Review by Frank Plowright

Having grown up as part of his father’s religious cult, Yukito Urabe has been transferred to another world, finding it gratifyingly free of religion. That changed rapidly and was down to him having to accrue believers for the god Mitima to handle a threat found on his new world. In Working for God in a Godless World 2 Aio Akashiro dropped the background of the world Yukito’s now in, and Yukito responded accordingly by having Mitima destroy the existing power structure. It’s left former imperial warriors known as Archons not as powerful as they were, but still a considerable threat to the new peace.

In the meantime, though, Yukito is proving extremely resourceful. His belief is that Mitima’s best chance for maximum power is via comfort, so he’s ensured his community has luxuries well beyond the feudal age. The more other communities hear about it, the more they want the same, the more belief in Mitima grows and the more powerful she becomes.

There’s always been a slightly saucy element to the series, and Akashiro maximises this over the opening chapters with an Archon based on the god Eros. There’s nothing explicitly shown, but plenty of references to continual lust and how it prevents any work being done. It makes this volume almost a parable about a world being destroyed from within when it’s not a comedy of embarrassment and avoidance.

With the emphasis largely on comedy in this volume, artist Hangetsubansonsyo’s shortcomings when it comes to action flurries are minimised, leaving clearly defined personalities. When the story turns dark that’s also well represented.

This remains an unquantifiable series. There’s a serious base concerning cults, and Yukito’s instinctively scheming nature and ability to adapt to new circumstances echoes that. Yet the comedy is also important, while obsession with tallying followers seems a satirical echo of other manga where totals are all-important. There’s something good here yearning to break free, but constantly switching focus between people and themes is undermining that. There’s a form of cliffhanger ending to this volume, and despite Yukito’s plans the threat remains to play out in Working for God in a Godless World 4.