Kamisama no Memochou

Firstly, I'd like to give thanks to NEO magazine, a UK magazine giving features such as Asian music, recipes and, of course, anime and manga, features and reviews. And so praise is given to NEO for piquing my interest in this series, of which I didn't know even existed until NEO highlighted it. Anyway, formalities over, let's jam:- Story:- I'm just giving a "brief" overview. Narumi Fujishima, an average highschool student (Wow. What originality. What praise. Ohmehgodz), gets a part-time job at a ramen shop. Little does he know, the ramen shop also houses the NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) agency, headed by a 12 year old lolicon detective. Damn you, Japan and your presentation of women! Anyway, Alice, the detective, hires Narumi, along with his only other club member at school, Ayaka Shinozaki (who actually made said club, the Gardening Club), along with Major (a uni drop-out who is fascinated in military), Tetsu (the muscles of the group, probably my second favourite character, Alice being my favourite) and Hiro (a smooth talker and white-suit-wearer, who has a network of girls through the area). There is also Soichiro Hinamura, a gang-leader and associate of Alice, also known as the Fourth. The only last major character (who I will go into a little more detail later on) is Min, the ramen-shop owner. So it's basically a detective story, but through-out the (admittedly short) series, only around 4 cases are given and solved! I don't understand how this is the case. Still, it's enjoyable enough (in a shojun-style of Naruto-filler enjoyment) with a little romance here, a pinch of comedy there and a massive shake of lolicon. Damn you Japan... 6/10. Art:- The art, personally, is the highlight of the show. It is admittedly CGI, but it's still wonderfully presented and, as you would expect, luuuurvley. My only gripe is the lip-syncing. It's blatantly obvious as well, not something you'd actually look for as a reviewer. You can see that the mouths don't open wide enough with some words, and sometimes the mouth just acts like Pacman in some dialogue. A bit of a bummer... 8/10. Sound:- Not much to comment on here, mainly through it being personally forgettable. Not many tunes, but the cicadas sounded, um, nice I guess? The intro was quite nice, being calm and then crescendo-ing into a nice drum line and some piano, similar to Angel Beats actually. 6/10. Character:- Aaahh, the main point of the anime. I've given a brief overview, but there is a little more to say. As stated, Narumi is your usual, blank faced, un-emotional (until THAT THING happens, I can't say, sorry) "shojun" protagonist. Not much to say. And his club member (who has an OBVIOUS crush on him), Ayaka, is basically the female version of Narumi. Major, Hiro and the Fourth are OK. Major can be quite annoying, always calling Narumi "Vice-Admiral Fujishima", but he's useful, being a military otaku. He is the comedian of the group. Hiro is basically a jock. He's a bit of a c*ck. Oh well. Finally, the Fourth is what you'd expect of a mafia/gang leader sort of stereotype. Mean, but genuine. Min is quite the strong woman, very serious but works very hard to work up to her fathers standard of making ramen, who dissapeared a long time ago. Can't say much more without spoiling the story. Finally, my two fave characters, Tetsu and Alice. Tetsu is just a really, really nice guy. I like genuine people like him, and he has a bit of comedy to him. In fact, the only reason he probably doesn't have a partner is because he's not got a job. Poor guy. Alice. Oh my god, she's so cute! And smart. I love Alice, she's basically to guys who like, err, cute things (nice save, not) what L (Death Note) was to the fan girls. Also speaking of L, she litreally is a lolicon L. Honestley, just get up a picture of Alice, then imagine L, and you've got her. Down to a T. Except she prefers ramen to sweets. Whatevs. 7/10. Enjoyment/Overall:- For everything this show is, it's enjoyable. The thing is... It's missed potential. SO much more could have been put into this. Had a few more episodes been made, a few more cases may have been put in. The "shojun" aspect could have been dropped in favour of a more serious show, a la Death Note (though then how super-cute Alice would have fitted in I don't know). That's my real gripe, and why I've awarded the show as such. Oh, and one last thing to end on? I really recommend sub over dub. English-speaking people cannot do cute, lolicon voices. It's impossible. Alices voice sounds just so... Off. The rest of the crew (while infinetly better in the sub) are OK, but not great. Could I recommend this anime? Hmmmm. The ending is really something, but I don't know whether that's worth entry in itself. Read my summary, MAL's summary and other peoples summary of the story, and go from there I think. Personally, I think the show deserves a 7/10. Nice.

