The World God Only Knows: Goddesses Arc – 07
I don’t know how Keima can stay focused while coldly manipulating these girls.
 Keima’s got only one goddess left to capture, but he needs to figure out which of the 2 toughest girls she’s hiding in. Unfortunately for him, the magical cold-activated cold virus of anime reared its ugly head, which forced him to activate the sick visit flag with Ayumi before accidentally being double teamed by her and Chihiro. So Keima couldn’t complete the capture within an episode unlike the last 3 times, but that’s probably a good thing as the plot for this tsundere vs. tsundere capture seems to be building up to be something more complex than previous ones. |
Er, their hands and his legs don’t really have to be in those positions, do they?
I think the thing that keeps me coming back to this series is Keima carefully executing his devious plans for conning his way into the girls’ hearts, only to see those plans blowing up in his face. This season has been particularly good at that thanks to the harem nature adding extra moving parts to get in Keima’s way. A successful visit by Ayumi with her showing off her caring deredere side to Keima would have been adorable, but it wouldn’t have been half as entertaining as what we got thanks to Chihiro entering the picture. It never gets tiring seeing Keima panic and be forced to think on the fly. He’s usually good at that, but in this case, I do have to question the wisdom of sexually assaulting Ayumi stuffing Ayumi under his blanket with no explanation.
Because it’s important that you make it look as much like sexual harassment as possible when you’re forcing her to go along with your scheme.
Poor Ayumi. She had to really suffer this episode, though at least she got some nice hits in on the already sick Keima. I could see about half a dozen ways that scene could have gone differently were KamiNomi a hentai – or even a slightly risqué light novel. But I guess such hijinks isn’t appropriate for an adolescent-targeted series. Keima should count himself lucky that she went along with it at all. I guess revealing herself in such a situation wasn’t really an option once she was already under the covers. That said, Chihiro and Ayumi are best buds, and given how they both antagonize Keima, Ayumi probably could have (rightfully) placed all the blame on him, leading him to fail both of their routes.
Even for Keima, chasing 2 girls at once while sick is a challenge, and it seems it’s lead to Ayumi starting to close off her route. Hearing her friend playing her song to Keima, then confessing to him clearly left an impression. She certainly feels something for Keima, but she seems to think Chihiro feels it even stronger. Maybe she also feels some guilt for lying to Chihiro about visiting Keima earlier. And I wonder if she had suspicions of it before; why use such a strong phrase as “true love” when talking on the phone after?
Happy to see violence on Keima return after being missing last episode! Courtesy of the athletic girl, no less!
That said, the race is still up in the air, since there hasn’t been any indication of the goddess in either girl. The fact that Chihiro confessed without any manifestation of the goddess seems suspicious since goddesses came out for all the other girls at or around moments of passion. Plus, I doubt the story would play Ayumi and Chihiro against each other like this if this final goddess capture were to be straightforward. The worst case scenario for Keima, of course, is that he goes all in on one girl and then discovers that the other one is host to Mercurius (there’s always the possibility that Keima’s assumptions are wrong, and complete stranger has the goddess, but the story wouldn’t throw such a bold twist). Which would also mean that one girl feels for him due to her goddess, and the other organically developed her crush on him once again. I’m going to feel sorry for the losing girl when this is over; she doesn’t get a goddess or to have her memory wiped like last time.
That part feels a bit off to me. The track star and rock band guitarist falling for the misanthropic nerd who spends all class playing video games? When he is actively conning the girls working on a capture is one thing, but at this point neither girl presumably remembers her capture. Keima had to pull some difficult stunts to win Ayumi’s heart, such as creating and putting up giant banners over the school, and compared to that his gestures this season towards Ayumi and Chihiro have felt weak. I suppose it falls under acceptable suspension of disbelief; a harem protagonist is nothing if girls aren’t attracted to him for no good reason.
I’m no fan of tsunderes, but how could I resist falling for a girl like this?
I’m still pulling for Ayumi here. I place her on a pedestal for being Keima’s first, and I like to think that once Keima is done with all this stuff involving goddesses and demons and loose souls, he will return to her. But in the meanwhile, since he needs to have a harem for the story, I want her to be in it. Best case scenario for me, I guess, is the goddess within her forces her to change her mind about Keima. After all, that’s Mercurius, named after the messenger god, known for his iconic winged shoes; who better for that than the track star?
