:21 – It does somewhat strain credulity to think any of these unrealistically prim high school girls aren’t more worried about the glaring gaps in their memories . Because obviously I watch this show for its grounded narrative consistency

2:26 – Of course Shiori would get the loli goddess 

4:38 – Is Keima just pot committed to crossdressing  at this point? Or does he just feel more comfortable in a skirt now? Whatever dude, just askin’

4:43 – The ultimate betrayal.  Seriously though Shiori, I know that feel – give someone your manuscript and you expect a little goddamn courtesy

5:06 – Shiori’s arguments with herself are awesome . Like Watamote if Tomoko weren’t creepy and hateful

5:40 – Well there’s one explanation. Keima’s finally fuckin’ lost it 

6:27 – Keima timed this out well 

7:32 – Shiori hides in books, is amazed at a system that allows her to avoid human contact while ordering, and considers a good meal the best reason to be alive. This story’s starting to hit a little too close to home…

8:57 – Keima – once the distant and lofty protagonist assisted by the fawning Elsie, now proudly declaring victory in a wig, flanked by the indifferent Haqua . How far he’s come

11:46 – Don’t we all . So this is an episode about storytelling within a show that is itself a satire based on storytelling conventions, apparently

13:18 – “Writing is impossible unless I get a flash of inspiration.” Hate to tell you, Shiori, but writing doesn’t actually work that way

13:51 – Shiori’s sections are a lot of fun . This season has been such a step up from the first two in general

15:41 – Wrong attitude, Shiori . You don’t have to write about yourself, but fiction is inherently narcissistic – if you’re going to push yourself through hundreds of pages and months of editing, you have to believe your thoughts are goddamn fascinating. Don’t give me this self-pitying shit!

16:35 – “Katsuragi-kuuuUuUuuUUuuun!” Her constantly breaking voice is pretty great

20:02 – Hm. Well, Shiori, I admire the effort, but… frankly, I agree with your first instincts. Your life is incredibly boring

20:44 – Oh come on Keima, don’t patronize the poor girl . Can we get a second opinion  here?

And Done

Eh, that was okay. More of a conventional story than Yui’s, and with none of the manic energy of the earlier parts. Shiori’s inner monologue was the standout here, I think – the story’s actual resolution felt kinda bland to me, and too much like one of the routine stories this show is normally about taking apart. But Shiori’s a very fun character to follow, and I still enjoyed this episode. Onward!

The World God Only Knows S3 – Episode 5

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The saga of Lelouch and the Seven Goddesses continues. Or is it six? Crap. Can’t remember. Anyway. I find motivated but put-upon and aggravated Keima far more amusing than generally disinterested Keima, so I’ve been loving these past couple episodes. Unlike most shows with allegedly smart protagonists, this show makes no secret of the fact that he’s surrounded by idiots – in fact, his living in a world where people are so simple that dating sim rules actually apply is pretty much the entire point. His dealing with the tiresome fact that everyone will inevitably fall in love with him has been pretty recently fantastic. Don’t worry, Keima. We’ve all obviously been there.

Episode 5

0:42 – “You’re not dating all my sisters, are you?”  “Meh, can’t say.” Keima don’t give a fuck

1:01 – KEIMA DON’T GIVE A FUCK 

3:24 – I love this show for its’ sophisticated humor 

3:36 – Keima’s flawless shy tsundere  impression

5:15 – Oh god 

6:02 – Apparently!  There’s just something about  this season 

7:20 – I guess the rest of the class is taking this  pretty well

11:17 – Wow, Keima can actually activate his own shoujo sparkles 

11:41 – Yui brings out all of Keima’s best faces 

12:19 – Keima should do all his scheming in one of those ridiculous maid headbands 

13:12 – “Mom and Dad are so busy, I never get a home-cooked meal… I’m so happy I could cry.” Oh man, pulling out that plot angle, eh? She might be better than you, Keima 

13:26 – Don’t worry Keima, I’m sure you’ll get used to it 

14:17 – Do anime hoodlums practice that expression in the mirror or something?  Is there a handbook for that sort of thing?

16:26 – “On the battlefield?” “Well, it’s ancient history now.” Because it’s literally ancient history. 

18:01 – Jeez, this is one elaborate ride! 

