The Words of the Dead and the Laments of the Living (Kamisama no Memochou anime review)

Just to tempt LessThanFree ;D

Normally, one would write a review for any form of media shortly after completing it right? So that the plot, characters and “feel” of the story is still fresh in your head? Well, this post sure ain’t a case for that. I completed Kamisama no Memochou months ago and I was only recently reminded of it when I re-watched it’s last episode with Sleepy Slacker when I crashed at his place for the night.

Alice ^.^

My memory for such stuff is actually really good. I can remember the plot and the general “feel” of most movies long after I watched them. But of course, most details would slip my mind. However, Kamisama No Memochou is an exception in this case. I can still vividly remember every detail of the plot and characters. It really was a memorable show that left a lasting impression on me.

Kawaii~

From the first episode, one can tell Kamisama No Memochou sure as hell ain’t going to be a light and fluffy show about detectives and NEETs. But then again, one can only watch so many light and fluffy shows before one gets sick of them. So a little change of pace was what triggered me to watch this show. I did have my doubts about the show from the first episode but as I watched on, they did not matter any more.

Ayaka and Narumi

Kamisama No Memochou’s art style is one that I feel is very adaptable and yet pleasing to the eye. It’s similar to Puella Magi Madoka Magica’s art style as they can be very bright and vibrant, giving of a feel of being carefree and happy but then suddenly the whole scene can literally darken and bring about darker moods. However, while the character designs in PMMM were not to my liking (I didn’t like the disproportional heads), Kamisama No Memochou’s character design did please me. In my opinion, I really did like the design for Meo.

Our first encounter with Meo

The plot of Kamisama No Memochou is pretty amazing considering it’s rather short length. They managed to fit 3 arcs into 12 episodes and none of them were poorly done. The detective aspect of the show was original and absorbing as I’ve never watched a detective show where the detective is a Hikkomori NEET. In general, the story revolves around Narumi and his involvement with the NEET Detective agency when he runs into them after moving into the city. He’s an introvert as he never has time to make friends due to his frequent moves but still hits off well with the NEETs. The leader or the “detective” of the lot is Alice, a young genius who always stays in her room unless she’s going out to wrap up a case. Usually clad in her trademark teddy bears pajamas, her room is the hub of the group’s activities.

The crew in Alice's room

Kamisama No Memochou on a first glance would seem like a detective thriller with a cute protagonist but as one watches one, the darker themes the show has come to the fore. The anime speaks of a loss of a loved one, the inability to let go, the loss of one’s own identity, betrayal, mistrusts and the bonds between friends. It’s a very thought-provoking show and   in all honesty, it brought me closer to tears than Clannad did. I’m not joking. In 12 episodes, they managed to make me fall in love with it’s characters and it’s theme (which is amazing once again considering it’s short length). This show really struck a chord in me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

X3

As with all shows and being me, I always will come up with a gripe for the show. In this case, I thought Kamisama No Memochou was too damn short. At only 12 episodes long, it didn’t leave a good taste of “wanting more” as most anime do as it couldn’t give a lot in the first place. I really do think this show deserves a second season and that it’s really overlooked by many (I think most preferred Gosick). I heard Gosick was a very good detective anime as well but I’ve yet to watch it. At the end of the day, this anime was a very touching one with it’s times of dark themes and yet incredibly uplifting moments. In my personal opinion, I found the ending for Kamisama No Memochou to be the best of any anime I’ve watched thus far.

Oh man, if your girlfriend had the same character as Ayaka, you deserve to be shot if you ever let her go

*Tears of Manliness*

P.S – The OP sequence was probably one of the best I’ve seen. Guilty Crown’s first opening and Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing’s opening are only second to it.

P.S.S – I nearly cried taking the screenshots. Oh, so close

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