Manga Review - Kamisama No Iutoori 1 & 2 - The Manga Version of Game of Thrones?

There are several mangas that have attempted to do well in the "survival game" genre, and there are very few that readers cannot fully guess the survivors and the losers. Kamisama No Iutoori can perhaps be regarded as one of these few. The Kamisama No Iutoori has two stories; the first one is a short series highlighting the game, whereas the second one is a "same-timeframe" sequel to the first installment and the story does eventually intertwine (so reading the first one would be beneficial anyway, despite people saying that there is no need). The survival game in Kamisama No Iutoori essentially tests students' suitability to become a God, and like any survival game manga, it is very gory, but that's to be expected.




Story (8/10):
Despite my high regards of the "unpredictability" of the manga, there are obviously some characters (such as the MC) who will live. However, what really surprised me was the killing of the MC at the end of the manga. This really took me by surprise because MC's usually never die in these survival games. The one who becomes God was somewhat predictable near the end, but throughout the whole manga, the characters whom the readers get attached to just get killed off like they are nothing. It's as if the manga is like the Game of Thrones, and perhaps the author of this manga got some inspiration from George R.R. Martin or vice versa? The idea of killing off important characters is justifiable in a survival game manga, else it is too easy/boring to predict the survivors.

However, the story as a whole is a bit weak. The idea of becoming a God and how this happened was somewhat vague. The mastermind behind it is a girl called Mana, who supposedly is a human but have God-like powers. It would be nice if this was explored further, and perhaps this will be explained in the prequel (Kamisama no Iutoori 0), which is currently ongoing. Also, the idea of "turning back time" by Ushimitsu had a conflicting impact on me. I was both fine and dissatisfied with the idea - fine in the sense that it was a suitable way of "bringing back the dead" and how he has sacrificed himself to do this, but dissatisfied in the sense that a God can do this? Gods cannot turn back time, but I must remember that this is a fictional work and not a realistic work. And who knows, maybe Gods can turn back time.

Characters (7/10):
Like previously stated, the characters who are developed are killed off in the manga. However, during the times where they are alive, it is interesting to see the character development in some of these characters. Takeru Amaya was a relatively interesting character. He had a decent backstory and it made sense why he would be strong enough to become a God. Kami Jr was also somewhat interesting but they just killed him off because "he wasn't fun enough". However, since the characters are killed off so quickly, a respectable amount of characters development was not enough to see whether the characters are good.

Art (8/10):
The art is pretty good, and I like how the artist draws the explosion of bodies and the blood patterns of the bodies when they explode/splatter, etc. Nothing much to say really.


Enjoyment (8/10):
I was relatively captivated throughout the whole manga. The games in the manga was extensive and interesting, and this is relatively rare in survival manga.

Overall (8/10):
If you like Game of Thrones-style killings, you will like this manga. If you like survival mangas, you will like this manga. Furthermore, it's not that bad of a read. Sure there are times where it is cliche, but this manga wasn't aiming to be a "classic", but rather stand out from other survival mangas. I am also looking forward to the prequel to see how it all started.