18:16 – Oh, it’s demons. That makes more sense

19:06 – This is awesome. I figured they’d just be making straight gags out of the Yui/Keima gender role stuff, but now Yui is actually fighting to save a catatonic princess Keima from the forces of hell. Rock on

19:51 – Oh shit Keima you so crafty

And Done

Right, and their teacher is just hanging out on the roof. That’s where I do all my foreboding contemplation.

Anyway, that episode was again pretty great, mainly because the Yui/Keima dynamic is way more interesting than the standard captures. Because of this, it worked well despite pulling back from the capture-juggling of the last two episodes. We’re kind of running out of Goddesses to capture at this point, so I guess we’re nearing the point where all the hell nonsense becomes relevant again. I’m not sure how they’ll handle that drama, but I’m mainly interested in seeing Keima as the leader of a hell-fighting team entirely composed of goddesses representing girls who want to jump his bones. That seems… complicated.

The World God Only Knows S3 – Episode 4

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Last episode was probably the most entertaining and fast-paced episode of the series so far, with its’ only competition being the library arc from the first season. Whatever they had to do to get us to this arc, it seems to be working.

Episode 4

2:28 – I have to admit I’m kind of a sucker for Shiori’s embarrassed gurgling noises

3:01 – SO CONFLICTED. Shiori’s storyline is actually adorable, but the more any of these characters step outside of their archetypes and become likable as distinct characters, the more the fact that this is essentially a harem becomes an actual problem for the storytelling (unless you want a School Days on your hands). It’s a Catch-22 of good character writing being almost fundamentally incompatible with the kind of silly, flippant genre satire that makes this show work. You can’t have your parody and eat it too – and parodies generally don’t taste very good, anyway

3:35 – “It’s really interesting, can I read the rest?” Regularly lying and manipulating people for the greater good? No problem. But praising bad storytelling? Keima, what have you become?

5:24 – Man, Shiori’s gonna be piiiissed. She might even shake her fist half-heartedly or something

5:45 – “It’s not trying to hurt me!” Splat

6:36 – Man, one minute I’m complaining about the show’s format, the next Keima’s getting called on his shit by a creepy floating doll. Well played, TWGOK

6:43 – “She’s pretty observant for a doll.” Are you accustomed to dolls being somewhat less observant?

7:18 – “You better clean up the mess you made!” And then we got a shot of her actually diligently putting the books away

8:54 – “You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with those other girls. Luna, get rid of him!” Sorry Keima, I’m siding with the doll on this one

9:28 – I like the contrast between the angry goddess ranting and the blank-faced doll just zooming around wildly

9:45 – “I’ll grind you to paste!” “That’s not very beautiful. Are you really Tsukiyo’s partner?” Trust Keima to be more concerned with the shoddy character dynamic than the death threats

10:29 – Oh COME ON. Damnit ladies, pull yourselves together!

10:36 – “It was fate.” “WHAT? YOU hit on ME, DICK.” This episode’s pretty fantastic

10:59 – “KISS ME.” Just hit him again, Tsukiyo

12:53 – “This man cannot know I exist.” I’d probably have advised against announcing your name and title before attacking him with telepathic powers then

13:20 – I guess awakening your goddess powers feels, uh, pretty good

14:08 – “I wonder who issued that order?” Haqua and Nora’s boobs gravely ponder this question

15:18 – Dat wing envy

15:38 – “Carry me.” I like how her mini-wings are all “well, get on with it”

15:55 – Dat love energy envy

16:21 – “You should not speak so freely with other women.” Oh god, this is gonna get ridiculous.

18:14 – Oh right, that’s why I liked this show in the first place. A protagonist who’s basically allergic to shitty plotting

19:52 – Goddamnit Haqua we do not have time for this. Let’s just get back to…

19:59 – OH GOD DAMNIT.

20:48 – “She can’t love you more than Tenri!” “Well, technically, the evidence clearlyCHAIR

Nice. Back on solid, ridiculous ground here, with Keima being the only character living in a rational but oddly simplistic universe

21:56 – “It’s my fault. I realize you and Tenri have it harder than the other girls.” Did he just mentally relocate Diana from “reliable ally” to “another one of these goddamn children I have to herd”? This is like Gosick syndrome – the man with one brain cell is a king in the land of idiots

And Done

Goddamn is this show silly. I think the Gosick comparison is actually pretty apt, except this is an intentional comedy – it’s just one competent person trying to herd a gaggle of harem-archetype cats. Do your best, Keima-kun