Adventures in Anime #4: Kamisama Kiss

It's always exciting when Rachel & I come up with a blog series to collaborate on, but I'm especially thrilled about Adventures in Anime (formerly known as Friends with Anime)! We share a mutual love for anime (with our tastes particularly aligning over shōjo shows) and decided that it would be a fun new project to pick out shows to watch (or rewatch) together before answering a series of questions. This time around, we're featuring a new-to-us anime that we both ended up loving: Kamisama Kiss.

Summary: Nanami has just become a homeless high school student after her father runs off and leaves her on her own to deal with his gambling debts. A chance encounter where she rescues a stranger from a dog changes her life - the stranger happens to be the land god Mikage of the Mikage Shrine, and he offers her his shrine to her as her new home. What she doesn't realize is that Mikage has also bestowed on her the role of land god in his place. With the support of the shrine spirits, as well as the reluctant (at first) aid of the shrine familiar Tomoe, Nanami restores the shrine and grows into her role as as a land god along the way.

Thoughts: I was a little worried because the first episode didn't actually hook me (which actually is the same thing that happened with the manga, as I've read the first volume). But I'm glad we ended up pushing through with the show because it was delightful. It was the perfect blend of humor and heart! I loved how managed to be lighthearted but still, at points, gut me in the feels. It's such an entertaining show, and I'm really sad that it only has two seasons! (Though I think the manga series is complete, so perhaps I should pick that up...)

Favorite Character(s): I refuse to pick a favorite between Nanami and Tomoe, so they're both getting a mention here! I admire Nanami for her good heart and her determination to do whatever she must in order to embrace her new role at the shrine. She cares so deeply for other people, and she doesn't let anyone (or anything) get in the way of doing what she feels is right. As for Tomoe, well, by now, it's pretty obvious that I love grumpy characters with checkered pasts who really have good, passionate hearts underneath that face they show the world. Tomoe has a lot to internally make peace with, but his instincts are always in the right place in the end (even if it does occasionally take him a while to get there). 

Favorite Episode: I can think of so many episodes that I'm quite fond of, honestly (particularly in the second season). But it was easy to determine that my favorite episode is S1E13 (I've Started the "Being a God" Thing). Not only does it have the sweetest scene between Nanami and Tomoe (more on that in a second), but it also happens to be the episode where Nanami showcases just how far she's come since the beginning of the show. It feels like the perfect culmination for the first season, while leaving just enough room for more!

Favorite Scene: I already mentioned it, but the sweet moment that Nanami and Tomoe share towards the end of S1E13 is, by far, my favorite. I can't really go into detail about why it's my favorite (because spoilers), but I can say that it just made me feel all the warm fuzzies. (It also made me fangirl scream, which is always a good sign when I'm watching an anime!)

Favorite Quote(s): Am I totally going to cheat when it comes to this question? Yes, yes, I am. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the show:

• S1E6: "To me, there is nothing that takes greater priority over you."
• S2E1: "I will be of use to you. Because I am yours."
• S2E4: "A person's destiny is one thread. And that destiny links together with various other people's destinies." "Yes. Destinies intertwine and create bonds. Everything is linked from past to the present. There are steps leading to every encounter people have."

Favorite Setting: It's easy to say that my favorite setting is the Mikage Shrine! When Nanami first arrives there, it seems desolate and deserted and not at all a place to call home. But as she slowly settles into to being the land god and forms important bonds with the shrine spirits and Tomoe (and the other people who end up crossing her path), it slowly transforms the shrine into a home.

Favorite Kiss: I'm not going to give you any context whatsoever, but this also happens in S1E13.

Have you watched Kamisama Kiss (or read the manga)?

Check out my previous Adventures in Anime posts!