Anime: Kamichu!

I came across the Japan Media Arts Top 100 Selection (http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/hundred/hundred.html) list some time ago. Among 25 Ghibli production and famous franchise titles that represented the Japanese animation in the past 3 decades such as "AKIRA", Gundam", "Evangelion", "Doraemon" and "Dragon Ball"... was "Kamichu!", which I've never even heard before. This series was on my to-watch list for a long time, and I finally got around to watching it.

"Kamichu!" is about a junior high school girl who suddenly became a goddess. This is a story of youthful love ('seishun'), and friendship. With help of her friends, the protagonist slowly learns her powers and how to perform her duty as a goddess. The title stands for "Kami-sama de Chuugakusei", "God and Junior High Student".

Given the amount of live-action Japanese seishun and slice of life films I've seen, I would imagine that I have extreme tolerance for slow-paced anime. "Kamichu!" still managed to test my patience in many ways, but it turned out to be a very rewarding experience.

Animation: 9/10
The designs of spirits and scenery are very reminiscent of Ghibli-style artwork. There's a generally peaceful and quiet atmosphere in the tiny seaside town modeled after Onomichi in Hiroshima prefecture. Those familiar with Japanese cinema will probably recognize the scenery from Oobayashi Nobuhiko movies, all filmed in this town, and has a similar pacing. Character designs are very cute, a little too cute for my tastes, but it worked for most of the time.
One thing that truly blew me away was the incredible composition in some scenes during the last few episodes. Also, there are so many background figures and detail throughout the series, especially in the 'god's world'. It's apparent that a lot of effort was put into animation in this series.

Sound: 5/10
Music score was excellent, fit scenes very well and creates a relaxing atmosphere. The protagonist's voice was extremely unique, and the whiny voices were really well done at first. However, as the story progressed, I started to find it excessively annoying after hours of whining and indecisiveness. Her close friends also had one of those stereotypical high-pitched 'anime voices', which didn't help.
Theme songs were also very poor. This series could've really used some touching, poignant ED by an established singer instead of a cheery song by a nobody.

Story: 9/10
The story is very unique. Set in a fantasy world filled with spirits and various gods. The main character's overnight transformation and some ridiculous side characters were outrageous, but what really tested my tolerance was how everyone in the town simply accepted the fact that she turned into a goddess even before seeing her powers in action. You would really need to watch this with a very open mind.
The pacing was pretty fast at beginning, with the protagonist testing out her powers and learning the ways of performing goddess' duty. About halfway through the series, the pace abruptly slowed down. It really took me off guard because it felt exactly like watching a live-action Japanese film.
What surprised me even more, was the fact that it actually worked. The story revealed the innocent and pure love of youthful love the protagonist was experiences and her challenges through subtle interactions.
"A Small Step ", the final episode in regular broadcast (or episode 15 chronologically including bonus) especially, was a masterpiece in storytelling, successfully building up anticipation through mind-bogglingly slow pace, to a conclusion of the protagonist's love using references from the very first episode. The story design was simply masterful, and this episode should be a required learning text for all aspiring anime creators.
I also have to praise the guts that the writer of "Kamichu!" had for the bonus ending. It takes an abrupt ending to a whole new level. The writer really succeeded in doing something different and experimental for the story in this series.

Character Development 6/10
Character settings were very interesting.
Unfortunately, main character was じれったい… Irritating. No other way of putting it.
I would've liked to see the protagonist grow more in this series. Despite her new abilities, she remained an unreliable bum to the very end. It would've been more interesting if she slowly learned her duty and responsibility of being a goddess. Still, all the characters were pretty memorable, though some of them remained paper-thin in terms of character depth.
This series really had the magic though, I really connected with the main character even though I frequently found her to be extremely annoying.

Value 10/10
Enjoyment 8/10
A masterpiece despite its flaws, rock solid storytelling and artwork/direction. I would recommend at least 100 hours of Japanese films or animation before attempting to watch this series though. You should also watch this with a very open mind, because the setting forces you to accept a lot of fantasy, and many aspects of the story are left to audience's imagination without being fully explained to the end.

