While the first episode almost exclusively focused on Hina (aka Odin) and Youta, this core duo both had strong introductions. To be frank, we think that Hina might be a bit of a polarizing character thanks to her, err, over-the-top divinity and sheer overpowering volume. For true believers, her antics will likely be adorable, as is her faux nun character design that is a bit reminiscent of Index, but her drifting between topflight smug anime girl and obnoxious, literally childish tantrums might annoy the moe-resistant.

Youta is quite a bit more subdued compared to Hina, largely playing the straight man in their comedic routines, but is nevertheless likable and expressive. His ridiculously soul-crushing rejection from his childhood friend Kyouko Izanami definitely stands out in particular. Speaking of Kyouko, she’s almost as mysterious as Hina so we imagine that her importance to the story will only grow but her serious vibe and candid, direct way of speaking has already added a lot to the show’s dynamics.

If you know anything about Maeda’s other works you can expect this story to get a lot more intense at some point going forward and The Day I Became a God is really laying it on thick from the beginning. The whole world is ending in a month which might as well be saying “hey, get ready to be emotionally invested in these characters before they all die or something”. There is a bit of elegant simplicity, or even honestly, in this but while it does provide a good initial hook, this approach is arguably a little too transparent in being emotionally manipulative. On the other hand, if you’re gung-ho on getting those big anime feels you’re probably in good hands. Enjoy the laughs while they last!

All that being said, there’s still plenty of potential to be explored in this framing and the show has already shown some fun applications of Hina’s powers like when she and Youta were watching the horse races in the restaurant. We’ve also already got the apparently essential baseball connection out of the way already so we’re definitely excited to see more of what The Day I Became a God has in store for us!

This is also almost a given as a Visual Arts/Key anime with a solid studio like P.A. Works at the helm but The Day I Became a God is quite visually appealing, particularly the use of light to accentuate the backgrounds of this lush, “last summer” setting. Likewise, there’s already been a lot of fun character animation as well that has brought a lot of the comedic scenes to life. Design-wise, the characters overall have a little bit of a retro vibe to them but Hina really steals the show in terms of memorability.

While we haven’t seen the opening yet, the ending theme and background music has also been strong so far, albeit a bit understated. Maeda’s sentimental style arguably works better in dramatic moments so we imagine that the best is yet to come! We’re particularly excited for the opening reveal as songs like “My Soul, Your Beats” and “Toki wo Kizamu Uta” are some of the most iconically beautiful OP in anime.