Alternative TitlesEnglish: Heaven's Memo Pad Synonyms: It's the Only NEET Thing to Do, Kami-sama no Memo-chou, Kamisama no Memo-chou, God's Notebook, Notebook of God Japanese: 神様のメモ帳
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jul 2, 2011 to Sep 24, 2011
Duration:
26 min. per episode Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.741 (scored by 23790 users)
Ranked: #8272
Popularity: #309
Members: 48,157
Favorites: 260 1 indicates a weighted score
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SynopsisNarumi Fujishima isn't your typical high school student. He's never really fit in and has become increasingly more isolated from his fellow classmates. But he's not alone, and when Ayaka, the sole member of the Gardening Club, introduces him to the reclusive girl who lives above the ramen shop, Narumi enters a whole new secret world. Alice is a NEET, someone who is Not Employed, being Educated or in Training, but as Narumi quickly discovers, that doesn't mean that she does nothing all day.
In between tending to her small army of stuffed bears, Alice is an expert hacker and a very exclusive private detective. To his surprise, Narumi finds himself drafted as one of the strange-but-elite team of associates that Alice has assembled from her NEET acquaintances. Together they'll battle gangs, thieves, murderers, and drug lords. And in the middle of it all, Narumi will find his life changing forever!
(Source: Sentai Filmworks) |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Kamisama no Memochou
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Archaeon
217 of 439 people found this review helpful
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12 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
6 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
One of the most annoying things about the anime industry is the seemingly ingrained belief that bandwagons, when jumped upon, have the mystical ability to carry studios into money. It's a sad fact that every season will undoubtedly see the release of one or more shows that clearly attempt to piggyback on the success of something that has gone before. Thankfully following trends isn't necessarily a bad thing, and every so often a series comes along that can be considered a superior example of its genre.
Unfortunately that also means that the majority of titles that do jump on the bandwagon are mediocre at best.
Originally a light novel series by Sugii Hikaru, Kamisama no Memochou (God's Memo Pad), tells the story of a socially awkward high school student, Fujishima Narumi, and his exploits with the NEET Investigation Firm (apparently "It's The Only NEET Thing To Do"). The story begins with a series of text messages that lead to a seemingly unrelated scene in a love hotel involving a school girl, a businessman, a delinquent of some sort, and an attempt at blackmail that ends with an ashtray to the head. Narumi, having recently moved to Tokyo, finds himself geographically challenged to the point where he's in a perfect position to see that same girl jump out of a window.
After that things get a bit random.
One of the major problems with Kamisama no Memochou is that the plot doesn't really have any particular goal or objective. The story is told in a series of short arcs that often have very little direct relation to each other, and while this does tie in to the idea of individual cases at an investigation firm, the lack of any real focus causes the narrative to meander before any conclusion can be reached. In addition to this there's a surprising degree of contrivance apparent in the development of the plot, and while it's true that certain events are necessary to implement the growth of particular characters, it's much more preferable to have such things implied, inferred or even insinuated.
That said, there are some interesting threads woven into the plot that lay a good foundation upon which the story can be told, and if one is able to ignore the obvious prefabrication in the narrative then there is a degree of entertainment to be found.
Which brings up the issue of the company that Alice runs.
NEET simply means "Not in Employment, Education or Training", which is a roundabout way of saying that a person is not just unemployed, but also has no real intention of finding a job. Given this fact, how can a NEET Investigation Firm exist when the simple act of working means that a person is no longer a NEET? To many folks it may seem like nothing more than splitting hairs, but in actuality it's the most prominent example of the mentality behind the series (more on this in a bit).
Because Kamisama no Memochou is set in the "real" world, there's a degree of mundanity to the artwork that is surprisingly well suited to the series. There's also little in the way of flamboyance where the characters are concerned, but while the design principle seems focused on normality, the series suffers from a certain tired old saw involving beauty and people who aren't very nice. On the plus side, the animation is pretty decent for the majority of the show, and is only really let down by some poorly incorporated CG or the odd repetition of particular sequences (there's one in the first episode - see if you can spot it).