God's notepad. NEET Detectives. Yakuza. Ramen Shops. This show has all of them and more. Alice is a 12 year old detective. Not just any detective, a NEET detective, and speaker for the dead. She can solve almost any crime right from her bedroom. One day she sends out her three lackeys that do her legwork to gather information about a missing prostitute. At the scene of the crime they meet Fujishima Narumi, an innocent high school bystander, with no real friends who constantly moves from town to town. Later on, one of his "friends" drags him to a Ramen shop where he again meets these three lackeys. Narumi is shoehorned into carrying a meal of Ramen up to Alice who lives in the apartment complex above the Ramen shop. Somehow or another, Narumi ends up being Alice's personal assistant which means he does everything for her, from laundry to opening he cans of soda because she is physically unable to do so. From there, he solves multiple crimes involving drug rings, Yakuza, money laundering, all under the supervision of Alice. It sounds weird, I know, but this anime really is good. Nothing supernatural or crazy ever happens, its just a different view of life. The mysteries are like those out of detective novels, and Alice's sharp brain, yet childish behavior and superior attitude are adorable. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys detective anime.

Don't be fooled!This is a very unsuspecting anime series. Seems simple enough at first(first few minutes at least),but the drama really starts right in the first episode!It draws you in and before you know it, 2 hours have passed and you're on episode 5 (well at least that's what happened to me). two days later it's all over! Some of you may think i'm over-hyping but allow me my happy rant! The storyline of between the Fourth and Renji was especially amazing to me.The execution was flawless and my shock and suprise,a welcome boost to my hopes of originality in story writing for anime series.I'm so delighted with this series I can't sufficiently express it! The build ups and follow throughs are well worth the stress and anxiety i went through,agonizing over the evidence. I fancy myself to be a novice detective,always trying to pick up clues in character dialogue,relationships and writing in all manner of shows/movies i watch,not only anime.And to be fair my detective skills helped me stay on the same page as the characters in the series but I didn't get them all,there were still substantial suprises for me to enjoy. I felt like i had a dialogue with the characters,in that i felt a level of involvement i don't think i've experienced yet with anime mystery series. It was like i was part of the crew solving the mysteries with them in real-time! The character development of Narumi and Alice are great, especially Narumi. His development is wonderful to watch,he litterally blossoms like a butterfly,no punn intended.His transformation throughout the series is obvious and portrayed beautifully. Alice is also great.At first glance you may be fooled into believing she's the typical doe-eyed,fragile female lead,so commonly found in anime,but alas she is not!Feisty, self assured in her skill, yet burdened with unlimiting empathy for those that suffer in the world,she is strong and refreshing break from the typical. I highly recommend this anime,if you want mystery,with more of a twist than usual. Again I'd say DO NOT underestimate this anime!It delves into serious social issues,that may not affect all of us directly,but we all know exist today.

Just finished watching another series, this time Heaven's Memo Pad. It's another loli-detective story like Gosick or Milky Holmes but this one takes place in modern japan and the little girl, Alice, is a computer expert that runs a detective agency called "It's the NEET thing to do". She hires other NEETS (No Employment, Education or Training) to do her investigations and get things done for her at the behest of others. It's ok at best. I haven't seen the other loli-detective shows so I have nothing to compare it to. The first episode was very good and the last 3 episodes were the best of the series, but it really gets bogged down in the middle. It's a 12 episode series and it spends 4 of those episodes on a really lame story arc. The main character, Narumi, is also very weak. He's the typical "I don't want to go out of my way" stumbling and mumbling, too japanese for his own good main character that is seen in so many other shows. He shines in the end but all the way through he just feels like a spineless wimp and his moments of bravery feel forced and uncharacteristic. The other characters were likeable enough and I wish there was more character focus on the other NEETs. Alice rarely gets moments of character development and we learn nothing of her either, where her parents are, how she came into those awesome computers of hers, where she'd get her knowledge or the drive to become a detective! I get that Narumi is the main character but like I said, I was really upset with that 4 episode arc, especially knowing that it was just 12 episodes long. I feel like it was baiting for a second series, but I doubt it's going to get one. On more positive notes, the opening song and animation was the best I've seen in a long time and I like the ending songs a lot too.

