Kami no Ue no Mahoutsukai

KamiMaho, KamiMaho, KamiMaho, what do I have to say about you?

I suppose, as with any such story, the beginning is an appropriate place to begin this whirlwind of a tale.

The tale begins with a devious little lamb. Frolicking about, what came before that little lamb’s eyes was a story, melodic yet reticent in its nature. The intrigue of this new mystery wore thin, its outwardly richness seemingly sparse in comparison, and the little lamb stalked away, partaking in more readily scrumptious feasts.

Ah, if only that lamb knew the wonders in store, the slow roasting and outwardly dullness only but a fraction of what that little lamb could have devoured.

And so, time flew. Days became weeks and weeks became months. Having become more cognizant of the world around itself, the lamb came across that story yet again. Wiser from the vast expenses of the world, the lamb was ready to make amends and right that wrong from months prior; and thus, the lamb started devouring that story, its lack of outward spice bearing no problem for that lamb’s grown palette.

Oh what a blessing that was, as the world around the lamb became brighter. Elation mixed with regret stirred side by side within the lamb, as it pondered, pondered why it did not consume that story earlier.

That slow roasting story had all the flavors of the world stowed away in its interior, only those who could work the courage to fully approach the story would reach the ultimate goal.

And thus, the lamb clawed around the world, eager to share that miraculous story with others of similar ilk. From the seams of the now devoured story, pours out the illustrious tale for the ages. Forthright and radiant in its ideals, the little lamb was stupefied by its grand magnificence. As for the story’s title...?

Dies Irae.

This was not a story about KamiMaho.

And yet, a similar experience happened to me with KamiMaho and I am definitely glad I was able to fully indulge in its grace instead of letting it become an ephemeral flash for me. While the sparks were there for me the first time around, it was not until much later did those sparks connect together and form the beauty that is KamiMaho.

KamiMaho is a story about many things, but if I could pin down one particular thing, it is a story about finding freedom and happiness. Throughout the narrative, the characters constantly grapple with heartache and hardships, the world around them trying to chain them down from reaching their full potential. It is only by daring to face the world can the characters set themselves free of their chains. Only then will the happiness and freedom they so desperately desire present itself to them. Every battle is a hard-earned victory and the scars of battle are displayed both physically and mentality on the characters throughout their entire fight against their oppressors.

The highest praise I can give to KamiMaho is that it is constantly engaging, whether in its story or its prose. It really was a breath of fresh air reading it the whole way through. The way KamiMaho conducts itself is like a fairy tale: ephemeral, timeless and wears its heart on its sleeve. The narrative poses a dilemma to the reader and through the twisting lives of the characters, presents its answer by the end. Each tale is fleeting, leaving as soon as it is introduced, but its impact remains permanent and the lessons learned are engraved in the minds of the characters and the readers. And through the prose, KamiMaho communicates its ideas in a directly roundabout way. It is up to readers to interpret the meaning of the story themselves and come to their own conclusions. Through the individual phrases and sentences, KamiMaho is able to communicate the ideas it wants to showcase with tact and care; to that end, it is able to leave its mark on the reader.

The story is divided into chapters, with each chapter tackling a different narrative throughline. Each chapter is like a soft reset, as a new magic book is opened and the characters begin a new struggle to find their way back to reality. While there are chapters that meander around for a bit, most of the tales can hold their own as individual stories, spanning across different genres and ideas. KamiMaho truly is a grand escape, dashing through harrowing fantasy, lackadaisical romance and everything in between to sever the chains holding reality and fiction. From a pure story perspective, Chapter 7 and beyond was an absolute whirlwind, delivering on so many emotional and satisfying moments that I lost track. In particular, the end of Chapter 7 blew my mind. When all hope seemed lost and Yoruko forsaking her chance at finding true happiness, the reincarnation of Rio and Kisaki as entities born from the magic books themselves turned the narrative on its head and opened up many new possibilities. This shift allows for another amazing reveal later where Ruri turned out to be an entity from the books as well, his true self having killed himself after learning the truth of Kisaki’s death.

The prose is quite floaty, for lack of a better term. It is never forthright in how it presents information, but instead takes its time to slowly lay it all out, building up to a conclusion that feels earned. In essence, it reads like a fairy tale, the type of story that is never 100% honest in its method of delivery, instead relying on its fantastical nature to carry through the subtext to the readers. The line to line writing itself is very intimate with Ruri’s mindset, his thoughts and reasons for doing anything becoming obviously clear to the reader. Over the course of the story, the story never forgets to build on Ruri’s character, making him the perfect narrator for a story of this nature.

