Manga: Kami nomi zo shiru sekai
Kami nomi zo shiru sekai - The world only god knows, is a manga that has recently started in Shounen Sunday by author Wakaki Tamiki (who has no money). The manga is about 17 year old student Katsuragi Keima who is apparently the god of galge and has already conquered 10,000 girls in galge.
Katsuragi Keima is known on the net as the god of getting the girls while in real life he’s known as otamegane and he hates all real girls. However he is approached by Erushii, a devil from hell, to help her in catching runaway spirits that hide in people.
So apparently the spirits only hide in the hearts of girls and the only way to get the souls out is by making the girl fall in love so the spirit gets forced out. And he’s not allowed to fail or he will lose his head.
He has trouble with real girls at first, but soon he finds that with his incredible amount of galge experience he finds himself in identical situations as in previous galge that he has played and he manages to get the girl by doing the same things as in the game.
The manga is pretty interesting, though it feels kinda strange. I don’t know if the author was forced to do a galge manga by the editors, but I just can’t feel anything from the manga that says that the author likes playing galge or is into this genre despite how the manga is basically all about galge.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t like the manga though, I enjoy it a lot and the basic concept for the story is still quite interesting, it’s probably worth taking a look to see how far the author can take it.
April 23rd, 2008 at 4:56 pm
While I admit that I do like galges…. if what you are suggesting about the author is true, then I may agree with what he is insinuating.
I can imagine the sort of hate and spam this story may get for just the premise alone. And no, no matter how socially accurate a galge is…. it’s not meant to be a guide or an aid for socially-inept people. Even if it was…. well, relationship rules aren’t really set ins tone.
But that’s just my opinion.
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 pm
I believe that it’s one of those “sad but true” situations: They manga creator’s flat broke all the time. So he sells out. For him, eating is more important.
And what better way to eat than to make a story that the drooling, worthless social outcasts will buy (with their parent’s money)?
My heart goes out to you, Wakaki Tamiki. Heart and soul.
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:04 pm
aren’t you a little hard on yourself?
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Well, we can’t all remain the way we are, so we goota be hard on ourselves, and improve ourselves.
April 24th, 2008 at 1:47 am
Because self-improvement is 10 times better when strangers come from out of nowhere and kick you in the rear for reasons unknown to you yet. :)
April 24th, 2008 at 4:03 am
I think you are taking this a bit too serious.
This manga is a comedy/romance story not a thesis on how real life romance is different from the ones presented in galge.
The point that would decide if this will be an enjoyable read is, if the writter will able to present the situations in the galge correctly, not that if the romantic situations that the protagonist faces in real life will be realistic or not.
April 24th, 2008 at 8:06 am
IMHO, both EchoMateria and Tyrenol have a point.
Yes, it is true that this is just a comedy/romance story, and at the end of the day, it’s, like JtHM, Clone Manga and other stuff, all just fiction.
But, at the same time, there’d be a fear the fiction like this may ’silently’ allow the lifestyles that the prospective readers are living. Not the ‘picking up skills from games bit’, but the ‘play more galge and treat the world like galge’ mentality. It’s nothing new, since a certain Edward Said would note that colonial literature subconsciously espoused colonialist ideas in their stories without knowing it.
April 24th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Thanks for the review zepy.
“I’ll at least change the ~name~.”
May have to check it out if it makes it to collected format.
May 20th, 2008 at 1:56 am
Lol, people are trying to act educated just only to make a review. How pathetic.
Criticizing a comedy manga fails.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:21 am
Wait, this isn’t a review.
And I was pretty sure that I was saying that I like the manga…
May 21st, 2009 at 4:13 pm
@Tyrenol: *sighs*
True, it was a “sad but true” situation for Tamiki Wakaki, but the reality is that it is all business. However, you can’t just say he ’sold-out’ merely because he suddenly changed the genre of his work. You seems to be a misconception that a mangaka should only stick to one genre. Saying a mangaka a ’sell-out’ is absurd; in this case, KnzSK was his calling. If you read his blog, you will well know his otaku-ish tendencies.
Or, is it that you are upset over how S. Albatross ended so abruptly?
Uhg, I could help but to sigh once more over your idiotic comment, “And what better way to eat than to make a story that the drooling, worthless social outcasts will buy (with their parent’s money)?”
I would rebut your overwhelmingly foolish statement, but no. I wouldn’t want to waste my time on a cynically challenged @$$hole like you.
You will praise KnzSK after you read ToLoveRu, LoveHina, Mahou Sensei Negima, and titles alike those. Honestly, KnzSK isn’t as corrupted as you may think it is.