God has abandoned the world. As a result, life cannot end nor can new life be born, and the "dead" walk restlessly among the living. Granting one last miracle before turning away forever, God created "gravekeepers," mystical beings capable of putting the dead to rest through a proper burial. Ai, a cheerful but naïve young girl, serves as her village's gravekeeper in place of her late mother.
One day, a man known as Hampnie Hambart, who is supposedly Ai's father, arrives and kills all the people in her village. Having lost her village and with no plans for the future, Ai decides to accompany the mysterious man on his journey. As she travels the land, the young gravekeeper strives to fulfill her duties, granting peace to the dead and assisting the living, while at the same time learning more about the world that God left in this tragic state.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
MightyDingo
If God suddenly decided to abandon the world, what'd happen to its people? If no one else can be born however, no one else can also die, what'd happen to Earth? I'll try to keep the review as spoiler-free as possible but if I do post one, it was an accident and I apologise in advance. Story [8/10] The plot is actually, in my point of view, really complex. God abandoned earth, in this "new earth", people can no longer be born however, people cannot die as well. However, before giving in to the world, God left behind "Gravekeepers", gravekeepers are the only ones capable of actually killing, orto be more specific, "put ease to the souls" of the dead by burying them.
The story begins with a girl named "Ai Austin", she's 12 years old and she belongs to the last generation of borning humans since god abandoned earth 12 years ago. Ai's a gravekeeper and eventually embarks on a journey to search for herself and later, save the world.
Art [9/10]
The art matches with the theme of the anime and their quality is top notch. The characters are well drawn and I didn't feel any kind of "lazy animation" throughout the whole series, all the colors are adequate with the theme and style of the anime.
Sound [10/10]
I really really loved Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi's OST, the OP and ED were both really addicting and equally good and the OSTs blended really nicely with the scenes, it comes in the right moments and really helps establishing and improving the emotion of the watcher because let's be honest, mood-music is the best thing ever and adequate mood-music it's even better.
Characters [7/10]
I will confess that I felt kind of annoyed by Ai in the first couple episodes for a 12 episode anime her development was really well done and by the end I had already fallen in love with her and all the other characters that came across her way.
The development is really well done for a 12 episode anime and I was able to understand and feel emotionally connected to all characters, share their suffering, pain and problems.
Overall [9/10]
Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi was a great anime and probably one of the best this summer. The characters are unique and not really cliche'd, are nicely developed, allowing you to feel connected to all characters, the plot is entertaining and different and merging with different themes that usually aren't a part of only one anime. The art is of good quality and the soundtracks will give you plenty to look forward too even after you finished the anime (I'm looking at you, ED song).
If you're looking for a good story, with interesting characters a some plot twists, then Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi is the anime for you, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I and others did.
Thanks for reading my review and have a great time watching Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi.
nintendonaut
Sunday Without God is definitely the "surprise masterpiece" of the Summer 2013 season. I picked up this anime at the beginning of the season not because I had heard about it a lot previously, but just because the plot synopsis seemed interesting--Very glad I did. The anime focuses mainly on "Ai," a girl who is attempting to find her path and purpose in life. She lives in a universe where god has abandoned the entire world, which has left some adverse side-effects, naturally. Humans can no longer reproduce, and even if a human dies he is not really dead--He/she still functions as a normal human,but they can never be at peace. Before his departure, however, god appointed "gravekeepers" to preside over the dead. If you are dead, and you can get a gravekeeper to bury you, you can truly die and be at peace. Ai is one of these gravekeepers, and she is on a search to find herself. While I can obviously go no further into the story in order to avoid spoilers, I can say that the story is *extremely* engaging and is constantly developing. The amount of emotion and depth that the studio was able to pump into twelve episodes is staggering.
Populating the story is a cast of extremely diverse and lovable characters. While time is spent on certain ones more than others, they all contribute to the story in important ways. Even characters that only appear for an episode or two are still very memorable. Definitely one of the best overall casts I've seen in a while.
The art and sound matches up with the rest of the anime in their quality. Vibrant colors and moody lighting effectively bring the world to life. The soundtrack is definitely superior to the average fare, especially some of the tracks meant for more emotional moments. The OP and ED both shine as being fantastic, the ED even more so--It's one of the best I've heard in a while. The voice acting is also top-notch--No complaints here.
As short as Sunday is, there's really no excuse to not at least give it a go. The plot is engaging and emotional, the characters are dynamic and colorful, and the quality of the art and sound bring everything to the point of near perfection. I think that I definitely name this one my favorite of the Summer 2013 season.
Stark700
There are seven days for a weekend. There's Monday through Friday where people work fruitlessly to create a better world. There's Saturday where people gets a chance to enjoy the world where we live in. Then, there's Sunday where there's a chance to relax as the cycle begins all over again. Well if there's God exists, we know that he created a world for us to enjoy. But on Sunday, he decides to take a vacation. Sounds like fun right? Well, maybe for him but definitely not for us. Welcome to Sunday Without God, a world where God decides to forsaken the world. Kamisama noInai Nichiyoubi (also known as Sunday Without God) is a series adapted from the light novel of the same name written by Kimihito Irie and illustrated by Shino. The series tells the story of a young girl named Ai living in a world without God. Apparently, God has abandoned this world fifteen years ago and now, new humans are no longer born and the dead can no longer die. Luckily, there are beings known as gravekeepers that can maintain balance and bring peace to those who are deceased. It's not exactly a pretty story to imagine especially since Ai has taken the responsibility to prepare graves for a village where its people will eventually die. Do you fear death? I'm sure most people do but in this series, it takes on a whole new twist at that concept.
For starters, the series takes on a fantasy theme with its setting. In fact, it's clear that the world Ai resides in is not something you'd witness in everyday life. Rather than being realistic, this show relates to the concept of death in a more imaginative way.
Ai is an interesting character to take notice of in this show. She is only 12 years old but bears a huge responsibility as a gravekeeper. We can also tell that she had a strong bond with her mother based on various flashbacks that are played throughout the series. But because of her young age, Ai is one of those characters that are a bit naive with how the world functions. Even more complicated though is the state of the current world that she resides in without a God. As this becomes a source of mystery, there are many questions that viewers may be interested in from the start. For Ai though, she has some questions of her own regarding her father and why the world she resides is at this state.
As if mysteries weren't enough, we also get to meet a young man named Hampnie Hambart from the beginning. There are even more mysteries regarding this man as Ai is convinced that he might be her father. There's little resemblance (at least physically) between Hambart or Ai. In fact, Ai looks much closer to her mother as opposed to this man. And if that wasn't enough, Hambart's violent debut makes Ai feel a bit intimated with his morals. There is a certain calculating factor about Hambart throughout the show that makes him an interesting character as well. In fact, one might interpret Hambert as more of an anti-hero. One could relate to the fact that he “kills” people in order to lay them to peace with his gun. At the same time, it's clear that he wishes to just put them to peace at last rather than letting them bear their existence in a world without God. More importantly later on though, we learn a shocking revelation about him and his fate might also come as a big surprise.
The series focuses on Ai's development but at the same time, we also get to meet others such as Scar, Ulla, Alis, Dee, and among others of interest. All of these characters possesses their own ideologies and their view of the current conditions in a world without God. Of these characters, Alis is a one of the more noticeable ones with a similar resemblance to Hambert. More importantly though, he has the same motivation as Ai in order to save the world but takes on a very different perspective in doing so. Talk about being on a totally opposite scale. Furthermore, most of the characters in this show has their own supernatural abilities of which we get to witness later on. In such a fantasy world, it should be expected.
The series focuses its main premise quite a bit but also takes approaches at settling off other directions with its various arc-like format. The beginning part clearly goes straight into the point, second half goes on a more in depth exploration of Ai's character as she meets others while the third focuses on other settings of their world as well as the other characters. Nevertheless, the plot becomes somewhat loose at various occasions as well as feeling in being dragged out. However, you will expect the unexpected earlier on. Tthe series balances between its serious atmosphere along with comedy at many occasions. Various flashbacks played throughout the show also seems to draw a sense of nostalgia for Ai. She is only twelfth years old and already witnessed things that a girl of her age shouldn't see in today's world. Of course, this might be a bit of an exaggeration as the show lacks realism. Yet, it's a mixture of sadness and pity to see Ai venture on her task as a gravekeeper especially later on.
