Kamisama no Memo-chou – 02

So…what would YOU do if you stole 300 million dollars from the yakuza? Oh, you’re not that dumb? Me neither!

Wooh! I’m in Egypt now! Watching Kamisama no Memo-chou was a pretty awesome way to pass the time on the 8 hour plane ride from Atlanta to Amsterdam. I hate planes. I can never get comfortable. After I arrived in Amsterdam I flew for 4 hours to Cairo, Egypt. And then drove another 4 hours to get to Alexandria. Needless to say, I’m exhausted. Anyways, let’s see what our fantastic NEET crew is up to now!

The episode begins with a man running away from some people. He stops to call his daughter, telling her to grab a bag in a safe and run away with it. Before he hangs up he tells her that she has her mother in heaven with her. Before we can find out anything else though, we cut to Narumi who is delivering ramen to Alice. Alice of course requests her Dr. Pepper which explodes in Narumi’s face when he opens it for her – she forgot to tell him that she had dropped that one. The doorbell then rings and Narumi opens the door to find a girl there.

The girl, Meo, is delighted at the sight of Alice and has come to request her services. Alice then notes that Meo is Thai and her name refers to a chuuren, a string of beads designed to protect somebody you love. Alice asks to help with Meo’s issue. and pulls up information on Meo’s father; he is Kusakabe Masaya, a management consultant who studied theft. He got married to a Thai woman and when he lived in Osaka, he used to be a part of the yakuza. Alice then asks to look inside of the bag that Meo brought with her, presumably the one that had been in the safe. They open the bag to find A LOT of money. Meo’s family was not rich enough to have this sort of money which means that her father was probably involved in some sort of crime and had to run away from it.

“I’m afraid that I cannot assist yo-”                                                              “…Deal.”

Alice then pulls up the phone records between Meo and her father, noting that Meo called her father from a public phone. Meo does not have a cell phone because her father would not give her one and Alice states that she should not contact her father. Meo decides to leave to find her father herself, but Narumi stops her, telling her to calm down. Alice then declares that she is a NEET detective and, if Meo were to let her help, she would stop at nothing to find her father. Later on, Meo is at Hanamaru and thanks Narumi for being so nice to her. Afterwards, Ayaka and Narumi walk home together. Ayaka likens Meo to a younger sister and then asks Narumi if he has any siblings. He has an older sister who he’s on pretty good terms with. We find out that Narumi’s dad only comes home once a year and his mom is dead, just like Meo’s. Ayaka’s family is not much better; she hardly ever gets to see her brother.

The next day, at Alice’s place, Hiro requests a massage from Narumi as he hands Alice a picture that he managed to attain of Meos dad. Narumi then notices a hickey on Hiro’s neck – Hiro does not seem the least bit ashamed. xD Alice then sends Narumi to the Fourths place to fix the computer. It looks like his men were up to no good (LULZ PORN). The Fourth comes in and thanking him for his help. Narumi gives him the picture of Meo’s dad and the men make copies. In his office, the Fourth recommends that Narumi get off this case seeing as the Yakuza are involved here. Narumi, however, promised that he would help Meo and wants to do what he can. The Fourth gets angry, grabbing him by the collar and asking him if he understands what he’s getting into. He responds that understands but he’s Alice’s assistant. He is then kicked out, but the Fourth has a smile on his face as he leaves. Heh.

Look at this series of pictures out of context. Hehehe… *grins*

“That was some nice porn…”

After leaving, Narumi gets a phone call. He arrives at what looks to be a pachinko parlor only to find Tetsu requesting money from him. One of Tetsu’s mates, Nemo-san, is part of the yakuza and they ask him about Kusakabe Masaya. We find out that Kusakabe was the money launderer for the Kishiwada Group. He ended up stealing 300 million dollars from the group. What’s funny is that there were 200 million dollars in the bag… Afterwards, Narumi and Tetsu walk home together, the latter explaining that he went through the yakuza to find Nemo-san.  Narumi is shocked that Tetsu would put his life on the line like that for somebody he just met.

