What They Say:
3rd-year high school student Narukami Yoto focused on one thing and one thing only: his college entrance exams. So when he’s approached by a girl named Hina who claims to be the omniscient god Odin -and also tells him that the world’s going to end in thirty days- his entire life gets turned upside down. But this so-called god looks more like an elementary student than a deity: could there really be more to Hina than her weird clothes and her ability to accurately predict the future?
The Review
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Kamisama ni Natta hi -also known as The Day I Became a God– is one of many new anime debuting during the Fall 2020 season, and easily one of the anime I was most curious about. After all, this is another P.A.Works project, with Maeda Jun taking lead as the original creator, scriptwriter, and serving as the lead musician. Fans of P.A.Works will recognize Maeda Jun as a key name -and creator- for the Fall 2010 anime Angel Beats, which is another series with a pink-haired protagonist.
That single name is, perhaps, the biggest draw to this series: that, and the studio behind this new series. Yet, the biggest question fans of both P.A. Works and Angel Beats might have is this: will Kamisami ni Natta hi match the same emotional intensity we all felt on our initial watch of Angel Beats?
Well… it’s still too early to tell. However, what I can say is that Kamisama ni Natta hi sets itself up to be a really interesting story…if it rises to the occasion and grows the beard a lot in its initial episodes.
© VISUAL ARTS / Key / “The Day I Become a God” Project
Kamisama ni Natta hi (hereafter Kamisama) starts off with Naruka Yota, a rather unassuming 3rd-year high school student with one goal in mind: passing his college entrance exams.
Enter Sato Hina, a pink-haired kid who looks more like an elementary: she claims to be the god Odin, an omnipotent being who can foresee all futures. While she wears the guise of a child, she isn’t: in reality, she’s a supernatural being who also rocks a nun-esque outfit.
Yota is not convinced, which…fair enough: I wouldn’t be either. In fact, he thinks Odin -as she practically demands to be called- is suffering from chūnibyō, or middle school sickness. But Odin’s ready to prove that she’s definitely an all-knowing god. How does she go about this?
Well… she reveals her hand without hesitation and tells Yota the world will end in thirty days due to humanity’s actions.
© VISUAL ARTS / Key / “The Day I Become a God” Project
Odin -as she’s solely known from the start- is quick to glom onto Yota, following him all around the city as he goes about his day. She follows him from the basketball court where they initially met to the library, where they meet another character of note: Izanami Kyoko, Yota’s childhood friend.
After Yota gets kicked out of the library for making too much noise, they trek past, where Odin makes a series of predictions that hint at her godliness. She even “channels” a historic figure -Natsume Soseki, a famous Japanese novelist- but Yota’s still not convinced. If anything, Odin seems more like a strange, lost child than any kind of deity.
All of her demonstrations leave Odin hungry for ramen. Together, they head to Yota’s favorite shop to catch their breath and enjoy some noodles. While there, they catch a horse race playing on TV, and Odin decides to demonstrate her godliness right then and there, and in an incredibly funny scene, she guesses the outcome of multiple horse races without any information, thoroughly pleasing the shop owner.
By this point in the show, Yota -and most likely, the viewer- are convinced that maybe, Odin isn’t playing around: she might just be an actual god.
© VISUAL ARTS / Key / “The Day I Become a God” Project
Comedy is deeply subjective: that’s really critical when it comes to Kamisama, as viewers might find the comedy…lacking. While I think Kamisama will probably make you laugh at least once, it might also not be your cup of tea. In many ways, this show will most likely be polarizing: either you’ll like it or you won’t. It’s hard to see any middle ground for this premiere episode.
To be honest, I was quite charmed by the first episode, though not everyone will be a fan of Odin’s high-pitched voice or her childish antics, and honestly, her rather volatile outbursts are right on the edge of becoming annoying. Worryingly, Odin’s character is at risk of wearing very thin unless some serious character development happens upfront. As I said, she comes off as quite childish, though she is a child…at least as far as we know.
Thankfully, episode one worked well for me: I laughed quite a bit and found myself really having a good time, and found a lot of tidbits that made me eager for episode 2. The animation was beautiful, and the BGMand SFX really made the series feel atmospheric. Maeda has chosen to play with sound quite a bit, leaving gaps where the music drops out and there’s just the cry of cicadas or the sound of suburban life. It all makes for a very pleasant soundtrack to an anime with a somewhat silly, very intriguing premise.
Episode one shows that there’s enough meat on the proverbial bone for me to happily stick with this show through the rest of the season, if only to find out the truth about Odin and the end of the world. While it’s not immediately clear where this stories going, I’m soundly along for the ride.
In Summary:
It’s still too early to see what Kamisama ni Natta hi is angling for: while it’s clearly a series with a heavy dollop of fantasy, it’s unclear where that aspect of the plot will go. Yet the dual hook of Odin and the world ending in thirty days is enough to entice all manner of viewers, especially those of us who have fond memories of Angel Beats. I say give it a good three-episode try: I have the feeling that this series will surprise us all.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Funimation