The series opens with a rather straightforward introduction to the main members of the cast, all to the tune of "Kawaru Mirai" by Choucho. On the other hand the main ending theme, "Asunaro" by Suzumura Kenichi, is set to a montage that focuses on Alice and Narumi, and features lots of tumbling negative words and rapid fire photos. In addition to this the first episode concludes with a a rather dizzying series of photographs and images against the backdrop of "Colorado Bulldog" by Mr. Big (and if you want to know who they are, google it or ask your older siblings or parents). As for the background music, while the tracks on offer are varied and atmospheric that doesn't mean that they're always necessary, and in truth several scenes would be better without any sort of accompaniment.
When it comes to storytelling it's often the case that a relatively weak plot will be masked by philosophical or psychological discussions, and that's pretty much what happens here. The script has a tendency to get bogged down in semantics and there seems to be an almost desperate need to expound upon the reasons for every action taken. Thankfully the voice actors are a pretty decent bunch, and while there are occasions where the performances are a little too excitable or overbearing, for the most part each role is handled fairly well.
One of the more interesting aspects of Kamisama no Memochou is the manner in which the characters interact with each other, especially the contrast between the established relationships and the manner in which Narumi's connections to everyone evolve over the course of the series. Now while this suggests some very good character development, sadly that's not the case as the story follows the old idea that drama leads to growth.
As the main lead much of the focus tends to fall on Narumi, but aside from certain events that force him to take charge he doesn't actually change very much until the last few episodes. One could argue that his introspective monologues are symptomatic of his evolution, but in truth the conclusions he reaches aren't reflected by any substantial changes in his personality. Right up to the end of the series he remains a figure who seems ill at ease with his role, and this seems like a wasted opportunity to explore what could have been a very interesting character.
The downside to this is the lack of attention given the rest of the cast, and there are a number of points that remain unanswered come the end of the show. Who is Alice? Why did she start a detective agency? How did the rest of the team gather? Not once does Kamisama no Memochou attempt to address these questions, and worse still, Narumi doesn't even ask them. Apparently his character is content to remain ignorant of things that anyone in his situation would naturally want to know.
Which neatly brings us back to the mentality behind the series.
Intelligence is a difficult thing to gauge when it comes to stories, and one of the common assumptions is that the reader or audience will be unable to understand the choices, motivations and actions of this or that person. Writers make an effort to counter this, and the usual response is to load the dialogue with lots of big words, philosophy, psychology, psuedo-science, and other highbrow musings. The problem is that they often become so enamoured with their own intelligence that they begin to lose sight of what's important, and elements begin to creep that really don't belong or should have been thought out properly.
In the case of Kamisama no Memochou this manifests itself not just in the name of the company. One has to question the basic premise of a girl of indeterminate age (but probably around 12 or13 years old), with a mild Dokupe addiction living alone surrounded by high tech equipment. In addition to that one has to wonder why a show about detectives and mysteries would need an episode dedicated to fanservice or baseball.
This series has the potential to good, if not great, but there are far too many occasions where it takes its cues from titles like Gosick, not the least of which is the inclusion of an eccentric loli detective and her well meaning, yet slightly bumbling "assistant". As with many other tales of mystery, there's an element of entertainment that stems mainly from the viewer trying to figure out who, what, why and how, but that's where the magic stops. Although there are occasions where the show is interesting, and sometimes a little charming, these are always overshadowed by one question - who is Alice?. The lack of any explanations about her places a burden on the narrative that remains throughout the series, and while the show tries to mysticise her character from time to time, this is nothing more than an attempt to stop the viewer asking unwanted questions ("it's magic so it doesn't need an explanation").
Kamisama no Memochou is, at best, an interesting mystery anime, but like so many other shows that are the product of jumping on the bandwagon, it relies too much on the success of titles like Gosick, and too little on what it could have been. read more
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juliancan
175 of 356 people found this review helpful
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1 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
From the masterful script to its wonderful animation, Kami-Sama no Memo-Chou is one of the promising titles of the Summer 2011 Anime Season. Indeed, the first episode, 45 minutes, loses no time into introducing the large eclectic cast it has, and the banal yet wonderfully executed plot the first episode leaves you yearning for more.