Kamichu! is the most pleasant series I have watched in some time. While they have their quirks, the main cast are uniformly cheerful and sunny in disposition, and the animation brings this out wonderfully. Freed from the restrictions of the conventional human form, the character designers have really gone to town creating a world alive with spirits, but no less beautiful is the (entirely- well, almost entirely) normal town which serves as a backdrop for most of the episodes. Kamichu!'s brightness is infective; the beautiful animation, personality and some superbly fitting voice acting are enough to bring a smile to the most gloomy of faces.[br][br]The premise, while initially seeming absurd, soon reveals itself to be remarkably well thought out; by featuring a middle-school girl with extraordinary powers, the show can focus enormously on aspects of youthfulness without the seeming triviality of it all which often attaches to similar schoolgirl series. Trying to read a message into the show feels like imposing adult values on something which neither wants nor needs them, but I see it as a celebration of childish innocence, with the thesis that the world would be a better place if middle schoolers had more influence on it. Although not entirely fair to either of them, a comparison between Yurie and Haruhi (of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suziyuma) reveals a stark contrast between the effects of very similar abilities, seemingly solely a result of the difference between the innocence of the two characters.[br] [br]However, while Kamichu! succeeds well as a schoolgirl show, its divine side falls down rather when it comes to plot. Yurie's early questions - what is she a god of, what should she do with her powers - are gradually dropped by the show rather than any real resolution being achieved; in particular, the additional episode after the last one originally aired seems determined to discard the show's more interesting storylines and turn it into merely another school romance, which would be a great loss. The series as a whole is very episodic in nature, and while the school life side loses little from this, the exploration of Yurie's divinity would benefit greatly from a little more narrative structure. As it stands, though a pleasant and enjoyable series and certainly worth watching once, Kamichu! does not quite have what it takes to earn a place on my favourites list. [br]

Kamichu is a nice, enjoyable series that manages to be far more enjoyable than you'd expect. It's sort like a cross between Spirited Away and Lucky Star with Sakura (from Cardcaptor Sakura) as the main character.

Animation:
The animation quality is generally quite high. There's one scene where the art style is notably different, but it otherwise stays consistent.

The character design tend towards the moe, most notably with Yurie, who's adorable. The designs of the various kami tend to be inventive and cute, making the more spiritual episodes visually fantastic.

Sound:
Good voice acting, but the sound track isn't anything special.

Story:
Each individual episode is essentially a self-contained story (there is continuity, but no real over-arcing plot), but each is well told. As you'd expect from an episodic series, some epidodes are better than others, but there are few week ones.

Character:
Kamichu portrays it's characters realisticly, while still having a whimsical tone. If you're one of those people that feels that realism means that the characters need to be neurotic messes, you're probably not going to like this series. The characters grow and change throughout the series, but not dramatically, as Kamichu is almost entirely devoid of drama.

"Mitsue-chan! Today, I became a god!"

Yet another story about a child god, but this time with a Ghibli-style backup and picturesque animation to boot. One day, Yurie, a second-year junior high student, suddenly becomes a god and an overnight sensation! With the magical words "Kamichu!" she creates miracles and messes for all sorts of fun and wacky adventures, spicing up life in a quiet town on the edge of an inland sea!

From simple problems of love to a complication of a national scale, Kamichu! brings tons of magic and fun into the small world of a trio of charismatic girls, in which they fully exploit their friend's newfound power for the sake of the better. Episodic and summeresque are the perfect words to describe each of the 16 wonderful episodes to take leisurely time with. The trio of girls, along with the rest of the cast, are simply irresistable - cute and shy Yurie, outgoing and crazy Matsuri, and objective and 'Kyonish' Mitsue brings out the best of the Kamichu! powers and the simpler problems they must solve. The world of the gods, as fugly as most of them are, is a charming fantasy of Japanese culture. The romance throughout the year also grows between an unlikely couple as one strives to get the other to notice her. Cliche elements are scripted to throw away all the cheesiness and just let it play out in the breathtaking small-town feel, never once falling into the hole that most other anime series do. From the fantastic fantasy setting to the rural atmosphere, Kamichu! will make you smile in every episode.

This is simply a masterpiece everyone missed out on and should be watched by everyone who has watched and liked a Ghibli movie.

As I was too saturated with watching various overly dark and serious titles, I decided to finish watching Kamichu for a change. From before, I kind of got bored and decided to stop somewhere at the middle episodes. But boy, I sure am glad I gave it a second shot.

Kamichu is the story of shy little girl named Yurie who one day suddenly becomes a god. There where no how's, no why's. How she came to be one was never explained, but then again we are here to see her day-to-day life experiences as she goes along her path to "god-hood" or what ever you may want to call it.

Animation
The animation in Kamichu is simply superb. They have a tone of realism in everything, well except for the gods of course. The characters may be kept at a minimum in details, nothing too stylish, not much faddish, colored your-usual-anime-hair, but it is the simplicity that works.

The characters moves around very fluidly, very articulate I should say. And by the way they moved, you can tell what a character's personality is, which goes on to say that the animators have invested so much time in conveying to us the importance of body language even if its just an animation show. The backgrounds are of movie quality, to say the least. Good color tones, matches well with the settings any time. Pretty much everything is candy to the eyes.

Nothing too special for the op/ed. It only has one set though, but of course it's a short series anyways. The opening is a bit mellow, while the ending is more upbeat. However, their choice of background music is very good, especially in the later episodes. It sets the tone just right, and it does so without putting you off in the right mood.