Kamisama No Memo Chou is a very well written series, which exceeded my expectations in plot, art, and its characters. Though I was wowed by my original expectations based on plot summaries on MAL and Countdown.Mandragon, there were still a few draw backs to the series in the aspect of emotional attachment to the characters themselves. The plot seemed pretty straight forward, however like any detective type series it was quite easy to get drawn into the story as you attempt to figure out the mysteries and root for the protagonists as they attempt to undo what they discover. It was well written as the series crescendo nicely as the characters grew, the action increased, and the stakes raised to a dramatic conclusion. The art was good, and well drawn though it lacked orginality and flair. As you watched the series you will see the solid skills of the artists in their characters and their backgrounds, however it is missing that special something that could of made it a masterpiece. It is easy to get lost in the mix of the other animes out there as far as the art aspect goes. The characters have a realistic relationship as their bonds grown stronger and stronger throughout the anime. This applies to all but Alice, as her hikikimori like condition was able to start a NEET detective agency, but as typical I digress. Despite a few knit picky issues I had with this series I have to reitterate that it was surprisingly entertaining as well as a solid series, which I looked forward to weekly. Rating 7/10 POSTED BY @GameJok3r

PLEASE NOTE: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. Kamisama no Memochou is the story of Narumi Fujishima, a member of the school's Gardening club with Ayaka. The twelve episode series covers several mysteries that NEET (an acronym for 'Not in Education, Employment, or Training') detective Alice solves together with her 'lackeys' and her assistant Narumi. The story was so-so, as it didn't actually have a plot. Each episode went in a sort of monster-of-the-week format. However, that didn't take much away from being enjoyable. My favorite thing about this aspect of the series that they connected a lot of ideas from previous episodes in later episodes. But, though this was a clever way to remind fans of things that happened before that they may have forgotten, there were several plotholes. For example, when Alice and Narumi find Meo's mother's cellphone, they never actually mention why the find is crucial to the mystery. That really annoyed me to no end while I was watching. A lot of supporting characters didn't really develop as much I'd wished, but some key characters, on the other hand, did get this opportunity. Narumi, for example, develops into someone who will fight--maybe even kill-- for those he cares for. He starts at the beginning of the series as an apathetic person who is alright with drifting from city to city, but at the same time, he is also angry that he has to move so much because of his dad's job when said father is only seen (maybe) three times a year. As the series goes on, he comes to be content with daily life with Ayaka, Alice, and everyone else at the Hanamaru. The sound was quite appropriate at most times. When the mystery of the episode was getting solved, or (as in the very last case) when things were reaching the high point in the episode, the same song was played. It was a sort of creepy lilting tune that didn't sound like anything I've ever heard before. The OP was so-so and I didn't really like it. However, I fell in love with the EN. It was amazing! It made everything so much more exciting and made me impatient for the next episode. A lovely way to end an episode. The overall sound was also good, and the sound effects didn't really distract me like it does with animes that have really obnoxious sound effects. The sounds sort of blend in with the background and become non-obtrusive. This was great. The art was the best part of the anime. (I think) It was animated by J.C. Staff, and was probably one of their best. The art was inconsistent sometimes, but not in such a way that you would notice it. The city lights were beautiful and the way the buildings were animated was amazing. Alice (like all lolis) was animated with long hair, outfits with a lot of lace in various colors, and a short stature. Everyone else also had great character designs. What I really liked that was no one had abnormal hair colors. The strangest hair color (which really, was not that strange) was probably Ayaka's hair color, which was a vibrant red. I really loved the way Alice was drawn, which probably why I keep mentioning it... As you can see, I enjoyed this anime quite a bit. The characters melded together with a thrilling mystery each episode was a quite euphoric experience. Each mystery was as compelling as the next and had my eyes glued to the computer screen. I really enjoyed this anime. Overall, this was one of my favorite summer animes. It had all my favorites; there was mystery, there was action, and to those who didn't quite notice it, there was a squick of romance. I'd recommend this only to those who have quite a bit of patience for all the things that happen in this anime

