Qiara's Rants - You Really Should Read Kamisama Hajimemashita

Okay, first up: I've started reading Kamisama Hajimemashita years ago and I absolutely love it. But by that time, it's only half-finished. Since I'm too lazy to wait for new chapters and I'm totally the type to binge read, I decided to just stop reading this one and maybe get back to it after a few months.

Well, shame on me because I totally forgot about this series later on.

And now, a week ago, I came across this manga series again. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it was already finished last year. Really, shame on me. Anyway, I decided to re-read the series from the start... and boy, I might have just read one of the manga series that I will never forget in my entire life. So beware folks! I have nothing else except praises to say in this post about Kamisama Hajimemashita!

So here's the thing: I dislike too happy endings. I hate romantic comedies. I especially hate stories that are made up of at least 70% romance. KamiHaji is everything that I hated, but I loved it. (Oh the irony, the irony T_T)

But then, what I loved the most about the series is the characters themselves. Despite the fantasy theme, I find them totally relatable:

• Nanami and her unrequited love
• Tomoe and his struggles to accept others for who they are
• Mizuki and his fear of being alone
• Kurama and his guilts
• Kikuichi and his devotion
• and Akura and his fear of losing a best friend.

At some point in our lives, I know we've experienced them all. That's why, in the series, there's absolutely no one worthy of hate. I feel like this is the whole point of the story: that everyone is worthy of love. No matter how evil they are, what they've done, people can change. You just have to give them the chance and help them open up new paths for themselves. Be a believer of forgiveness!

Wait... I'm talking about life advises now, do I? ^_^

Anyway, about the series itself, I was actually afraid at first. Afraid that it will become like most shoujo mangas who started out so well and end up becoming so dull as it nears its end. Fortunately, it didn't end up that way. Sure, there are filler-like chapters here and there but it's still entertaining and even adds depth to most characters.

I was also skeptical when the time travel scene was first introduced. As you all know, time travel elements of a story can be a double-edged sword. Use it badly and it'll most likely result to an utterly confusing story (like Tsubasa Chronicles, sorry). Use it wisely and you'll be rewarded with mind-blowing reactions from your readers. And yes folks, Julietta Suzuki has definitely used the time travel element to make the story as heartwarming as it could be. I was actually planning to make some oneshots after reading, but now I had no heart to do it. The story was just so beautiful that I'd feel bad writing anything that could not match up to it (oh the pressure, the pressure).

Anyway, I'm aware that a lot of people have already read this series by now. But to those who haven't heard this yet, or to those who have heard it but skeptical whether they should read it, or to those who watched the anime first and was disappointed (like me, unfortunately), please give the manga a chance!

P.S.

And oh, although I said that I hated the anime, I found one good thing about it: it's Shinnosuke Tachibana's voice <3 Ha ha ha (his r-18 drama cds are heaven lol)