Kamisama Dolls

[Ryllharu]

Description: Kyouhei moved to Tokyo from his ancient town in the mountains to get away from a certain series of events. While at a club meet, he is dared by his friends to confess to the hard-to-get beauty of the group, Hibino, who happens also be from a family who left his town some time ago. After drinking for a whole night, he and Hibino find a shattered body in the elevator. Hibino remarks that he was able to stay very calm given the circumstances...of course this was far from the first body Kyouhei has seen. Kyouhei's impulsive sister appears with her Kukuri, her Kamisama Doll, an ancient construct, and tells him that Aki, one of his old friends from the village, has escaped.

Genres: Seinen, Supernatural, Intrigue, Reluctant Protagonist, Little Sister
Links: AniDB, ANN, Official Page

HorribleSubs: Eps 01, Eps 02
Doki: Eps 01, Eps 02
Chihiro: Eps 01, Eps 02

I had serious stuttering issues during the OP due to the karaoke on Doki's releases, but your mileage may vary.

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This has certainly one of the more interesting shows this season, and thank the gods that the male lead is in college in lieu of high school. The thing that gets me the most is the really off-putting singing that the Kamisama Dolls do when they are in use. It's simple single-syllable song at the perfectly eerie tempo. Any slower and it would be only gloomy, any faster and it would soothing.

As for the characters, oho...ultra large boobs and unrealistically tiny waist for Hibino. Lack of Realism yay! Kayano Ai, the actress who played Menma in AnoHana, sounds nothing the same in Kamisama Dolls. I love when I can barely tell they're the same seiyuu. Her voice is very mature and motherly, and it fits her character really, really well.

Utao, played by Fukuen Misato, does a excellent job as the impulsive little sister given what amounts to a flying tank. Her eagerness comes off very refreshing, and the way she is torn between responsibility, wanting to be with her brother, and just being a young girl is done wonderfully.

Kyouhei, played by Okamoto Nobuhiko, does a nice job as well. He comes off very natural as someone who knows a lot more than they ever tell anyone. He's very guarded and reserved, reluctant yet slightly wistful. I'm used to him playing more panicky or wild characters (Accelerator, Niizuma Eiji). But this is far more like his role as Layfon in Chrome Shelled Regios.

Now that I say that, the series' overall feel reminds me of that. There is a lot of things that have already happened and are hinted at. Kyouhei is the same kind of reluctant protagonist, and we know from the opening minutes that he is lying about how he wasn't good at controlling Kukuri. It's not a perfect comparison, Kamisama Dolls is much more subdued than the over-the-top combat of Regios. I couldn't quite put my finger on what this series reminded me of until I remembered that Okamoto also played Layfon.

Lastly, the antagonist, Aki, played by Kimura Ryouhei is sufficiently vicious. He's cold, ruthless, brutal, arrogant, and obsessed with Kyouhei. A perfect psychopath. His Kamisama Doll's song is even creepier than Kukuri's. You just know bad shit is going to happen when you hear it.

Between Kayano Ai's performance, Utao's eagerness, Aki's psychosis, and all the reluctance and subdued rage Kyouhei exudes, this is working to become my favorite series so far this season.

[animus]

"Genre: ... Little Sister"


Lol.


Anyways, it's kinda interesting. It reminds me of something else, but I can't recall exactly what.

[shinta|hikari]

I love the OP and ED. It's from the same artist as the one who sang the Bokurano songs, and gives this series a serious and tragic tone.

[Buffalobiian]

I love the OP and ED. It's from the same artist as the one who sang the Bokurano songs, and gives this series a serious and tragic tone.

I concur. The artist reminds me of someone (I haven't heard the Bokurano songs), but I can't put my finger on where I've heard it. Shakugan no Shana S1 ED1 sounds similar in flavour to her voice, but it doesn't sound the same.

I'll take the shallower post and say that this show fills the well-endowed Onee-chan fetish and the Imouto fetish at the same time. Awesome.

[Yukimura]

I just finished ep 1 and this looks worth watching though I'm predicting heavy use of formula and standard plots. The production values seem quite high and the premise is rather similar to Cencorol which everyone and their mother wished would get a full series so why not.

[Buffalobiian]

I concur. The artist reminds me of someone (I haven't heard the Bokurano songs), but I can't put my finger on where I've heard it. Shakugan no Shana S1 ED1 sounds similar in flavour to her voice, but it doesn't sound the same.

I'll take the shallower post and say that this show fills the well-endowed Onee-chan fetish and the Imouto fetish at the same time. Awesome.

