Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai 197 – Steering Wheel

This chapter we have a return to some proper development… or at least the beginnings of some proper storyline developments. Wakaki is certainly being stingy with revelations at the moment, instead choosing to add more and more questions without giving us any solid answers. This is not necessarily bad in itself, but it’s a little on the frustrating side, especially with the manga going on break next week. It’s great to have multiple threads in a story and then tie them neatly into place (which I have faith Wakaki will do), but it would still be nice to see a bit more connection between the various events that are currently occurring.

Unlike the last chapter, we were given a little more to speculate upon this time around. The Akanemaru has been the stage for many important events to date (most notably surrounding the captures of Chihiro and Ayumi) and is geographically close to the caverns in which the weiss and goddesses are imprisoned. That it would appear once more is not a huge surprise (in fact I’ve become so used to seeing it recently I can’t imagine events taking place anywhere else). What is unexpected is the hidden room with the mysterious device. My first thought upon seeing it – the thought I’m probably going to stick with unless proven wrong – was that it was the seal imprisoning the weiss and the goddesses. It would certainly make sense given my thoughts on various other developments so far.

The orbs themselves are an interesting point for speculation too. The only thing that comes to mind in relation to the pattern of four lines that appears on the orb’s surface is a timer – a time limit in which Keima must achieve the goals he’s been set (saving our mysterious girl and presumably other things too). We know the one held by Keima and Elsie came from Dokurou Skull and it would make sense (going by traditional storytelling conventions) that half of a two-part key to a seal would be given to each of the parties involved (namely New Hell and Heaven). This operates under the assumption that the mysterious girl is in fact related to the goddesses though. Her possession of the orb (should it turn out to be a key to the seal) would certainly support the idea that she’s Demeter, or alternately a denizen of New Hell. Given that she seemingly appeared from nowhere at the top of the ship’s mast, it would be no stretch to imagine that she arrived in a similar fashion to Keima and Elsie (i.e. time travel), particularly since she showed Keima ‘the future’ during his dimension hopping. More and more her godhood seems probable to me.

tl;dr: @MoombaDS – Yet more mysteries come into play as the arc progresses. Just how many threads does Wakaki intend to bring into play? #TWGOK