Despite not being a battle shounen, the show does venture into the action field in a few episodes. It's also surprising to see Ai being able to fight at someone her age. The phrase 'dynamite comes in little packages' fits perfectly for her abilities early on as we witness her skills in the art of combat. Other characters shows off their skills as well in particular Hambert in the beginning and later on Alis with his skills too. Unfortunately, the series isn't designed to look flashy with combat factors so action junkies might be a bit disappointed after completing this show if you're looking for spectacular action. It's also hard to take the series seriously sometimes especially since shovels seem to function as a source of weapon for gravekeepers. Let's not also forget about Ai's age for someone of her age along with that adorable face. It's somewhat hard to imagine that she undertakes a task that is as grim as being a gravekeeper.
Taken a point mentioned earlier though, the series builds on the grim reality of a world where God no longer exists. He literally abandoned the world fifteen years ago, so you might ask yourself “now what?” Well, if we look carefully, there's zombies roaming on the surface and gravekeepers have to bring order. Most of the gravekeepers themselves are cold but Ai is a girl who seems to be cheerful and caring towards others. We might consider the fact if gravekeepers are born differently or how they came to be. There's a puzzle in identity crisis that exists here that I find a bit troubling as most of the gravekeepers goes on unnamed except for a few prominent characters. Furthermore, the zombies that realms the world are depicted as being undead, acts undead, but seems to very much alive. It strikes me here as a bit of silly but also at the same time intriguing factor to notice in such a world. The purpose of the gravekeepers are also sometimes unclear and their moral standards are up for the imaginations.
If beautiful was a word to be used, this show would fit that category perfectly in terms of its art standards. Maybe this show could even be titled “Beautiful Sundays Without God”. Madhouse Studio surely set the standards high with its background imagery for this series. It's beauty with expression that is illustrated through its holy like background and sunny atmosphere. At some occasions, viewers might feel as if the world this series takes place in is a dream one might not want to wake up from. (going by art judgement only) On the other hand though, Ai's character might be a bit difficult to get used to with her design especially her petite figure, moe like eyes, and antenna hair. Hambert's albino hair is also noticeable as well. All in all, the artwork expectations are met and I give praise to Madhouse Studio for their production values.
The soundtrack of this series maintains its consistency. The OP song "Birth" by Eri Kitamura spells out that holy atmosphere of a world without God. The ED song also illustrates its points through its fantasy elements and background artwork. In terms of OST though, the series retains its theme well especially in more of the emotional scenes. It sets forth that style of tragedy but presents it in a more dramatic way. This is clearly shown in the beginning and other times later on. As for voice acting goes though, average might be a word to describe its casts' performance. Because most gravekeepers seems to lack a personality, there is little to go by with their voice tone. Other times, they are hardly noticeable at all.
If God truly took a holiday, then this show would be one living hell for everyone. But we look at it carefully, sundays with no God might not be so terrible after all especially with the gravekeepers in check to keep order. The effort to illustrate a series with this type of style is certainly unique and not something viewers might be too used to these days. With minimal fan-service, this show definitely sets forth its premise standards well. For Ai, she is on a journey of discovery and learning more about the world. For people interested in this show though, I hope you discover an enjoyable experience out of this. God may have abandoned the world but abandoning this show would be a chance of throwing away a golden egg.
shaedowfang
After reading the latest Kami-no-inai light novel and following the latest anime episodes (no manga read unfortunately), I've got only one thing to say about this. Magnifique! Gorgeous artwork done in all of the medias of this series, a very different storyline than your average booksale, characters that you would always remember. And god the music, wonderful effects alongside the animation effort done. Oh wait, God should be gone in this anime (haha). As somebody very kindly told me about it, I will edit the review and add thisSPOILERS AHEAD, TURN BACK IF YOU DON'T WANT ANYTHING SPOIL!
for the first chapter of the anime.
(It is awfully hard not to spoil absolutely anything in a review, how could I explain anything without a tiny little bit of plot? OTL)
Story 9/10
As there cannot be any spoilers, and obviously light novel is far ahead of the anime plot, so this is my opinion based on light novel and anime adaption.
The light novel compared to animation, is written in more details, describing the adventure of the main heroine, Ai in a mission most people deemed impossible. The story structure (the world) is very different to how a normal reader would find, and in many cases in both anime and novel, you would have to put yourself into the characters, and blend the world's ideals into your own in order to fully understand.
As you continue watching, there might be some confusing ideas, and small loopholes that could be neglected. This is the result of cropping the massive storyline of the original plot to fit into the 13 episodes series, and it might result in some unanswered questions. But they also cropped out some of the repeated and long plotlines in the novel, which might bore the readers, and there would be an urge in our minds, wanting the story to progress faster. (especially the Ortus arc, towards the end I just felt a massive drag in plotlines)
Art 10/10
Best thing in the anime and the first reason when I bought the first novel from the online store, the gorgeous gorgeous illustration of Ai in the front cover of the book. And I could say the same with the anime, the first episode is absolutely beautiful, and it quickly took me in. The golden mists flying randomly in the atmosphere, the evening skies illuminating a quiet and simple countryside, and the characters populating the area. The artwork is that amazing, that I was slightly surprised when I found out the villagers are not as normal as you think, even though I had read the first book 2 years ago.
The artwork also delicately described every possible detail of the characters beautifully, following the novels, so the readers would not feel a massive differences between the animation and manga/novel. And the eyes, the EYES! They definitely drew me in, mesmerizing me and if technology allows, I would slowly walk into the screen and fall into the world.
Way too exaggerating on that part, but thats the magic of the artwork.
Sound 9/10
Music, soundtrack, although it is not as strongly described as the artwork, but it also mixed into the story very well. Although there isn't a miracle magic happening when the music and the plotline comes in the right moment, but it helps fill in emotions and feelings that couldn't be easily discovered through the anime. And to be honest, an anime with bad or no soundtrack (background music) behind is definitely not an appealing anime to watch.
Seiyuu-sans did very well in giving life to the characters, Aki Toyosaki did a great job in voicing Ai, the always growing and learning Ai (although there are still some naivety left in her heart as she is only 12!). But the best seiyuu in the anime in my opinion is definitely Daisuke Namikawa, who voiced Hampnie Hambart, the cold-blooded corpse killer and the first mentor and savior of Ai. When his voice rang up, I shivered slightly from that metallic voice-over, and the two conflicting ideals of the character's mind are shown, with a slight warm feeling in the cold hard demeanor.
Music is the biggest factor in pulling the scores up to a 9, the Opening and Ending of the anime is absolutely marvellous, building up such a tension enough that I looped both songs three times before watching each episodes.
Character 8/10
Characters! Totally loved them!
The authors have amazingly created these characters that are perfectly suitable in the twisted world structure. Ai, the main heroine, is one of the miracle child in the world. Living in a protective dome, surrounded by adults that pampered her greatly, and so she is ignorant of the perils and chaos in the world. But she is also an analyst and a very observant character, and with her limited knowledge of the world she managed to understand by herself (although most people would still deem it naive or mad).
Hampnie Hambart is also a great character, in the first few episodes you might think he is a skilled assassin who kills without remorse, but in truth he isn't trained at all, with only the ability of immortality to protect him. The two radically different viewpoints of the character is what makes it a very memorable character in the anime. Sadly he is a side character and we wouldn't be able to see more of him (Really expecting a side story depicting of Hambart's past!)
Wanted to score it higher but I reserved a few points for future episodes to see the full cast.
Overall 8/10
I scored it 8 in the same reason as the character.
I really loved this series and I am absolutely thrilled to see it on animation. And I definitely wanted it to continue past the absolute barrier of 13 episodes.
-EDITED PART AFTER THE 12 EPISODES-
Enjoyment 8/10
I have scored it 8, bit lower as I have expected. I did not enjoy it as greatly as hoped, and the reading of light novel might have wrecked it. As the light novel is written in much detail, I have hoped the anime staff would choose some favourite parts to re-animate from the books (I have to find all the illustrations arts for the novel as I have lost them :( ) And in the end they have whitewashed the series and made it quite bland in my taste, losing some of the best climax scenes in the novel and left a sour note at the ending. I was totally shocked when the anime staff took away the entire TOWER chapter, its reasonable as it is one of the longest after the Dead City, but it is just pure horrible to see it not even appearing as there are some very interesting philosophies of life and the struggle of mankind, and I recommend any new or fans who have read and enjoyed my review to read the chapter; confusing, but also very interesting.
