Title: Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Psychological, Supernatural
Rating: 8.6/10
Summary: God abandoned the world on Sunday. As a result, nobody in the world can die or reproduce. A little girl, Ai, is the gravekeeper for a village. She has prepared 47 graves for the eventual deaths of every member of the village. Later, a boy who identifies himself as “Hampnie Hambart, the ‘Man-eating Toy’,” which is coincidentally the name that Ai’s mother left behind as the name of her father, arrives in the village and slaughters everybody. Just what is going on?
Review: I was absolutely fascinated by this anime when I first saw the trailer. It seemed to be dark, edgy and strongly story based. I’m glad to say that I hit the nail on the head with this one and was happily pulled into the world of Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi. The opening of the series caught you a little off guard; it seemed like it was a slice of life filled with laughs and happiness but with an underlying aura of mystery. The anime excited the audience and reeled them in slowly with tones of suspense and the unknown. When things started to pick up you begin to get a feel for the characters and more importantly the world they live in.
The one thing that can really bring someone into an anime is the art.
Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi was one of the few anime that did things right. It easy had some of the of the most breathtaking visuals in recent anime with its vibrant backgrounds and spectacular lighting effects. I was absolutely taken back watching the opening scenes between Ai and Hampnie duking it out. The movements were swift and elegant. The camera would zoom into the face of a character showing the slightest change in emotion, taking into account even the smallest details. While most of the anime seems to take place during a sunset, they knew how to manipulate the light to set a mood of mystery and suspense. It’s obvious that the anime wanted to keep its dark atmosphere with giant cities like Ortus that lit its streets with festive decorations which shadowed the narrow alleyways giving it a sense of danger. The entire series plays with the senses of the viewer trying to give them a false hope. It brought you into a world that everyone once thought would be a paradise only to reveal that it turned into a hell.
The overall story of
Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi easily stood out among the season shows for being unique, thrilling, and exciting. I loved the concept that God’s abandonment left the world in a static state where people could neither be born nor die. This caused a tare in the balance and soon there were those who wished to live forever and others who wanted to rest in peace. The idea of gravekeepers being God’s final gift to man was absolutely ingenious. The anime did a good job showing both sides to the coin of those who didn’t wish to die, those who couldn’t stand living, and those who didn’t want anything to change. The series pulls you in by showing you the sweet villagers that were taking care of little Ai, and the menace who came and destroyed everything. You watched as AI’s world shattered around her and she comes to realize exactly what it means to be abandoned by God. However, the series wasn’t as straight laced as I expected. It took drastic turns of showing the horror and beauty of death, and the heart warming scene of a father holding his child for the first time. I hadn’t gotten this attached to a character so quickly since
Kaleido Star. What made it so great wasn’t just Ai herself, it was the characters who followed her throughout her journey. The support characters in
Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi were very well written and always brought something more to the story. Even characters you’ve known for two or three episodes became irreplaceable. Alongside the well executed character development the series does an excellent job keeping you curious. Even when things are going well and story arcs end you never really felt like everything was resolved. It was done in such a way where you didn’t feel unsatisfied but you always wanted more until you realized you’ve watched the entire season in one sitting. Probably the only thing I had a complaint about was the ending. I felt like they should have continued the story instead of hoping for a second season, but that’s just how some anime go right? I know that the series was based off a light novel (one I hope to be translated to English soon) so that could be the problem as well. I’m crossing my fingers for a second season because I can’t say the series is complete just yet.
Even the series’ OST fit the model of hope, curiosity, and wonderment. If you’re into piano pieces, strings, and flute you’ll probably want to get this OST as soon as possible. The piano piece “
Lost World” with it’s entrancing chants and simplistic melody can easily sway anyone’s opinion. There were also really powerful tracks, and my two personal favorites “
Transfiguration” and “
Battle”. I can’t say it was my favorite OST but I wouldn’t mind giving it a full listen once in a blue moon.
Final statements: I would encourage everyone to give this anime a watch even if it hasn’t been green lit for a second season. The story, characters, and art all make up for the lack of closure. Hopefully if we can get this
high priority watch popular enough it will be allowed to continue pushing it up to a must see!
