The World God Only Knows: Difference between revisions

{{work}}

 

{{quote| ''"[[Lampshade Hanging|I can already]] [[Genre Savvy|see the ending!]]"''}}

Thus begins Keima's daunting task as the human partner of a runaway-spirit catcher, which throws him deep into exactly what he's been dismissing: Real life, and more importantly, real girls.

 

 

An anime by [[Manglobe]] began in October 2010, with a second season in [[Spring 2011 Anime|April 2011]]. Both seasons have been licensed by [[Sentai Filmworks]], with the first season having been released on DVD and Blu-Ray, dubbed.

** Another example - S1 Episode 8, "Coupling With With With With", has doubled the number of perspectives of the same day.

** Yet another one, Shiori's backstory and store visit. Also some scenes, which are not present in the manga, were added to emphasize the climax of the arc.

* [[Alien Lunch]]: Other demons enjoy Elsie's cooking. Humans... [[Lethal Chef|not so much.]]

* [[All There in the Manual]]: Most of the manga volumes have some extra info on the TWGOK universe, from the history of the PFP to a description of the Underworld.

* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: {{spoiler|Haqua in Chapter 175, appearing out of nowhere to save Keima, Chihiro, and Ayumi.}}

* [[Bishie Sparkle]]: Played with. Aside from [[Bishonen|playing straight]], it's also used as a sort of [[Power Glows]] effect when Keima is cranking his Capturing God persona to the max.

** [http://manga.redhawkscans.com/reader/read/the_world_god_only_knows/en/0/70/page/4 Though he can] [[Gonk|go the other way, if he wants to...]]

* [[Black Comedy Rape]]: The Keima doll raping the Haqua doll. Neither Haqua nor Keima were amused but only Keima gets a slap to the face, [[Tsundere|naturally]].

** Keima's [[Play Station Portable|Play Field Personal]].

** Keima is truly hardcore, he has [[Virtual Boy|VIRTUAL PFP]].

** Gobariki for Nibariki, [[Hayao Miyazaki]]'s personal holding company (chapter 6, p.16).

** GirlWalker (chapter 11, p.7) = [http://gw.tv/ Girls' Walker Magazine]

** chauchau (chapter 28, p.2) = [http://www.chachacharming.com/nihongo.php Cha Cha Charming Magazine]

** Names of game consoles (chapter 35, p.2) (Sii for [[Wii]], PF3 for [[PS 3]], SDS for [[Nintendo DS]] (NDS); VB is likely for [[X Box]] (XB) or [[Game Boy]] (GB, though it'd be too old-fashioned compared to other consoles)). I suppose the author could've been more creative with the games' names though.

** [[Play Station 3|PLAY FIELD 3]].

** No names as of yet, but chapter 80, p.1 has a number of different controllers for potential mock names in the future.

*** Corrected in chapter 105 to DezeniSea.

* From the anime:

** One of the signs outside the galge store is for [[Love Plus|Love Minus]]. (s1, episode 2)

** Widoes 7 Ultimate = Windows 7 Ultimate. (s1, episode 4)

** Some more consoles: Creamcast = [[Dreamcast]], Prido 64 = [[Nintendo 64]]. (s1, episode 12)

** Even more consoles: [[Sega Saturn]] and Game Dice = [[Game Cube]] (s1, episode 12)

** Used again in s2 episode 7, contrasting pre and post-capture Chihiro on her school route.

** Used at the end of S2, where the ED theme is the OP of S1.

* [[Boring but Practical]]: This is the basis of Haqua's partner Yukie's method of capturing spirits.

* [[Bound and Gagged]]:

* [[Drop What You Are Doing]]: Mari dropped the tray she was holding when Elsie told her that she is her husband's illegitimate daughter. In the manga the tray had some wares on it while in the anime it was empty.

* [[Dude, Where's My Respect?]]: Instead of getting a medal for {{spoiler|capturing seven demonic spirits in three months}}, Elsie gets {{spoiler|a two month paycut}}. {{spoiler|She is awarded a different medal by her chief}}, but she muses that she's happy with just getting her current job... And the fact that the front was dirty was bothering her. Guess old habits die hard.

** Yokkyun makes an early appearance in the second season.

** Tsukiyo, Minami, Airi, Reiko, Sumire with her father, Tenri, and Diana appear near the end of ep. 12 of season 2.

** Keima looks like [[Austin Powers]], mainly due to the way he dresses.

* [[Eye Beams]]: Keima also shoots one out of his mouth.

