KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World

Episode 10

Last week, it seemed like we were in for a dull idol anime parody. However, it turns out that this episode of KamiKatsu has bigger, worse plans. It opens with the production's closest approximation to a concert, featuring our female cast forming a whole band. Now, let me tell you, if there's anything KamiKatsu could do to spit in my eye, it would be to apply its signature blend of misplaced irony and half-baked animation to parody one of my favorite types of anime. Yet, I shouldn't have worried because, at this point, everything about this show is so pitifully inert that it can't even manage a half-assed parody.

Hell, it can't even manage to include the instruments in one scene, which tells you all you need to know about the animation in this episode. With glaring errors like that, there are more moments than ever of people talking without moving their lips, and the sound effects are almost constantly mistimed. This easily ranks as the worst production the show has put together so far. It has reached a point where I feel bad for complaining over the little things, like the short song the band plays having backing vocals despite only Alural having a microphone. That's a nitpick compared to half the episode falling apart at the seams.

Perhaps because they realized they couldn't animate a concert, the episode spends no time on that particular gimmick. That's not surprising because this show has failed to commit wholly to any of its bits (Besides recurring rape jokes! Those are still here!), so it wouldn't have much to say about how religions use music to sell their faith. KamiKatsu spent a month with a sex cult and couldn't come up with anything more than “What if we made the girls horny?” So, it's not like I expected some deep dive into Tooth & Nail Records' discography. Still, it's almost disappointing how immediately we gave up on this gimmick, instead shuffling over to a different topic that it still won't adequately explore.

Though, to the show's credit, it gives this subplot with Gaia a little more focus and consideration than I expected. Religious sects abusing and exploiting kids are a serious topic with many angles to discuss. While I don't believe for a moment that the series will have anything insightful to say, it at least serves as material for character development. Yukito's reasons for saving the kids whom Gaia has "adopted" into her private family cult are the closest he's come to being an actual character in months. While I still don't find Dakini remotely sympathetic, her agreement to help provides a decent way to bring her back into the story. Unfortunately, her return also revives all these "hilarious" "jokes" about mind-controlled women trying to rape Yukito because someone needs to keep the torch lit until Peter Grill & the Philosopher's Time returns. That joke is so played out it feels silly to complain about it, and I'm mostly just glad the show didn't do anything inappropriate with the actual kids when Dakini went to win them over. It's a low bar to clear, but still—always show thanks for small graces.

Gaia's subplot is at least slightly more involved than Dakini's, even if none of this drama is enough to rehabilitate the characters or cancel out the tired, repetitive comedy. There's even a twist in the end that, while not enough to make this slog of an episode good, at least held my attention for a second. Otherwise, the only thing that would have stuck with me throughout this whole episode would be this terrible drawing of a guitar. Just look at that. It looks like it needs to be put down.

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KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.