√ Kami-sama ni Natta Hi - Series Review

Alternative Title: The Day I Became a God

↓ Spoilers Ahead ↓

「 A quote from this series 」

"The world isn't going to just suddenly end, right?"

「 The Review 」

Synopsis

A high school student had his life changed after a young girl approached him telling him the world will end in 30 days.

Story

I'll jump right into the core of the problem here: The plot wasn't delivered in a manner where the viewer would believe, or care enough about what this anime was trying to accomplish.

This anime started out into what looked like a good comedy, where there's a loli proclaiming she's a god, and then there's your typical male protagonist. At first, I thought we'll be seeing a show where there's a reincarnation of gods, and it will just be pure fun, with a bit of drama and fantasy.

But no, it's actually way more serious, and to be honest, the plot had a really positive message. It's just that, there were some things that felt forced.

It tried to be mysterious, not with the judgment day stuff, but with a young hacker digging someone else's past. But as you watch the show, you probably won't care, or even remember him, not until he was shown again.

The romantic relationship between Hina and Youta, the two main characters, also didn't feel quite convincing. Probably because I saw them more like siblings, where Hina's like an adopted sister. But as the show was nearing its end, there's a point where maybe you'll just have to accept everything that has happened. But, still, it shouldn't be just like that.

If only there was a proper build-up leading to the main plot and they didn't delay it too much (they only started tackling it by the last five minutes of episode 7), then the viewers would be more accepting into what this show wanted us to feel or care about.

But, despite the flaws in directing... This was a good romance anime about couples who continue their journey while dealing with some serious medical condition.

Characters

We have Youta Narukami as our main character who has a sister complex, so he does whatever it takes to please Sora.

For his love interest, at first, he's very into Kyouko Izanami, his childhood friend. But, as the series goes into its second half, the story now wanted its viewers to ship him with Hina. And that's where things got a bit confusing for me. Because like I mentioned above, I saw Hina more of as an adopted sister to the Narukami siblings.

Speaking of Hina Satou, the surprise twist in her character story was really unexpected, so I was kind of disappointed that it seemed to have not blossomed into what it should have been.

Moving on, here's a character who for me just didn't blend well -- Hiroto Suzuki. He's a hired hacker, and the way he was introduced just didn't mix well with the story in episode three. Same thing when he re-appeared in episode 7.

After he wasn't shown for a long time, I totally forgot to care about his role. If only they showed even 10 seconds of him on every episode since he was revealed, maybe I'll care more about who he was.

Another character with who I have a problem was Tengan Kako. She's a popular attorney, and for some reason, after only meeting Youta once, she was easily asked a favor to do stuff with him and his friends.

I mean, I just thought she's out of character. Shouldn't she be quite busy, and doesn't have time to hang out with youngsters?

Oh, well.

Writing / Storyboarding

I really had an issue with the writing here. The way this anime transitioned from comedy, to heavy drama, then romance, wasn't done smoothly.

In the comedy aspect, there were some really funny scenes, I'd give them that.

For the most clever scene, I chose this:

The dialogue of Hina's father properly reflects the sunset that's being shown in the background.

Artwork / Animation

Character Designs were unfortunately generic.

The only commendable scene with good animation was the part where Hiroto tried to find the information regarding the quantum computer.

Music / Sound

The insert song in episodes 5 and 12 titled "Takaramono ni Natta Hi," by Jun Maeda x Nagi Yanagi was really captivatingly beautiful.

Episode Ratings

1 - The Day a God Descended - 4
2 - The Day of the Melody - 3.5
3 - The Day the Angel Falls - 4
4 - The Day of Battling Tiles - 3.5
5 - The Day of Grand Magic - 4.5
6 - The Day of the Festival - 3.5
7 - The Day of Filming - 3.5
8 - The Day of the Trip to the Beach - 4
9 - The Day of the Deicide - 4.5
10 - Days That Pass By - 3
11 - Days of Play - 4
12 - The Day You Choose - 5

PS: There's an after-credits scene in episode eight.

And uh... I think Kyouko Izanami's father looks strikingly similar to Hideaki Anno: /lol

「 Series Rating 」

An otaku since the mid-90's. I consider Evangelion as the most influential anime. My favorite classic films are Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Spirited Away.