violence: significant and bloody
language: moderate
nudity: minor (some characters in undergarments or covered by sheets)
sexuality: significant (but only implied, never actually depicted)
Due to his father's work, Narumi Fujishima has moved around a lot since he was a kid, and over time he slowly gave up on trying to connect with other people. At his new school, he joins the computer club because there are no other members and he doesn't have to deal with people. One day as Narumi is napping on the roof, he is interrupted by the only member of the gardening club, Shinozaki Ayaka, who pressures Narumi into helping out with
...
the gardening club's duties. Narumi's growing friendship with Ayaka leads him to the ramen shop where she works part time, which is also a hangout for a group of NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training: essentially unemployed individuals) who call themselves the NEET Detective Agency. Headed by Alice, a hikikimori (recluse or shut-in) and child genius, the NEET Detective Agency essentially "dishonors the dead to comfort the living, and harms the living to honor the dead" by digging up the city's dirty secrets.
There are several different plot arcs within this short anime. Some deal with very heavy themes like teen prostitution, drug dealing, money laundering, and suicide. Another less serious plot arc pits the NEET Detective Agency against a local yakuza (gangster) group in order to determine the future of a local video game arcade. Because of the serious nature of many of the cases involved, I would rate this anime a PG-13. There is significant violence throughout, especially gang related violence and street fights. Individuals are beaten severely during interrogations. Blood and disfigurement are depicted, and I get the impression that at least one character was killed after an interrogation, though it is never actually depicted on-screen. Individuals die from overdosing and there are two suicides depicted in this series, one of them bloody and disturbing even though the body is never really depicted. Concerning nudity and sexuality, during the teen prostitution arc, a girl is show several times in lingerie. Sexuality is implied throughout the series, especially during the teen prostitution arc but also several times after, since one of the NEETs is a playboy and uses his sex appeal to elicit information from women.
There is no single overarching plotline to this anime; instead there are 5-6 short arcs which last usually 2-3 episodes each. The last arc is the most depressing of them all due to the involvement of one of the main characters, however, the anime has an implied happy ending. The anime is also a bit vague about certain things that one might think would be important. Who is Alice? Where is her family? How did she come to be living above a ramen shop? Just how does she solve these crimes? None of these questions are really answered by the end of the series, but the story arcs glide smoothly from start to finish while conveniently glossing over these details. Some of the plots seem a bit contrived, for example during one investigation of a string of burglaries it is revealed that there are two culprits who have been tresspassing, but neither is aware of the other. Pretty unbelievable. This anime is also very naive about the nature and operations of the yakuza; there are at times incidents of shocking violence that belie the polished personas of some of the characters, but the anime goes out of its way to suggest that the yakuza it depicts are all really good, honorable people deep down inside. It is a somewhat bipolar depiction that hints at the brutality of the criminal underworld while simultaneously portraying it as romantic and cool. Some of the endings to plot arcs have an almost fairy-tale like unreality to them.
The characters in this anime are interesting enough, but nothing special. Narumi is a pretty naive character who sometimes has flashes of inspiration which contribute to the successful conclusion of a case. Narumi is the caring protagonist who brings those around him together, but his naive about his associations with some of the underworld groups he comes across also have some dangerous results throughout the series. Ayaka is the cheerful classmate/best friend with an obvious crush on Narumi, and Alice is the socially awkward and withdrawn brains of the NEET squad. You will quickly recognize their stereotypes once you see them. The other members of the NEET Detective Agency are largely forgettable and exist only to give Alice some "gophers" to do legwork, errands, and observation. The most interesting of the bunch is Major, a military-obsessed college student who looks like a kid, but whose technical skills contribute to much of Alice's information gathering operations. The yakuza are self-absorbed, arrogant, violent, and stubborn, though generally portrayed as "honorable" and decent at heart. While some characters are portrayed as very intelligent or tough, there are no superpowers here, and toughness doesn't keep some characters from taking a beating, and intelligence doesn't keep some characters from overseeing the obvious. In this sense, there is some realism to this anime.
While I personally enjoyed this anime overall, I would not recommend it for children or for individuals who want a happy, lighthearted anime. Although the plot arc endings are overall satisfactory, you will be dragged through some considerable filth during the duration of this anime, and some of it will leave a bad taste in your mouth. If you want a detective/mystery anime, you can find better. If you want an action anime, you can find better. If you want a feel-good anime, you can find better. If you just want to be entertained, however, and don't have unreasonable expectations, this anime isn't too bad.
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Jan 23, 2014
Kamisama no Memochou
(Anime)
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violence: significant and bloody
language: moderate nudity: minor (some characters in undergarments or covered by sheets) sexuality: significant (but only implied, never actually depicted) Due to his father's work, Narumi Fujishima has moved around a lot since he was a kid, and over time he slowly gave up on trying to connect with other people. At his new school, he joins the computer club because there are no other members and he doesn't have to deal with people. One day as Narumi is napping on the roof, he is interrupted by the only member of the gardening club, Shinozaki Ayaka, who pressures Narumi into helping out with ... 
Jan 23, 2014
Busou Renkin
(Anime)
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Violence: Blood, mutilation
Language: moderate Nudity/Sexuality: minor (bath scene, no actual nudity.) Innuendo: moderate Kazuki Muto is just an ordinary high school student, when one night on his way back to the dorms he sees a light at the abandoned factory behind the school. Upon investigation, he sees a fantastic serpent-like creature stalking a schoolgirl. In the moment that the monster strikes, Kazuki leaps in and knocks the girl aside, saving her life but also dying instantly as the serpent's spined tail pierces his heart. The next thing Kazuki knows is that he has gained consciousness atop the school building, where the mysterious schoolgirl, Tokiko, has brought him ... |