Even though it is not as perfectly ended as I had hoped, but with the mild and warm artwork and music complimenting the anime as it goes, it will still draws me to watch it. (Although not as much re-watch value as the light novel).
And to finish up for the edited part, I would recommend every single one of kami-inai fans to read the light novel, at least after dead city (as it is the part where Alis began his entry, and where the story starts to strip away).
Shaedowfang 13/10/2013
:)
Kapodaco
In the world we live in today, religion is a very big thing. It shapes the minds and the ideals of most, if not all, of the beings on Earth, whether they realize it or not. It's been claimed that the American founding laws were based upon Christian ideals and still plays a key part in the society that America believes in. So when God suddenly abandons the world and leaves the inhabitants of Earth to fend for themselves for all eternity, it's safe to say that chaos would ensue. This is the case that Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi presents to us, and expects usto fill in the pieces in between as the story begins twelve years after God's retreat.
The story begins with a girl named Ai. She is the central character within this entire series. She receives the most screentime out of any other character and the plot comfortably revolves around her innocent sense of justice. She lives in a small town comprised of people whom she's been around her entire life. Unaware to her knowledge, however, is the fact that everyone around her is already dead, and it is her responsibility to give them all a proper death by burying them. Why does the responsibility rely on her? Because she is a graveskeeper: a being created (somehow) after God's disappearance with the purpose of burying the immortal dead in order to legitimately put them to death. But the surprises don't end there. In comes a mysterious man who runs rampant, "killing" every member of Ai's town in a blind rampage of bloodshed and dismemberment. Why is this man killing everyone? And why now? This is one of many struggles that Ai has to deal with in this series.
What Kamisama tries to do quickly and early is establish character depth. To give reason behind the characters' actions and why they choose to believe that reasoning. This occurs with almost every character that appears at some point throughout the series. What Kamisama does differently from others, however, is discard the characters as soon as it feels that the character has been properly developed. While this isn't necessarily a problem, Kamisama is faced with an age-old problem that many other anime have dealt with in the past: time. As you will probably recall as you read this, Kamisama is only a one-cour series. In the course of the series, an estimated fifteen to twenty characters come and go throughout the twelve episodes in this series. How many of these characters are given attempted development? Nearly all of them, in a twelve episode series. How the series believes it can give a proper amount of character development to so many new characters episode after episode is bizarre, to say the least. And when a series doesn't give a character enough development, that character becomes both unlikable and forgettable. This is the case for almost all characters in the series as along with the innumerable amount of characters, the series also gives off an uneven distribution of character attention. Ai gets more screentime than any other character in the series, and it shows, as she's the most identifiable character in the entire series. But whether this makes her realistic is a different story altogether.
With any series that involves a deity of any sort, Kamisama has its share of inconsistencies with miraculous events. Within the series, it is evident that even without a God in place, unrealistic events continue to happen. Perhaps this is due to God controlling the flow of logic within the world, but that, sadly, is never explored. And among these unrealistic feats is another age-old cliche that many other past anime have experimented with: wishing. If one wishes for something "hard enough," their wish has a good chance of coming true. Kamisama uses this as plot convenience for the most part, while at other points it becomes the center of the plot itself. What it doesn't do is explain itself. If God does not exist, how can people grant wishes? Who controls the wishes? The only being capable of doing so would be God itself, but It had abandoned the world as previously stated, so what becomes of this? This also ties in with my theory that God controls the logic within the world, but is never developed any further. Inconsistencies also occur as the characters begin to receive any sort of development. A certain trend that this series likes to take is to have the central character, Ai, give a new, innocent perspective to the horrid, cruel world around her to the characters involved in internal conflict. They take the words of a twelve year-old to heart and convert their ideals to match the more optimistic ideals that she comes up with. Perhaps the series is trying to convey a moral of looking at pessimism with optimism. To take a world without God and view it as a world of extra opportunities at living life. If it means wishing for anything you want, that world is soon to be corrupted regardless.
As stated above, there are many characters that appear throughout this series, while only a few stay around for the entire series. These rare characters include Ai, Yuri, and Scar. Ai, again, is the central character, and the entire plot revolves around her and her carefree look on life and impenetrable sense of justice. Her development as a character is the most solid of any other character in the series and she becomes the driving force behind most of the resolutions to conflicts that arise within Kamisama. While her development is compact, her likability is a bit shaky. She's likable to the point that she's a cute, innocent child, but that's really all there is to her. She has her own idea of "profound beliefs," but they're hard to take seriously from a child who has been isolated from the outside world her entire life. Combine that with a personality with no visible flaws and you have the reincarnation of God itself. Yuri is a character who is introduced with a dark background. His family had died since God's disappearance and had been wandering around alone before meeting Ai and Scar. He receives some necessary screentime upon his introduction, but the attention on him declines as the series continues. His role eventually becomes "The Father" of the group, which only leaves him enough screentime to remind the viewer that he exists. Scar is a graveskeeper like Ai, but unlike Ai, is devoid of any extraordinary personality. She's calm and collected all the time. Her role in the series is very similar to Yuri's as she becomes more of "The Mother" to Ai as the series continues. As is typical, her character is quickly discarded in order to better develop Ai's character. All other characters who's names I will not mention for convenience sake are either given very little development or are only relevant for a few episodes. Another example of how the series likes to play favorites.
One of the things that initially brought my attention to Kamisama was the creamy colors. By that, I mean when the colors of a bold source of light blends in with the characters' expressions or movements that cause them to have unrealistic or bolder facial expressions and shadow features. This type of animation isn't seen much in this current generation and could be considered somewhat avant-garde to new fans of animation. One thing Kamisama does right is make the characters look pretty. The eyes are bold and flashy, and the character design is unlike many seen in any recent anime series. In terms of character animation, I have no complaints. The characters looked okay and they moved okay, despite a certain character's hair color blending into the vivid view of the sunset.
It's easy to believe that a fantasy anime would use fantasy elements to help progress a plot in the right direction. What makes this controversial, however, is the decision and logic behind it. What makes the disappearance of God so impactful in Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi? After a few episodes, viewers tend to forget that the world is without God, as the series makes little mention of it whenever something goes haywire. The biggest factor in determining the validity of this series is its loyalty to its original purpose: to provide a world that is ruined without God and how the outlook of a single girl can change the views of the people she meets with a single outburst. What makes this world ruined by God's abandonment of the Earth? The viewer is left unsure. The idea that one should look at pessimism with optimism is again apparent with this, but is the world truly pessimistic? Having your wishes granted and being immortal could be a true paradise to some, if not many across the world. What God has accomplished by abandoning the world is never revealed, nor does it provide any sort of clue as to how it accomplishes anything. The only conclusion I can come to after watching this series is that the world can survive without God. All it needs is a mascot to cheer up the denizens among it. In this case, it's a little girl named Ai. May the world rest in peace.
Jimmy2233
First off, I'm not here to write some 3 chapter review, these are my quick thoughts on how I think this series played out, enjoy. Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi, an anime I was quite looking forward to this season, but like many others, it has let me down. Now in saying this I can't say it's all bad. This series has some of the best art and sound that I have seen, the characters are all extremely well designed, beautiful background and scenery and everything blends very well. But that's where it stops for me. Series like this just try to jam too much into there short timeframe. Our heroine, Ai, had plenty of character development, but there is only minor character development for the rest of our cast, which we are introduced to 20+ over these 12 episodes.
As far as story goes, I didn't enjoy it. Ai has this big dream to save the world, but instead gets stuck on all these side quests and her dream is pretty much put completely on hold. She is questioning her own dream towards the end, but we never get an answer. She makes the big call of finishing her side quest but we never find out if she will ever do what she set out to do, or any form of conclusion to her own goal.