From start on, we can already see the vivid portrayal from the cast and this is all thanks to the wonderful execution of the staff as a whole. In fact, there is this constant balance between neat animation and well-written dialogue that was constant throughout the end. There no freezes or distorted faces and the script makes you want to type every single word the characters have said. The dialogue is truly great. Furthermore, even though the protagonist is the typical angsty teenager who wants to remain invisible in this world, he is kind of enjoyable. Sure, he may be an archetype but he clearly steers away from the stereotypical, pessimistic male anime protagonist who loathes every single aspect of his life to the point that the anime becomes unbearable to watch. Here, we can see that he has his own reasons. This makes him likeable as a lead and, unsurprisingly, lifelike.
The female main character too is enjoyable. Yes, another archetype she is and another Tsundere she is but her script is so well-written that it becomes her presence in the show becomes mandatory; like there can’t be any other deuteragonist but her. Moreover, what I have also like about her is that she springs into action herself. Never mind, Gosick’s Victorique who has Kujou as her errand boy, Yuko knows the psychology of the people that she is investigating and uses this to her advantage to solve the case.
Other than that the side-characters too steer away from their typical portrayal and the chemistry between all of them proved to be great and hilarious. I especially like the part when Narumi was manipulating the computer in the 4th’s house. I will give no spoilers.
The tertiary characters, AKA case characters, were surprisingly rounded too. In a span of 45 minutes, it managed away to steer away from the typical melodramatic victims and suspects. Well done there J.C Staff, you have outdone yourself.
Furthermore, the technical aspects are also top-notch. It is not only the eye-candy animation or the top-notch voice actors that are excellent but also the audio, as a whole, is perfect. The OP and ED song are fantastic and the background music is marvelous. Indeed, it is subtle and yet draws you into the story.
The only thing to be complained though is the misplaced fanservice in the end end the somewhat spunky attitude of the 4th which does not really harmonise with the whole cast. Alas, these can be remedied and are nothing too drastic. The episode overall is rock-solid.
All in all there J.C Staff has raised the bars for this upcoming Summer season. The masterful craft of the staff as well as the simple, yet psychologically complex plot of the first episode makes me wanting for more.
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Recommendations
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According to MAL, Gosick ended on the very day Kamisama started airing. HMMM. There must've been some kind of loli detective craze over in Japan, at the time. (Either that or the anime people were running low on material to sell to those looking for 'daughters', at the time, and opted for the not-so-popular aging detective genre. Idk.)
These two are built on the same foundations: In both there's an all-knowing reclusive loli, solving every case with their intellect/deus ex machina powers. They recruit Mr. Plain Average to be their masochistic doormats; mostly only existing to go from A-to-B on command and have things thrown at them from time to time.
Gosick has more than in the way of romance; Kamisama only offering tsundere rage over teddy sniffing. Gosick also has its heroine display adult maturity, as well as be childish over sweets... where as Ms. Kamisama wears teddy bear attire and, outside of case-rambling, might as well be the preteen she appears to be. BUT, if you're proud of being unemployed and not receiving education, Kamisama is for you.
Both of these Anime feature reclusive girls who happen to solve the mysteries around them by gathering the "knowledge" around them and simulating the fragments so that they will eventually come too. Gosick is set between the two World Wars and Kamisama no Memochou is in a modern setting. While the girl in Gosick is actually older then a young girl, both girls have qwirks, one for sweets, the other for stuffed animals. Each one is also very moody and can be disagreeable when they don't get their ways.
Both deal with a reclusive girl and a boy she treats as a combo gofer-assistant solving mysteries. Although the settings and time periods are markedly different, the way the primary characters interact and the involving degree of the cases and character-derived backstory are quite alike.
