Kamisama Kiss (Japanese: 神様はじめました, Hepburn: Kamisama Hajimemashita) is a Japanese manga created and drawn by Julietta Suzuki. It was published in the shōjo manga magazine Hana to Yume by Hakusensha from February 2008 to May 2016. The story was collected into 25 tankōbon volumes. The series was translated and released in English in North America by Viz Media as part of its Shojo Beat line.
An anime adaptation of the series, consisting of 13 episodes, was produced by TMS Entertainment and directed by Akitaro Daichi. It aired on TV Tokyo from October to December 2012. A second season with 12 episodes was broadcast from January to March 2015. After the anime series ended, four episodes of original animation DVD (OAD) content, titled Kako-hen, were released between August 2015 and August 2016.
Plot
Nanami Momozono is a kind high school girl who wants a normal life. However, her father’s gambling debts cause her to lose her home when debt collectors force her to leave her apartment. While sitting on a park bench and thinking about her situation, she meets a man named Mikage, who is being chased by a dog and is stuck in a tree. After helping Mikage, he thanks her by offering her a place to stay when he learns about her hardship.
When Nanami arrives at Mikage’s home, she discovers it is a shrine, not a regular house. There, she meets Onikiri and Kotetsu, the shrine’s guardians, and Tomoe, Mikage’s yōkai companion. She learns that Mikage was the Land God of the shrine and has passed his divine role to her, marking her forehead as his new successor. At first, Nanami is unsure about her new responsibilities, but she slowly adjusts to her duties while living with Tomoe and the shrine attendants.
As time passes, Nanami begins to feel affection for Tomoe. However, Tomoe refuses her feelings, explaining that relationships between humans and yōkai are forbidden. Even though he tries to stay distant, Tomoe also feels drawn to Nanami, creating complicated emotions as they continue to live together at the shrine.
Media
The manga Kamisama Kiss, written and illustrated by Julietta Suzuki, was published in a magazine called Hana to Yume, which comes out every two weeks. It ran from February 20, 2008, to May 20, 2016. The 149 chapters were later collected into 25 book volumes, released between September 19, 2008, and August 19, 2016.
In 2009, Viz Media, a company in North America, received the rights to publish the English version of the manga.
A 13-episode anime TV show version of Kamisama Kiss was created by TMS Entertainment and directed by Akitaro Daichi. It aired on TV Tokyo from October 2 to December 25, 2012. The opening song was titled Kamisama Hajimemashita and the ending song was Kamisama Onegai, both performed by Hanae. Two special episodes on DVD, called OADs, were released on August 20, 2013, and included with the sixteenth manga volume. One OAD was based on the fifteenth manga chapter, while the other was a new story. These episodes had different songs: Kamisama no Kamisama as the opening and Ototoi Oide as the ending, both performed by Hanae.
A second season of the anime, with 12 episodes, aired on TV Tokyo from January 6 to March 31, 2015. Four more OAD episodes, called Kako-hen (Past Arc), were released between August 20, 2015, and August 19, 2016. Another OAD, titled Kamisama, Shiawase ni Naru, was included with a fanbook released on December 20, 2016.
The series is available in English through streaming and home video services, including Funimation (now known as Crunchyroll LLC). In Australia, the anime was shown on a free TV channel called ABC3.
A stage musical version of Kamisama Hajimemashita: The Musical was performed from March 21 to 29, 2015. The musical featured Saki Terashima as Nanami, Ren Yagami as Tomoe, Keisuke Minami as Kurama, and Shōta Takazaki as Mizuki. Other actors included Mao Katō as Onikiri, Keita Tokushiro and Hiroki Takaoka as Kotetsu, and Juria Kawakami as Narukami. Akira Ishida returned as Mikage in a voice role. The musical was performed again in 2016, with Yūta Higuchi as Mizuki, Yūmi Takaki as Kotetsu, and Makoto Okunaka as Narukami.
Reception
Jacob Chapman from Anime News Network says that Kamisama Kiss is a half and half mix of Inuyasha and Fruits Basket. By March 2016, the manga had five million copies printed.