It’s not often I read manga. Granted, I’ve been making more of an effort recently, but it’s not often that I’ve opted to read what is often the original source material. But when I was Christmas shopping and popped into my local Waterstones for a quick look, I couldn’t resist treating myself to a volume.
I hadn’t heard of The Gods Lie. before, but the cover art instantly appealed to me. The warm tones of even the blues on the cover, the way the protagonists were holding hands, the smile the younger character had. It all just seemed so happy and heart-warming. Along with some quick research on the Internet and the blurb making it sound like it would something I would enjoy, I was sold.
The Gods Lie. follows the story of eleven year old Natsuru Nanao – a young boy who loves to play football and finds it awkward to talk to girls. One day, his female classmate named Rio Suzumura approaches him and he immediately becomes intrigued in her. After saving a cat, Natsuru runs into Rio and her younger brother (Yuuta) and asks them if they could look after it due to his mother being allergic to them. They agree, but upon arriving at their house, Natsuru discovers a shocking truth.
I really like the art style of this manga, despite it being quite simplistic. It was drawn, as well as written, by Kaori Ozaki whose other works have include Knife (a shoujo psychological manga) and Immortal Rain (a shoujo action-adventure drama manga), so it’s a little different from their usual works. The Gods Lie. certainly isn’t their most unpopular work, but looking at reviews for their other works, it does appear as if Ozaki is a little under the radar.
The simplistic art style, however, was a good match for the simple story. The storyline itself is nothing necessarily new nor is it too fleshed out, which I find a shame. Sure, the author did well for making a cute little romance flourish in just five chapters, but at times it did feel as if the characters were “jumping around” in terms of their feelings a bit too much. Personally, I also feel the conclusion to the story was a little rushed as well. Ozaki has created a great, almost powerful, story that is quite touching, however it would be great if the characters were fleshed out a little more and the story itself wasn’t as jumpy as it is.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a sweet little romance and it’s perfect if you like your dramas too. However, reading reviews online before purchasing the book, I was hyped – hype which wasn’t particularly necessary. Is it a good story? Sure, but I don’t think the current rating particularly suits it.
Rating: 6.5/10
This post was written as the tenth installment of my #12DaysOfAnime posts! #12DaysOfAnime is a challenge taken on by loads of anime bloggers, vloggers, podcasters and other people on many different platforms. We just have to post twelve consecutive posts about anything anime-related for the twelve days leading up to Christmas!
Keep an eye out for my other posts that will be a part of the #12DaysOfAnime Challenge! These will cover a variety of topics such as anime reviews, conventions and much more, so there’s going to be something a little different every day!
Hope to see you around!
