What amazes me the most by Kamierabi is the considerably low score it received right upon release. I guess this is due to the fast pace the first episode had and the full CGI animation; this probably got under people's skin since this could lead to a "new Ex-Arm" or something like that, but I dont think it was the case.
(Animation/Art)
Initially, I would talk about the story but since the animation is a hot topic in this anime, its better to discuss the latter first.
Considering that the main studio Unend is brand new (this is their ... actual first anime), I cant really talk about past works they had done, so its a "see for yourself/believe in me" kind of situation. If you compare this CGI with the ones usually used in other anime, you can really notice the positive difference, its much more natural, and it needed to be in order to be used in full episodes, so much so that you can get completely familiar with it by the third episode or close to it. Regarding my own opinion; I dont think the CGI is up there with the best ones I have seen, but its definitely a cut above the rest.
However, if you dont like the CGI anyway, the studio is meticulous with the landscape, it kind of just catches your attention sometimes. One good example is Gorou Ono's, aka the protagonist, room, which has an immoral amount of plastic bottles and posters of Iyo Futana (an idol he's very much obsessed with); another one is the background in the first battle of the series, in which the buildings suddenly get fleshy and glowing with bright red, contrasting with the dark atmosphere.
(Music)
About the soundtrack, we have studio MONACA, lead by Keichii Okabe, a man who follows Yoko Taro everywhere he goes, so its not a surprise they are here too. I'll be honest that I didnt fully pay attention to the music, so I cant make a complete analysis of it but I can guarantee that studio MONACA is very good in its department, they usually make soundtracks for games (like NieR) and anime, the latter including many arcs from the Monogatari series.
The opening theme song is sung by Elaiza, she hasnt partaken in any other anime related music, as far as me and this website is concerned. The song's lyrics have not much to do with the actual anime but it is kind of edgy, which blends with the goofy melody and turns out to represent the overall tone of the series: "kinda edgy and goofy".
Meanwhile, the ending theme song is sung by Alisa, who is also a fairly unknown name in the anime community. The lyrics, again, dont have much to do with the anime; actually, its just a catchy romantic song.
Both songs dont have complete original visuals along with it, they are composed by scenes taken directly from the anime with some additional editing. By the way, i like the little dance the protagonist does by the end of the opening.
(Story)
The premise of the story isnt unique, its about a battle royale between "god candidates", and the one who turns out to be the last remaining gets to be "god". That was also the premise of Platinum End and Mirai Nikki. Besides, the so called "GOD.app" resembles Darwin's Game mechanics a bit.
Then, the first episode was really fast paced but also good for setting up the atmosphere of the anime, which is constant during the season, we have a cat dying, the protagonist turning on a tv and running into porn his friend was watching, the former also masturbates in front of a girl, and they get suspended from school for publishing a video in which they make fun of suicide, its just great...
About half of the season consists of random encounters the protagonist has with the many other characters, and its structure may get kind of repetitive. But, at the other half, things get more interesting and the main cast starts to work towards the end of the season. Also, by the time this review is published, I have just seen the final episode, which has an open ending, and Im still thinking about its implications but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.
Anyway, in general, how does the story feel? Just like I said some paragraphs above, the general tone of the series is "kinda edgy and goofy" (and I dont mean edgy in a necessarily bad way, its just that heavy themes are constantly depicted during the story, which may, reasonably, be considered edgy by some) the anime doesnt seem to take itself very seriously and this approach does lead to some funny and/or interesting moments, so, if I can say so myself, I had a good time watching it.
(Characters)
As it is very clear, especially with the character Yutaka Akitsu, the design was done by Atsushi Ookubo, aka Fire Force and Soul Eater's creator. Something I thought as unique was that a certain color was adressed to each of the main characters, which, if doesnt help them in standing out by themselves, it definitely makes them stand out between each other. What I mean by that is that the characters look important when they appear in the screen, its not like one of them is clearly the protagonist and the others are simply bystanders; at least, that was my impression.
So, about the characters themselves, almost all of them have tragic backstories, not explored to their fullest, and personal "wishes" related to those, which, I assume, have to do with why they are god candidates in the first place. In particular, I like Kouki Ama's backstory the most, he used to be bullied as a child and, when he asked his grandpa for help and possibly revenge, the latter simply said that "he doesnt understand his enemies, he doesnt have the full picture", which is kind of weird but, anyway, to do that, he starts to dress as a delinquent and gets involved with them and such; after some time has passed, he doesnt actually become a delinquent but comes to understand them and their reasons, so, in the end, he understands both sides: the "bullied" and the "bullies", the "weak" and the "strong". By the way, he is the least tragic character by far and actually the only one who got some grip on his life.
Personality-wise, I think all the characters stick out in their own way. But, the ones I see most people liking are Yutaka Akitsu, who is the definition of a chaotic good character, and Chika Nojima, whose love for science has led her to attract people to the science club by convincing them that science is the same thing and just as cool as magic; these are our initial impressions of her at least.
Additionally, as its to be expected in a battle royale anime, every main character has its own unique power, which has something to do with their past, their personality or, as i yet again assume (because this isnt explicitly explained in the anime, its just a general pattern I recognized), it has to do with their personal "wishes". One of the clearest examples is Tatsuya Amano's power. Hes also bullied at school and, just as kid Kouki Ama, grows vengeful thoughts towards people in general and, at the same time, wishes they would change and be just like he wanted them to be. Then, when he happens to "awaken to a mysterious power", this power is one to fully control the actions of a person, given certain conditions; pretty straightforward, right?
As I'm finishing this review, I remember the phrase said in the first episode: "Be forewarned that whats to come isnt a very pleasant story, there are no heroes, [...], its just a bunch of nonsense, so I hope you at least laugh it off". It was a foreshadow on the wacky pessimism of the entire 12 episodes of the season, and truth be told, it was indeed correct, for better or for worse depending on your perspective. As I already said, this anime doesnt take itself seriously most times and it has a pessimistic view on society and people in general; it resembles the early works of Yoko Taro, namely Drakengard 1 and 3. Therefore, I hope the ones going to watch this anime manage to appreciate it for what it is and at least laugh it off, I sure did.
Besides, we shall wait and see whats to come in the second season!
 Alternative Titles Japanese: カミエラビ GOD.app Information Type: TV Episodes: 12 Status: Finished Airing Aired: Oct 5, 2023 to Dec 21, 2023 Premiered: Fall 2023 Broadcast: Thursdays at 00:55 (JST) Licensors: None found, add some Studios: Unend Source: Original Theme: High Stakes Game Duration: 22 min. per ep. Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity) Statistics Score: 5.771 (scored by 5,440 users) 1 indicates a . Ranked: #107742 2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #4578 Members: 23,021 Favorites: 65 Available AtResources |
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