Writer: Aoi Akashiro
Artist: Sonsho Hangetsuban
Translators: Motoko Tamamuro & Jonathan Clements
Letterer: Ayoub Bensidi
Cover Colorist: Xenon Honchar
Publisher: Titan Manga
Price: $12.99
Release Date: July 9, 2025
Yukito Urabe didn’t want to be the next leader of the Religion of Divine Land Worship. But his father, Worship Leader Soichiro Urabe, sacrificed him to his God. Lord Mitama resurrected Yukito as his father had prophesied. But Yukito awakened in a realm where people don’t believe in gods. Yukito befriended a local boy named Roy. Siluril and her sister Alural, who run the local tavern, took him in. Yukito might not be dead, but he felt like he had reached heaven.
One day, Yukito accompanied his friends on a visit to the capital city. There, he discovered his friends were outcasts who threatened their kingdom’s purity. His father's God saves him when Yukito defends his friends. But instead of the awe-inspiring God Soichiro envisioned, Lord Mitama appeared as a young girl. Can Yukito protect his friends from the emperor’s wrath? Let's grab our Magatama beads, leap into Working For God In A Godless World TP Vol 03, and find out!
Story
In Aoi Akashiro's story, the emperor controlled his subjects through regulated fertility and compulsory End Of Life ceremonies. When Mitama saved Yukito and his friends, the emperor threatened to wipe out their village. But after expending her power, Mitama needs thousands of believers to recharge her divine batteries.
In Working For God In A Godless World TP Vol 03, the emperor has died. Without his soldiers and warriors protecting the land, monsters roam the land. Villagers find their resources more constrained than before. Inhabitants of the capital city also find life more difficult.
Mitama may not be able to perform big miracles. Still, she uses her followers' belief to help Yukito as he introduces ideas from his world. Other villages see that people have access to better food, alcohol, electricity, and running water. They appeal to Yukito and his friends to grant them the benefits of civilization. It’s a gift Yukito bestows in return for their belief in Lord Mitama. Other villages join Yukito’s sect. Still, their numbers are paltry compared to the power Mitama needs. And then one day, she realizes her numbers are shrinking, as people from nearby villages start following another “god”.
Aoi Akashiro maintains a playful tone with chapter titles like Sects Education, Sects Party, and Sects and Bondage. Yukito draws on his father’s teaching to prepare them to face Dakini. Once, she used the power of eros to serve the emperor. Now, people follow Dakini because she increases their arousal and frees them of their inhibitions. Like Valentine Michael Smith in Robert A Heinlein’s novel Stranger In A Strange Land, people flock to Dakini. Yukito may be a reluctant religious leader. But in Working For God In A Godless World TP Vol 03, Yukito sees this other religion as a threat, and vows to infiltrate and destroy them.
Art
Sonsho Hangetsuban shows villagers harvesting plants and carrying them in backpacks. They flee from an attacking monster until a girl destroys it. Then they find Yukito and his friends grilling meat on a barbecue. Yukito takes them to Silural and Alural’s tavern. He smiles while the visitors enjoy meat and beer. Soon, visitors fill Yukito’s village. Their elders bow before him. But tiny storm clouds hover above Mitama, the girl who expended most of her power protecting Yukito and his friends.
Banners adorn a grand entrance in Working For God In A Godless World TP Vol 03. Robed figures usher Yukito and his friends inside. Yukito’s mind fills with visions of a god and death. Dakini swans in wearing a seductive gown. Amid her joyous welcome and lighthearted manner, Dakini gazes at a cell phone-like object. Hearts generate waves from the screen of this device, while symbols suggest sound. While Silural embraces Yukito, women clad in warrior garb gaze down on crowded streets in the capital. Insects hover around people huddled in alleys.
Ayoub Bensidi casts comic-size uppercase black letters into dialogue balloons. Words grow bold for emphasis and swell for volume. Intense emotions deform balloons, while sound effects reveal the happiness that modern luxuries bring. But an ornate symbol filled with numbers warns that Lady Mitama doesn’t have everything her way. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
While the emperor's former enforcers battle monsters and improve villagers’ lives, some become celebrities. In Working For God In A Godless World TP Vol 03, Yukito realizes he must be ruthless to protect his threatened world.
Rating 9.5/10
To look inside see my preview of Working For God In A Godless World TP Vol 3.
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