Yup, now that this arc has officially finished, I can say that it’s the best arc of Kami-Sama no Memo-Chou so far. The two extra episodes really did it, and allowed this series to really create a surprisingly interesting story with some very creative twists. Oh, and Narumi… he actually popped up as a very good leader; that’s not something that many of his counterparts can boast here.
So I have been rather busy lately, so I don’t have as much time as I’d like to really speculate what’s going on. Because of that the truth behind the mystery really came out of left field for me, and that made it all the more satisfying. I love how nearly all makes sense with the build-up that these past four episodes have put into it.
the only thing that I’m a bit iffy about is the Fourth’s reasons for keeping silent. I mean, I understand them, but Renji was willing to destroy everything he built up, which basically involved him putting the lives of everyone loyal to him on the line. Was that really worth it for a simple pride issue? The only thing I can think of is that he didn’t expect Renji to go as far as he did.
I really wonder: can the final four episodes top this? It al depends on what kind of material they’re gonna adapt. The thing is: I do not think that this will get a second season. The thing with JC Staff is that they in general are very loyal with their series… and yet Aoi Hana did not get a sequel (this has been confirmed: disappointing sales were the reasons). Based on recent years this was about the only series of theirs that really left with an open end and that did not get a sequel along the way… but then Uragiri and Yumekui Merry came around, both with disappointing sales. In the same way, I really can’t see Kami-Sama no Memo-Chou’s sales to turn out good. It does have the typical JC staff tropes, but it executes them in a completely different way from usual, to the point where there’s hardly any cliched moe left at this point. Even Alice’s antics are nothing like her counterparts (we can thank her excellent voice acting for that; I shiver at the thought of them putting Rie Kugimiya on the job again…). The problem is that this is just all speculation, of course. It’s gonna take years before we fully know whether this is true.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
*BIG SHOCKING PLOT SPOILERS – WAIT FOR A GOOD TRANSLATION IF YOU HAVEN’T GOTTEN ONE YET*
Was that really worth it for a simple pride issue?
Was it a simple pride issue? Renji loved Hison but she had apparently fallen in love with someone else and even bore his child. The Fourth would rather Renji thought she had died rather than put him through that heartbreak – I imagine the Fourth might have taken it pretty hard too, since it’s implied they were both interested in Hison. The shock might have been what caused him to get stabbed and fail to protect Hison. He might have found out about Hison’s true state of affairs during the attack. I actually sort of agree with the Fourth’s stand here. I’m not sure how that idiot hothead Renji might have reacted to the news, at least right away. I kind of feel sorry for both Renji and the Fourth over Hison.
Bigger shock to me is that Hison is voiced by such a prominent male seiyuu. I’m pretty sure that’s Ken Takeuchi. He has played some androgynous roles before but I totally don’t buy Ken playing a former girl. A female seiyuu doing a boyish voice would have worked alot better for me, unless his character actually had work done on her vocal cords. I’m not quite sure why she’d have to switch genders, in spite of her injuries. The only person she would have to be hiding from would be Renji himself I think.
Sorry. Not Ken. I meant Akira Ishida. Sorry they sound similar so maybe it’s either. I can’t read the japanese credits so I’m not sure.
This is one of those shows that I feel like I could watch indefinitely, were it to continue for several seasons. The cast, the dialogue, and the plotlines are all so enjoyable. too bad that’s not likely to happen though.
Yeah, interesting plotlines so far, especially the first one. Would be interesting to see something like a kaleidoscope of issues facing youth in urban Tokyo. I have mixed feelings about how prominent Yakuza are in the story though, to the point where the main character, a high school student, all but joins one in a pretty realistic setting.
I too find that somewhat unbelievable but at the same time it’s kind of cool to see a different portrayal of the yakuza. We often see them as big, scary corporations but seeing a tight-knit brotherhood of hoodlums is sort of fresh, if a little cheesy.