1000http://gonzonyan.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/theworldgodonlyknows.jpg There comes that one manga you find at the corner of your eye to where you can enjoy it whether you like the genre it consists of or not all in the essence of parody and satire. It can be a challenging comedic flavor to pull off correctly. Writers have to analyze the aspects of the things they are trying to parody in the first place but they have to make all of the things that make good comedy work. These things include great comedic timing sharp jokes that dont feel forced and excellent pacing inbetween comedy segments. It can be quite a difficult task for a manga focused on comedy but luckily with manga you can go buck wild with the stroke of your drawing utensil and think of what works best. It takes a man like Tamiki Wakaki to make it seem like an absolute cakewalk to envision a perfect parody with The World God Only Knows. The two things that best describe how the parody works in The World God Only Knows come down to the writing and the actual artwork that Tamiki has within his talent. The jokes all span out dealing with familiar otaku tropes that are funny and sometimes insightful. They pick apart. Other times it pokes fun at it almost mocking it without being too clever with its jokes and they all add great humor. The artwork comes into play with the dialogues comedy because Tamikis drawing style has a very wacky ascetic to his character designs that look magnificent. Similar to how you see chibistyle formats in something like Aria whenever a comedic moment happens The World God Only Knows plays with the same formula and never loses its steam throughout the manga. 1000http://gonzonyan.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/twgok121012.jpg Although the manga is generally a comedy it does have its vast share of drama mixed in. That is not to say it still pulls in satirical themes into those segments at least in the first arc of the story. In the beginning we follow Keima and his partner in crime Elsie as they try to collect Loose Souls from within their psyche. It is very straightforward and generally formulaic at face value. Still it is just how tongueincheek the character interactions are and the dialogue involving how Keima plans his tactics based on his gaming otaku logic. Even when it is being dramatic in the arc it still doesnt lose focus of what it originally intended to be: a parody of dating sims where you get to the confession scenes in those games. It is a rare instance where good drama and wacky humor feel close to a home together in one great package. As the story goes on to the 2nd arc where Keima has to awaken the five goddesses we are quickly put into a scenario with a minimal formulaic structure than beforehand. Like I said before the comedy is still hilarious throughout the entire manga with memorable scenes that all go down into straightup hilarity. The story is still active and even emotional in some places introducing a heartwarming romance between Chihiro and Keima and great chemistry between Haqua and Keima when they both become buddies for the time being. But then after that plot arc was done and we got to the last two arcs it all went a slight downhill in terms of pacing and comprehension. I have the feeling that Tamiki didnt know where he wanted the story to go so he pulls up random plot conveniences that dont add up once you sit back and think about it for a second. Though the later plot arcs were not terrible the new characters were still funny and they do not follow up as anything other than weak. 1000http://gonzonyan.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/theworldgodonlyknows15031671.jpg For a story that wants to be selfabsurd with an atmosphere that wants to be fun and energetic in its humor characters should be the one characteristic that should reign most important. The World God Only Knows us a wide range of characters that exceed way above 20+ of the main cast. They give everyone the significant development and personality to make them equally memorable. Usually a story that attempts to bring a sizeable main form has a habit of not having an equal amount of focus for some characters making them forgettable in the long run. While someone could make the case that the manga does that in the later arcs where were mainly following the other central girls in Keimas conquest that shouldnt be a negative in the sense that weve already had enough development for those characters from the very beginning where the writer introduced them. Heres why The World God Only Knows sets its greatness to new heights is lovable but also hated in a few cases the protagonist Keima Katsuragi. With great clarity and logical precision in how Keima was written he is one of the best harem protagonists due to his roles sheer value of heart. Even when there are moments where Keima might act irrationally against what many would consider typical attitudes toward how romance is like we still want him to succeed in his conquest. One main reason this is so is that Tamiki writes his dialogue in ridiculous ways that make him so full of charm and wit in how he grows as a character both in a comedic and general one. 1000http://gonzonyan.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/theworldgodonlyknows27891131.jpg As for Keimas main sidekick Elsie she has excellent chemistry with Keima with her cutesy personality that manages to stay consistent and not overbearing to the point where she becomes a nuisance after several chapters. The other soulcapturing buddy is the hilarious tsundere devil Haqua. Almost as equally lovable as Elsie but with a different twist: Shes more intelligent on the level of Keimas intellect. For that reason Keima and Haqua prove to have a little better chemistry with one another than Elsie because Haqua still becomes the bumbling sidekick despite her intellectual stature compared to Elsies. This manga is one of those instances where even if you are not a fan of the harem genre in general or if you love it to death there are still many elements to The World God Only Knows that can be looked at by anyone with great enthusiasm on either side. Its wonderful characters leave an excellent joy ride into hilarity thanks to the fact that they all have their unique characteristics to enhance their significant presence in the story. Plus its satirical nature adds so much depth to the layer of comedy that can be conceived in this manga even though the plot never reaches that same level of greatness as one couldve hoped for with the first arc building up so much potential. Nevertheless there is still plenty of wonderful humor in The World God Only Knows all in the name of the God of Conquest. Grade: A