Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai
Encyclopedia
, abbreviated as , is a manga
series written and illustrated by Tamiki Wakaki
. The manga has been serialized in the Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine by Shogakukan
since April 9, 2008, with individual chapters collected in fourteen tankōbon
volumes as of September 2011. The prototype version of the story was first featured as a one-shot on Weekly Shōnen Sunday on its 2007 Issue 32 release, and was titled . The 2010 Issue #19 of Weekly Shōnen Sunday announced an anime adaptation had been green-lit, which premiered on October 6, 2010.
player. He is known on the Internet as for his legendary skills to be able to "conquer" any 2D
girl in games. However, in his actual school life, Keima is known as , a derogatory portmanteau of the two words and , and is considered nothing but an intelligent yet gloomy geek with glasses.
At the start of the series, Keima receives an e-mail offering him a contract to "conquer" girls. When he accepts it, thinking it is an invitation to a game, a demon from Hell named Elsie appears. She asks for his cooperation to help her in catching runaway spirits. These spirits hide themselves inside the hearts of girls, and Elsie suggests that the only method to force the spirits out is by "conquering" the girls hearts, making them fall in love with him and filling up the gaps which the runaway spirits hide in. Interested only in 2D girls, however, Keima is appalled by the idea, and refuses the assignment as he has no romantic real life experiences whatsoever. Nevertheless, with the contract already agreed, Keima has no choice but to help Elsie no matter what, as they will be beheaded if they fail.
Aside from focusing on Keima and Elsie's adventures on capturing spirits, the series also makes fun and parodying common and popular cliches about dating sims, anime character stereotypes, and pop culture.
, serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday since April 9, 2008. Wakaki created a prototype version of the story which debuted as a one-shot in Weekly Shōnen Sunday 2007 Issue 32 and was titled, . Publication is ongoing in Japan by Shogakukan
; the first tankōbon
was released on July 11, 2008, and as of September 2011, fourteen volumes have been released.
The series is licensed in South Korea
by Haksan Culture Company
, and the first two volumes of the series has been simultaneously released on August 2009 with limited edition supplement for each.
entitled , written by Mamizu Arisawa
and illustrated by Tamiki Wakaki
, was released on May 19, 2009, published by Shogakukan
under their GAGAGA Bunko label. The novel features a completely original story that disparate from the series, with original novel characters.
A second light novel entitled was released on May 18, 2010.
adaptation of this manga was officially announced in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday 2010 Issue #19. It was announced that script writer Hideyuki Kurata, character designer Watanabe Akio, and director Shigehito Takayanagi
would be working on the project. The studio in charge of the animation is Manglobe
. A prologue OVA episode was released and bundled together with the tenth manga volume on September 17, 2010. On September 18, 2010, Crunchyroll
announced the anime will be streaming online on their site. The anime began airing on TV Tokyo
from October 6, 2010 to December 22, 2010, with the second season airing from April 11, 2011 to June 28, 2011. A second OVA was released and bundled together with the fourteen manga volume on September 16, 2011. At Anime Weekend Atlanta
2011, Sentai Filmworks announced that they have licensed both seasons of the anime in North America and will release the first season on DVD and Blu-ray in January 2012.
in Japan on the Oricon Comic Chart for the week of January 13 and January 19, 2009, with over 50,500 copies sold that week. The following week, it was the twenty-first highest-selling manga volume in Japan, having sold 30,600 copies the week of January 20 and January 26, 2009. As of January 2009, the third manga volume have sold about 81,100 copies.
Carlo Santos of Anime News Network
reviewed the anime's first season and gave it a B where he was surprised how much he enjoyed the great storyline despite its plot description alone might be off putting to some saying, "By most expectations, anything involving ditzy demon girls and gaming-obsessed geekboys and a rotating lineup of high school beauties should have been the stuff of critical derision. Yet the show's sharp sense of humor, honest emotions, and polished production values prove that working with familiar clichés doesn't have to result in a clichéd product. With the right prodding and poking, any anime series can indeed become greater than the sum of its parts."
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Tamiki Wakaki
Tamiki Wakaki
is a Japanese manga artist and graduate of Kyoto University, notable for his manga series, .-One-shots: is a Japanese manga artist and graduate of Kyoto University, notable for his manga series, .-One-shots: (January 2000, Weekly Shōnen Sunday Tokubetsu Zōkan R) (March 2001,Weekly Shōnen...
. The manga has been serialized in the Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
since April 9, 2008, with individual chapters collected in fourteen tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes as of September 2011. The prototype version of the story was first featured as a one-shot on Weekly Shōnen Sunday on its 2007 Issue 32 release, and was titled . The 2010 Issue #19 of Weekly Shōnen Sunday announced an anime adaptation had been green-lit, which premiered on October 6, 2010.
Plot
Keima Katsuragi, a second-year high school student, is an avid bishōjo gameBishojo game
A , or , is "a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive anime-style girls". These games are a sub-genre of dating sims targeted towards a male audience....
player. He is known on the Internet as for his legendary skills to be able to "conquer" any 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
girl in games. However, in his actual school life, Keima is known as , a derogatory portmanteau of the two words and , and is considered nothing but an intelligent yet gloomy geek with glasses.
