Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro

Yako Katsuragi is an acclaimed high school detective, who, despite her young age, has solved many cases. In fact, there seems to be no case that she cannot solve, or any culprit that escapes justice. But within the walls of her detective agency lies the secret to her prolific crime-solving skills: the cases are actually solved by her assistant, Neuro Nougami.

However, to call Neuro an ordinary man would be incorrect. In reality, he is a demon, who came to the human world in search of the ultimate mystery, having already solved every mystery in the demon world. With Yako as his proxy, he feasts on the negative energy released by humans when they commit crimes. Thus, he promises to help Yako solve the mystery of her father's death. But to do so, he must avoid drawing too much attention to himself, which is why Yako plays the role of the detective. As Yako desperately searches for the truth of her father's death, the unlikely duo continues to solve case after case in order to satisfy Neuro's ravenous appetite.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Nougami, Neuro Main

Koyasu, Takehito Japanese

Katsuragi, Yako Main

Ueda, Kana Japanese

Sai Supporting

Park, Romi Japanese

Sasazuka, Eishi Supporting

Yusa, Kouji Japanese

Godai, Shinobu Supporting

Yoshino, Hiroyuki Japanese

Higuchi, Yuuya Supporting

Sasaki, Nozomu Japanese

Akane Supporting

Ishigaki, Jun Supporting

Toriumi, Kousuke Japanese

Harukawa, Eisuke Supporting

Tsukayama, Masane Japanese

Asanaga, Hiroto Supporting

Katsu, Anri Japanese

Tamura, Manabu Producer

Nakatani, Toshio Producer

Mita, Keiji Producer

Koujina, Hiroshi Director

Reviews

Jan 9, 2009

nubson

Recommended

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro... perhaps one of the weirder animes I've seen. However, this anime hit my taste buds right on! Honestly, I'm a big fan of detective fictions, main characters that are seen as intelligent, and overall weird motifs and this anime is PERFECT for you if you agree with any of the above.

Story:
Overall, the story is enjoyable, and not one second was disappointing. The plot was nothing too intense, so those of you looking for drama might think this is faulty. The plot definitely pretty mild compared to other animes such as Death Note, or Code Geass, but the main idea for ... each episode really, was to show us one mystery per episode and let us wait for that kick-ass catch phrase "The culprit is... YOU!" Anyways, i find it very hard to be disappointed after each episode because each episode was vacuum packed with great comedy, and mystery. One flaw I would have to critique on is Neuro's deduction and concluding was extremely unnatural... Personally I try to solve these mysteries too as i watch along, and you could probably pick out the culprit pretty accurately, but to determine the tricks behind the murders is quite the challenge because the show tends to pass over evidence a bit too fast due to its time limit of 20min per episode.

Art:
I'm usually not too critical when it comes to the art of some anime, but for sure this one stood out. You really don't appreciate the details of how well this anime was drawn until you go on and move to another anime to watch.. Many of the characters are drawn with a high degree of detail from eyes, hair, and to clothes. Specifically using Neuro as an example, you can see the streaks in his hair, the patterns in his eyes, tiny details like those triangle stuff that are attatched to the ends of his hair :S, and a unique blue suit that pretty much stands out from the typical crowd throughout the show. Another thing that caught my attention was Sasazuka, or Godai's eyes, because they were heavily outlined. It pretty much is used for characters to emphasize the "toughness" in their personality.

Sound:
I don't remember any great insert songs in the series really... But notably the opening theme was what caught my attention. They used the song Dirty - Nightmare to open up their series, and the lyrics match quite well to the story. Not to mention it sounds pretty dark, which undoubtedly matches that dark, demonic atmosphere. Unfortunately, the ending song was not something worth remembering. They used the ending song as an insert for one of the episodes that had to do with one of the characters singing it. Not my taste in music X_X kind of a bad singer too.

