The only one who can save the world and me from my loneliness is you so come here and kill me. Until the moment you become God. Ill be waiting. 500https://i.ur.com/y8WtgGN.jpg Introduction Kamisama no iu tri As The Gods Will is a twopart series written by Kaneshiro Muneyuki and illustrated by Fujimura Akeji its a Survival Game manga and is categorized as Action/Horror/Supernatural and Psychological thriller. The first part of the manga was published monthly on the Bessatsu Shnen Magazine in 2011 and finished being published in 2012. The second part was then transferred on the Weekly Shnen Magazine in 2013 and ended in 2016 the manga is licensed by Kodansha in Japan and America. Kamisama sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide and was in the Top 50 most sold manga volume in japan between 2013 and 2017 source: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ Summary Part 1 Kamisama No Iu Toori: On his way to high school Shun Takahata a normal teenager who is bored with life and its constant humdrum wished to God that this repetitiveness would end. As he is paying attention to his class the head of his professor suddenly exploded a daruma doll was projected out of the neck of the deceased professor and landed on his desk the daruma doll then spoke the words DarumaSan has come the students in a rush of pure panic were running for their life their head was vaporized those who didnt budge were still alive and concluded that it was a game of Darumasan ga koronda a game like Red Light/Green Light that can be won by touching the red button on the back of the doll as more and more students die Shun and his class rep were the only ones left alive in the entire classroom they decided to run for the button Shun was the one who won at this death game the class rep then died by being the loser. It was the start of numerous events that would shape the world and Shun boring life. Part 2 Kamisama No Iu Toori Ni: Senichi Aoyama and Yasuto Akashi are high school soccer champions who made a promise to become pros one day as they are goofing around in their classroom Aoyama shows to Akashi many pamphlets from various colleges and brings to the conversation his wish of entering in a school who is suited for their dream of becoming pros Akashi says to his best friend that hes not going to play soccer anymore both frustrated by each other words Akashi then leaves the classroom so he can skip school. On his way home Akashi is regrating what he said to his friend and tries to call him so that he can apologize but what he doesnt know is that a daruma doll just appeared in their classroom. The events that Akashi is going to experience are not the same as those that Shun or Aoyama both participated in. Because he skipped school and wasnt here for the Darumasan ga koronda and other death games it was the beginning of a new school life for Akashi with other students who just like him skipped high school. Analysis / Most of what Im going to say here is going to spoil the manga in its overall structure I added a spoiler warning for the story based spoilers If you want to read the manga in total discovery I recommend you to skip this section / Story: The story of KamiToori is not complex or profound but it has many aspects to it that are interesting such as the mysteries of Why the death games are happening ? Who created the death games ?... Those classical mysteries that are a nice leftover when compared to the strong points of that said fiction. KamiToori has very few plot twists and I think its one of its weakest elements not that some cant be good or that the author doesnt know how to handle that type of storytelling but they are truly lacking in surprise/on what they can add to the story. World: The world of KamiToori is your typical earth looking environment of the 21st century Tokyo is the center of the attention most of the arcs take place in some location that is inside of the capital but not your typical Shibuya or Shinjuku except for one arc those places are shut from any external contact and were fabricated with a handmade design in mind so that the feeling of claustrophobia is enhanced. Most of the monsters/creatures presented in the manga come from the Japanese folklore but at the same time it feels alien and strange as if someone from a distant land saw this culture and wanted to create some cryptids out of that. Characters: One of the best features of the manga are the characters all of them have a unique type of individuality with bubbly and energetic personalities. The main characters and most of the side characters are pretty well handled the author cares to add one character arc/one or two flashbacks per main/side character some will be underdeveloped but even so they always feel remarkable and new on the surface There is some LGBT representation in the manga one character is a bisexual teenager who is Arosexual with females and Asexual with males and another one is a Transexual/Transgender girl who has a crush on of the MCs Its always a delight to see LGBT people being represented in fiction that handles the subject but not as his core element. The most developt characters are the two MCs of each part and their rival/counterpart they each share a unique philosophy about death/represent a horseman of the apocalypse I dont think that the author intended of portraying those 4 characters as biblical allegories but I found the similarities prominent: 500https://i.ur.com/UgtFFOB.png Themes: Death is everywhere in the manga but strangely its not prominent as a theme I think its a missed opportunity for very profound lessons that can be given to us the reader. The feeling of knowing and sharing your life with others is what makes you human is the embodiment of what Akashi is its a theme that is very cliche but works wonderfully in the context of the death games in real life it shouldnt be applicable but Akashi is the allegory of that struggle if we were put in this situation with the same philosophy in mind. You are your own god is something that the manga does not tell directly but is all over the place if you search with care what this sentence means is Even if there is a god out there you are the only one that can decide for yourself your life is your own you are your own god. Concepts: The concept of flashback in KamiToori is very subversive what Im saying by that is that you cant tell when a character is going to die or not in Death Games a flashback is normally a sign of imminent death but the manga changes his codes very often sometimes a character we know will have a flashback and die a character that has just been introduced is going to have a flashback and die instantly or even those that are still going be alive have already introduced their flashback to the reader It truly adds a new twist to the main genre. The superior subjectively and objectively part of the manga is the very flexible arcs/games. They always feel fresh and unique and I was never bored when a new one was introduced mostly because many arcs/games are going to add a new genre to the manga it deconstructs the Survival Game aspect and includes new rules to the table like a Structure: The overall structure of the manga is wellpaced there is not an arc who drags for too long or is too short the flashbacks last at least a chapter and a half or rarely an entire chapter. Art: At first the art of KamiToori seems bland with a graphical identity that we can see everywhere in this media but as the chapters go by the Art is improving itself drastically the environments and backgrounds feel alive the character designs are much more detailed the inking is heavier. Its when the 100 chapters cap is crossed that the manga is good artistically we can see how the art style of Fujimura Akeji has evolved over the years and he has grown as a mangaka Images: Kamisama No Iu Toori Vs Kamisama No Iu Toori Ni 400https://i.ur.com/TPZlEiD.png https://i.ur.com/Np8nGYM.png Personnal Thoughts This is my 2nd favorite manga and I love everything about it the characters/Themes/Concepts... all of that is perfect to me this story has impacted me on a very deep level and Its been a really long time 1 year/Dorohedoro since I had the chance to reexperience the satisfaction of reading something that I am obsessed with. I wish that KamiToori would be much more popular but those types of manga are a niche to the public eye. Stories about the condition between God and humans are everywhere and better fictions tackle the subject in more detail and quality but I dont care If KamiToori is not objectively perfect because I think that identity and personality are much more important to fiction than a welltied story and structure. Conclusion Kamisama no iu tri is such an underrated gem its a unique experience that adds a new twist to the Survival Game genre by subverting your expectations multiple times. Youre going to cry be frustrated experience despair smile of happiness every emotion that you can display are going to flow naturally KamiToori is objectively the best manga to have handled the format of Survival Game. If you just finished reading this review then you absolutely need to read this masterpiece Its a letter of love for those that adore fiction and an endearing story that can affect you on a very deep level if you accept all its weirdness and madness. https://i.ur.com/3xtVNPp.jpg Sidenotes: Hey I hope you enjoyed this review of my 2nd favorite manga This was the first review I have ever made It took me an entire day to make because of my dysorthographia + English is not my mother language. If there are some mistakes Im going to fix them soon