Maybe more, as I've got 8 of them in the queue...

AKA Kamikatsu: Working for God in a Godless World.

Of all the entries into an alternate world, this one had to suck the most. Our hero, Urabe Yukito, is the son of a cult leader, and has been raised since birth to be the chosen one of their god, Mitama. Needless to say, it really sucked to be him, and he doesn't even believe in Mitama. That suck is about to come to an end, because Dad decided the ritual to get Yukita to prove his holiness and emerge as the new leader of the cult is to have him bound in a barrel with only his head sticking out, and be thrown into the ocean. Supposedly he will return in three days because he is so holy. Yukito looks upon it as an end to his suffering. As his life flashes before his eyes, not a single scene of anything good appears. He silently wishes that if a god really exists, he would prefer to be reincarnated in a world with no gods or religion, so he can make friends and lead a normal life.

Which is where he basically ends up.

He wakes up by the side of a stream where a cute pink haired girl is trying to revive him, but with instructions that are apparently from a sex manual that she has read, but doesn't really understand. She apologizes profusely and swears to take care of him until he is fully well, and let him eat for free in the restaurant she and her sister run. She introduces herself as Alural. Her older sister is Siluril

Looking around at the rural medieval town he is in, he assumes that he's in some kind of game world. But it turns out there is no guild for him to join, no stats screens, no quests, no magic, gods, or quests. No levels to be gained from hard work. Although he does gain the friendship and good will of the rest of the village when he over-harvests the grapes they sell to a nearby winery, and shows them how to make their own. Life settles into a routine of working all day and drinking into the evening, and it's not bad.

But then they visit the Capitol, and Yukito witnesses an End of Life ritual, which seems like a cross between ritual suicide and an execution. To his horror, he learns that when the country orders it, people are expected to kill themselves. Rob, one of his best friends from the village explains that their village is treated differently, which is part of why they are despised by the people of the capitol, who popularly think they should all be disposed of because they are deviants (Thought criminals for not wanting to die, or something, it's not 100% clear).

Shortly afterward, the village is raided. Both of the girls and a number of the guys are taken. Yukito rushes to the capitol and discovers he is too late, everyone but Alural has been hanged, and since there is no room on the gallows, she is put to the sword. Yukito tries to save her, and is run through for his trouble. As he lays there, bleeding out on the cobblestones, he crawls towards Alural and touches the necklace he gave her, the only thing that transferred with him, the symbol of his cult's god, and prays out loud for Mitama to save these good people who were kind to someone as worthless as him.

And it works. Mitama appears as a child-like being clad in light. And is so happy that Yukito has finally called on her that she gets very perturbed to find that he's dead. Mitama consumes all the executioners with tentacles that drag them to hell, then gets right to fixing up Yukito, and apparently everyone else at the same time. The crowd of onlookers, having witnessed a miracle simply turn about-face and leave.

While the rest of the village celebrates their return, Yukita is very troubled by the fact that he has probably turned the entire government's anger on himself and the village.

Upstairs, Alural is with Mitama, trying to force her to wear clothes, and demands to know what her relationship is to Yukita "Since you were hugging him all naked." And she has no idea what the answer of God means. Mitama doesn't help matters by simply saying it's for life, and Alural is shocked, because her only possible interpretation is that Yukita is already married then, and to a little girl. It breaks her brain a little (To the point she's wondering if somehow she could be turned into a little girl if that's what Yukito likes. Ew.) While Alural is freaking out, Siluril explains to Mitama that Alural is in love with Yukita. Mitama sets her straight, mostly, saying that it's good that Yukita has friends like her.

Later, Yukito is asking Mitama just how extensive her godly powers are, and when she claims omnipotence, he suddenly starts thinking in Isekai game terms again, and that Mitama herself is his cheat code. But when she sets out to prove how powerful she is, she totally fails. She then pulls up her own information, and sees that she has Zero followers, so she has no power. (Yukito apparently doesn't count, which pisses off Mitama, who used the last of her power to save them all.)

Suddenly news arrives that Imperial troops are on the way to investigate the incident in the Capitol. Yukito panics trying to figure out what he can do, but finally resolves that he will introduce religion to this godless world so that Mitama will gain followers and power so they can protect the village.

Roy becomes the first follower, although his vision about what that means is more than a little questionable.

Yukita starts making plans for how they will launch building their religion, which is ironic, since that was the fate he was resisting for his entire previous life, but Mitama has her own ideas, which go embarrassingly poorly. If there's one thing that makes me cringe, it's this kind of embarrassment porn.

Yukita then sets up a sort of demo to prove Mitama is divine. This is also cringe. And since Yukita is NOT a true believer, he's trying tricks like what he calls "The Barnum Effect". (Why he would have no faith at this point, since he knows everyone was dead but for Mitama, I don't understand. Even if his upbringing DID leave him utterly cynical about religion).

Mitama though ruins the act with arrogance, just to fuck with Alural over her voluptuous figure. This makes no sense because earlier she told her that she was glad she was a friend to Yukita. Why act jealous now?

Next he attempts a stage illusion, and a few other "Miracles" that fail horribly, until even Mitama's ego starts to flag.

But, like Chekov's gun, this cute, CGI fox creature who totally doesn't fit the style of the animation, which has been running around the town for the last two episodes becomes sick after eating some rat poison. The sisters are heartbroken. When all other efforts fail and the critter dies, Mitama resurrects it.

Achievement Unlocked: Perform a Miracle.

The sisters become followers, and Mitama who was completely depleted by the resurrection experiences a flood of power. Completely beyond what one would expect just by the numbers. Yukita suspects it's because they became followers after seeing a miracle, as opposed to Roy, who is just a perv.

Alural makes a request. She believes all the executioners were "Just doing the jobs they were assigned" and asks Mitama to bring them back. She does, although Bertrand, who was the chief executioner is the only one who comes back naked... and female.

Okay, that's two. I'm kinda iffy on the rest. Maybe one more to find out what the deal is with Bertrand.

Posted by: Mauser at May 29, 2023 10:39 AM (BzEjn)

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