“WHAT?! It’s not the uke that’s on top?!!?!”               “…”

Meanwhile, Meo is standing in front of a phone, reminiscing back to when she first arrived in Japan with her family. She places a call, but it doesn’t look like that’s her father’s on the other end! At home, in bed, Narumi receives an urgent call from Alice. He arrives at her place only to find Meo and Ayaka, clad only in towels. After he gets slapped in the face, Hiro, Tetsu and Major then arrive to discuss the case. The issue at hand seems to be the missing 100 million dollars. Before they can continue, Alice sends Meo and Ayaka down to get her some ice cream. They continue their discussion, speculating as to why Kusakabe left the 200 million with Meo. Alice decides that they should follow the money and find out the connection between Kusakabe and the Kishiwada Group.

Afterwards, Ayako asks Alice if Kusakabe is coming back but she doesn’t know at this point in time. Ayako continues to say that, if Kusakabe didn’t care deeply for Meo, he wouldn’t have told her that her mother in heaven was with her. This fact seems to resonate with Alice. Hmmm… Meanwhile, Narumi asks Meo if she’s heard anything from her father about him going back to Thailand but she hasn’t. He then suggests that maybe her father isn’t coming back after all. At this, Meo gets upset and yells at Narumi that her father would never do that because he promised that they’d always be family, no matter what. To this, Narumi retorts that there’s no way anybody could keep that sort of promise. Meo begins crying and Ayako walks in on this scene, only t0 become upset and run away.

Alice then calls, requesting that Narumi bring Meo’s bag. She cuts it open and finds a cell phone inside. There was a hidden meaning to Meo’s father’s words. He meant it literally when he said that Meo’s mother in heaven is with her. Meo instinctively knew the meaning behind her father’s words. Just then, they hear a crash from where they checkout security cameras video and see what we can probably assume to be men from the Kishiwada Group.

End Thoughts:

So, we’ve got quite the case this week!  We’ve got a money laundering father who stole 300 million dollars from the yakuza. He then runs away, leaving 200 million dollars and what looks to be her mother’s cell phone with Meo, his daughter. Now, we’re left wondering what the hell happened to the last 100 million AND Meo tried calling her father (when she wasn’t supposed to). Whoever was on the other end of the line looked pretty bad. Major suggested that, perhaps, Kusakabe was using his daughter as bait, but I highly doubt that’s the case.  He doesn’t seem the heartless type. My theory is as follows: Seeing as he stole 300 million, he might have left 200 million in the safe at home and wanted to make it seem like he only took 100 million. However, when he somehow got in trouble, he wanted his daughter to leave home and take the 200 million with her because the Kishiwada Group would probably look for him there. So he saved is daughter AND the money. Now, as to why he even took the money in the first place? Perhaps since he was the money launderer, he felt as though he deserved the money since he got it. Or maybe he was trying to return it. I have no clue on that one. xD

The whole cell phone/mother in heaven thing was slightly confusing to me. I didn’t quite understand how Alice made the connection between Kusakabe’s statement and the cell phone in Meo’s bag. Then again, she’s a loli with super NEET powers and her crib’s full of super cool computers and Doctor Pepper. I think it’s obvious that her critical thinking and reasoning skills are borderline godly.  Either way, the cell phone’s definitely going to play a pretty big role in the next episode; probably as the mode of communication between Meo and Kusakabe. I think the fact that Kusakabe left her the phone at all indicates that he isn’t the type of guy who would risk the safety of his daughter on purpose. However, just because he doesn’t mean to, doesn’t mean that he won’t. Getting involved with the yakuza and stealing their money is a surefire way of putting your family in danger. Not to mention it’s just plain DUMB.