At the start of the series, Keima receives an e-mail offering him a contract to "conquer" girls. When he accepts it, thinking it is an invitation to a game, a demon from Hell named Elsie appears. She asks for his cooperation to help her in catching runaway spirits. These spirits hide themselves inside the hearts of girls, and Elsie suggests that the only method to force the spirits out is by "conquering" the girls hearts, making them fall in love with him and filling up the gaps which the runaway spirits hide in. Interested only in 2D girls, however, Keima is appalled by the idea, and refuses the assignment as he has no romantic real life experiences whatsoever. Nevertheless, with the contract already agreed, Keima has no choice but to help Elsie no matter what, as they will be beheaded if they fail.
Aside from focusing on Keima and Elsie's adventures on capturing spirits, the series also makes fun and parodying common and popular cliches about dating sims, anime character stereotypes, and pop culture.
Manga
The World God Only Knows is written and illustrated by Tamiki WakakiTamiki Wakaki
is a Japanese manga artist and graduate of Kyoto University, notable for his manga series, .-One-shots: is a Japanese manga artist and graduate of Kyoto University, notable for his manga series, .-One-shots: (January 2000, Weekly Shōnen Sunday Tokubetsu Zōkan R) (March 2001,Weekly Shōnen...
, serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday since April 9, 2008. Wakaki created a prototype version of the story which debuted as a one-shot in Weekly Shōnen Sunday 2007 Issue 32 and was titled, . Publication is ongoing in Japan by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
; the first tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
was released on July 11, 2008, and as of September 2011, fourteen volumes have been released.
The series is licensed in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
by Haksan Culture Company
Haksan Culture Company
Haksan Culture Company , a subsidiary of Daewon Media, is a South Korean publisher, famous for its large selections of domestic and imported comics and light novels. It was established in Seoul, in 1995.-Publishing:Magazines...
, and the first two volumes of the series has been simultaneously released on August 2009 with limited edition supplement for each.
Light novel
A light novelLight novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
entitled , written by Mamizu Arisawa
Mamizu Arisawa
is a male Japanese light novelist from Tokyo, Japan. In 2001, Arisawa won the silver prize in the eighth installment of MediaWorks' Dengeki Novel Prize with his work Infinity Zero. Following this, the novel was published by MediaWorks under their Dengeki Bunko label, and three other volumes in the...
and illustrated by Tamiki Wakaki
Tamiki Wakaki
is a Japanese manga artist and graduate of Kyoto University, notable for his manga series, .-One-shots: is a Japanese manga artist and graduate of Kyoto University, notable for his manga series, .-One-shots: (January 2000, Weekly Shōnen Sunday Tokubetsu Zōkan R) (March 2001,Weekly Shōnen...
, was released on May 19, 2009, published by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
under their GAGAGA Bunko label. The novel features a completely original story that disparate from the series, with original novel characters.
A second light novel entitled was released on May 18, 2010.
Anime
The animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation of this manga was officially announced in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday 2010 Issue #19. It was announced that script writer Hideyuki Kurata, character designer Watanabe Akio, and director Shigehito Takayanagi
Shigehito Takayanagi
-TV anime:*Cardcaptor Sakura : Storyboard , Episode Director *Flame of Recca : Storyboard, Episode Director*Galaxy Angel : Storyboard, Unit Director*Galaxy Angel A : Director, Storyboard, Unit Director...
would be working on the project. The studio in charge of the animation is Manglobe
Manglobe
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It was formed on February 7, 2002 by Sunrise producers Shinichirō Kobayashi and Takashi Kochiyama.-Works:*Trip Trek *Samurai Champloo...
. A prologue OVA episode was released and bundled together with the tenth manga volume on September 17, 2010. On September 18, 2010, Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American website and international online community focused on streaming East Asian media including anime, manga, drama, music, electronic entertainment, and auto racing content...
announced the anime will be streaming online on their site. The anime began airing on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
from October 6, 2010 to December 22, 2010, with the second season airing from April 11, 2011 to June 28, 2011. A second OVA was released and bundled together with the fourteen manga volume on September 16, 2011. At Anime Weekend Atlanta
Anime Weekend Atlanta
Anime Weekend Atlanta is an annual three-day anime convention held in the Atlanta, Georgia area, typically in the month of September. Since the first convention in 1995, Anime Weekend Atlanta has become one of the most attended anime conventions in the United States and as of 2010 it has been the...
2011, Sentai Filmworks announced that they have licensed both seasons of the anime in North America and will release the first season on DVD and Blu-ray in January 2012.
Reception
The third volume of The World God Only Knows was the fourth highest-selling tankōbonTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
in Japan on the Oricon Comic Chart for the week of January 13 and January 19, 2009, with over 50,500 copies sold that week. The following week, it was the twenty-first highest-selling manga volume in Japan, having sold 30,600 copies the week of January 20 and January 26, 2009. As of January 2009, the third manga volume have sold about 81,100 copies.
Carlo Santos of Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
reviewed the anime's first season and gave it a B where he was surprised how much he enjoyed the great storyline despite its plot description alone might be off putting to some saying, "By most expectations, anything involving ditzy demon girls and gaming-obsessed geekboys and a rotating lineup of high school beauties should have been the stuff of critical derision. Yet the show's sharp sense of humor, honest emotions, and polished production values prove that working with familiar clichés doesn't have to result in a clichéd product. With the right prodding and poking, any anime series can indeed become greater than the sum of its parts."