I have one question upon finishing this Anime and that is why does this Anime doesn't get much attention it deserves? not only that it was underrated i have also seen some review saying that the only good thing about this Anime is "MOE" which i totally disagree! Story: Kamisama no Memochou is all about Alice "AKA: The NEET detective" and her Assistant the main protagonists of the show Narumi " AKA: The Gardening Club" Together they solve cases, sounds generic and unoriginal right? not really and let me tell you why. First of all Alice was solving every cases without even going to the main scene of the event(she's just waiting on her room and fulfilling the duties of being a NEET detective and some useful things/words that her comrades bring her to solve the case), secondly she's mainly collecting the data she needs for solving the case via data analysis and that's not the only thing what makes her amazing, what's really more amazing is that she's literally an adept cracker and can collect any data she needs that not ordinary citizens can access(this might be protected data's or forgotten data due to her given skill + she's really smart) . Now you may be wondering then what's the purpose of assistant? well the main protagonist has a good observation skill(which i won't discuss any further). Kamisama no Memochou got me really hook up with the phrase Alice said to Narumi which is "There are only two occupation that is meaningful for the lost. First occupation is writer as it revives the story through dreams, the second one is detective which gets the lost information from the grave" Art: A lot of review who gives this show a low score admitted that the only thing good about this show is "MOE" which means that expect a good art and animation from this show. Sound: Both the opening and ed songs are damm attractive however the ed song somehow contradicts the main plot of the Anime. Character: All the characters are lovable and interesting and the character development was awesome!!! Enjoyment: I enjoyed this a lot and it got really me hook up, specially those philosophical dialogues, our main characters saying. Overall: I really recommend this show to anyone specifically for those who loves the genre of Mystery,Psychological(Almost none but the vibe is there), and slice of life. Lastly i just wanna mentioned that this Anime talks about that "All secrets will be revealed on the right time, the main person involve in the case might be no longer here anymore, regardless of that the truth will always be revealed by a person who wants to know the truth.

It had been awhile searching for good anime. I looked back to the old days and found this slightly unpopular/underrated anime. First off, a cool looking girl sitting in the midst of toys and screens, this image was pretty fascinating with the first look. After scrutinizing the synopsis, wow. I was astonished as it is far more indulging than what I had in mind. NEET Detectives? Small army? Stuffed bears? What an uncanny combination!! The initial plots of the story are truly mesmerising, the story starts with a blatant prostitution case ongoing and soon turns viral. After that, the NEETs have butted themselves into many cases like and starts resolving them. What NEETs? Well, it is simply an interesting title of the protagonist gang. To keep the interpretation simple, they are basically a bunch of unemployed kids that do detective works for the society. On the other hand, the following cases are much more engrossing and even built a very creative turning point at the back. For further introductions of the cases, I prefer not to telling you here or is gonna be a huge spoiler. Hence, if you're already interested in it pls go and check it out! It is something worth watching obviously. (Pls keep on reading) What really hits me hard is this anime not merely is about working, it shows us what is life and how detectives are prominent in this turbulence society. Team spirit is also something that gets involved which kept me deeply moved. Sacrifasions and many other unpredictable things are happening as well in this anime. Don't look down it based on its rating, it is actually a groundbreaking masterpiece and definitely an underrated one. One interesting fact, Alice other than being brilliantly capable in detective works, she is a typical tsundere. Really lovely and adorable. In every episode, there will be an ecchi scene of her. That's something addition which glamorizes the anime even more. I even got a sort of feeling looking forward to the scenes while watching every episode. Really love it.

"Great potential marred by a shoddy pieced together story with no real purpose". I wish that wasn't my final thought – but it is. Kamisama no Memochou has an interesting concept and various characters that make for great potential; but alas, this potential is never reached. Various plots are thrown in one after another, but there is never a real purpose behind the story or the characters. The characters are real, each with their own issues, but a true understanding and resolve is never met. The anime is too short to achieve a proper climax and resolution; it tries too much in too little time. Kamisama no Memochou lacks the crimson thread that weaves an anime together. There are plots and subplots. To me, this anime feels like a big subplot with mentions of a plot that never appears or fully matures. "I am a NEET detective, a speaker for the dead." Those are the words of the female protagonist, Alice. But nowhere does the story's action ring true to the statement. If you like defective anime....I mean detective anime, you might want to watch it, but I wouldn't watch it again. So much bloody potential and such a waste of it. The characters really could have achieved so much more. *Sigh*

