I've been thinking about making a page for my personal favorites, and Kamisama no Memochou (Heaven's Memo Pad) is definitely going in there. First of all, I apologize for not posting yesterday (I was kind of in an area without internet) and to make up for that I'm posting a review of one of my favorites <3
Synopsis: Narumi 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)
So what makes Kamisama no Memochou a personal favorite?
- Modern Mystery: Detectives, Speakers of the Dead
There are very few animes that pull off a successful 'detective' storyline, (notable ones Detective Conan, Gosick) and Kamisama no Memochou is one such. What I love about it is how it's set in the modern world, and the cases are pretty straightforward and not the slightest bit hesitant to play with the concept of death. Just some of the cases include drug trafficking, prostitution, and the Yakuza; the anime addresses problems we actually have in our modern society.
- Alice, NEET Moe Detective
There's been huge criticism of the 'moe' concept lately, and how it's taking advantage of people to like certain anime. But in Kamisama no Memochou, the moe character is simply a touch to balance the reality inside the cases they tackle; in other words, Alice herself (being a kawaii moe detective) is the only 'fan service' available for fans, otherwise the anime is very serious about the Modern Mystery genre.
- Light Novel-ish Perspective
Since the anime IS a light novel adaptation, the staple 'first person pov' the main character has is applied to the anime as well, giving it a Light Novel-ish perspective (example: Kyon, Hachiman). I like how Narumi is involved very closely with all the cases, and how his character (an average high school student) develops every time a case is solved.
Overall, Kamisama no Memochou was as an astounding watch, and has quickly established a spot in my personal favorites. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy the mystery genre and can handle some dark side of humanity --- and I guarantee you'll enjoy it as well.