About lvlln
A math/science geek and a self-dubbed cynical optimist. I don't care if it's deep, if it can make me feel something or laugh, it's fine in my book. @lvlln
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
You mention feeling sorry for the girl that doesn’t have a goddess, but what I was thinking of this week watching the episode is that it’s probably worse than that. The goddesses aren’t making these girls be in love with Keima. It’s his manipulation of them, like he’s playing a game. The goddesses are just the reason they remember it. And maybe they’ll forget when the goddesses leave, although I don’t know if that’s on the table. But if they don’t forget…
Then what we’ve got is 6 girls who are truly in love with Keima, and he’s not sincerely interested in a single one of them. Not in the least. I had thought that maybe this arc would be a bit different, and I’ve enjoyed it because it wasn’t just abandoning these girls, but I’m realizing that without Keima actually falling in love, too, it’s even more heartbreaking for them all.
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
he changed a lot because of them too, no one notices his side of history, in the past he would have never put effort in anything remotely close to the real…besides, if someone put you in his position would be strong enough to handle in cold fashion like he does? He’s still aware that the girls love him, it must be difficult to just push that back, even if he says that he doesn’t love any of them, he’s human, you know. There’s no way he doesn’t anything for any of them, it may not be love, but he does feel something, besides, if you thing closely, they’re more like girlfriends…Have you never finished with a girl? What if one of the girls you finished loved you? We do the same thing too in the real
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
Keima’s human too you know? Everyone automatically goes to the girls side and forgets that he dies if he doesn’t captures girls, not to mention that now the world ends if he doesn’t make them fall in love with him, he knows that the girls sincerely love him, but we do it too in real life, we if you don’t like your girlfriend anymore you finish the relationship, what if she really loved you? i’m not saying you guys are completely wrong, but just looking at one side of the history is bull, Keima has worries too!
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Everyone is piling everything on top of him, it must be rough on his side too
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Yeah, my big problem is with the setup of the show. It’s not really Keima’s *fault* that he has been roped into being Elsie’s buddy. And like you said, he doesn’t have much choice. It’s just that the aspect of enjoying the show for me goes down because despite all the romance, I’m realizing that there’s heartbreak *by design*.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 77 comments
I particularly enjoy this harem series as it’s the only one I know of where
a) the lead actively accumulates girls into his harem
AND
b) he does not want the harem.
And that’s why you don’t make deals with the devil. Or is it why you do?
POWUH: 700-799 and Parkouring Fanboy with 776 comments
Ha, never thought about it that way, but good point. Poor guy never knew what was coming when he agreed to that contract. He’s been a good fit thanks to being a sociopath, but his path surely isn’t an easy one.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 77 comments
Not easy, huh?
The pain faces in this episode (and in the manga they’re derived from) are particularly hilarious, especially the one where Ayumi is elbowing him under the covers…
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 109 comments
my guess it ayumi who host the goodness and not cihiro
POWUH: 700-799 and Parkouring Fanboy with 776 comments
That’s what I’m hoping. Besides the fact that Ayumi and Keima look so cute together, I don’t find Chihiro all that interesting, especially for a Kana Asumi-voiced character. It’s great that she got into making her band, but she was the boring, unnoteworthy girl after all. Ayumi’s got the running and she plays in the band. Lead guitar, too, I think?
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 95 comments
This arc has some pretty good character development for Keima. I’m a Ayumi fan too but Chihiro is pretty awesome in this arc.
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
Ayumi’s hot!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The tsundere part of her is what needs a little getting used to.
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
People sweat when they are hot… can I get a Shirou?
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
not sure what you want…but BB can have me *w*
POWUH: 800-899 and Mad Scientist with 814 comments
I was attempting a snowclone of the classic
http://www.forkparty.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Anime-Subtitle-Fails-People-Die-If-They-Are-Killed.jpg
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
indeed…it makes me remember munakata i think from medaka box, is abnormality was the desire to kill, every makes him want to kill, but he didn’t kill because of…Shirou
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Not in a million years, dude. *presses “Return to sender” button*
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
awww BB is so mean…not that it will stop me though
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
It’s funny how Keima thinks his plans will go so well that he doesn’t have alternatives ready for insurance and in the end, his arrogance always comes back to bite him. And now he has a bigger problem to deal with. I wish him luck.
POWUH: 700-799 and Parkouring Fanboy with 776 comments
You’d think he’d have learned the value of a well prepared plan B by now. Though admittedly he’s been good at thinking on his feet; that years and years’ worth of galge experience paying off. But hubris is indeed fun to watch, especially of the painful slapstick variety.
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
can he even afford to think of other plans in his situation? sometimes you just make a plan and the rest… you wing it
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 109 comments
i will cry in episode 9 because the big sad scene of the godness arc will be there this will make me feel very sad those who been read the manga should know what sad scene i talking about.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 109 comments
@allenandarth if you was read the manga do you know what sad scence i talk about?and did it make you sad?