It seems as though cases in Kamisama no Memo-chou span at least two episodes. For such episodic whodunits, this method of spreading things out should work well for several reasons. One is of course suspense.  Leaving off before the mystery is solved allows for uncertainty and subsequent speculation from the viewer as to what will happen next – that’s a lot more exciting in my not-so-humble opinion. xD Another is that there is more time to properly develop the case. The cases are increasingly complex (and thus more intriguing) and the new characters more fleshed out. Things don’t end abruptly and all aspects of the mystery are covered. Finally, our main cast plays a larger role in the case as well which hopefully allows for character development as well as interaction between all the characters. This interaction may perhaps be the most important because we’ve got quite the eclectic cast of characters here.

A bit of Narumi’s background was revealed this episode. We already knew that he moved around a lot, but now we also know that his mother passed away. He now lives with his sister and his dad only visits once a year. That definitely explains why he would have concluded that Kusakabe left Meo, though it was harsh for him to tell her so. I’m guessing that Narumi’s become rather jaded because of his inconsistent home life.  It doesn’t seem to affect his sense of morals and good-will though. He’s actively taking on his role as Alice’s assistant and I’m guessing that he does so because it gives him a sense of purpose. Continuing on, Ayaka seems to have a difficult family life as well seeing as her brother hasn’t been home. This elusive brother of hers is sure to make an appearance later on in the season and I am most certainly looking forward to it.

Finally, it looks like we’ve got a new ED, Asu Naru by Suzumura Kenichi. I like this one better than the previous one. I guess you could say it’s easier on the ears? Plus it fits the show better. xD Also, I know I might have already said this in my first impressions but I REALLY like the character designs and animation here. It’s so…so smooth, so crisp. It makes me HNNNNGGG at times. xP But yah, I can’t wait to see how this case comes to a close!

Preview:

So…the Fourth in a tank top. Yes please!! ^_^

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Doesn't get enough sleep. Dork with a rather eclectic taste in manga and anime. Adores Studio Ghibli films.
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16 Responses to “Kamisama no Memo-chou – 02”

  1. Joojoobees says:

    I’m enjoying this show.

    I think the reason Alice was able to figure out about the cellphone was that Meo mentioned that she was promised her mother’s cell when she got older. Thus the dad had to have it. “Your mother’s with you,” obviously meant something was placed in the bag.

    I think Meo’s dad must have been caught, since the bad guys have his cell phone. I guess he might be dead. The extra 100 mill. is a mystery, though.

    • Zabobinator says:

      I’m enjoying it too!

      Yah, I figured it was because of what was mentioned, but the way it was presented was sort of vague and overly “deep.” I guess it’s just the way that Alice talks though.

      Oh man, I really hope he’s not dead. The girl in the last case was dead as well. That would make me really sad. T__T

  2. Foshizzel says:

    Yep great show so far really keeps me interested! Nice to see more characters revealed, Meo D’awwwww cute xD

  3. Kyokai says:

    I wish this was an hour long episode! Oh well, it was awesome like the first one. I’m digging yondaime, Narumi, Alice – heck, the whole cast! I might build a Drrr love with this. :3

    • Zabobinator says:

      Yah! Hour long episodes are nice, but then we’d have to wait for it every other week. I prefer short but more frequent dosages. xD
      The whole cast is frickin’ AWESOME. I do hope this gets to Drrr’s epic proportions. xD

  4. Tofu says:

    I’m pretty sure the reason behind WHY he stole the money in the first place was to help him and her daughter live financially better as there are many parents in this world who believe money will provide better facilities and a better life.

    Woah, I must not have paid attention to Ayaka and Narumi’s background lives :\ Thanks for pointing that out Zab!

    I agree with JooJoo but in my case, I do think the father is dead but Meo is just ignoring that reality. Who knows. While as the extra 100 is probs in the hands of the yakuza again.

    we’ll just have to see how Alice and her NEET gang will deal with the bad guys trashing the outside of the ramen shop.

    • Zabobinator says:

      Hmm, that may be the reason. And yes, that’s true. I mean, you can’t live without money. Well, you could but it would be CRAZY hard. xD

      So you do think the father is dead as well? Augh…I really hope not.