Took me a day of thinking to get it, but I finally figured out which song I've heard this voice in before: Prototype - Gundam 00 S2 ED1

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 03

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 04

[Ryllharu]

Talk about the episodes Buff, rather than just posting the links. Quit being lazy!


This easily became the best series that started this season. Complicated character dynamics, intentionally not telling us what happened in the past but constantly making reference to it, and a nice mix of humor here and there.

Kyouhei's barely suppressed rage, and I use that loosely because he lost it this time, is a particular selling point for me. Aki really pissed him off this episode, just like he wanted to do last episode. You know that a lot of really terrible things happened between the two of them back when Kyouhei was still a Seki, but none of the details. Hibino's resemblance to their teacher of course makes me wonder if their teacher was in fact Hibino's mother. It would make sense then that she and her father left the village if/when Aki/Kyouhei got their teacher killed if Hibino's mother was one in the same. It's these kind of questions that make me desperate for the next episodes.

If that wasn't enough, there is the appearance of Utao's twin. One might think that it is just one big reveal, but there was a large element of subtlety to the twists here. Kyouhei was equally shocked that the twin existed. That conflicts with the thought that Kyouhei had right after the bath scene. He stated to Utao that the Hyuga brought two along, but thought something else. He seemed to have a particular person allied with his family in mind. Only it turned out to be not at all who he thought it would be...

[Buffalobiian]

Talk about the episodes Buff, rather than just posting the links. Quit being lazy!

I finished Episode 4 no less than 5 minutes from the writing of this post... (like you can talk :P )

I was rather surprised that their teacher didn't look more like Hibinor (read: didn't have massive boobs).

But on a more serious note, I must not have posted because I didn't think of anything to post.

It's these kind of questions that make me desperate for the next episodes.

It's like those books where situations flow without being random or forced, and twists aren't made for the sake of having a twist, yet each chapter introduces something new right at the end that makes you want the next one (and subsequently read it till 3am).

Talking about questions, my biggest immediate question is that Kyouhei knows the mech, but not the boy. And as for this show being set apart from the others that started airing this season, when was the last show where a shower-intrusion scene did not end with a bright red slap? Props for that one, really.

Your point about slowly revealing the past events is valid even for the detailed little segment that showed just what happened during that fight.

On a final note, while the OP is indeed really groovy, I think the ED is the one that hits better emotionally.

[shinta|hikari]

I prefer the OP. It's just different and refreshing.

I really want to see how much Kyohei can own with Kukuri. When he said that he was not qualified to control it, I'm sure it's because he lost control, not because he wasn't adept at it.

The glasses girl is really interesting. The two psycho obsessive characters seem to fit each other quite well. I'm actually surprised Aki didn't just lop her head off and use her room, but I guess he also finds her worth paying attention to.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm actually surprised Aki didn't just lop her head off and use her room, but I guess he also finds her worth paying attention to.

I felt his action was best summed up with "You've got balls. I like balls."

And well... if the girl just suddenly disappeared, there would bound to be people knocking on her door soon.

[Buffalobiian]

[Nipponsei] Kami-sama Dolls OP ED Single - Kukanzen Nenshou [Ishikawa Chiaki].zip

[Ryllharu]

Kamisama Dolls - 05 (720p) [HorribleSubs]


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I'm really starting to like the dynamic of Kyouhei and Hibino with Utao in the middle. Kyouhei is very nice to his precocious little brat of a sister, but he is very stern with her when he is playing mentor. Considering what he has seen from the kakashi, and knows what people like Aki are willing to do with them, I think his attitude is understandable. Utao got hot-headed and nearly destroyed the thing she holds most dear. Kirio did too, so I guess Kyouhei, Utao, and Kirio really are related.

On the other hand, Hibino is very kind and motherly to Utao. She praises her, gently reassures her, and comforts her. Utao has a lot on her shoulders, and while Kyouhei needs to be harsh with her, she also really needs that reassurance that Hibino gives. I'm glad she is curious enough to brave the village her parents fled. Utao will definitely need her support and guidance.

I loved that the kakashi are made of wood, and are full of ligaments like a puppet. It would have really disappointed me if they were some kind of ridiculously advanced (even for the current era) machines, some sort of alien thing, or even some ancient stone artifact. It added a little believability to the whole thing. Whatever advanced thing is behind their unique special abilities, blood contract, and power sources, they're still constructs that could be made by people of the medieval era. Hibino's musing of how wood can be so flexible was something else, but I still like that their limbs at least are rooted in human technology.
edit: Like a Karakuri ningyō.

