Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
What an underrated show! Body-swap stories don’t interest me too much, but the 2022 Japanese series ‘Kamisama no Ekohiiki’, also known as ‘God’s Favor’/’Favoritism of the Gods’ turned out to be a comforting show to watch over the weekend. It’s one of those rare series with multiple leads, where all four protagonists are likable in their own ways. Directed by Matsumoto Yusaku, the show is spread over eight episodes, each about 40 minutes long.
Plot overview: In order to muster courage to confess his love for his childhood best-friend, high-school student Yashiro visits an ancient shrine for 100 days. When he finally confesses, Kenta gently turns him down. A heartbroken Yashiro begins to walk away, when a truck hits and kills him instantly. In a bigger twist, the God of the Shrine he had been visiting, grants the dead Yashiro a wish – to go back in a girl’s body to win over his love. Yashiro wakes up as cute teen girl Kagura, with an unusual second chance at love and life.
Adapted from a manga of the same name by by Komura Ayumi, ‘Kamisama no Ekohiiki’ has exaggerated and fantasy elements – the Shrine’s God called Kamisama (Furukawa Yuki) makes several appearances and has a talking dog for a sidekick. However, despite the body-swapping and a ‘talking God’ sub-plot, the show has some very relatable characters, whose personalities are deeply rooted in the realities around them. Actors Fujiwara Taiyu and Sakurada Hiyori play the leads Yashiro and Kagura, and both of them convincingly switch personalities when the body swap occurs.
Instead of being just another comedic body-swap show, ‘Kamisama no Ekohiiki’ makes its young leads introspect their lives, feelings and friendships. The writers look at love beyond the lens of gender and show it through their characters, who ponder upon the question – do you love someone for their mind or their body, and can the two be separated? The answers aren’t simple.
When Yashiro comes back to school as Kagura, he realizes it’s not going to be easy to make Kenta (Kubozuka Airu) fall in love just because he is a pretty petite girl now. To make things complicated, Kenta’s ex-girlfriend Torii (Arai Myra) develops more than platonic affection for Kagura aka Yashiro. Within a few days of being in a different body, Yashiro regrets it, realizing the importance of his life as it was.
Unlike most school romances in the genre, the characters in ‘Kamisama no Ekohiiki’ communicate with each other and are honest about what’s on their mind. The friendships in this show is the most precious thing about it. Yashiro is easily the most likable of all – he is kind, empathetic, sincere and level-headed, doesn’t matter what body he is in. Kubozuka as Kenta comes across as a typical popular teenager who chases skirts, but his character grows into a mature, reliable and considerate adult over the show.
The only complaint – the makers should’ve done some better costuming for actor Furukawa Yuki, who plays ‘Kamisama’, the God. The actor looks like a cosplayer out of comic-con than an actual deity from a shrine. But perhaps it was a deliberate attempt at comedy or well, there wasn’t enough budget for expensive God-level robes. The climactic episode was surprisingly poignant, emotional and yet wrapped in a ‘happy ending’. Watch ‘Kamisama no Ekohiiki’ if you are looking for a simple, sweet coming-of-age series.
It’s a 8/10 from me.
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