What i really looked for was a deep complicated anime while watching this, but instead it gave me a quite nice time and left a lot of feelings(you will know of what kind when you have seen it.). There was a wide variation amongst the characters, even though the main character and his "crew" were kinda stereotypical, it was still not as usual. When it comes to sound and art, I have nothing to say. Whilee watching Kamisama no memochou ii thought it could really become somthing more of it. And so it did but i somehow felt that it sorta ended to quickly. I liked it pretty well cause of its mysterious/dark, but also warm and comfortable feeling. Also I have to admit, I shed a tear at the end. I feel a bit retarded but i though that a NEET was like a mutant or something until i checked it up, so i waited the whole anime for some superpower or something. ^_^ this is a short, easy watched but still mysterious, funny, feely and violent now and then, anime.

I absolutely loved this anime. I dont know why i put it off for so long. Basically its a story about a NEET and Recluse named Alice(I dont believe thats her real name). She's a NEET Detective. She has people who do the outside work for her, and she will occasionally come outside to do stuff only she can do. Its a great anime. The beginning was a little confusing, but after a little bit its clearly obvious that its going to get better. Its like a mystery story. Its always got you on the edge of your seat wondering whats going to happen next. The moment you first see Alice, you want to walk up and hug her. She's so adorable, yet scary sometimes. I want her computers. I want her life. The Main Character is great too. He sees the world as as a depressing place. But the first day at his new High School, he meets a girl who invites him to the Garden Club. Then she invites him to her work where Alice and everyone elce is. I cant explain too much more of it, because it will give it all away. Its a great anime, and i Highly Recommend it.

Kamisama no Memo-chou or in simpler words, Heaven's Memo pad is basically about the NEET Detective agency led by Alice and revolves around the protagonist/narrator Narumi Fujushima, who is a high school boy. The investigation of the cases taken by Alice involve the other NEET Detective agency members and the leader of the Hirasaka gang along with the protagonist. As the series proceeds, more characters are introduced in the plot. The series starts with Narumi being dragged into the Gardening club of his school by a classmate(Ayaka) and eventually into the NEET Detective agency as Alice's assistant. Since the anime had something to do with a 'detective' agency, there was bound to be mystery involved in it. In the first few episodes, the viewers aren't provided with much information about the case, hence one cannot try to 'be the detective' in these episodes. However, with the plot involving a former member of the Hirasaka gang, the viewer is provided with enough information and I did spend a day trying to figure out what exactly must have happened(It turned out to be right after all :D). As the series enters into the last few episodes, it becomes a little boring and depressing. At least, I did not like the way it ended. Regarding the characters, the protagonist seems to be the biggest 'weakling' among all and the person h matches closest to would be Ikari Shinji(from Shin Seiki Evangelion). However, later on, he does get a sense of leadership thanks to a small sacrifice. As for Alice, she is a (super)hacker who is obsessed with Teddy bears and hates to go out. But one thing that I never understood was, how old is she anyway? That remains a mystery I guess. The members of the NEET detective agency only seem to be useful for getting more information for Alice from what is not available in the database and rescuing Narumi when he gets into hot waters. The leader of the Hirasaka gang, the Fourth and the former gang member Hirasaka Renji were probably the best characters in the series from my point of view because they were the ones who were independent for the greater part of the anime. Overall, this anime got interesting after a few episodes but the excitement failed to keep rising and it got boring towards the end. That said, it was awesome for the greater part and did keep me excited about what would happen next. Once again, not as good as the other mystery genre animes I have seen, but definitely good enough to watch at least once.