* [[Face Fault]]: Done by the Keima household when Haqua tries to pull the illegitimate child gag.

* [[Faceless Goons]]: Veils are part of the standard uniform for the public safety department. {{spoiler|Makes it relatively easy for Haqua to [[Dressing As the Enemy|smuggle herself out]].}}

* [[Face Palm]]: S1 Episode 2 of the anime gives Keima a good one. Immediately after he tells Elsie that there is no possible way he's going to let her come to his house, guess whose mom shows up, happy to see her son with a friend? *headsmack*

** Keima also does this in chapter 1 of the manga, right after capturing Ayumi.

* [[Family-Friendly Firearms]]: Both manga and anime assure the audience Kanon's [[Stun Guns]] [[Blatant Lies|are safe.]]

* [[Fan Service]]: In the anime we are often treated to fanservicey pictures after the episode.

* [[Field of Blades]]: At the beginning of chapter 17, as well as the corresponding episode 4 of the first season.

* [[Filler]]: But on a different level... in various ways.

* [[First Kiss]]: Ayumi took Keima's first kiss (though his mother got in a good few when he was little).

** Keima taketh Tenri's first kiss.

* [[Freaky Friday Flip]]: {{spoiler|Yui and Keima}}, the night of their second encounter in school. Although, it seems their manner of speech didn't swap. {{spoiler|[[Becoming the Mask|At first]].}}

* [[From a Certain Point of View]]: Keima attempts to wriggle out of a difficult question using this technique in chapter 139. His questioner is suspicious.

* [[Furo Scene]]: Elsie in chapters 2 and 102, Tsukiyo in chapter 45, Haqua in chapters 48 and 121, {{spoiler|Keima!Yui}} in chapter 83, Kusunoki in chapters 91 and 97, Hinoki in chapter 95, and Elsie and Haqua together in chapter 144.

** Tsukiyo's bath scene is brilliant and lovely: A Milk Bath in the Clawfoot Tub and [[Godiva Hair]], then the Milk Scoop, immediately followed by [[Shy Finger-Twiddling]] with Leg Curl while submerged at the ideal depth, and Towel Afterbath to finish the combo.

** Subverted in Elsie's case. In chapter 102-103 Keima consciously tries to avoid a romantic side-plot with her, though he may have failed... miserably.

* [[Genre Savvy]]: Keima is a master of identifying the stereotypes embodied by his targets and the events needed to "capture" them. Hell gets a little credit, too, for picking out a [[Dating Sim]] master in the first place.

* [[Genre Shift]]: The first season's OP: 0:00-0:35 is Techno, 0:35-0:58 is Pop, and 0:58-1:30, the conclusion, is Classical.

* [[Gilligan Cut]]: From chapter 2 - Keima flat-out refuses to let Elsie come to his house. The very next scene, Mari's welcoming Elsie to the Katsuragi home.

** Haqua suffers one in episode 4 of Season 2, which the [[Monster of the Week|loose soul of the week]] takes advantage of.

** In Chapter 167, {{spoiler|Keima actually goes into one after coldly rejecting Chihiro and being rejected by Ayumi. A bit surprisingly, he agrees with Ayumi that "he is the worst."}}

** Keima is [[Hiro Shimono]], aka [[Baka to Test To Shoukanjuu|Akihisa Yoshii]].

*** Keima is a [[Memetic Sex God|different kind of God]] in [[Yosuga no Sora|an H-game]].

** [[Ayana Taketatsu|Ayumi]] is [[K-On|Azusa]] and [[Ore no Imouto ga Konna Ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (Light Novel)|Kirino]].

** [[Kana Hanazawa|Shiori]] is [[Darker Than Black|Suou]], [[Angel Beats (Anime)|Tenshi]] and [[Ore no Imouto ga Konna Ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (Light Novel)|Kuroneko]].

** And in the dub, Keima is [[Fullmetal Alchemist (Manga)|Greed]], Elsie is [[Clannad (Visual Novel)|Nagisa]], and Kanon is [[Soul Eater (Manga)|Black Star]]

* [[Hollywood Tone Deaf]]: As evidenced in the final episode of the First season. Keima's singing is atrocious. It's so bad it's hilarious.

* [[Honor Before Reason]]: Despite having the girls' memories "erased", Keima still remembers and sticks to his promise to them, i.e; helping them anytime if it's possible.

** Chapter 112: Keima is not best pleased to be the model for every role in Akari's [[Imagine Spot]] about the evils of human history.

