Story & Characters
While watching Kami-sama no Memo-chou, it's impossible to avoid comparing it to Gosick, and possibly Dantalian no
Shoka from the same season. Not because they are similar, though inevitably they are, and not because they all have
similar concepts punctuated with exclamation points. Rather because it's the closet thing to those two. Heck it
even has the same older-boy-meets-young-female-detective trope and a very similar female lead.
It's Fujishima Narumi's first real venture out from the quiet life that he grew up due to several school
transfers and he is only too happy to join the Gardening Club after being dragged by classmate Ayaka. Soon after, she
introduces to her workplace, a ramen shop, and friends, who turn out to be a band of proud NEET detectives. Narumi is
reluctantly forced to join the rank, where he soon meets the leader, a tiny but brilliant hikikomori named Alice whom he
develops an awkward, comical attraction to. So as the two of them solidify their friendship the story unfolds of their
normal which involves yakuza gangs, unscrupulous debtor, serial killer, drug addicts, manipulative schemers and a host
of other dangerous jobs that make the world of NEETs something timid but with a glint of excitement.
The comparison with Gosick is obvious but isn't exactly a flattering one. Everything that made Gosick an
unforgettable attack of cinematic detective story is toned down in KamiMemo. Its characters are less outrageously fun,
the pace more relaxed, the humor lighter and more understated. The shocks are smaller and less frequent, and the fates
of its characters less viscerally satisfying. It also dispenses with Gosick's dual interlocking storylines and
temporal trickery, effectively discarding the loss of chemistry that made Gosick's final stretch such a
thrill.
But it isn't exactly a fair comparison either. Trying to match its predecessor is futile, and to be fair, its
pacing, mysteries and outcome are much duller. And KamiMemo doesn't really try. It instead directs its efforts into
creating a world all its own, unique and complete: a whacked-out version of modern Tokyo in which NEETs, psychopaths and
crime organizations run the town. Looser and more relaxed, confident in the power of its cast and setting to entertain,
and every case wrapped up smoothly. In fact, to claim that there even is a
definable plot might be overstating the case, although concentrating on multiple stories and shifting perspectives can
be an attracting factor, it is also the series' greatest weakness. There is simply too much of it for such a
limited time frame, and that will not sit well with viewers who want more than a character study.
A world of NEETs populated by a whole cast of delightfully weird people. People like Narumi may look like an ordinary
schoolboy, but he's smarter and more dependable than your average smug kid. Or Alice's foot soldiers, a
cross-section of common NEETs stereotypes provide a certain amount of charm, or Hinamura, a ferocious yakuza leader with
a nuclear temper who makes an oath of brotherhood with Narumi. On the cute factor, there is a quartet of Ayaka's
cheerfulness, or Meo, a cute half Japanese half Thai girl.
Let's not forget the most important star, the tremendously adorable hikikomori Alice. Last winter's Gosick and
the recent Dantalian no Shoka reaffirmed anime fandom's fascination with the Gothic loli character, but Alice looks
differently than those, and it's certain because Goth isn't her primary taste. Alice certainly has the look
down on others, but only gives a vague tsundere vibe rather than taking the all-out approach one would normally expect
here. That is a compensatory charm of her own.
Rating: 7
Art
Kami-sama no Memo-chou is also an otaku funfest. It has appealing character designs though the majority liberally
sprinkle nods to Alice's cuteness. Mostly she stays in her room stuffed with the insane amount computers and teddy
bears, but sometimes she takes out the usual pajama to put on the Gothic dress and goes out to face the world is a sight
to see. And her expressions when being embarrassed? Nosebleed.
The visuals for the show is a respectable effort from J.C.Staff, the same studio responsible for the detective anime
Spiral several years ago. As you'd expect given the artistic overlap, KamiMemo looks far better than its elder
cousin; character designs, animation, and especially the design and execution for the OP are all very meticulous.
Backgrounds are rich in detail and authentic feel, but the lack of true action scenes prevents the animation from
showing off, and it takes shortcuts just like any other TV series, but what is animated is done relatively well.
Rating: 9
Sound
Voice work was also superbly done. Of particular note is the performance of newcomer Ogura Yui for the part of Alice
sounds naturally and promising while Narumi, who has a shabby design, sounds shabby as well. The likes of Hinamura and
rival Hirasaka are a menacingly satisfaction, whereas supporter Meo sets the tone from the earliest scenes with a
wonderful job as her first line was greeting in Thai, the accent was cutesier than clearly defined. Niconico idol
Choucho did a fantastic job delivering the lovely OP "Kawaru Mirai" gives away a pleasant moment with nice
animated cutscenes, while more rap-themed ED "Asunaro" offers a different but still appealing sound and shares
with its predecessor a habit of including the hero running towards the heroine's side.
Rating: 8
Presentation
There's something almost careless about Kami-sama no Memo-chou. For all the labyrinthine coiling of its
plot—which involves a self-proclaimed NEET detective, a missing debtor, an evil drug schemer, baseball match, rivalry
gang—most of it comes about almost as a byproduct of the characters and the perverse romanticism of their lives.
That's a sign of laziness; KamiMemo is not quite as crisp or intensely involved as its predecessors, partly because
of a more casual style and partly because it will take much longer to get itself established. That fault cannot be
explained away just by its shorter length than its predecessors, although that may, perhaps, indicate that twelve
episodes is a running time just a bit too narrow for a series like this.
Despite that, there is a lot here to build interesting stories from, support from strong visuals and voice acting, and a
couple of mysteries give a good impression, then this will be a hard series to ignore.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Story: 6
Characters: 8
Art: 9
Animation: 9
Voice: 8
Music: 8
Overall: 7.75
Good:
+A plethora of quirky characters and overlapping stories.
+Sharp look, very strong voice acting and music.
Bad:
+Mysteries aren't very mysterious, glitches in both plotting and characterization.
+"Death" of Alice.
Rating: 7
Final Verdict
7.5000 (good)
Reviewed by Weskalia, Nov 14, 2011