Heaven's Memo Pad feels like false advertising. It bills itself prominently as a NEET-themed piece, but utterly fails to deliver in this regard. This is not only because most characters aren't NEETs, but also because the cultural references and character traits one would expect of NEETS are generally absent here. If anything, it's a lighthearted yakuza crime comedy/drama with a NEET detective girl prominently featured. The yakuza thing was fine when I thought it was going to be a one-time gag, but the fact it took hold of the whole entire show for the purposes of serving some contrived, rushed, and melodramatic plot hook about the backstories of some of these yakuza side characters completely ruined the piece for me. It was bad enough that the closest thing we got to a real NEET in the main cast (other than the main detective) was a military otaku of all things, with the others being a gigolo and gambling addict respectively. When the show wants desperately for NEETdom to be a primary aspect of its identity, I expect some actual NEET (and by extension otaku) culture, not a random hodgepodge of guys who aren't even NEETs. Even this is a moot point because they're basically ignored for the bizarre yakuza non sequitur that expands to dominate the entire plot. In short, I feel cheated, because not only is this not the story I was promised, but it's not even a particularly good replacement. The art is good, meeting the basic standards of quality for the time, with competent character design and a firm grasp on the use of color and lighting. The sound is probably this anime's strongest aspect, with solid voice work and a soundtrack that is varied, experimental, and playful. The characters are broadly quite bad, with the only one of any interest being Yuuko Shionji, the elite hacker detective girl nicknamed Alice. She has the best lines, and is the only actual NEET in this anime that is supposed to be about NEETs. Overall, this anime is thoroughly mid, but what would have been a simply unremarkable work is soured further by the fact it tried to advertise itself as something completely different, leading me to waste time on it in the first place. There are better detective anime, better loli MCs, and even better loli detective anime, which is already in and of itself a pretty niche genre, which goes to show just how unimpressive Heaven's Memo Pad is.

Heaven's Memo Pad is as a 10/10 Anime as much as other popular shows like Stein's Gate,Gosick, and Angel Beats. It's almost criminal how low a score this has on Mal. Maybe it has a 7 score because so many don't watch passed the first prologue episode? Or maybe people just saw a bad dub version? All I can say is, wow, way to miss out. This anime has an amazing lovable cast, an engaging mystery series, and writing that is so good it spills into the storyboard and pacing. I won't spoil too much, but I will say a lot of anime does a water-down version of outside concepts, like religion, but HMP does a pretty good job and not taking religious text too much out of context and rather uses it as a compliment to have open dialogues about ideas and self reflection. This is how you do proper writing, by providing a theme(heavens memo pad) and being consistent to it. HMP has writing that is at times poetic, with characters that have real reflections, and scenes that reveal true sentiment. I could write a whole blog about each reference, but in short, HMP is just a good and well made Anime whether in single episodes or as a whole. Each episode either way has direct relation with one another because of how they grow the main character Narumi, or continue the consistency of the secondary characters and their best traits. This is an anime that for once you don't care about trivial things like "who is Alice" and more about "how will this affect Alice as a person and the group." You can tell who actually payed attention to this anime based on reviews of finding it boring or ambigious. This anime always revealed something and if you end up skipping episodes then you miss out on new info and character progressions. Some also bring up that this anime missed out on "depth." I disagree, people wrongly focus on trivial things like "how did Alice get a computer set" rather than focusing on how Alice performed in the anime. This show is so good people stretch to find a flaw like really wanting to know Alice's whole childhood trauma or something.All of which are an excuse for some not to give credit to the actual anime as a whole and what it achieves right now. This is not an anime that has a missing cliffhanger ending, or an anime that relies on just visuals, fan service, or comedy. This is an anime that has well written base, consistency, and characters. Honestly its rare to find because most anime prioritize visuals and such more than having great writing. This anime released back in 2011, when production valued for good writing and enjoyment over just enjoyment and archetypes. Every episode centers back to the cast, which is what makes this anime premise significant. Just compare this anime to Bakemonogatari. Both have "series-like" in episodes, but HMP has an actual story and place not just separate mystery episodes. This has character growth, philosophical showing not telling, and characters that have bonding chemistry. Heck, even the baseball episode is meaningful. 10/10, give it a chance. Enjoy the story, it's one of those rarities and hidden gems in anime.