Character:
Most UNIQUE characters made in combination to create the comedic, yet mysterious mood throughout the story. Neuro is quite the sadist at times, though you would see this from a very comical perspective rather than a cruel one. Though, from time to time you do see him look pretty creepy with his claws and fangs, or his gigantic bird head >.>... Actually, his comical face creeped me out in the first episode too... But you would notice the irony of it all as you progress through. Yako on the other hand, was kind of boring =/. Well she was average on most parts, but her interesting points were that she was a total pig when it came to food X), and i guess her its also her ability to understand humans and psychology so well. These 2 characters create a great team together, as one person goes and catches the baddies, while one lures them renderless purging full of guilt. I can really go on talking forever about the characters in this anime, but these 2 guys were the key magics.

Enjoyment:
Definitely enjoyable throughout every episode. Whether it be the really funny episodes, or the really serious episodes. Once again, there was the occasional flaw in logic and deduction you might catch on to if you tried to pay attention and solve the mystery yourself, but most of the time the mysteries were pretty creative and many times made you say "wow! what a crazy method!" For the times where the mysteries kinda sucked, the comedy part suffices.

Overall:
Overall was worth watching from start to finish. Many of you may question the weirdness while watching first episode, but thats actually the best part about this whole series. The weirdness eventually catches on to you, and when you finish the series it really does make you leave a part of yourself in the anime. The ending suggests possibilities for a sequel, since Neuro has yet to eaten the "ultimate mystery," and i absolutely cannot wait for season 2 :D

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Nov 25, 2015

NSpectre7

Mixed Feelings

Overall Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro was enjoyable, however it wasn't what I was expecting.The tags being Comedy, Demons, and mystery along with the synopsis saying things like "As a demon, he must not make his presence noticed by the humans as it is the law in the human world" and " a demon who feeds on mysteries and puzzles, who comes to the human world to feast on the mysteries offered by humans who release negative energy from their planned crimes", we can expect a detective show with some demon shenanigans. That premise sounded interesting to me so I went in ... with some interest.

The show starts off with my expectations being filled. There is a demon, there is some comedy and there is some mysteries to solve. However the quality of all this is very mediocre. First the detective act feels like its for the younger crowd. They serve the mystery up for you within the first few minutes. Even a 5 year old would be able to tell you who the murderer is. You then spend the rest of the show watching as Neuro looks cool and finds proof to wrap up the case and then listen to some lame morale speech from Yako before finding out it indeed was the person they told you it would be. This continues through the entire series only being interrupted by a real mystery in the form of a serial killer named Sai. I had hoped Sai would bring around a change in pace to the show but it did not and honestly felt like wasted potential. That being said it wasn't terrible but if your looking for something like Death Note or Code Geass you will be very disappointed.

The demon who cant show himself to humans sounded like an interesting premise, however it seems like they eventually stop caring about that angle. I guess they rely on a few scenes to show that what the viewer sees nobody else in the room can see. The comedy was also limited. It mostly revolved around Neuro picking on Yako and Godai and making a strange face of some kind. I laughed a few times but mostly it only got a smile or two out of me. This all of course wouldn't really matter if the show did something well but it seems to stretch itself too far and comes up short everywhere. The characters could have turned this around as they constantly interact with one another and also all seem to have their own backstory which would lead to some interesting interpersonal issues and conversation. However they do not go into much detail with the characters either. Yako who is the main character has probably the most depth out of everyone and all the viewer knows about her is that she is in school, her father was murdered and that she eats a lot. This isn't a terrible thing though, shallow characters have their own charm and allow this show not to be too serious and feel more like a slice of life story.