All in all the art and sound alone were enough to get this up to a 5 from me, that alone made this quite amazing to watch. Unfortunately most of the characters are forgettable and the story gets lost. Worth a watch but nothing special!
smileyboyrocks
What's the worst medium to adapt into anime? There are, of course, good, average and bad examples of every form of adaptation, but it seems to me (and you may or may not agree with me) that for the most part, light novel adaptations are the ones that seem to fail most often. I'm talking stuff like To Aru Majutsu no Index, Date A Live, Sword Art Online and, most recently, the subject of this review, Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi. Let me just state that this rule is not, of course, universal. Simply general. Why is this? Why do LN adaptations seem to struggle? My suspicionrests on the structure of the source material: the one-book, one-subplot, one-climax system that works well for a series of small novels. However, in the case of anime adaptations, a strict adherence to the source material renders the format of the show predictable and, particularly in the case of shorter series with less time to explore the available material, the story arcs rushed and contrived. Without some alteration to the pacing and structure of the story (see Durarara), light novel adaptations will forever fail to achieve greatness.
So what of Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi, the anime that I've already spent 2 paragraphs not reviewing yet? Well, I'm afraid to say that despite some nice ideas, impressive atmosphere and brilliant production standards, this series is arguably one of the LN Adaptations greatest casualties. Now I've not read the source material, but I suspect that it handles the story much more effectively. That's because in the course of 12 episodes, Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi somehow manages to rush through 5 arcs with a lot of implied complexity, while simultaneously failing to establish any kind of direction, interconnectivity or explanation. The result is a story that entirely fails to satisfy, particularly when you consider that a couple of the arcs (the first in particular) could last 12 episodes by themselves with enough thought. But no, we get 5 poorly explained, rushed and entirely inconsequential arcs when one well-developed arc with sufficient complexity would've suited the show better.
Not that KnIN (abbreviated name ftw) is entirely without the foundations of a good series. In fact, the show has so many good ideas that it simply serves to make it more disappointing that they are handled so poorly. We've got characters that are engaging (with the exception of the lead, whose character development begins and ends with "cute loli"), but for the most part they are underused and completely unconnected to whatever central story arc that this show was trying to create. There's a total lack of significance placed on some interesting character conflicts. Likewise, the story has some fantastic fantasy elements focusing on a potentially complex and well-conceived world, but these devices and ideas are never fully explored. Witches? Immortal killers? Cities of the dead? Time loops? Great ideas, but hideously flawed in their execution. I understand that the show is taking the Angel Beats approach of remaining ambiguous with regard to its metaphysical elements, but there's an art to that, in that you actually have to explore elements that you're remaining ambiguous about that provides enough info for us to construct some theories, and KnIN doesn't.
OK, the show has some effective emotive scenes: 2 to be precise, and the Julie/Scar romance subplot could've carried a show by itself instead of being sidelined like it was. But in the case of the 2 high-impact emotional scenes, the "feelz" are pretty cheap and dependant on the mood established by the technical elements, rather than any strong relation or connection with events. In fact, in the case of the first example, we don't even get time to feel any kind of emotional connection because the arc is so rushed. Characters established, relationship suddenly present and then climax. No time to build any real empathetic response. And in the second example, the events over which we cry are instantly reversed. Y'know, the old Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, Kanon 2006 "you-thought-they-were-dead-and-cried-over-it-but-they-aren't-really" trick.
I believe I just mentioned the technical aspects of the series, and I guess it's safe to say that they are incredibly well produced, but at the same time we've come to expect that from recent releases to the point where high-quality animation is pretty much par-for-the-course. This isn't the early-2000s any more; basically every show gets good animation nowadays. Animation's smooth, character models are consistent and designs are nice to look at. The "lighting" effects are probably the highlight of KnIN's aesthetic, as they do manage to lend a relatively awe-inspiring warmth to a fantastic world. The sound is also very effective in establishing the mood, whether the scene be sad, happy or mystical in nature. Some very nice tracks playing the background, and a fairly good (but not fantastic) OP/ED sequence set.
So what do I have to say in conclusion? Put simply, KnIN is a beautifully-conceived disappointment. It's a show with so many nice ideas, but it's been rung out and compacted so much that it feels a bit too dry. Mediocre, cheap emotion rather than any kind of relateable character conflicts, with the more interesting supporting cast ultimately being sidelined to a static little girl. It never goes anywhere, never does anything and never seems to make a point, and far from being the profound masterpiece that it thinks it is, it's simply pretentious. Yeah, that's the right word.
Willowtry
Usually I dont judge a story only for their ending but for the whole story. For the whole story...I'd give it a 5 (for reasons you can find here a bit later). But...this ending totally crossed the line for me and I can't be honest with myself if for once I don't give an Anime's overal rating based on the ending... A 1. First the good sides, WATCH IF what you care about is : -pretty art -pretty soundtrack DON'T WATCH IF :-you use your head when watching Animes
-dislike plot holes
-dislike rushed stories
-dislike incoherent characters
-dislike the Deus Ex Machina
(Deus Ex Machina has the negative connotation of an utterly improbable, illogical or baseless plot twist that drastically alters the situation)
Because that's the main problem with this Anime... The story has a very good potential, I won't deny that (and that's why I'd give it an overall 5 if it wasn't for the ending, but I'll explain later), but....it was rushed. Every arc lasts around 3 episodes. Every arc feels rushed and forced. Now, it is a 12 long episodes Animes, so they decided to cover as much as possible (I assume it's based on a novel or a manga). However....to me it's a bad decision. They should have developped the first or the last arc properly or choose two arcs instead.
(I cannot write spoilers so I won't be able to give you examples)
Rushed, plot holes, characters' being incoherent and incoherences with the fiction's rules itself. I could excuse that considering they have very little time and made the mistake to want to cover as much as possible, but...as I said above...the ending was too much for me to bare.
If during the rest of the Anime there was simple incoherences or plot holes, in the ending, not only do you have a complete denial of the fiction's rules but you have two Deus Ex Machina in a single episode... The last one of course... And it is literally rubbed in your face before getting hidden by a supposdly sad scene that should make you forget about the fact what just happened is simply making nonesense not only with the situation it should solve, but also with the fiction's rules (here the role of the gravekeeper is put the dead to rest...and that's it...and what happens in the last episode ? something that was depicted as impossible for gravekeepers; that's just one of the two Deus Ex Machina).
All in all, you better turn off your brain while watching this, make so as if you don't understand what's going on and just appreiciate the art and soundtrack.
MochaCookies
You'll be forgiven for thinking Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi just glorified loli show with superficial theological issues thrown in just to seem deep and intellectual. That's certainly the attitude I went into this anime with; but what I discovered behind its veneer of gaudiness was a genuinely decent plot taking viewers through well thought-out settings populated by characters who, barring the odd few, all had a clear purpose in the story. So before you turn down this anime upon seeing its seemingly pretentious opening, read on; and afterwards, go and finish the first few episodes before deciding whether or not to drop it. First things first.Kami-inai is adapted from a series of light novels, all of which are practically self contained stories revolving around the protagonist, Ai, and the various people she meets along her journey through the world. And as a result, the anime follows an arc structure, with the characters, settings, and events of each arc barely ever appearing again beyond their few episodes. This brings us to deceptive point number one: Ai is the only main character; everyone else, even if they are listed as such, is a supporting character who will not appear again once their arc has concluded.
While the arcs are self contained, they all take place in this world which has supposedly been forsaken by God; and here's deceptive point number two. Kami-inai is very, very light on actual theological substance. The focus of its title, and arguably the main draw of the show for newcomers, is really nothing more than a plot device to allow for the plots of each individual arc. But that's not to say that this makes the show bad. Rather, it allows Kami-inai to explore a range of themes across its widely diverse and compelling settings, even if they're not particularly innovative. In fact, it's the settings of Kami-inai that are its true strength, more than making up for the disappointment of the title being mere bait. Of the show's four arcs, two take place in settings tied closely to the arc's theme; and of course, they're both evocative and entirely unpredictable, the latter due on no small part to the arc structure of the series. So at the very least, you'll be kept entertained by the fresh content that comes by every few episodes.
Another place where Kami-inai really excels is in emotional impact. Again, because each arc is a self contained story, they all end with very emotional scenes; and given how difficult it is to write a good emotional scene, Kami-inai has me more than a little impressed. This is no Clannad, but that doesn’t stop it from being good nonetheless. However, as is the case with all good emotional scenes, there’s always quite a bit of plot beforehand that’s needed to build up all the impact later on, and here’s where viewers might get turned off the show. The plot sections, for the most part, do a brilliant job of exploring the arc’s setting with an appropriate air of mystery; but when it’s not doing that, the viewers are left seeing the characters interact with one another as they do what they have to do. And this usually means seeing Ai being what she is: a loli. I personally have nothing against these segments, but there are those who find Ai annoying as a character and the things she does ridiculous; and certainly there is merit to that view. Not only that, but the show shifts from serious to comedic in tone to accompany Ai’s loli acts, and sometimes the change is so jarring it’s simply not welcome. But since Kami-inai always remedies these annoyances with the emotional parts that follow afterward, they’re not really that much of a problem.