Alice is similar to Victorica and Narumi is similar to Kujou. And both series are about mysteries.
Both are about solving mysteries. They have similar main characters as well (Victorique = Alice, Kujo = Narumi).
The main difference, I suppose, is that Gosick is set in 1924 whereas Kamisama no Memochou is set in modern times.
-Both Alice and Victorique are similar in that they both are secluded from society
-Both solve mysteries
-and both have assistants, Alice has Narumi and Victorique has Kujo
-Both animes are very good and if you enjoy mysteries being solved then I recommend either you watch both
They both feature detailed detective work, however Kamisama no Memochou is modern whereas Gosick is set in the 20's.
Alice is the reincarnation of Victorique.
When I watched the first episode of Memo-chou, I felt it was very very similar to Gosick. I mean, look at the female protagonists. Both are bossy loli characters that solve the mysteries. Though Gosick didn't have a cast of characters that assist in solving the mysteries, Memo-chou does, and it successfully introduces them in a forty-five minute first episode. Is that amazing or what?
Also, the male protagonists of of both anime are reluctantly dragged into the mysteries. The art styles aren't that similar, but they have somewhat similar supporting characters as well as main ones.
Ayaka is very similar to Cecile-sensai, as she seems to be the only one able to force Alice to do things that others would be scared of trying.
Although the characters are very similar, there is one solid difference that might put off a few people.
Gosick is more horror-oriented while Kamisama no Memo-chou is more crime and actual detective work.
Despite these differences, I implore you to check out the other. They're both great.
Victorique reconstruct case by reading books and collecting chaos(pieces of information(sometimes are info from the paper or collected by Kujo and sometimes both of them) in a secluded area(library).Yuuko,as a hikkikomori detective,solving case by using internet and information from her helper,Narumi in a secluded area(her bedroom).Both heroine are incredibily smart and has remarkable deductive ability.
•Both are about Mystery
•Both feature a moe/loli female as the main character
•Both have many different settings
○Kamisama no Memochou is more futuristic and modern time wise than Gosick.
Gosick - Detactive work in 1900
Kamisama no Memochou - Detective work in 2011
If you loved Gosick, you will definitely like Kamisama no Memochou!
They both have a loli detective, the plots are quite similar, and Narumi from Kamisama and Kujo from Gosick are the same. So are Victorique and Alice, they both are lolita tsundere.
Girls solves mysteries, something like a female version of Sherlock Holmes. Intelligent, insightful, humorous and with difficulty to express their feelings.
The only difference between them, is Alice (Kamisama no Memochou) is a modern version de Blois Victorique (Gosick)
in both they're trying to solve cases, both protagonist are moe, inteligent and giving lots of explanations :3
Both of them are animes about a "mysterious" girl, which are really good in to crack a case.
Quite similar indeed. Both have a genius female detective, a lead male protagonist that accidentally become the assistant of the detective, and in both anime has similar romance story line.
The only differences is the setting. Both time line and place are different. If you like a story that involve mystery but at the same time has well arranged plot, watch both it.
Both animes are about a girl who gathers pieces of information from mysteries around them and put them together to solve cases. Both girls are exceptionally smart, have very sharp senses, and were both brought up in complete isolation from the outside world.
Moreover, in both animes the girl meets a boy which she has much info about and indirectly asks that boy to help her with her cases except that in Gosick the relationship between both develops more romantically while in the latter, both the boy and the girl remain on friendly terms throughout the TV series.
A big difference between both is that Gosick takes place centuries ago while the latter is more modern like and is where technology plays significant role.
Solving mysteries, a girl with long hair that likes cute things,
Go sick is based oin 1920s while Kamisama no Memochou is more modern,
Both have a male side-kick/assistant who does everything for the girl,
Girl is mainly short with long hair and really smart.
Detective stories = checked
Romance = checked *maybe a litle from Gosick
Lolita Girl = checked
overall the story is quite same, the main character is a girl and they like to solve a mystery and has the boy main character helping them. but the difference is the place setting, for go sick it's victorian style while kamisama no memochou just use the usual setting place in japan. :)
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Both of these Anime are done in simular styles as each other and they start off being told from the same persepective, the point of view of the male character. There is a mystery element to both and the characters in both series have their own qwirks.
