Anime: Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi

I remember an advert sometime ago calling old age a disease that we should all fight. Well, Kaminai explores a desolate, alternate world that has overcome just that. More specifically, God decided to forsake the world and now no one can have babies and zombies roam the world. In this strange and mysterious dystopia we find a twelve-year old loli who is tasked with taking her mother's job as a gravekeeper.

In this world people who die just reawaken as the undead, which means they don't age, aren't affected by disease, and will slowly start to decay unless adequate precautions are taken. Eventually, people among the undead became tired of living in death and thus, as a final miracle, God created gravekeepers, emotionless humanoids whose sole purpose is to efficiently find and bury the undead, permanently freeing their souls from their tired bodies.

Kaminai follows our protagonist, Ai, as she explores the lonely world seeking to save it, with no clear idea of what that actually means. It is a philosophically deep story with an overall somber tone despite having a few comic, light moments. Kaminai stands out for its superb ambiance and overcomes some early plot and characterization flops to end on a pretty strong final arc. If you liked the world-exploring, awakening from a sheltered environment pattern previously seen in shows like Fractale, you might enjoy this peculiar but beckoning world.

Animation:
The animation work for this show, in particular the atmosphere, is outstanding. Given that this world has been cast away by God, you really get the feeling that it has also been abandoned by humans. The world is bathed in an almost ominously-scorching palette of strong yellows and oranges. Combined with the desolate ruins of civilization, this setting would be fitting for an actual horror piece like Another if not for the actual plot line and characters used. The show also uses lots of magenta and blues for nighttime scenes, following the trend seen in other shows such as Tasogare. Occasionally, the heavy mood calms a bit with serene nature and blue skies; the effect is immediately noticeable and you'll be breathing sighs of relief.

Non-atmosphere building animation qualities are more standard. Character expressions aren't always convincing and backgrounds are often blurry (though nicely colored). Ai reminds me of Misuzu from Air but with green eyes, especially in how everyone makes fun of her soft and squishy face. A lot of the male characters are drawn in an almost bishounen style, though I'm not sure what they were going for with that. The character designs were nice overall but the story introduces a lot of arc-specific characters, some of who play surprisingly important roles given their minimalist presentation. Another thing that started bothering me was that, despite the supposed absence of new children in the past dozen or so years, there are surprisingly many kids in the later arcs.

I was caught off guard in Fractale when the show suddenly turned from happy nichijou to dark bloodbath, and indeed there is a similar feel to this show as well. Expect a lot of scene variety that drifts from frantic runs to chaotic gun battles to resting and enjoying cake. At first, it felt a bit odd seeing Matrix-style gun battles given the often serene nature of the show, but I guess it gives the show an interesting duality. There are a lot of supernatural events in the show and you'll see a lot of fitting effects throughout. There is a bit of fan service in the form of an obligatory onsen scene in the third arc, but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary for a non-ecchi focused anime.

Sound:
Kaminai opens with an electric-guitar powered OP that gives the show a more frantic and action-based feel than it actually merits. The ED by Mikako Komatsu (who also did the awesome ED in K) is a sorrow-filled piece with a great, fitting melody and great supporting instrumentals. The mood is perfect for the show and often episodes flow cinematically into the ED, using it to emphasize a particular event in the show. Kaminai's BGM is also above average, utilizing a lot of piano and pads as well as vocals. One particular theme (blessing from the OST) is used as a recurring theme throughout the show. In some of the larger scenes, it truly gives the show a purposeful, adventurous tone without diminishing the heavy mood. Overall, the BGM is utilized effectively along with the animation coloring to give the series a deeply unique feel.

Aki Toyosaki does a great job at giving Ai a very innocent yet warm-hearted personality; she totally fits the intended moe loli bill. Mamiko Noto and Eri Kitamura also act as strong supporting characters, each of who has significant arc-specific roles. The VA cast in general is pretty strong, and obviously boosted by the great effects and soundtrack.

Story:
Ai is a gravekeeper, a rather ominous-sounding job for a twelve-year old. She spends her time digging graves in a peaceful village, typical for the agrarian-focused society in the post-God world. However, her peaceful, sheltered days soon end as a mysterious traveler named Hampnie Hambart changes everything. Expelled from the safety of her previous life, Ai now decides to venture into the world and save it, whatever that actually means.