The seiyuu's are also one of the high points in this show. Yurie has that right blend of cuteness, innocence and shyness in her voice. So much so that at times she tends to eat her words, which made me feel for her. Matsuri exudes energy and confidence in her words without going over the top and Mitsue with that soft but firm voice.

Story
I find the story quite unique and appealing. Although it may be episodic in nature which kind of gets tiring,things start to kind of mesh together and make a connection as the series progresses.

Again, not much was shown to explain how things came to be, but I would say that it was better that way because it would have been boring and cliched if that was done. It somehow added to the sense of fantasy and it was much more fun on seeing how Yurie tries to cope up with her new life as a god. Much in the same way that people like to see reality shows, we'd rather see and share in her growing pains as a god and a middle schooler as she tumbles around in her not so ordinary day-to-day happenings.

Characters
Here we have a wonderful set of characters. Yurie with that always scaredy cat look on her face every time something comes up is just fun to watch. Mitsue and Matsuri,who serves as the yin and the yang to Yurie, are almost always laughable whenever something is being cooked up. The supporting characters have their different personalities and each have their own ways in helping out Yurie. They are there not just for the mere part but because everyone has their own stories to tell, which makes them enjoyable to watch and makes one feel for them. And yes, I agree that they are the pillars of this series and they did stood out well.

Enjoyment
Overall, except for a few episodes, I really enjoyed this anime. Probably a bit more episodes could have helped, featuring some of the supporting characters, for the sake of finality. It was quite open ended, and only Yurie has that sort of accomplishment in the end but I would take it as it is. Let's face it, what's final in a world of middle schoolers, right?

This show is recommended for those who want a light-hearted emotional/comedy, relaxing getaway. Kamichu might be light on its plot, but it is a feel good show that will surely tug at your heart strings from time to time. Not many shows allowed me contentment after they ended, but this one sure did.

The best word to describe this anime would be cute. The main character is a 13 year old girl who becomes a god overnight and is experiencing her first love with a boy in her school.

The story is very simplistic: most of the anime is episodic in nature, as Yurie, the main character, goes through her daily life as a god with her two friends, Mitsue and Matsuri. Most of the story revolves around Yurie learning more things about being a god and using her powers to grant peoples'/things' wishes, and participating in her friend Matsuri's schemes (these schemes mostly involve promoting her shrine and the Shinto religion; one episode even has her creating a holiday to compete with Christmas). Also, throughout the story Yurie's crush on Kenji Ninomiya grows and their "relationship" develops.

Don't expect anything too complex out of this anime in terms of the story: most of the story is feel-good cutenness, with little drama, greif, or negative emotions of any kind.

One episode even has the Prime Minister of Japan call on Yurie to solve a problem with a martian which landed on earth (an utterly cute pink martian, of course).

The world itself is interesting, but we are left with many questions by the end of the anime. We never find out how or why Yurie became a god, what exactly she is the god of (most of the gods in the Kamichu world are gods of specific things: like the god of fried soba noodles, the god of rubber tires, the god of wind, and a local god.), and why, even though most people cannot see the gods, everyone believes that Yurie is a god and doesn't question how or why she became one.

Because of the simple and predictable story, it is the characters which carry the anime. Yurie is a likeable and cute main character and it is enjoyable to watch her forays into godhood as she struggles with her crush on Kenji. Mitsue and Matsuri are good supporting characters, with Matsuri's schemes and her enthusiasm for the Shinto religion and her shrine carrying the story at times. Mitsue is the level-headed friend, always supporting Yurie and questioning Matsuri's crazy schemes.

Other characters include Yurie's parents, who are both a little airheaded; Yurie's younger brother, who is probably the one person in the anime who acts like a normal person; Yashima-sama, the local god of Matsuri's shrine; and Matsuri's sister, a shy Miko.

The animation is pretty good; the entire atmosphere of the anime gives the impression of "cute and carefree", even the design of the gods themselves, who are all colorful and vibrant. My only problem with the animation of this anime was the attempt to make the character's mouths move along with the dialogue, which at times was very awkward because it didn't line up perfectly. Also, the world of the gods wasn't as interesting or original as it could have been, though it did fit the cute aspect of the anime.

The soundtrack isn't anything special; a few cute songs here and there, like the OP/ED songs, but not much during the anime. The voice actors did a good job, however.

I would reccomend this anime to those looking for a tranquil, carefree, and cute anime without conflict or tragedy. However, I probably will not rewatch it, as the anime feels a bit incomplete to me, and I was hoping for more information on the world of the gods and Yurie's place in that world. Also, at times the anime's predictability and simplicity caused me to get a bit bored, especially once I figured out about 5-6 episodes into the anime that the story wasn't really going anywhere and was going to be pretty episodic.