For all the good that Kami-inai does with its emotional scenes, the said scenes are unfortunately also used at times to cover up gaping plot holes at the end of each arc. Or maybe it’d be better to say that gaping plot holes exist where the writers decided to kick reason to the curb in favour of writing scenes that would make viewers cry, for maximum audience appeal; and of course, this has the neat upshot of making said viewers less likely to notice the plot holes. If you’re the sort of person who can’t stand a shoddily-made plot then you won’t like it when it happens; but thankfully, there is only one real plot hole in the series. So it’s not so bad.
I realise I’ve been praising the arc structure quite a bit in this review. Once you get over the idea that there is no single plot connecting the stories, Kami-inai’s structure actually makes for a pretty good meta-plot, because each arc is as a consequence sharply focused, with zero filler. But that’s within the arcs. So it kind of sucks when the third arc, episodes 7 and 8, is total filler; and what makes it even worse is that characters who are carried over to the next arc are developed here, so you can’t just skip it and move on. You can’t just blame Madhouse for it either – believe me, I wanted to – because they were just faithfully adapting volume 3 of the light novel series. They actually cut it shorter than a standard three-episode arc; but even so, those two episodes alone take Kami-inai and drag it down from something amazing into something merely great.
Now enough of the plot. Kami-inai is a beautifully drawn and animated series; my only complaint is the slight overuse of CGI in the early few episodes, not because they look bad but simply because they don’t fit in with the rest of the animation. But CGI usage peters out beyond those two or three episodes, so it’s not really a problem. The art is bright and colourful, with a slight fantastical tint that sets the world apart from the normal world (or what passes for it in anime); and while the art style sometimes has the characters looking a little flat when viewed front-on, they’re still very detailed and very well drawn. Light and shadow is also used very well, often to great dramatic effect. Simply put, Kami-inai is beautiful.
And it’s not just easy on the eyes, too. The music is awesome, creating with ease the spooky, mysterious, and heartrendingly beautiful atmospheres that pervade the show. A lot of the emotional impact (and not just the crying scenes) is built on the background music, which should give you an idea of how good they are. Acting, for Ai and her main supporting cast, is consistently good, and all the characters come off as real and believable. And of course, mention must be made to the OP and ED songs, respectively ‘Birth’, sung by Kitamura Eri, and ‘Owaranai Melody wo Utaidashimashita.’, sung by Komatsu Mikako (yes, I’m writing the names inverted by English rules. Deal with it). The OP song is catchy and fun song to listen to, if standard JPop fare; but the ED’s is downright amazing. By itself it contributes to a great deal of the emotional impact I mentioned earlier; and even better, Madhouse plays with its ED so that the song will start before the credits roll, and sometimes the whole ED is cut in favour of just letting the credits and song play across what’s going on – and the emotional impact of those moments is then magnified, pardon my exaggeration, a few hundredfold. It should say a great deal that while I really looked forward to the start of the episode when it aired every Sunday, I looked forward to the end even more.
So there you have it. If you want good plot Kami-inai’s got it. If you want good setting Kami-inai’s got it, and by the bucketloads. If you want themes Kami-inai’s got it. If you want good characters Kami-inai’s aren’t half bad. And if you want good music Kami-inai’s is damn amazing. So if you’ve haven’t watched this series before or quit at the start because of how stupid it seemed, keep watching and get past the show’s deceptive shallowness to reach the wealth of greatness it has to offer. It’s well worth it.
Majora23
A world in which nobody can be born, but nobody dies either. The only way somebody can truly die is by being buried by a Gravekeeper. All of this because God had abandoned the world on a Sunday. An interesting concept, is what I thought to myself when I read about Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi (or simply "Sunday Without God") and I decided to watch it and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. As always, let's start off with the story. Story: 7/10 The story of Sunday Without God both starts and ends interestingly (I won't be spoiling anything). The story opens up with a twelve yearold Gravekeeper by the name of Ai, who takes over as the town's gravekeeper after her mother dies. Then two mysterious men show up and Ai gets caught up in a series of events, but she has a motive of her own: to save the world. As much as I loved this anime, the story starts off strong, but gets a bit weaker . I won't say why, you'll have to see for yourself. I'm not saying the ending was bad! But I won't say if it was good either to avoid spoiling. Despite this, I give the story a 7/10
Art: 10/10
This being a very recent anime, it has impeccable artwork done on it. Art is always important to me when I watch anime, and Sunday Without God did not disappoint. The second I laid eyes on it, I was simply amazed by how beautiful it went, and how well the art complemented the story.
Sound: 10/10
No problem with the sound. It was brilliant. Not much to say.
Character: 9/10
There is no doubt in my mind that Sunday Without God has characters in it that you grow attached to. There are characters in this anime that you will love, and perhaps for no reason at all. Many characters I found myself loving the second I laid eyes on them. There are no characters that just act so antagonistic that you can't help but hate them; every character is loveable in some way or another.
Enjoyment: 9/10
Often I find myself zoning out when I watch anime. However this isn't an issue when it comes to watching Sunday Without God. From the very get-go I couldn't get myself to stop paying attention. Yeah, sure, this anime doesn't have a plot that goes throughout the entire twelve episodes, but it has several smaller ones, each more interesting than the last.
Overall: 7/10
I give this anime an overall rating of 7. Why 7 and not 9 or 10 after I spoke so highly of it? Well, this anime surely has its positives: Outstanding artwork, amazing characters and a very interesting idea for the overall story. However, I have to mark it down as I was expecting it to stick more to the idea of people not being born anymore, and people dying but not actually dying until being buried by a Gravekeeper. At times it seems like they threw the idea out the window. They didn't, of course. It just didn't seem very important at times. I know you can't have the same bland crap being thrown at you every minute of every episode, but I don't feel as though there was enough of it in there.
My final verdict is: give this anime a try! Hopefully you will love it like I did.
Smoochynose
Story: Overall Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi (Sunday Without God) has a very premise. What if god left and people can no longer give birth and, while they can still be 'dead', can no longer be at rest without the help of a 'Gravekeeper', special individuals who have the ability to make the dead move on. And as a show involved with helping various character find peace in order to move on, it can get very emotional. The pacing for the most part is very good, following 4 mostly self contained arcs over the course of 3 episodes. The arcs are mostly character driven, delving into aspects ofhow society would react to this change in the world.
Some parts of the story however can feel rushed and skimmed over and while the ending was very enjoyable and satisfying, it does leave a lot of the world unexplored and questions unanswered. Episodes 7-9 felt particularly weak in comparison to the rest of the series to me. However the other three arcs were really strong.
If I had to explain it in one sentence I would say that it's like a cross between the best parts of Angel Beats and Torchwood: Miracle Day.
Art:
The art is lovely and consistent throughout. There are certain moments (and hopefully without spoiling too much) that happen when the 'dead' are put to rest which are wonderfully beautiful and very much enjoyable.
Sound:
For me, nothing really stood out too much. However that was partly due to the music matching the gentle and relaxing tone of the anime. It didn't need to stand out and it did its job. It just wasn't memorable. The opening however was very much enjoyable.
Character:
This is where the show stands out. Being a mainly character driven show it's understandable that most of the effort is expended in making the characters three dimensional in order for the emotional conflict to affect the audience.
The majority of the characters only remain for their three episode arc in which time we meet them, learn more about them, and grow to care for them. This is especially prominent in last arc. (I may have cried.)
There are some flaws. Various characters (especially in the 3rd arc) are barely touched on or not touched on at all. And for me a certain character went through a change that seemed to happen too suddenly and with very little explanation. I feel like it could have been handled a lot better. But I understand that 12 episodes isn't much time to fit a lot into.
Enjoyment:
I really enjoyed this. It was sweet and touching and made me cry. There were certain parts that I felt took too long or were glossed over but aside from that Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi was just a really nice series to experience.
Overall:
It's good. It's got relly well done emotional scenes at times but at others there are issues glossed over that I felt could have had more attention paid to them. At 12 episodes long it's definitely worth watching.