I classify Kaminai as an exploratory series, one that delves into particular aspects of an interesting concept or theme. It doesn't necessarily have much of a central plot, and ultimately doesn't go very far (unlike Fractale). The pacing is rather slow in general, though there is a fair number of engaging plot twists. The show is divided into four primary arcs with one additional episode exploring the roots of the gravekeepers. I've fondly named the arcs as follows: #1- Meet Ai, she's your protagonist, #2- Ai goes to a city, #3- Ai goes to school, #4- Ai goes to yet another school. Each arc explores a particular side of this unique world, be it what the undead want or exploring some of the last-minute miracles that God granted before taking off. Though each arc builds upon the previous ones in terms of character development for Ai, they are otherwise self contained, linked only by an old Volkswagen van, an annoying inclusion that I think unnecessarily ties the fantasy-based world to our real one.

I'll admit it, the story is far from a perfect work. There are plenty of setting based questions that are never answered and plenty of plot inconsistencies that will make involved viewers furious. One of the great difficulties with the show is that while the viewer is trying to learn about the world, the characters informing the viewer about the world also have imperfect information. Many characters will provide Ai with their opinion, or the common opinion of the world so far. As with Aristotle's world views, many of these are found to be false later in the show (tldr: take what the characters say with a grain of salt). To really enjoy this series, the viewer should overlook annoying unanswered questions such as how gas stations still have gas or how mail even gets delivered given the disrepair of the world's infrastructure. The show spends a great deal of time on philosophical themes. What is the purpose of life now that reproduction is not possible? Why do we struggle so hard to achieve our wishes, when we know that once they are achieved we are left with nothing to strive for? How does one define humanity now that the boundary between life and death is blurred? If you pay attention to how the show addresses these more meta-based questions, you'll get a lot more out of the show.

Character:
Character depth is a definite issue in this work. A lot of characters act inconsistently, so much so that it starts to interfere with the story that the show is trying to paint. The majority of supporting characters either have little or no background information. For example, many of the classmates in the Ai Goes to School arc seem like they were introduced more for the bath scene than anything else. They get two line background explications and sort of vanish once the arc ends. Ai is practically the only character that I felt got sufficient development and growth. She starts as an innocent (and thus ignorant) individual who wants nothing more than to be the best, professional gravekeeper she possibly can; and you can't help but barely hold back a chuckle at her determined, grinning moe face. As she explores the world, she begins to realize that the world is a much more complicated place than she ever imagined. Not all the dead want to be buried, and "saving" someone depends greatly on the perspective of the individual. Though somewhat unsettled at times, she does her best to positively influence everyone as she explores the world along with the viewer.

I mentioned earlier that the last arc is what I consider the "redeeming" arc. This is because the last arc, finally, has a character-based plot with actual character relationships and challenges. I felt that the supporting characters in this last arc were much more developed and well presented, indeed a great deal thanks to the VAs. It's a great way to close out an open-ended series with otherwise only moderately interesting characters.

Value:
If you watch this show for action, comedy, plot coherency, religious fulfillment, or romance be prepared to be utterly disappointed. This ominous, almost off-putting world is meant to be explored from a higher perspective. Philosophically, this series is an interesting take on what life would be like without death. It is an interesting, atmosphere-heavy adventure ride with a fair share of negative early bumps along the way. Luckily for the series, it ends on a rather positive note for me. And despite not having any semblance of a conclusion, it left me beckoning for more. Though this world may have been abandoned by God, I think it deserves to be adopted by the curious, inquisitive viewer.

Here we are with another show with a very interesting setting and a very dull and randomly written plot. The premise is about God abandoning the world, which in the context of the story means no more people can be born. It also means no people die when they are killed *smirk*. They turn to zombies who act normally for awhile and only those with special powers can put them to eternal rest. Enter Ai, our heroine, an oblivious loli traveling the world looking for answers to all this mess.

… And that is literally all there is to it. It is one of those slow burner shows of the likes of Cashern Sins or Kino’s Journey where the atmosphere is more important than plot or characters. And for the same reason it is quite boring too if you expect action, suspense, or shocking revelations. It is also quite retarded if you try to make sense of it.