Both centre around the darker aspects of life in urban Tokyo and the mysteries its streets hold. Similarly, both start off seeming fairly straightforward but get increasingly involved and reveal an ever-increasing amount of shocking and intriguing backstory that puts characters and events in a new light each time. Durarara may not have KamiMemo's more organized and concise sequential arc structure, but otherwise the setting, ambiance, and general vibe of each is quite similar.
They have the same urban feel and gangster kids who investigate mysteries.
*This is a three way reccomendation, as this (likely threw coincidence) has taken popular elements out of Durarara and Deathnote, added a few common cliche character types and tried to turn it into something new*
*Kamisama almost meets Durarara!! and Deathnote in the middle; whether or not it is of equal or even half good quailty is still yet to be seen*
Kamisama' and Durarara:
- New highschool boy with a passive and pleasant personality
- Intellect matching physical power in times of need
- A city where crime appears ripe and the out-of-the-ordinary is witnesed
- Unusual females we're bound to learn more about later
- Technology is a way of life and a weapon
- The art is virtually the same, from the characters, to the scenery
- Main male is more-or-less elevated to high status early
- 'Angel fix' drug, whilst Durarara has an angel in it
A high school boy who just moved into the big city is pulled into a group of odd people. Mysteries/conflicts happen throughout each series and these groups of people seek to solve/fix them.
The two have the same feeling and background to it. The setting is the city in both. The male lead are very similar, plain, and are very blunt when they speak their minds. Daisuke Ono voices a character in both that are pretty alike. They're both pretty awesome~
Well both stories are told in a similar narrative style cept for drrr being told from the perspective of many of the characters while kami sama is only told from the point of view of Narumi, and Both shows are really the stories how people are spending their lives added with a good amount of story
Kamisama no Memochu is basically Durarara!! meets Gosick and Veronica Mars. Both series have a modern Neo-Noir feel into it and both have Daisuke Ono as a violent man.
Kamisama no memochou reminds me of durarara!! at the first episode =)
Narumi is just like Mikado, they both moved into a city, meet a lot of people (with their own unique character), and so the story begin(?).
Both of these anime give off the same type of vibe. It's about bad events which are occurring in the city of Tokyo and are brought to attention to the protagonist and companions. They both have a comedic sense to it while still holding the serious genre.
I believe if you enjoyed this, Durarara!! would be a good anime to watch next.
These are similar because there is a variety of different characters who you get to know though out the series. Kamisama no Memochou can also relate to DRRR!! because it is set in a city-like atmosphere where their are gangs and underground drugs. In Kamisama, you also follow an average boy who is just getting used to city life.
Although there are many differences there are a few similarities as well. Both stories involve a normal high school boy who just moved in to the city and gets involved with a strange group of friends. It also has gangs involved in the story and a character who is omniscient(Alice/Izaya). Durarara has some elements that can be classified as mythical/fantasy while Kamisama no memochou is more realistic and deals with more mature issues but they both set a similar mood.
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Opening Theme"Kawaru Mirai (カワルミライ)" by Choucho
Ending Theme#1: "Colorado Bulldog" by Mr. Big (ep 1)
#2: "Asunaro (あすなろ)" by Kenichi Suzumura (eps 2-12)
Fansubbing Groups
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Related ClubsKamisama no Memochou, --||international Hikikomori Kyoukai||--, Kingdom of Insanity, Hikikomori Kyoukai!, Daisuke Ono Fan Club!, Let's Talk Anime, Satoshi Hino Fans, Akira Ishida, Anime Music Video World, English Dub Fanclub, Narumi x Alice Fanclub, Yui Ogura Fan Club, SeitoCast Anime Podcast, Dr Pepperians, ★ Лучший аниме проект в сети - AniMedia.TV ★, AnimeServ Club, Hungarian Fans
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