Yasumi91
“You shouldn’t have wishes,” when Alis Color mentioned something like this, at first I didn’t understand. What’s wrong with having wishes? But after his reasoning was explained in a later episode, I realized the meaning of those words. Actually, it was at that point I finally realised what this anime was all about. Working hard to make your dreams come true, is what makes life interesting, right? To find the reason why I say this, you should watch Kamisama no Inai Nichyoubi for yourself. Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi or Sunday Without God is set in a world where God abandoned the world 15 years agoon Sunday. The result is a world where nobody dies. This ‘eternal life’ has it’s consequences: people can’t reproduce and the only way to die peacefully is to be burried by a so-called Gravekeeper. Ai Austin is a young girl raised in a beautiful village, when a man called Hampnie Hambert appears before her, who claims to be a ‘man-eating toy’ and of who her deceased mother once told about. A sudden turn of events takes place, which changes the peaceful life Ai has been living until now. After her village is destroyed, Ai is destined to travel the vast, unknown world in a quest to save it. But saving the world with people who all look differently at this world, and is filled with dilemmas, isn’t easy. The somewhat heavy themes and dilemmas make this story very interesting. The storytelling is great and as we follow Ai, who knows equally as much as we do (let’s say nothing) about this world, we discover more and more about the world. And when you think you know the situation, it appears something completely different. With each problem solved, more questions arise. The great plottwist and mysteries make this a thrilling show, and each episode you wonder what will happen next.
The art in this anime is brilliant. Beautiful colors, detailed surroundings and lovely characterdesigns. The animation looks fluent and great camerawork that makes the more intense scenes really stand out. The soundtrack accompanying the scenes is great as well and gives the show the right atmosphere, from heartwarming to emotional moments. I loved both opening and ending, and the voices fit really well with the characters. I have nothing more to say about this.
The heroine Ai Austin is a lovely, but naïve girl and her reactions seem a bit stupid sometimes, but if you think about the way she is raised until recently, it’s completely understandable. Her being bewildered by the new experiences, wanting to save everyone even though that’s impossible and pondering over the dilemma’s what everyone would do…everything makes sense. Her character development is slow, but the subtle changes are there. The other character’s thoughts and reasonings are well explored too and that makes them realistic. Their backgrounds are often sad and I have shed some tears over them during the show.
I like this kind of anime really quickly. Maybe it’s a bit singleminded, but I consider this a masterpiece, simply because it touches a sensitive chord in me and that’s very important when I watch or read a story. After every episode I kept wondering about the situation, and tried to find my own answer to the vital questions popping up while watching the show. The ending solved the issues well, making me tearful (yes, I cry very easily) but satisfied. Yet there are many questions left unanswered and I hope there will be some answers in the 13th episode which will air later, or hopefully in a sequel. I loved Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi very much!
I hope you’re all working hard to reach your goals, because that’s the only way to make your dreams become reality. And live your life to the fullest to be happy, rather than to wish for an eternal life.
Nervin
For an anime that treats the disappearance of God in the world, it certainly seems so figuratively speaking, because "Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi" or in its english title "The Sunday without a God" it looks like God decided to leave this anime to its fate after a few episodes, and it didn't develop in a satisfying manner. This is because it started with an alluring premise, yet failed miserably in its progression, deviating from its original storyline, alongside with an uninteresting heroine. ~Story~ The story if the anime is centered around Ai, a 12-year-old girl who is a gravekeeper despite her young age. While it may soundsimple, there is a gist to it: God left the world to its own fate, where people are neither born or die. This is the reason of the presence of these gravekeepers, the only people capable of putting people to rest by of course burying them. For little Ai this isn't something she is aware of, until a mysterious man by the name of Hampnie Hambart, who happens to have the same name as her unknown father, murders the entire village. Why did this happen?
The premise of Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi is in fact very intriguing, presenting audiences with a topic that makes them ponder about the events to come in case the world was in fact controlled by God. The immortality of its habitants certainly questions the cons and pros of immortality, in addition to shaping the world after the disappearance of God. In most cases, these took an interesting development and certainly enhanced its premise. The anime also dedicates to introducing several elements concerning the state of affairs, which resulted in more questions. In fact, it is a world shrouded in mystery - which doesn't get revealed to the viewers in most cases. This is where the many issues with this anime begin.
First of all, the fact that there are more questions than answers throughout its duration was a drawback, as these were left for the viewer to think about. This is not bad on its own, yet there were too many mysteries as well as unresolved conflicts and thematic issues to ignore these. However, the biggest gripe with the anime was its change in the direction of its story: from presenting the world, its people and its alluring theme, it steers to be a slice of life focused on its protagonist, albeit treating at times superficially its topic. This felt redundant to the story, especially considering its premise.
The problem with the slice of life part, which incidentally spans the majority of the anime, is that it is as a whole uninteresting. Rather than using it for character development, it is used for the introduction of several characters and unnecessary events tied to these, such as Ai being kidnapped to go to school. In addition, besides the supernatural powers of the gravekeepers, more are introduced which felt redundant for the story as whole, being hardly ever expanded on. The abundance of plot convenient twists was also a huge drawback, especially its disappointing conclusion: it basically left viewers thinking that all the previous events were rendered useless - especially the explanation on God's disappearance. Speaking of the conclusion, it is left open.
~Characters~
Moving on to the cast of characters of Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi, it was small as a whole, yet sufficiently large for its story. The protagonist Ai is a typical protagonist who is caring with high moral standards, yet at the same time insecure at times due to her young age and her situation. She undergoes certain character development, although not huge, tied with some fleshing out. Yet as a character she is uninteresting as she is too perfect for a 12-year-old, in addition to all the interactions with adults she encounters. Every single one of them immediately follows, praises or embraces her for no convincing reason, which is the reason she comes over as a spoiled brat.
There also other characters of importance, such as Alice: he is incidentally one of the characters who contributes to the female lead. He is as a character interesting with a convincing motive, which certainly adds to the story. The problem is that his personality is generic as well his motive. Other character of importance is Dee Ensy, a fellow gravekeeper, as she gives insight onto its world, undergoing a bit of character development.
Most of the other characters remain underdeveloped and unexplored, which is a shame, as some were certainly of interest. Leaving these aside, I was personally much more interested in the hardships of the people, suffering of what could be called the "undead curse". These were in fact portrayed in a convincing manner, yet was not really expanded on. As a whole, the characters were rather lackluster, which could be due to the fact of its time limits.
~Animation and sound~
The art style of the anime was certainly a positive aspect, as these was presented with well drawn backgrounds as well as having a diverse environment. The character's design were generic, yet colourful and distinguishable. As for the animation quality, this was well done and matched with the diverse scenes the anime was portraying.
The music score of the anime was befitting as whole for the anime, with some pleasant compositions, yet forgettable, which could be said about its openings and endings as well. The voice actors performed their roles well, conveying the different emotional states of the characters in a convincing manner, yet at times a bit exaggerated for my liking.
~Enjoyment~
Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi was ultimately a very lackluster anime which main culprit was its change in direction of its story, in addition to the unsatisfying open conclusion. The characters were for most part uninteresting and underdeveloped, its art style and soundtrack, as well as its premise the redeeming aspects of the anime. I honestly do not recommend this anime to anyone, unless viewers wouldn't mind the afore-mentioned issues. I am well aware that for some these wouldn't be an issue, yet personally I found it to be unacceptable as whole.
Thank you for reading.
Xiaraith
Starting notice: a sudden desire urged me to try a different kind of review. So the following stream of words consists of two completely separate reviews, segregated by The Wall. Read it your way and enjoy it, for this is the main reason I guided some additional trains of thought through my brain. "The world is no longer the same it was." So, I immerged again... right into a new anime world going by the meaningful name of "Sunday Without God". Yes, God has literally left this world, bereaving humanity of its most essential abilities, namely giving birth and dying for good. In order to prevent thebodies of people who would actually die, but cannot anymore, from rotting away, the so called gravekeepers are capable to grant them their final rest.
And one of these gravekeepers is Ai, a 12-year-old, slightly spoiled girl who doesn't know anything of the world outside her calm home village. But suddenly, by some unfortunate coincidences, she is forced to leave her self-built cage of quietness and has to enter a world unbeknownst to her.