At least the atmosphere part is done right, as it makes good use of the premise and it’s not there as background decoration, like some shitty Dog Days variant. Most of the plot is dedicated to showing you how people are trying to cope with this new way of life (or should I call it unlife?). It also does that by having a balance between sad and cheery; meaning, not depressing and inhumane like Technolyze nor goofy and trashy like Neptunia. It stays true to its gloomy premise and makes everything to feel sad and even elegiac in a way without resorting to the overused goth fad we had a few years ago. Forget that macabre style of Nightmare before Christmass everybody was ripping off for almost a decade. It actually looks quite bright and colorful with the only indication something is off being the moody background music and the dull way everybody acts or lives. It even does a good job at keeping you wondering what is going on with this whole “God has left the building” issue as means to keep watching.

Aside from the atmosphere though everything else is barebones. The characters lack any real charisma and pass as too obvious plot devises to care about. They are also contradicting themselves every 5 minutes. It is also questionable if you can even tolerate Ai for more than 10 minutes, since she is yet another oblivious loli that is occasionally presented as a fetish for pervs.

As for the mystery part, the show is only 13 episodes and most of it is spent traveling to different places and meeting different people instead of focusing on fleshing out the main characters. That may feel like placing a lot of focus on world-building but only manages to leave the cast as empty shells and the setting as random ideas with no continuity. Meaning, there is nobody at the epicenter from which we can see the world. Ai has barely any personality that goes beyond that of a stupid girl going alone in dark alleys full of crooks. She is not worthy to cheer for and worths not even SE Lain’s pinky finger. The rest of the characters don’t even represent some ideal or mentality, since they change their perspective on live completely every 5 minutes. You can find several scenes per episode where a character says one thing, only to contradict it a few minutes later. Even the mystery which seems so strong at first fades away fast when you realize nothing is making sense.

What gives the gravediggers the power to kill the undead?

It can’t be God, that’s for sure, and there is no other reason given. “Ah, but they will explain it later” one may say but even then that means you are supposed to believe anything they tell you. If the whole setting is a mystery and you are supposed to gradually learn about it, you have no other source of information past what the characters are telling you. And they are almost deliberately contradicting themselves as means to confuse you and by the end of the episode not really telling you anything. Here are a few examples:

Ai: I am a gravedigger. Actually, I am not. Actually, I am a hybrid. Actually, I am too one of a kind to explain what I am, so just take it as granted. Humphrey killed all my friends and beats me up all the time. I guess he is my new best friend. Let’s have fun together.

Humphrey: I can’t die. Oh, now I can. Gravediggers are emotionless robots. But Ai’s mother was a kind woman. And she was also a gravedigger. And gravediggers can’t have babies. But she could. I want to kill Ai. No, I just want to beat her up. No, I just want to give her a piggy ride and do silly comedic stuff with her 5 minutes after I killed all her friends and family.

Yuri: I want revenge. Actually, I want to die. Actually, I am fine and don’t want revenge or to die, so let’s travel the world together.

The above mood swings don’t happen gradually throughout the show. They happen within the SAME episode. How can the viewer be interested in a mysterious setting that is changing every 5 minutes? There is no truth to look forward to if they are constantly trolling you like that. There is nothing to accept as granted and no time is invested on something for you to care about. And even if you manage to make sense of it all in the end, there will be no reason to wanna revisit such a series that is mostly trying to fool you with red herrings and fake claims. It is essentially making you feel like an idiot and it’s a very good example of bad storytelling. Also it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the answer to most of the mystery is Ai herself since she was born special; so again I am not made to feel I should care about the revelation if it has to do with a sexualized plot devise.

The show is not even being subtle about its topics to the point it trashes them, despite the good balance in atmosphere. It does not try to integrate the everyday lives of its main characters to the main conflict; since they are always on the move and their goal is to basically kill any undead they meet instead of using them as means to offer a steady way to learn about the world. And the themes are way too heavy and edgy, as they have to do with rotting corpses and occasionally mutilation while occasionally switching to Ai doing some moe-moe nonsense. This is nowhere near the masterful way Haibane Renmei used to show some really deep themes through basically nothing more than everyday life.

Bottom line: If you want to watch a show with good atmosphere, this one is a good pick. But everything else from characterization, to excitement, to subtlety are quite weak.

And now for some excused scorings.