I'm guessing Amaterasu is that rogue kakashi that Kyouhei beam-nuked as a child.


What makes this series really great is the quick interjections of humor. That Utao's priority right after saving them was pushing them apart instead of confronting Kirio gave me a good chuckle.

[shinta|hikari]

I absolutely agree with everything you just posted.

This series needs more people to watch it. It has so much discussion potential.

I wonder who triggered the absorb>counterattack Kukuri did. Was it really Utao? She seems like she is not fit to be a Seki, and the thoughts of the one eyed geezer supports this line of thought. Does Kyohei still have a bit of control left in there? Does Kukuri have the ability to defend itself when its user is inept? These are questions to which I am really looking forward to getting the answers.

Who is fit to pilot Amaterasu? So far, the story seems to imply that Kyohei is the best candidate. It isn't an actual implication, but judging from the narrative clues and general style, he seems to fit.

[Buffalobiian]

I wonder who triggered the absorb>counterattack Kukuri did. Was it really Utao? She seems like she is not fit to be a Seki, and the thoughts of the one eyed geezer supports this line of thought. Does Kyohei still have a bit of control left in there? Does Kukuri have the ability to defend itself when its user is inept? These are questions to which I am really looking forward to getting the answers.

I'm thinking it was Kyouhei. The ED sequences and all to really point to him becoming a Seki again, though whether that's for Kukuri or Amaterasu is unknown. Besides the fact that the wood can be flexible, I was wondering how the wood can be so tough. They were crashing into buildings and everything without a care in the world. Only each other's attacks hurt the other. While Ryll mentioned that the wooden construct increases believability, I think the way it was handled also decreased it. Wooden dolls shouldn't in any way knock down a truck without any visible damage.

One other point that wasn't mentioned was how similar to Aki Kyouhei looked when he was all pissed off on the phone. Scenes like that keep reminding me that Kyouhei still has all these hidden sides to him that hasn't been revealed yet.

I haven't bothered to rewatch those episodes yet to clarify which people belong to which clan.

[Ryllharu]

IWhile Ryll mentioned that the wooden construct increases believability, I think the way it was handled also decreased it. Wooden dolls shouldn't in any way knock down a truck without any visible damage.

Maybe "believability" is too strong a word. It supports the Suspension of Disbelief.

I admitted that Hibino's remark about how wood can be so flexible (yet crush stone, dent and tear metal, etc.) was something else. Certainly connected to the mysterious power source that allows these to teleport, shoot energy or electrical blasts, change form, and so on. Despite all these fantastical abilities and their remarkable durability, the kakashis' movement is all rooted in being like a Karakuri ningyō or European Renaissance era puppet/automaton, similar to Leonardo da Vinci's robot from the mid-1400s.

[Buffalobiian]

[Single] Chiaki Ishikawa – Fukanzen Nenshou (石川智晶 – 不完全燃焼) [Flac][Download][2011.07.27]

Lossless FLAC version for those who want it.

[Belial]

Like this show so far, despite the loli / big boob thing going on, has good action and lots of mystery and drama

Can't wait to find out more about the past (something with that big doll happened as far as i can tell, somebody tried to control it and failed miserably, maybe this sensei ?)

And i hope we get more explanation on the dolls themselves, made of wood thing surprised the hell out of me, put a hole in my alien technology theory

also the OP is great

[Ryllharu]

Kamisama Dolls - 06 (720p) [HorribleSubs]


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Now it makes sense that they would use wood. Wood easily absorbs all kinds of things, and the Kamu no Chi is no different. They're staining carefully selected wood, probably free of knots and other imperfections, with "god's blood." That connects with the mystical whatever-it-is power source and attuning core, and then it's largely a remote controlled flying puppet with a couple coats of ultra-omega-polyurethane.

While the series has plenty of substances and systems that presently require suspension of disbelief (the god's blood and the yet to be mentioned kakashi cores), I'm definitely liking that they thought this kind of stuff through.


Random bits:
- I'm guessing from the question about Aki that Moyako is the girl from the opening moments of the first episode. Same hair color and she seems to be pretty close to Kyouhei as well, though in a platonic way. Obviously not the case with Aki.
- It's cute that Utao wants to know how to be a big sister. Moyako actually is one, but it's pretty blatantly obvious who Utao should try to replicate to achieve her goal.
- Kirio's been treated like crap for so long. He's obviously never been properly treated to a nice dinner. Koushirou is a good guy, and he's got a good wife too. That was a bit unexpected.
- Perhaps Hibino has always been interested in Kyouhei. The more she learns about Kyouhei, the more she wants to know...