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As the Gods Will
Movie

As the Gods Will

2014 • Unknown

Woke Score
3
out of 10

Plot

High school student Shun Takahata is bored. Bored with the day-to-day monotony of school and life, he prays for change, for something exciting. Suddenly, he and his classmates are forced to play deadly children's games and facing terrifying creatures from a talking Daruma doll to a sharp-clawed lucky cat.

Overall Series Review

The film plunges a group of Japanese high school students into a series of deadly children's games orchestrated by surreal, talking figures from Japanese folklore. The narrative focuses on the protagonist, Shun Takahata, and his immediate battle for survival against the creatures and his psychopathic peer, Takeru Amaya. The core themes center on the critique of the current generation's boredom and ennui, which is violently interrupted by a terrifying, arbitrary chaos. The action is fast-paced and bizarre, using traditional games as the cruel mechanisms of death. Characters are primarily judged by their intelligence, courage, and moral choices under pressure, not by immutable characteristics. The most prominent ideological theme is its portrayal of the divine as a capricious, arbitrary, and malevolent force that toys with humanity for sport, turning symbols of national heritage into agents of chaos.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The cast consists entirely of Japanese students within a Japanese setting, which is culturally and historically authentic to the story. The narrative judges characters based on merit, cunning, and moral disposition—the protagonist is a clever survivor, and the antagonist is a ruthless psychopath. The plot does not rely on race or intersectional hierarchy for its conflict.

Oikophobia5/10

The film uses figures and games drawn from traditional Japanese children's folklore (Daruma dolls, Maneki Neko, Kokeshi) as the agents of death. This is a significant deconstruction and perversion of national heritage symbols. The plot is primarily a critique of a perceived modern-day ennui in Japanese youth rather than a critique of the nation's foundational culture, placing it in the middle of the spectrum.

Feminism2/10

The main dynamic is centered on the male protagonist and his male antagonist. Female characters like Ichika Akimoto and Shoko Takase are capable survivors in their own right, but the narrative does not elevate them to 'Girl Boss' status by emasculating the men. There is no overt anti-family or anti-natal messaging present; the gender dynamics adhere to a typical action-horror structure where survival skills are paramount regardless of gender.

LGBTQ+1/10

The story adheres to a normative structure, featuring a traditional male-female pairing as the main romantic subplot. There are no elements of centering alternative sexualities, deconstructing the nuclear family, or lecturing on gender theory. The psychopathic antagonist's intense focus on the male protagonist is framed as a rivalry of 'strength' and ideology, not sexual identity.

Anti-Theism8/10

The core premise frames the divine, referred to as 'Gods,' as a source of malevolence, absurdity, and capricious cruelty, forcing high school students to play a deadly game for their own entertainment. The film depicts a 'spiritual vacuum' where any 'higher power' is an arbitrary executioner. Faith is not a source of strength; the only morality is survival, a complete inversion of transcendent moral law.