      But yes, we’ll just have to see!!! *is excited*

  5. Ceyrai says:

    I wish you’d made a gif of Hiro getting a massage from Narumi. THEN you can really take it out of context. Nufufufu.

    Also, Narumi really does give off that Mikado vibe, especially when he’s in front of the PC. I dunno. Plus those yakuza guys under Yondaime were adorkable, even if they WERE looking at porn. XD

    Maybe Kusakabe had a good reason to steal from the yakuza? I mean, it is 200 million and he probably wants a good life for his daughter but no one can be that dumb, right? Well, I hope he’s not. And he looks like such a nice guy, at least during his moments with Meo. I guess that’ll be answered next time. I’m not usually fond of mystery anime but the NEET premise has me hooked.

    Lastly, why is it that anyone called Yondaime is guaranteed to be made of smexy? Is it a requirement or something? Ah~ <3

    • Zabobinator says:

      LOL. I SHOULD HAVE! Oh well, those pictures are sufficient. xD

      I know right? He’s definitely a Mikado-type, though he’s slightly more cynical than Mikado himself. LOL I LOVE THE YAKUZA DUDES. HAHAHA! THEY’RE SO FUNNY!!!!

      I dunno man. I think it was dumb to get involved with the yakuza in the first place so there better be a good reason as to why he would steal the money. Supporting his daughter would be rather plausible though.

      YONDAIME~ He’s such a pro…HNNNNGGG~ But yes, Yondaimes are all pretty hawt. xD

  6. BlackBriar says:

    Great episode. If you dare steal money from the Yakuza, you’re a mark for life.

    That Yakuza guy in the restaurant was funny. The way he talked about the guy who took the money, he seemed like a understandable person with some honor. You don’t see much of those around.

    The Fourth is here, people!! Tremble!! Fear his wrath!! Lol.

    • Zabobinator says:

      Yep, pretty much! xD

      Yah, I thought he was pretty great! He was helpful, that’s for sure! 😀 He’s also the happy drunk type. xD

      I LOVE THE FOURTH! WOOH!

  7. Jrow says:

    I’m still not fully piecing the “Mother in Heaven” thing to a phone. Kinda strange conclusion, but I’m pretty interested in this case. And I thought Narumi wouldn’t really be interesting, but I came to like his character this week.

    That ending is definitely a lot better. The first ED song is still kinda cool in a way, but the animation was much more interesting and less random.

    And then there’s Meo. She’s a cutie! 🙂 I wonder if her character will somehow lurk around after her case is done. Probably not, but yeah… hoping.

  8. Overcooled says:

    I’m also on board the “but the dad had good intentions!” boat. I don’t know why he had to take off with THAT MUCH though. :/

    What was up with the scene where Meo tried to call her dad and some fishy people saw the dad’s phone ringing? Is he captured? I think he told her daughter not to call him FOR A GOOD REASON and now someone is getting screwed over.

    On a lighter note, LOLOLOLOL PORN

  9. Reaper says:

    Hmm, dad have good intentions, I’m with Narumi since I have papa issues but screw it, it’s Kamisama time!
    I’m definitely pleased with the mysteries with this series, since they are actually mysterious and require more than a little thinking to solve (okay, I meant a LOT of thinking). After the first ep, I was a little depressed they weren’t a 50min episode since it actually had a whole arc/story within the time, with the right pacing and everything. This ep’s great too, especially with Meo, bringing different nationalities to the table. I mean, there aren’t that many (dare I say great?) anime which does that so it’s a nice change. As for the Fourth’s computer…TROLOLOLOLOL with porn!
    Heheh, another troll by Alice with the Dr Pepper, Narumi really should have expected it 🙂

  10. […] “For such episodic whodunits, this method of spreading things out should work well for several reasons. One is of course suspense. Leaving off before the mystery is solved allows for uncertainty and subsequent speculation from the viewer as to what will happen next – that’s a lot more exciting in my not-so-humble opinion. xD Another is that there is more time to properly develop the case. The cases are increasingly complex (and thus more intriguing) and the new characters more fleshed out.” – Metanorn […]

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