Kami Nomi zo Shirou Sekai OVA: Tenri-hen

Just watched the Kami Nomi zo Shirou Sekai OVA: Tenri-hen.

Length: 2 Episodes

Rating: 8/10

Genre: Romantic Comdedy, Harem

After the relatively disappointing Kaminomi OVA Yonin to Idol, which was released in 2011, I was anticipating the release of this OVA, which features one(two?) of my favorite characters from the long-running Kaminomi manga series by Wakaki Tamiki.  This OVA was released at the end of last year, and somehow slipped under my radar, until I was idly browsing Tokyo Toshokan looking for random stuff and suddenly stumbled upon it.

Keima and Elsie are still on the hunt for loose souls, and this time, the "childhood friend" character appears.  Summer break is upon our hero, and of course all he wants to do is play video games in his room for 40 days.  Upon his return from the last day of school, Keima is forced by his mother to join guests for tea.  A woman and her daughter are moving into the neighborhood, and Keima's mom wants to be hospitable.  Tenri is a painfully shy girl who Keima doesn't remember, but due to a strange turn in her behavior during the conversation, she sets off Elsie's lost soul alarm.  A few "chance" meetings later, and it all comes back to him.

The Tenri arc is extremely important to the series.  Not only does it introduce a handful of new critical characters, but it completely sets a different tone for the entire storyline.  After the Tenri arc, a much larger picture will be painted, one which I thought was a very interesting direction.  What started off as a light RomCom with an otaku protagonist turns into something else entirely (no spoilers).  Things are really going to get out of control, though.

The animation for the OVA is pretty much on par with that of the rest of the series.  The animation isn't going to blow you away but it don't suck either.  While not terribly detailed, I like the character designs.

The OST for Kaminomi always deserves a special mention.  While Tenri-hen doesn't contain any new music aside from the ending themes, it's always a pleasure to hear the music from this anime.  The OST makes great use of a classical-esque score that's much better than your average anime background music.  There's a different ending theme for each episode. "Hikari no Kiseki" and "Mirai e no Tobira," both by eyelis, aren't anything special but they're kinda catchy.

I think one of the biggest reliefs of all was the confirmation that season 3 is in the making.  So, we're gonna get THAT arc.  Yes, THAT.  They won't be able to contain it in a single season.  My prediction is that they're gonna run this at least 2 more seasons.  Maybe a movie also, that would be cool.  In any case, I thoroughly enjoy Kaminomi, and am anxiously waiting for the next season to come out.  I can't wait for THAT!

I would recommend Kaminomi to anyone who likes romantic comedies.  Especially if they're into otaku culture or gaming or anything like that.  Start at the beginning and work your way through it.  The main character, Keima, is basically the embodiment of the very people that watch his show.  I would recommend the manga, but the anime is also very good.