Review: THE FAILURE AT GOD SCHOOL

Let's take a look at some modern shojo school stories, starting with this recent title.

THE FAILURE AT GOD SCHOOL (Kami-sama Gakko no Ochikobore), based on the light novels by Natsu Hyuuga and character designs by Seikaisha with art by Modomu Akagawara.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

In a Japan not too different from our own, there are "Himiko," people who possess supernatural powers like telekinesis, telepathy, or the ability to manifest or manipulate the elements around them.  These people are tracked and classified by the government and most are sent to specialized schools to further refine their abilities so that they can aid their communities.  Only a select few possess potent enough powers to be classified as "gods," and Nagi is in desperate need of a god.

Her grandmother was a god who once staffed the local shrine.  Nagi's twin brother Takeru was supposed to take her place after her death, but his powers are lacking and his social anxiety has turned him into a hikikomori who communicates with her telepathically through a plush bear.  Nagi thought she didn't have any powers at all...until she gets an acceptance letter to Kannagara Academy after saving a missing neighborhood boy.  Now it's up to her to make friends, try and figure out what skills she might possess, and why she was sent there in the first place.

STORY:

I'll give The Failure at God School this much: unlike Sharp-Eyed Sister, I did not get any Apothecary Diaries flashbacks while reading it despite them all sharing the same writer.  I just wish that the creators had taken this opportunity to create something more distinctive in the process.

You have absolutely read a story like The Failure at God School before.  The protagonist is a misfit with a seeming lack of power who turns out to have the best power.  They start at the bottom of the school's social hierarchy, but move their way up over time through cleverness and their innate ability to make friends with other, more gimmicky or colorful misfits.  You see this a lot in shonen manga.  Sometimes it's done well like Iruma-Kun, but more often than not it's reserved for braindead horny nonsense or lousy light-novel adaptations.  You don't typically see this sort of story done in shojo (this manga runs in Hana to Yume), and when it does happens it's usually as an adaptation of some other media.  Alas, novelty alone cannot elevate this story beyond mere adequacy.

It seems that Natsu Hyuuga made a point to make this story as down-to-earth as possible, presumably as a contrast to all the supernatural goings-on.  I wonder if that wasn't a bit of a mistake on her part, as it only serves to dampen the whole damn book.  This is most evident with Nagi herself.  She's so ordinary that it's hard to get all that invested in her struggles.  Curiously, the same is true for her growing friend group.  Their personalities and gimmicks are bigger (the hot-tempered, super-strong telekinetic; the shy, soft-spoken but powerful mind-reader), and yet somehow they all feel muted.  They're all nice kids, but not particularly compelling.

That's not to say it's all bad or boring.  One of the few things I did like about Nagi was her relationship with Takeru.  The naturalistic approach to the character writing works great with them, and having him be able to communicate via the plush bear allows him to be present as a character despite Nagi being far from home.  Then there's Tsukuyomi, a handsome but spacey "god" who wanders in and out of the narrative.  He's the first person to suspect Nagi has hidden powers and presumably is the person who recommended her to Kannagara Academy, but what further role he has to play in this story and his connection to Nagi is still something of a mystery.  These are not bad story hooks, but I wish the rest of the story around them was strong enough to match them.

ART:

Modomu Akagawara's art is a good fit for this story.  Akagarawa's style isn't flashy or ostensibly cute, but there's a quiet but pervasive air of quality present throughout this book.  Their character designs strike a good balance between realistic variety and anime-friendly attractiveness.  They put care into everything from the backgrounds to the fall of the characters' hair.  The panel and page compositions are not overly fussy, but they are smartly assembled with a good amount of variety in shape, size, and perspective.  It's just a very polished-looking book from cover to cover.

RATING:

The Failure at God School isn't a failure, but neither it is a triumph.  It's a perfectly pleasant manga in its own right, but as an Apothecary Diaries fan I know this writer can (and has!) done better.

This manga is published by Yen Press.  This series is ongoing in Japan with 14 volumes available.  4 volumes have been released and are currently in print.