Reviewers from The Glorio Blog and Anime Corner noted that this episode fundamentally changed Keima’s character, showing that his feelings for reality began to shift despite his insistence that he only loves 2D worlds.
: Keima successfully awakens the final Goddess, Mercury, within Ayumi. The World God Only Knows Episode 12
: This marks the first time in the entire series that Keima is shown genuinely crying. On the rooftops, he apologizes to Chihiro in a moment of vulnerability, realizing the pain his "conquering" methods caused her. Reviewers from The Glorio Blog and Anime Corner