* [[Impossible Task]]: Keima and Elsie go through [[Game Breaking Bug|countless permutations of routes]] to capture Asuka Sora. {{spoiler|They succeed in escaping the bug... but then run into another: Unreadable text after that point.}}

* [[Incest Subtext]]: Keima and Mari Katsuragi (son and mother). In chapter 109, right after asking the same question to Elsie, Keima asks Mari if they kissed before to gather samples of real-life reaction. Her response? Completely surprised at first... then she [[Marshmallow Hell|hugs]] Keima, saying she used to kiss him many times in the past, and asks if he wants one again.

** It's not really incest if it's a mother giving her young son kisses on the cheek (which is probably the case for her).

* [[Internal Affairs]]: The Public Safety Department {{spoiler|They're [[Dirty Cop|in league with]] Vintage}}.

* [[Invisible to Normals]]: A lot of what the runaway spirits do can't be seen by people apart from gods, devils, buddies and hosts. However, not everything falls under this and is a large part of Hell's job when it comes to fixing memories or just using their hagoromono. For example, Haqua scolds Elsie for making more work for her superiors because she didn't cloak herself when flying.

* [[It's All My Fault]]: Keima says this to himself immediately after failing to prevent {{spoiler|Kanon from getting stabbed}}

* [[It Tastes Like Feet|It Tastes Like Hands]]: Averted in chapter 6. We will never know.

"You won't be able to move if it's not a bloomer!! It's supposed to be a bloomer!!"<br />

"...This is the standard conditions for a little sister to be called a little sister. First is Blood, a blood relationship!! It means that you two have the same blood in you!! Like a sister in law!! Like a ''protégé''!! The weakness of these characters is that in the end they're still unrelated!! And then Memory, the memories of both of you!! It is nothing but the mass number of memories that the family has gathered!! This is the irreplaceable bond of siblings!! And most of all a heart that honors her older brother. Woni-chan moe, an extreme love for her brother!!"<br />

"The voices of their hearts... You can always hear them!! It's right there on the screen, in the [[Inner Monologue|monologue]]." }}

** In the beginning Keima didn't want to capture a real girl and tried to come up with excuses for Elsie why he "can't" do it.

* [[Ocular Gushers]]: Chapter 78: Not the "spraying" type, but Keima bawled enough to form a small pond {{spoiler|when he lost to Diana in Shogi despite intending to win}}.

** Elsie may not cry rivers, but she tends to get teary a LOT.

* [[Offscreen Teleportation]]: Another of Keima's talents. [http://www.mangareader.net/120-6007-7/the-world-god-only-knows/chapter-48.html Seen] [http://www.mangareader.net/120-6007-8/the-world-god-only-knows/chapter-48.html here].

* [[Oh Crap]]: The [http://manga.redhawkscans.com/reader/read/the_world_god_only_knows/en/0/119/page/17 look on Keima's face] when Ayumi refers to him with an honorific makes it clear he knows a [[Megaton Punch|Megaton Kick]] is coming.

* [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old|Really Three Hundred Years Old]]: [[Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny|Elsie]] and [[A Cup Angst|Haqua,]] but their bodies are [[Older Than They Look|underdeveloped.]] [[Knight Templar|Nora's]] ten years older, but she's fully developed.

* [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]: Played with. Kodama lets his students follow their (bizarre) hobbies if they get 100% on tests. He's fair, his challenge is possible, and it still makes the kids get an education... but the only reason he was so happy and actually let the students make their clubs was that {{spoiler|that Keima finally ''didn't'' get a 100%. He has Keima's less-than-perfect test ''framed and hung on the wall''}}.

* [[Reference Overdosed]]

** And now [[Chekhov's Gun|this comes back]] in Chapter 169, when it's revealed that {{spoiler|the entire Maijima High has a connection to the goddess Demeter}}.

** {{spoiler|The goddesses, the Jupiter sisters, are named after their predecessor relatives from the Roman Pantheon who are also half of the members of the Dii Consentes.}}

* [[Remembered I Could Fly]]: After a fruitless search for an invisible Kanon, Elsie remembers she can track her through the spirit sensor. An irritated Keima [[Lampshade Hanging|points out]] she should have remembered that earlier.

** Keima being an [[Accidental Pervert]]... and not caring about what he's seen at all.

* [[Sacred First Kiss]]: Played straight... twice.