The characters are complex and thoroughly engaging. Whether it is the damaged Ruri, the shining Kanata or the thorny Yoruko, each character has their opportunity to shine and grow within the confines of the story. Through their respective journeys, it directly reflects and portrays the ideas that Lucle wants to display to the readers. Nagisa’s journey from freeing himself from his paranoia of his unrequited love for Kisaki (better than a certain other character that VA has voiced, cough cough) is but one example of how each character finds their happiness in different ways. My favorite characters of the bunch are definitely Kanata and Yoruko. Kanata’s persistence has a reason, one she has to hold onto for almost the entirety of the story. Once it is revealed she is the heroine of the tale of the long lost forgotten sapphire, all her actions are recontextualized and make even more sense. It is another reminder of never giving up even when despair has all but swallowed up everything in its wake. It is moments such as that which causes the readers to reevaluate the current situation that elevate KamiMaho. And as for Yoruko, she is the focal point of the story, the main thematic compass finding its way back to her and her struggle. She is the main focus and can be viewed as the main hero (read: not protagonist) of the story.

Beyond that, KamiMaho is a story that treats itself seriously, and thus is able to handle the characters respectfully, for the most part. Most characters stay true to themselves, wherein only one part of the story do I feel does the respect built is tarnished. More on that later. That being said, rarely are their moments where it feels as if the characters’ established integrity are being tarnished.

The themes are handled pretty well. There are a few core ideas that are iterated time and time again. It is there to ensure that not only do the readers, but also the characters themselves are reminded of what is important to them, because sometimes in life, once is not enough and in spite of the reality that demands a rush mentality, taking the time to appreciate certain ideals and letting them nurture properly is an essential skill. Here, the characters of KamiMaho face the storm of those themes time and time again until they are properly able to handle themselves, no matter how many times it takes. Finding hope when all seems lost and questioning the concept of free will when chained by external forces are the fulcrums of what KamiMaho represents, with each chapter being dedicated to showing that to its fullest. The delivery ultimately ends up being very satisfying, the core ideas starting off as buds and growing in scrumptious apple trees as they mature and progress.

I didn’t think the production value held back the story in many significant ways. The music tracks that played are all memorable and fit whatever mood they play in. I used the v1.6 patch, so none of the seemingly game breaking bugs or major typos are present, so maybe that has a bit to do with it. Nor did I notice much repetition throughout the story; in addition to that, I thought that the flashbacks were inserted thoughtfully throughout. It presented enough at just the right time and even if, for example, the flashback in Chapter 9 being all but a transient dream, it still represents the potential hope of what could be when contrasted with the harsh reality in Chapter 10. In essence, that makes those two chapter two sides of the same coin,

KamiMaho meanders in the middle of the story, Chapters 4+5 being the biggest offenders, but outside of those moments, KamiMaho develops a consistent tempo in terms of pacing, always making sure something is happening within the story, building up the themes with each scene. As I mentioned previously, Chapters 4+5 are as if KamiMaho is grasping at straws, seeing what else it can draw from its pile when it is already all but empty. The story desperately wanted to progress but was held back by those two chapters before the hammer could really swing down and deliver its overwhelming story onto the characters and readers.

The story’s gravest error was going against the thematic flow of the story in the true end. While KamiMaho did attempt to correct its course by the very end, the damage it did to the integrity of the themes and core messaging was palpable. Yoruko’s final decision to not forsake the magical books goes against all the little lessons sprinkled through the rest of the story. This thematic heel turn is similar to the one Umineko pulled off by its end, echoes similar inklings of a similar method of finding happiness even if the path there is suspect at best. The buildup of the story is one of Yoruko finally understanding that hiding behind books and facing reality, no matter how painful it is, will ultimately deliver her happiness. And through this path, Yoruko will be able to walk down her own path, one free from the shackles tying her down, shown symbolic in her growing love for strolls at the end of the Normal ending.

Secondly, the attempts to humanize Chrysoberyl fell completely flat, instead only adding to the lackluster nature of the true ending. While humanizing villains can work, the way Chrysoberyl’s character shift happens is suspect at best. The flashback of her past does not do much to redeem her character in the present, and only serves to make her feel like a budget Angra Manyu. Neither does her suddenly blossoming feelings for Ruri really make all that much sense in the grand scheme of things. Ultimately, the Normal end (ie Kanata’s) is the most thematically satisfying ending for the characters, as the focal point, that being Yoruko, is finally able to find happiness on her own, without being tied down by past or mentality. Even when the pain of rejection hits her, in the normal end, she is able to stand strong. If I could have controlled the ending, I would have one single ending for the story, it being a hybrid of the true and normal ends. While some logistics need to be ironed out, I think it would tie the loose ends much better.

In spite of the flawed ending, KamiMaho as a whole is an incredible work about finding that shard of true happiness, no matter how tiny it might be. It is a very meaningful work that takes its time to develop its ideas but delivers on them by the end. I am glad to have devoured this story in whole, its flavour one of great succulence and provided wonderful enjoyment.