Overall the show is just average in every aspect. The art is dated, not bad, but dated. The music was alright but nothing I need to listen to again. You wont be solving mysteries or even laughing though hopefully you will be able to smile and enjoy the guessing game. The characters have their own charms but lack depth which just makes the show feel more relaxed but they interrupt this several times with more serious issues. There is much that could have been done to turn this show from just an ok experience to a great one and that truly makes me sad, but I did enjoy the show and am glad to have finished it, wish it wasn't 25 episodes though. Watch this if you have some time and don't mind it being aimed at the younger crowd.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jun 9, 2016

ThatEmoGuy-_-Xen

Not Recommended

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro is equal to or even better than Case Closed. I was really thrilled when I read this, since I consider CC to be one of the best (if it isn't THE best) mystery anime out there. It's better than CC, they said. You'll love it, they said. Sadly this joke of a mystery anime failed to meet my expectations. Instead, it stumbled to it, all in its drunken glory, expecting me to accept and love this series.
If you're a fan of mystery and you're planning to watch this, then don't. As a mystery lover myself, the biggest mistake the anime ... made is that the clues and hints aren't always revealed to the audience before it is solved. Every time the method of killing and motive are revealed, there are always elements that weren't shown, making me feel like the author always pulled these murder stories from his behind.
The following is a more in-depth review.
*contains minor spoilers*

Story: 2 As a "mystery" anime, MTNN is episodic, with three or four arcs that span two or more episodes. The episodic stories were absolutely terrible; like I mentioned above, sufficient clues aren't shown to the audience, making it impossible for them to immerse themselves into solving the mysteries. Also, only one or two possible suspects are shown each episode, and two minutes (or less) after they are introduced, the culprit is so glaringly obvious, I'm wondering why the author even bothered putting up a pretense of investigation. If they'd shown more possible suspects, perhaps the anime would've improved. Furthermore, for adult people who were capable of comiting crimes that allow them to escape suspicion, they were irritatingly childish. Most of the culprits have Chuunibyou; their motives were selfish, irrational, and utterly stupid. Everytime, they are revealed for their crimes, their physical apperance hange to reflect their personalities. The ridiculous design of these changes only serve to reinforce that the character has Chuunibyou, and to make me cringe big time. The only exception to this is HAL, and even then his assigned motive is unoriginal. Another thing the author seems to enjoy using is the "777 Tools of the Demon World." Since the possibilities are pretty large, he can make one tool up on the spot to move the story along. What's even more pathetic is that most of the time, there isn't even any reason at all why a tool should be used, but in the end, it is used. Despite all these faults, the mystery behind the father's death, which was teased throughout the series, was one of the things that made me hope that this anime would eventually improve. Two words: It. Didn't.
*Another thing that really got on my nerves was the animation when they're about to reveal the culprit. It would've been amazing as something to increase the tension if there are lots of suspects and you don't know who the murderer is. In this anime, it just felt like a mockery of the mystery genre.*

Art: 5 The animation was pretty bland; it was neither great nor was it bad. At first, I was amused by Neuro's derpface, which was one of the reason's I held any hope at all. It got old three episodes in. Action scenes were pretty decent though, as expected of Madhouse.

Sound: 2 The OP and ED were surprisingly bland and average for an anime which Madhouse created. Even its OST was bland at best. At worst, the soundtrack feels like it came from a 90's cop drama, and I felt that it did not suit MTNN at all.

Characters: 2 It wouldn't be a stretch to call all the characters in MTNN (except Neuro, surprisingly, and Sasazuki) cliched and oblivious. We have our cliched MC, the pure girl who wants to see good in others and likes to interrupt at crucial points of the story. We have our cliched, tough guy sidekick, who's actually really kind. And lastly we have our cliched assistant, who's airheaded, is an idiot, and despite all odds has a job as an inspector/police officer. Sasazuki, despite being an inspector, did not express any suspicions that Neuro was the true detective, since he explains all the methods of killing, even if Nougami and the MC had no chances to discuss. Sasazuki didn't even suspect him one bit when it was revealed (for an instant, which was then forgotten) that all the suspects said that Neuro was a demon. That's all you really need to know about these guys. They're very one dimensional, and they don't get any character development. Even the MC remained static throughout the show.

Enjoyment: 1 From the beginning to the end of an episode, all I want to do is sleep. During the end, all I want to do is cringe while slowly gouging out my eyes to clean them.

Overall: I hate this anime.
Edit: Paragraph enclosed with asterisks were added after submitting review. Corrected "NTNN" to "MTNN"

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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