Theres a joke at the start of the show towards the MC where one says ” youre still here?” And then makes a comment how bland face and precense he has that they forgot him. This works very well towards this show aswell. Its not bad. Just very forgettable. Which is why i cant refer to him as anything else than MC because ive forgotten his name despite finishing the show just earlier today. This is your standard NEET gang and story. Its mentioned as mystery or detective stuff but its so barebones its not even worth to be put in that genre imo. Its more just standard Otaku/NEET slice of life/”humor” Theres tons of these shows and most does it better. Music is nothing special. Characters arent memorable or likeable. Just watch, and then forget. Giving it a 6/10

Originally discovered this anime thanks to Kyosuke_Kosaka's recommendation for 'similar anime to Sakurako,' which ya'll know I love. This series DID NOT DISAPPOINT. TLDR: The cast of Kamisama is well rounded, characters with more depth than Sakurako's, and the ending leaves you feeling quite satisfied - no loose ends or plot holes. Now onto the nitty gritty for anyone who might be entertained by my fan girling: OMG the character depth! In the beginning, we're introduced to various support characters and a large cast, but we gradually get more tidbits of their own lives and personalities with every episode. There's so much humor in their dialogue that I'm really not sure how this is missing the comedy tag. I think the creators deliberately paced everything slowly so that the audience wouldn't be overwhelmed with the details - especially while solving detective cases. I wasn't sure if I was going to like Narumi going in, because it's a (sadly) common trope to have a male lead a) "ordinary guy," with no special skills b) fetishization or excessive romanticization of the females around him c) no personality, no growth or character development d) all the above = see 'harem' animes Given the rise in popularity of such unattractive characters nowadays, I honestly thought Narumi was gonna be one of those 4, and if so, I'd probably drop the series. But I was blown away. I was wrong. I was IMPRESSED. Narumi seems pretty clueless and not exactly the most opininated person at the start. And his growth could be categorized as more reactive than proactive. But don't doubt it - it increases after each case, and soon enough. He learns to use his voice, his brain, and most importantly, his physical strength. As a woman, I gotta admit, I feel like Narumi became a real man over the course of the series, and there's nothing more attractive than that. His character arc reminded me of Zuko from ATLA, that's how good the transformation was - albeit ATLA's being much longer and more significant. I'd even say that I liked Narumi as much as I liked Alice. Possibly even more than Alice, which typically doesn't happen when I watch shows with strong female protagonists. Narumi just felt like a 'real person' with human habits and emotions, and we see detective cases differently, precisely because of how human - and empathetic - he is towards others. His presence becomes the 'why' behind 'why are we doing this?', 'why do we care?', 'Why should we care?'. Because HE begins to care and show that he gives a damn about the people they're trying to help. The other thing I really like about Narumi is that even though there's light fan service moments, he doesn't notice, or take advantage of them. Compared to most anime out there, it's refreshing and practically record-breaking. It's just really positive and respectful towards female watchers imo, as if... the studio has (gasp) women working in it too! This is the primary reason why I think this anime is much better than Sakurako. It actually stays focused on the storyline. There's no excessive romance distracting the audience from the real plot. And the female characters who are presented, are far from one dimensional. The pacing could've been a little faster, but after completing the series, I can see why they wanted to spend time on just a few cases. For them, it seemed more about quality than quantity. And giving more time to each case meant the studio, and writers, likely had greater flexibility in making each plot richer - it's fantastically done. It's because it's so well done, that I know I could've kept watching this series for a long time. I would've been happy if there were 2 - 5 seasons, so it's a little disappointing we only got 12 episodes. But, despite that, the last episode is definitely what made me give them a 10. Unexpected case details, depth, and satisfying communication between all the characters to wrap it all up. It left me feeling very fulfilled. I'm really glad and grateful to have watched such a powerful and meaningful series, and highly recommend it to others too!

