Manga Review: Kamisama Kazoku, Vol. 1

Kamisama Kazoku, Vol. 1

By Tapari & Yoshikazu Kuwashima
Go Comi, 185 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Being the Son of God definitely has its perks. You’ll never be late; you’ll never be without friends; you’ll never have a wish that can’t be granted. Sounds pretty good, right? Not to Samataro Kamiyama, the protagonist of Kamisama Kazoku. Every day, life is a breeze for him, his godly family, and guardian angel Tenko–until Samataro decides that he wants out. He wants to learn what it means to really be human and to fall in love without any divine intervention.

You may be thinking, this could be an interesting story… I thought so too, until I got a chance to read it. Kamisama Kazoku is nothing more than your average seinen manga. About halfway through, the focus of the book turns into Samataro’s quest for the new transfer student’s love, almost excluding the idea that he is the Son of God. The writing never fully utilizes the subject potential, only focusing on Samataro’s selfish desires to be human. Samataro is only concerned with being able to understand love as all humans do. He doesn’t care much about learning about other aspects of human life, both the good and the bad. In fact, the entire Kamiyama family seems so fixated on themselves, you wonder how they actually run a smooth planet. Samataro’s dad constantly grants his son’s wishes, hoping to keep him happy. Samataro’s mother is crazy about him, constantly showing up naked around the house and in his bed. His sisters, the meddling Misa and Quiet Lolita Meme, aren’t much of a help either. Most of the characters in this book are flat and one-dimensional, accentuating the already overdone stereotypes. Tenko is the typical cute girl next door, with a die-hard crush on Samataro. His best friend is a lover-boy, and the girl Samataro has a crush on is incredibly beautiful. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before – and believe me, you’ve seen better.

Much like the writing, the artwork is very general and stereotypical, not adding anything to the overall feeling of the book. It works hand-in-hand with the story to emphasize the “plain” feeling. Every character fits their stereotype to a tee, especially Samataro’s beautiful and busty mother and sisters. Though the actual story art wasn’t anything exciting, the breaks in between chapters and the cover were very well done. You can tell that Tapari and Yoshikazu put a lot of effort into these areas and I would have to say that they were my favorite part of the book (which could be taken positively or negatively).

Don’t get me wrong, Kamisama Kazoku is not the worst manga that I’ve ever read. The story and art leave much to be desired, but it certainly has the potential to grow as the series goes on. (Kamisama Kazoku. is based off a series of novels and already has an OVA. There’s a big page on Wikipedia!) So if you’re looking for a cute little read, this series is for you, but if you want something more serious in terms of story and art, look elsewhere.

Volume one of Kamisama Kazoku is available now.