Getting in contact with other peculiar characters trying to come through life without a god, not much time flows by before she has to deal with important questions like: How can this world be saved from its fate? Is dying actually that bad after we know it has been taken from us? What does it really mean, being a gravekeeper? Or how can I let my comrades remember the positive side of life?
The last point mentioned leads me to Ai's personality. Somehow she reminds me of Taiga from Toradora with her looks, and so I initially thought of a more tsunderish behaviour to be seen. Nope, Ai starts pretty girlish, a bit impulsive, but stays calm enough, and the life in the village made her naive against more complex things. And then, as the anime advances, especially since it is only 12 episodes long, I really have to compliment how firm and diversified she becomes towards the end. I don't use this word often, but I have to admit that, all in all, Ai is just cute in both her appearance and her behaviour.
The other characters are all likeable enough. They don't experience the same kind of development as Ai, but have their stories to tell and sometimes mentionable traits to reveal. You certainly won't get bored by them.
A last mention on the main story. It doesn't meet a final or conclusive end, so maybe you will be a bit displeased. But you know, there is always the possibility to read the novel, which I actually haven't read, but certainly it contains satisfying answers to your remaining questions.
Art- and soundwise actually only one word is needed: Enchanting.
To give some more annotations for the detail-loving ones: Since quite a few scenes happen during dawn or dusk, oftentimes this 'yellow' prevailing mood is conveyed. And this is accompanied by astoundingly stunning light and shadow effects. The enchanting soundtrack gets noticed and varies to suit the special mood without a God. Animation is fluid and has some awesome 3D-rides in store, showing up even in the opening. Now that I mention it, both opening and ending are beautiful and nearly melancholic for me now. They won't get boring too soon like so many other ones.
"Each of us sees a different world."
So, these words are optimal to impart my final thoughts. This series turned out as an unexpected fabulous tale, and so, in case you relish anime with an enchanting atmosphere, an adorable girl as lead character and themes like dealing with the dead, then for God's sake, watch it. And even if you see the world in a different way than me, you still have to assert that this show is a million times better than the crap today's television mainly provides. Deem these 12 episodes as a present to fulfil your life.
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Another day without the God...
Why did he leave a world so torn?
The dead walk on, are left to rot
and human life cannot be born.
So gravekeepers are bound to give
the walking dead a gentle fall.
We follow Ai who strives to live,
to save the world, to save them all.
Beginning as a naive child
who doesn't know the world outside.
Develops firm and inner wild
and lets the better thoughts abide.
Discovering peculiar guys,
the dead's country or even school,
receiving words pensive and wise,
she slowly learns the keepers' rule.
In colours mystical and bright
the world illuminates its thoughts.
With stunning shadow-use and light
the people rise above their hearts.
The music part is not just bound
to great open and ending themes.
Since life and death itself far sound,
the world is tangible, it seems.
Although the story doesn't meet
high standards or a final end.
Enjoyment smoothly plants its seed,
and I stayed with it where it went.
So when the tension falls and grows,
you have to feel and to endure.
Beside some mainstream actions shows
this is a jewel, that's for sure!
tachibana_mei
Kamisama no inai Nichiyoubi which is translated as "Sunday Without God" just as the title suggest is an anime that is set in a world where there is no God or more like a world abandoned by God.The reason i started to watch it was because of the name and that kawai~ protagonist (i love her ^^ ). STORY [8/10]: The story starts with the arrival of "Humpnie Hambart" at the village of our protagonist grave keeper "Ai Astin".The story gradually develops from Ai leaving her village, going to the outside world, learning and discovering more about the world and deciding to save the world God hasabandoned.
You should not judge this anime without giving it a try, since as usual as it seems it will give you a one hell of a good experience.
ART [9/10]:
In anime I give a huge preference to how the art style and animation is and without a doubt this anime deserves a (9/10).The scenes were colorfully magnificent and the protagonists looked so good.the art style was what I'd look for in any anime.
SOUND [6/10]:
The sound in this anime good.I can't say that i loved them or hated the either but they were fairly good.Although i would not bother to listen to them after i finished this anime.
CHARACTER [7/10]:
As I have already said I loooooved the protagonist. She was kawai~ and Clumsy and klutzy and kirei-desu. I mean she was so strong and determined that I loved her.The characters Like Scar, Humpmei Hambart, Yuuki, Alice are the only ones i could remember the others did not leave much of an impression.Even we did not get to see much of these characters...I mean I would not mind having given some past of these characters.
Enjoyment [9/10]:
Having some flaws this anime was the best anime choice that I made at random. I enjoyed watching every moment of it.It was heart warming and easy perceptions story.There were fair amount of friendship and love.
OVERALL [8/10]:
Overall I loved this anime.The art animation, characters, story and a fair amount of romance made this anime of the good ones for me.
I recommend you try this anime. Arigatō Gozaimashita for reading this review.
ROBO-D
Sunday Without God is one of those animes I watch and I am like, "How would it be if this actually happened." What if this world was one without death, birth or true life in general. Story 6/10 The initial story, in a world where god abandoned it may sound really interesting but as far as the anime went it didn't feel like they really touched on the topic that much. It was more about the adventure about the young grave keeper Ai. It is as short anime so it is hard to develop a great story but ehh, it could have been expanded upon much more. Art9/10
It is by far one of the more artistic looking animes I have seen. Though its style does not really fit in with the tone of the anime. The anime has a morbid and touchy topic story so you would think think it would look a little darker than what it is.
Sound 10/10
I watched this dub and may rewatch in sub but I gotta say I loved every bit of sound and voice in this anime especially Ai, she has the most adorable voice in this series. Opening gets you pumped to watch this anime and the credits make such a good closer to any episode.
Character 8/10
Characters in this anime seem to have a straight forward personality and beliefs but I feel there is no real character development. However thats not to say I didn't like any of them. Ai yet again takes the cake here. She is so adorable in every way.
Overall 7/10
I find Sunday Without God to be a really good anime. Its cute but yet very extreme with an usual story. I would definitely watch this anime if you enjoy stories about parallel universes from our own you should definitely watch this anime. Now if you aren't really interested after a couple of episodes I highly recommend sticking around to the end. The final few episodes are very enjoyable to watch and feel very deep. However the ending did leave me with questions on what actually happened. It such a cliff hanger. But such good anime overall
elisekv
What would you do is one day God abandoned the world and made it so that birth and death no longer existed? No longer would you age or have babies. The only thing waiting was eternal life, even if you never wished for it. Then, one day, people called Gravekeepers come to bury those who have died, making death an option again, but also making it harder for those who wants eternal life. That is Sunday Without God. Okay, let's get down to business. The story of Sunday Without is very interesting to say the least. It's original, exciting and just full on fascinating. Wefollow a young Gravekeeper called Ai on her journey to see the world. Along the way she meets many different characters who each have a role they must play in order to live. This story had me from the beginning. It felt like nothing I had seen before, and held me very interested. Though we follow Ai on her journey, there are many smaller stories within the big picture. This is where the story gets a little bumpier. It starts mixing in more and more supernatural elements without really explaining them at all. They're just there. There are also times when I thought they could've removed some parts in favor for explanation. Sometimes it tries to have a more everyday life part of it that didn't really fit the story, and it puts the whole finding out about the world thing to the side, which is a shame. We end up getting little to no explanation as to why God left, why supernatural elements are showing up or anything else for that matter. The story started out with so much potential, but falls a little flat in the end.
The characters are a big part of what drives this story along. Most of them have unique personalities and are very likable, though most of them do not get as much screen time or development as I had wished for, but that is to be expected when the anime is only 12 episodes long. I'm only going to talk about three of the "main" characters that we see the most of in order to try to avoid as many spoilers as possible.
Ai is our adorable main lead. She's a 12 year old Gravekeeper who had lost her mother and been raised by her village instead. She is the only known of her kind since the events of Sunday Without God happens over 12 years after God had left, therefore no child should be as young as she is. She is naive and unaware of how the world truly works, but she is also hard working, slightly spoiled, brave, stubborn and very kind. She's a fun character to follow, and you really grow to like her, though her spoiled nature and stubbornness can get a little annoying. She, sadly, does not get as much development as I would have wished for. She learns through the anime, but it doesn't really change her all that much.
Then we move on to Julie (male). He's a middle aged man who is out for revenge after his wife was killed and buried when he was out of the house one day. He becomes acquainted with Ai and grow a sort of family bond. He is very dependable, logical and good with a gun. Generally a pretty likable character, though he also does not get all that much development in the end.