{{quote| '''Diana:''' A kiss is something... that is done only with the person you spend the rest of your life with. I'll make you take responsibility for it!<ref>As in, you'll marry Tenri...and me! (Transitive property at work)</ref>}}

** Upon learning that Keima courts other girls to make them fall in love with him...and that it all finishes with a kiss.

** Haqua objects to Nora's bringing this out of school.

** Ayumi has some hostile sempais in the track and field club, who apparently bring back bad memories of Elsie's sempais in Hell.

* [[Serious Business]]: Keima's [[Battle in The Center of The Mind|inner argument]] about what should be in the ideal galge. It went from simple suggestions flowing through his head, to a riot breaking out in front of the Capitol Building as the Ruling Party and the Opposition, up to an interstellar war just from his inner debate on what the galge should be like.

** The chapter about the bugged gal game also fits. In fact, all aspects of gal games are serious business to Keima, and even represent truth.

** Chapters 105-106 can be considered REVERSE ship tease if you look at it this way. Keima's date with Haqua and Tenri/Diana is completely wrecked and he tries to get it over with as fast as possible. Compare it to the one in the previous chapter where he goes on the date to cheer up Elsie and actually tries to make her feel better (despite ruining any romantic interaction Elsie wanted), which goes MUCH better. He DID say Elsie was the only one he could put up with.

* [[Shoo Out the Clowns]]: Played straight, though justified, with {{spoiler|Elsea}}. She's absent during much of the Re-Conquest arc's events, but that's because she's doing her own part to keep things running smoothly.

* [[Shrinking Violet]]: Shiori and Tenri.

* [[Sitting On the Roof]]: [[Tsundere]] Haqua, after unintentionally exposing herself to Keima in the bathtub.

* [[Sliding Scale of Adaptation Modification]]: For the anime, it achieves the perfect [[Pragmatic Adaptation]] rating.

* [[Stern Teacher]]: Nikaidou-sensei, Nagase-sensei's senior.

* [[Stoic Spectacles]]: Keima's preferred look.

* [[Supreme Chef]]: Keima, at least when it comes to Coffee. People who drink it say all other coffee is like mud in comparison.

* [[Surrounded By Idiots]]: Despite encoutering people able to read a whole library, centennial devils who aced their exams and goddesses who are at least several milleniums old, Keima is never challenged intellectually. Even worse, despite seeing forthright his tricks and manipulations, some girls are still falling for him, even when it's obvious he's putting up a persona to please them.

* [[Terrible Artist]]: When Keima tries drawing something, this is how it comes out. It may run in the family; his grandfather's attempt at a picture of one of Keima's dating sim heroines is just as bad.

* [[Theme Naming]]: Be it their first name or last name, or both.

* [[Theme Tune Cameo]]: ''Abused'' to no end in S2, where it feels like one of Kanon's songs will play in the background every other episode (in a shop, on TV, at a ''pro-wrestling event''...)

* [[Theme Twin Naming]]: Kusunoki and Hinoki.

* [[Tsundere]]: Let's see.... We have Keima himself, Ayumi, Mio, Kusunoki, Chihiro, Tsukiyo, Diana, Haqua.... we can say that roughly half of the cast has had their moment.

* [[Twelve-Episode Anime]]: Seasons 1 and 2.

** And this, by the way, makes two different type 3 love triangles with just three people total. Yes, I know it's mathematically impossible. But Keima [[Incredibly Lame Pun|is a cheater]].

** Furthermore, we have Keima and {{spoiler|Yui}} managing a two person love quadrangle ''without'' [[Sharing a Body]] with anyone, with added [[Screw Yourself]] thrown in for good measure ''without'' actual duplicates.

* [[Wager Slave]]: See under "[[Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?]]," above.

* [[Webcomic Time]]: The manga takes six months to cover three days in-universe - which gets a [[Lampshade Hanging]] in chapter 137b.

** The previous line is overshadowed in WHAM-ness in the very next chapter.

{{quote| ''' {{spoiler|Ayumi}}'''''':''' I heard you.}}

* [[What Would X Do|What Would Kami Sama Do?]]: Elsie in chapter 26.

* [[Who Writes This Crap?]]: Keima on Diana's story in chapter 80: "The plot gets worse the more I hear about it. Coming to me to force a discussion about this? No-one would buy a game with such a poor, cliched setting."

* [[Wholesome Crossdresser]]: {{spoiler|Keima, for the sake of capturing Yui.}}

* [[Wide Eyed Idealist]]: Haqua, until the [[Trauma Conga Line]].

[[Category:Fantasy Anime and Manga]]

[[Category:The World God Only Knows]]