While I might b biased in this one, I still would like to state my reasons on why I like this show, basically what caught my eye on this was the fact that it's so plain that it makes me curious, I mean a new guy in a new city trying to adapt to his new world meeting an extraordinary girl and friends, but before I knew it I found that the plot (at least for me) was unique in it's own way. Story Like I said It's cliche, but one thing I found out here is the concept of soul searching, as Narumi tries to adapt he slowly tries to fit himself and get along with others, something that I would appreciate and would find realistic, also I find the neet detective stuff unique. yes it's not real or cool, but the fact is they are just a bunch of ordinary guys (except for Alice) who can do extraordinary things. Each arc we're unique in it's own ways, they don't overreact too much like so many "badass" or cool fanservice, just dudes doing their job and that's it, and they pulled it off. Characters Like I said they are unique in their own way, this would probably what Bandura would say as Collective efficacy, the characters aren't really just that similar to each other but they get along and manage to solve difficult cases, on the other hand though Alice was kinda meh, I guess because I find her character too cliche, I mean (Loliness, check, Brains, Check, Fanservice Check, Romantic feelings, Check). Narumi is a type of character what I consider as underdog, he starts off as nothing but slowly evolves and ends up getting along well, able to adapt and make decisions etc.. what I learned though is that these characters taught us that even ordinary man can do extraordinary things and you don't need to be so good at those things to start with. another thing I wanna pinpoint i the lack of development with Hiro Tetsu and Major true they main character's but i feel like we need to know them more. Same with Ayaka, she's not annoying but I think her role on the story is just to Introduce Narumi to Alice, i would love to see them together though Art and Sound. the art is pretty generic for me, but then again that what caught my attention (probably because a lot of anime's have too much fan service), I like Narumi and the Fourth's design, they seem simple but just once glance it's like you're feeling that they have potential. The Sound is great, for me, I didn't skip the opening and ending and some OST's we're great but some are meh. Overall I did enjoy it there are major questions but what I can tell is that even the most plainest anime can be so interesting

Fantastic show, got me hooked from episode 1 , marathoned it straight away and I have no regrets, aside from the void now left in it's space. The story starts rather innocuously, seemingly like yet another one of those shows that populate the anime landscape. It all changes when Alice is introduced, and a new dimension transforms the anime drastically. The show did have its issues though,some introductions were done rather awkwardly but that aside, the show really does shine in setting up the challenges and gracefully leading the viewer through a series of carefully crafted experiences to help the viewer put the pieces together, whilst leaving enough for the grand reveal and twists. It is certainly a memorable anime and I highly recommend it , especially if you like investigative shows, besides the cast is a diverse and well defined, their actions seem logical and true to their character at all times which helps to build a very believable world to buy into. I can only hope for an extension, perhaps a second season, but in the absence of that i shall head off to read any peripheral content related to this anime to fill the void that the impact has created within me

This is one of those series that has a great start, falls down in the middle and then recovers for a pretty good ending. Unfortunately, the slow middle leaves me a bit sour about this series, which should have gotten an 8 or 9 overall. So lets start with the story. There's no major plotline running through this series, which isn't unusual in a detective anime, but it makes me feel like its lacking something. With nothing to expect, its easy to lose pace, and drop this series. However, the individual stories are your standard detective stories, and the final arc is one of the better elements to this anime. In terms of the animation and the voicework, I'm not one that usually notices anything. However, the artwork was pleasing on the eyes, and none of the voices stood out as annoying or out of place, so I'm happy with this part. However, nothing stood out as amazing at the same time. The characters were nice, and relatively well developed, though there are a few I would have liked to know a bit more about. Considering the length of this series, I can't really complain. In terms of enjoyment, its a series I found I enjoyed in parts, but overall not so much. It falls into a rut, and though it does recover, it left me wondering what it could have been. Overall, I gave it a 7. It's a nice effort, but its not quite good enough for a higher rating. Still one of the better anime this year though.

I might be a little harsh in my review, but this is how I feel. I originally dropped this anime because I was done with it, but I decided to give it another chance. Unfortunately, I was let down again. On the positive side, the setting is interesting for a short series and doesn't overstay its welcome. The artwork is decent, and these two aspects initially drew me in. They did a good job in these areas. However, the negatives outweigh the positives. The characters and the story are boring and stale. Even a bad story can be enjoyable if it’s laughable or weird, but this anime is the opposite. There is too much vagueness, and the main character, Narumi, lacks motivation. He just can't stand up for himself. In episode 1, he could have stepped away from those guys (although we wouldn't have a story then if he did that) or at least refused the obvious. And for the second main character, Alice, who is she anyway? She claims to be a genius, but her actions don't match her words. Her intelligence doesn't live up to her arrogance and demands, as she couldn't figure out some obvious facts and had Narumi, an average guy, solve them for her. And she's supposed to be a genius detective, right? It has a great idea and aesthetics but poorly executes its potentially interesting story. So, I definitely do not recommend it. Overall, it's a solid 4 out of 10.