The last person I will talk about is Scar. She is a Gravekeeper who is vastly different from Ai, and more like how Gravekeepers should be. She has a mysterious scar across one of her eyebrows, and her main goal in life is burying the dead and helping mankind. She does not harbor any emotion, but smiles a lot in an almost robot like way. She is also the character that gets the most development oddly enough. She learns a lot from Ai and starts seeing the world differently from how she is "programmed" to.
The side characters all get a decent amount of development and are fun to have around, though some of them are unnecessary or just there to move the plot along. The ones that are more important get a lot of screen time and shows change by the end of their arc. They are usually very unique and memorable, and they each serve a purpose in Ai's journey.
There is also no actual villain in this anime. Though some of the stories has a bad person that our main protagonists has to fight against, they're pretty forgettable. In the end, their enemy is the world and, kind of, God. It's his fault the world is in the complete chaos that it's in, though he is not seen as a villain either. The anime doesn't really need a villain. It, instead, focuses on the mental challenges the characters had to go through, and that makes for many interesting stories.
The art in this show is stunningly beautiful. It often has a very red and orange or a black and purple layer to it and uses a lot of beautiful contrasts and sharp colors. The backgrounds are amazing and just beautiful to look at, and the design of the world is very beautiful. It had a lot of sunsets and shots of wide landscapes that are just gorgeous to look at. Since the characters are traveling we also get to see many different parts of the world and their contrasts to each other. The post apocalyptic scenery is stunning to look at and very well designed.
It manages to tone down the more extreme colors when it wants the focus to be on the characters. It also has very pretty character designs where every character looks different from the others, mainly because of the wide use of hair and eye colors. They cleverly use clothes and different heights to make the character unique from each other, and it's easy to see when one person is from another city.
The animation on the opening is very much like the rest of the anime, using beautiful contrasts and symbolism.
The ending only pans downwards on a picture of the cast of the anime, and it is a very pretty picture, though it doesn't really do much to get you pumped for the next episode.
Music is always a big part of the anime. The soundtrack to this anime consists of mostly dark, ominous or calming pieces, often using piano, orchestra and choirs to make it sound more suspenseful. There are also some guitar tracks that are very nice to listen to. It is the perfect OST for when you want calming and atmospheric music. Though I wished there was more variation in the OST, what I got was still pretty good.
The OP is called "Birth" by Eri Kitamura. It uses the wonderful trick of making the anime 50% more awesome just by the use of epic choirs, church bells and organ music. When it mixed together with a rock/pop band it becomes very beautiful and fits the anime very well.
The ED is called "Owaranai Melody wo Utaidashimashita (I Sang a Never Ending Melody)" by Komatsu Mikako and is a calm song with mostly piano, though a slightly electronic band starts playing after a while. It uses some english and a fairly strong bass which gives it more energy. The music in this ED often starts playing before the episode is fully over, and it fits very well as background music. It's a calming and beautiful piece.
I enjoyed the heck out of this anime. I loved the world it was set in and really wanted to figure out its mysteries, which left me pretty disappointed when many of these mysteries were left unsolved. It should have had more episodes or a second season, because it definitely needs more explaining. I enjoyed the journey together with Ai and liked most of the story arcs and characters. Each story had a lot of good points and the story was, to a certain point, pretty unpredictable. And I would say it's worth watching just for the beautiful art style.
Overall this was an anime with a lot of potential, though it fell a little flat in the end. There were parts I wished was done better, but what I got was very good and enjoyable. This is an anime for those of you who love a beautiful post apocalyptic setting with a fascinating premise and a cast of fun characters. You must like having several stories within a story and not mind that sometimes the main plot gets put aside for other things. You must also bear that Ai can be annoyingly stubborn and naive, despite her adorableness. If you don't mind this, then you're in for a fascinating and beautiful road trip through a very mysterious world.
ggultra2764
Sunday Without God is a title set in a post-apocalyptic future where the concept of death no longer exists in the world as those who die are no longer able to pass on and those known as Gravekeepers are the only ones who have the ability to allow those among the undead to be put to rest. Ai is one of those Gravekeepers as she learns things in her small village home and a mysterious white-haired man are not as they seem on the surface, being connected to the unique phenomena that has plagued the world of this series. Before I go on with this review,I would like to comment on this show's major weakness in that it doesn't really do much at addressing major elements to its world. It is never explained how the phenomena within Sunday Without God takes place or how particular people are able to gain supernatural powers, hence requiring viewers to accept things within the series at face value. It's essentially a major storytelling issue that one will have to overlook in order to get the most enjoyment out of this series possible.
Moving on from this, Sunday Without God is focused on Ai journeying throughout the world of her series as she explores how others are affected by the concept of death no longer being within the world and acquiring companions throughout her journey that aid her. Most arcs in the series are meant to serve as an observation of how the societies and characters cope with lacking the ability to pass on, with a major element to this series being that those among the undead for prolonged periods of time can drive one to lose their sanity the longer they remain in the world. The Ortus arc addresses how undead within the series live in a society that they can integrate into without being rejected by those among the living, making for the best arc I seen within the series in its focus on what led so many undead to become part of this society. With its observational focus, the series maintains a neutral viewpoint with how viewers take in what they see through the majority of arcs and doesn't preach for one right or wrong viewpoint.
The only instance a right and wrong viewpoint comes up is during the events of the Goran Academy arc which does cause the series quality to dip to a degree at this point of the series. Beyond this, the only other weaknesses I can remark on with Sunday Without God are that there were some points where I felt there may have been pandering to the audience employed with moments revolving around Ai's naivette and cuteness, as well as the fact that the series lacks a proper ending since the journey of Ai and her companions continues beyond the end of the series as its light novel source material was still ongoing as of the end of the TV anime.
Gripes aside regarding aspects to its storytelling, Sunday Without God is still a solid drama title delving into a world that explores how people handle the idea that they can not pass on once they die and focusing on the companions that Ai gains throughout her journey to better understand the world. It's at least worth a look if you like seeing anime that attempt to tell a worthwhile story without being too pretentious over how it tells it.
Baddie007
Sign, that was beautiful, totally a very nice drama fantasy, so I'm not gonna f*** around and just present my ratings for this anime: Story: fair 6. I kinda like the drama fantasy thing that this 12 episode anime presents, but I find it hard to accept the concept of God abandoning the world, and the people of the world stopped giving birth and the dead becomes zombies that still functions like human and have to be brought down by grave keepers, let's face the story's logic really does contradict itself, In reality if God were abandons the world, then the end result is Armageddon. Butin this anime/manga, the said God here is presented as this lazy landlord who just lets his grave keepers do the dirty-work and doesn't give a thing as to how things turns up. However, the drama supernatural fantasy is focus on Ai as she goes to one adventure to another, let's face it this anime is compose of 4 adventures that ranges from Ai being with Hampire Hamberg, to Ai being in the city of Ortus, to the great escape from Goran Academy and the mystery of the class of 3-4 in Ostia, and I did like the the end drama where such ending was very touching, but I limit it to such score since one shouldn't ignore this anime's contradicting paradigm.
Art: Poor 3.
Aside from the huge heads and slim body that were ill proportioned , I'm a bit disappointed that there isn't much of fanservice around it.
Sound: Mediocre 6.
Since there isn't anything for me to comment about it.
Character: Fair 6.
Ok, this anime is all about Ai the half human half gravekeeper in fact this anime's 4 part adventure usually composes of various support characters whom are part of each adventure. So I'm just gonna focus on her, I like her sweet and caring characteristics, but I'm a bit annoyed by her being this naive and being too caring attitude that she really doesn't leave anybody behind even at the risk of the majority, also I'm a bit disappointed that this anime totally places Scar and Julie Sakuma Dmitriyevich as thirdier characters, thought the two looks good being together, anime director Yūji Kumazawa could have properly utilize their character to add more to this anime fantasy. genre.
Enjoyment: good 7.
In spite of this anime's contradicting paradigm, it was still enjoyable enough to be viewed as a fantasy drama as the main character Ai goes from one adventure to the next with different support characters and that's that.
Overall: good 7.
Overall it's good since every adventure of this anime has do have a happy ending and that's as good as it gets.
Adios muchachos.
