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REVIEW: Heaven's Memo Pad Blu-Ray


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050795



Joined: 27 Mar 2009
Posts: 230
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 11:29 pm Reply with quote
Nice review. This is a show I have been meaning to watch since it aired, but for some reason haven't gotten to yet (don't we all have shows like that?). I will probably be picking up the blu-ray eventually, but since I still haven't seen it it's not high on my to buy list (may get bumped up if I ever get around to watching it online).
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potatochobit



Joined: 26 Aug 2009
Posts: 1373
Location: TEXAS
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:30 am Reply with quote
I saw the first episode and wasn't really into
I dont really like serious detective stuff like ROD
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:46 am Reply with quote
We never got to know the characters except the lead dude and a couple of side ones, so it was really hard to relate to and/or care for them. Also, while there were plenty of elements to the writing that were good, the show's tendency to make NEETs cool fell flat. I also thought the way the gangsters were portrayed was pretty far-fetched.

Not a bad show by any means, but it just refused to let me be enamoured with it. There was no emotional connection, and that's a huge flaw.
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Fencedude5609



Joined: 09 Nov 2006
Posts: 5088
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:49 am Reply with quote
Needed less of the really boring male lead and much more of the awesome Hidaka Rina NEET detective.

You know. The person the show was supposed to be about.
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Shippoyasha



Joined: 28 Aug 2007
Posts: 459
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:18 am Reply with quote
I thought the show was excellent and could have used 12 more episodes to flesh out the protagonist more. As for glorifying NEETs, well, that's kind of the point with shows where the show needed to portray underground NEETs having certain talents that may not be possible otherwise for more preoccupied peoples. I'm pretty sure that aspect is fully intentional, not necessarily trying to say being a NEET is something great in itself.

Last edited by Shippoyasha on Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:22 am; edited 1 time in total
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EmperorBrandon
Encyclopedia Editor


Joined: 04 Oct 2002
Posts: 2209
Location: Springfield, MO
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 3:20 am Reply with quote
Fencedude5609 wrote:
and much more of the awesome Hidaka Rina NEET detective.

Ogura Yui, not Hidaka Rina.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4070
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 5:48 am Reply with quote
I saw the original Japanese and even if the dub's being offered now, I'm not sure about following up on it. My problem is that I just didn't care about the whole "bros" association which is half the characters and half the plot, if not more. I didn't need more Alice, I just wanted anything other than those idiots.

Anyway, everything I need to hear about neets was done in Welcome to the NHK and Eden of the East. They represent the shallow and deep ends of that swimming pool so anything in between just isn't interesting to me.

Wrapping all that under the guise of a young looking girl as the team pet/head is kind of creepy as well. Some things just shouldn't mix.
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Melanchthon



Joined: 02 Oct 2010
Posts: 550
Location: Northwest from Here
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 7:36 am Reply with quote
This show is a little rough, but I respect that it is willing to shine a light in the dark corners of Japanese society in a responsible fashion. The show delves into underage prostitution, gang violence, illegal immigration, yakuza control of the music industry, drug use, and suicide. It contrasts these 'swept under the rug' problems with the much-ballyhooed NEET problem that seems to occupy all of the modern conscious these days. I respect and like the show for tackling these problems and addressing their complexity. The moe is a little forced and the characters are a little hackneyed, but overall, it's a good show and I'd recommend it.
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DmonHiro





PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 8:47 am Reply with quote
BS. How the hell is Alice a NEET anyway? They're really stretching the term.
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Shinn AsukaGSD



Joined: 16 Mar 2010
Posts: 32
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 9:46 am Reply with quote
I haven't watched i single episode but the story sounds very interesting and from the review it sounds that is worth the purchase so i will take a blind plunge
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HitokiriShadow



Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 6251
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:45 pm Reply with quote
This was probably one of the most disappointing and rage-inducing shows for me of 2011. The first episode was really good and showed a lot of potential. But the 2-3 episodes immediately following it were mediocre and the ~4 episode arc in the middle was absolutely terrible. I finished that arc purely to see how it ended and could not bring myself to care enough to finish the show.

DmonHiro wrote:
BS. How the hell is Alice a NEET anyway? They're really stretching the term.


I don't think she made any money from her little detective club, so technically she's not employed. But yeah, I agree that its really getting stretched here.
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CCharmanderK



Joined: 08 Jul 2009
Posts: 218
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:08 pm Reply with quote
The dub is written and directed by Steven Foster, who did the (considerably bad) English dubs of High School of the Dead, NEEDLESS, Voices of a Distant Star, and the absolutely horrendous interpretation of Clannad and Clannad: After Story. Not to mention that all of the above shows have butchered the names of the characters to differing degrees (watch one episode of the Clannad dub and try not to cringe).

I'm sticking with the subtitled version on this one. Steven Foster is just a bad director and writer. I don't see why they couldn't hire somebody more capable like Matt Greenfield.
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chrisb
Subscriber



Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 613
Location: USA
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:30 pm Reply with quote
I actually like Steven Foster's directing. He knows how to get the best performances out of the actors. He rarely rewrites scripts anymore and I think he's been doing great work for a while with a few missteps. I loved the dubs for Le Chevalier D'Eon, Clannad After Story, and especially Red Garden.

(I will agree with you that his Clannad was pretty bad.)
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Tanteikingdomkey



Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Posts: 2345
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:48 pm Reply with quote
I actually read the first novel and the part of the second so far. this is a really bad adaptation actually. episodes 2-3 are actually a full 180+ page novel. and the first case is made into the final case in this adaptation. they had to rewrite a lot of scenes because of this. point is if you liked this at all then you should check out the novels
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:53 pm Reply with quote
CCharmanderK wrote:
The dub is written and directed by Steven Foster, who did the (considerably bad) English dubs of High School of the Dead, NEEDLESS, Voices of a Distant Star, and the absolutely horrendous interpretation of Clannad and Clannad: After Story.


You forgot Guin Saga, which has to be one of the worst dubs he's done in quite a while.
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