Kami-sama no Memo-chou - Episode 8

It's dragged on a little longer than it perhaps should have done to the point of outright overstaying its welcome, but Kami-sama no Memo-chou's current story arc finally comes to a close as of this eighth episode of the series.

Despite Narumi and Alice being seemingly on top of their investigations as they pertain to Renji and Soichirou, it seems that their revelations and plans have come just a little too late as news reaches them that Soichirou has been attacked by a group from a rival gang - no prizes for guessing who organised that attack.  With Soichirou in hospital and his minions thirsty for blood, it appears that all of the hard work which went into preparing the forthcoming live event is about to go to waste - luckily, Narumi has what it takes to step up to the plate and quell and immediate threats of retribution, while also proving to be surprisingly insightful (more so even than Alice) when it comes to reading Renji's moves and future plans.

This unerring ability to get inside Renji's mindset means that Narumi and company can lay a trap of their own at the literal gates to the live event, luring Renji in to a corner so that they can "assault" him with the truth - and what a shocking truth it is too as it relates to his beloved Hison, what happened to her on that fateful day and exactly why Soichirou has been keeping those events a secret from his former friend for so long.  With Soichirou himself also staggering in on proceedings, none of this is enough to stop the two of them slugging it out for reasons which are beyond me apart from offering a shrug and a contemplative "well, boys will be boys", but all's well that ends well as Narumi somehow succeeds in proving his worth once again.

Although I have to give this episode of Kami-sama no Memo-chou a small slice of kudos for introducing at least one unexpected twist (that being the current identity and whereabouts of Hison), this was a rare sparkling moment in an otherwise rather flat piece of story-telling - by this juncture I simply wasn't all that bothered about Renji or Soichirou's story any more, and even Narumi and Alice's moments of insight didn't particularly hold enough tension or wonder to really carry the story.  With a baseball episode next week, it looks as though this is one series that won't be living up to the potential exhibited by its opening episode, which really is a crying shame.