First Impressions / Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai

「ぱんちDEでーと」 (Panchi DE Dēto)
“Punch and Date”

If I haven’t been obvious enough, I’m going to use this post to write a letter of love and admiration for Yui Goido, who, of course, is my favorite TWGOK girl.

No, I’m not really going to write a letter. But I do think Yui is the best girl, though not necessarily because she’s such a tomboy (though that’s fun too). I like Yui because, first of all, she’s a great character, and she’s hugely entertaining to watch. It’s not everyday you see the heroines in this series be more of a casanova than Keima himself, and her suave style and endearing enthusiasm is rather contagious. I also really appreciate that for all her crossdressing and gender-bending preferences, she still insists she’s a girl, because, after all, she is. Just because she wears mens’ clothing, it doesn’t make her a man, and I like that she’s openly more comfortable that way, even if others treat her like a boy for it. In other words, I admire that she’s doing what she wants and acting however she feels she should, rather than listening to those around her; and I don’t just say that because I like strong, independent female characters (though I do). I say that because of Yui’s background, which Megami-hen cruelly cheated us out of. Yui Goido was a sheltered, delicate Ojou-sama, the type who was always chaperoned and told to act lady-like and refined, and thus she never followed her own desires and passions (playing the drums, for one thing). So it’s huge character development to see her actively challenge her family’s ideals and do as she pleases, and I personally find that really refreshing in her arc.

Secondly, Yui is my favorite because of the reaction she elicits from Keima himself. There are only a few heroines in TWGOK that leave lasting impressions on the Capturing God, and Yui is one of those girls. As Keima himself says, Yui is more like a player character than a heroine, and that comes in no small part from the impact his capture of her left on her. Again, I’m afraid anime-only viewers are cheated of this character dynamic since Yui’s true arc was skipped, and Keima’s tactics this time around probably don’t feel as referential as they actually are. It’s not just that Yui can only be conquered by leading her into doing the conquering, it’s also that she affects Keima’s inner girl (yes, he has one, trust me) and leaves him far more flustered than he’d like to be.

In any case, Yui is special not just because she’s a crossdresser, but because her arcs are hugely entertaining and also really nice to watch, at least from a female viewer’s perspective. It’s not that she’s better than other heroines, since I really like a good deal of Kaminomi’s leading ladies, but that she’s different. She’s a character who actively grew and took charge of her own life after her capture, and though the other girls do this too, none of them are quite as dramatic or as infectious as Yui. It makes sense then that her goddess would be none other than the headstrong and hot-blooded Mars, the goddess of war, or that she’d actively take the prince role to save her beloved, even if it was all a plan on the Capturing God’s behalf. The bottom line is, Yui is pretty cool, and definitely a hugely amusing poke at the dashing bishounen stereotype in dating games, except way better. Oh and she’s best girl. Maybe I just relate to her on a deep, spiritual, tomboyish level.

Well, now that really did turn out to be a bit of a love letter, didn’t it? Oh well.

Also, crossdressing Keima. Enough said.

Full-length images: 14, 21, 27, 28, 31.

 

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28 Comments

      1. We need more embarassed Haqua scenes. :p
        Especially when its related to Katsuragi, those scenes in the manga made me chuckle everytime.
        Show Spoiler ▼

        Techim
        Reply

    2. No worries. I won’t downvote because I myself am a Haqua supporter XD.

      Although I feel sorry for Haqua, I did find that part at the start when Keima slams the door on her face (not on purpose though) and her subsequent reaction to be just adorable 😛

      Euzio
      Reply

  3. he’s a guy,he’s a guy,he’s a guy,he’s a guy,he’s a guy,he’s a guy,he’s a guy,he’s a guy.

    no matter how hot he looks, He’s a GUY!

    or atleast thats how i lie to myself

    Ginobi666
    Reply

  5. Is it just me or does it seem that Yui accepted what had happened regarding the goddesses and whatnot way too easily? They probably won’t address this, but how will Yui feel if Keima stops cross dressing and she discovers that it was all a plan? Another thing is that, what would happen if she meets Haqua? It would be fairly obvious at that point that the event that led to Mars wings coming out was all a setup. Would she still love Keima then? The only other thing that bothers me is that the librarian girl saw Keima in his female outfit. That’s obviously going to be featured on the next episode. How I love this series despite its flaws!

    dytianquin
    Reply

    1. Basically, aside of Tenri (who has a deep reason for this, shown later in the series) Yui is the only character who accept Keima as he is. Well, some other heroines can accept that to some degree, but only Yui who regard Keima other sides as interesting quirks (including his “playboy” and easy to lie attitude). Probably due to her “protagonist mindset” and belief that love could change people and is a cause to be fighting for.

      zeroyuki92
      Reply

      1. With a girl that noble and that accepting of people, I still can’t see why Keima would still be going for 2D girls. I mean, he could practically pick any female on the planet, and he could honestly make them fall head over heels for him. I really like Yui already and I haven’t even read the manga of this series yet. I should really get around to it though, but I’m not really a big manga reader.

        dytianquin
        Reply

  8. I actually believed that Haqua was a real Vintage agent in the attraction and predicted that as a goddess of war Mars would actually be able to defend Yui, though felt sorry for Haqua for the humiliation she endured.

    Side note Show Spoiler ▼

    gawrshness
    Reply

  11. Crossdressing Keima is too darn much! I’m not nearly as enthralled with Yui as you Kairi, but her interactions with Keima are definitely some of the best of the series! Two more to go, and it’s going to be interesting to see how Keima wins over Shiori now… I’ve forgotten how it happened in the manga!

    Hochmeister
    Reply

  14. Finally the Yui conquest! Not gonna lie, I may have enjoyed this episode too much. It had lots of Yui, and adorable Haqua moments. It’s always funny/cute whenever Haqua tries to sound like Elsie in school and forces herself to sound like an airhead.

    Annyms
    Reply

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