Mirai Nikki (TV)

Yukiteru Amano is a shy middle schooler who regularly keeps track of what he does in his daily life by writing down all of his activities on his phone—a digital diary. Despite having no friends at school, Yukiteru is frequently seen talking to his supposedly imaginary friends Deus Ex Machina, the god of time and space; and Deus' servant, Mur Mur.

One day, Yukiteru wakes up and discovers that certain events of his day are preemptively displayed on his cellphone. While initially dismissing it as a coincidence, he slowly realizes that the incidents written in his phone actually take place in the near future. After spending the day benefiting from this new asset, Yukiteru learns that his classmate Yuno Gasai possesses a similar diary.

As the two team up to defeat an odd pursuer and head back to their respective homes, Deus Ex Machina explains that they—alongside 10 other contestants—have been drawn into a survival game whose victor will become the deity's successor. With no other options, Yukiteru and Yuno must use their cellphones—now called "Future Diaries"—to survive this unforgiving battle royale.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Gasai, Yuno Main

Murata, Tomosa Japanese

Amano, Yukiteru Main

Togashi, Misuzu Japanese

Uryuu, Minene Supporting

Aizawa, Mai Japanese

Akise, Aru Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Hirasaka, Yomotsu Supporting

Kawahara, Yoshihisa Japanese

Mur Mur Supporting

Honda, Manami Japanese

Deus Ex Machina Supporting

Wakamoto, Norio Japanese

Kasugano, Tsubaki Supporting

Sendai, Eri Japanese

Houjou, Reisuke Supporting

Sanada, Asami Japanese

Ikusaba, Marco Supporting

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Saitou, Shigeru Producer

Hiramatsu, Kiyonori Producer

Hosoda, Naoto Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Oct 25, 2012

Zarny

Recommended

This is the first anime review I've ever written, so hopefully everything will turn out ok. Any feed back would be appreciated as long as its constructive ;)

This review won't contain any spoilers.

What would you do if you had something that told you the future? If you already had all the answers for an upcoming test, or knew how to avoid bully's on the way home from school? What about if it told you were going to die?

Mirai Nikki is a brilliant mix of a Psychological Thriller, Action, and Romance. Yuki is a boy who gains the ability to read the future ... through his personal diary, which is awesome until he finds out that there are 11 other people who also have their own diary's and are his opponents in a competition to become a god. But thats not all bad, he happens to have someone to protect him. Enter Gasai Yuno, a cute girl who goes to Yuki's school. She also has a future diary, and it turns out she has a bit of a crush on Yuki.... and is an insane psychopathic stalker, or Yandere if you will. The story follows these two as they try to survive in the killing game they've been placed in.

Personally, i think the anime is a 10/10, but for this review i gave it a 9 because of a few small problems in the story.

Story 9 - The story of Mirai Nikki is at its core a Romance, though its so much more than that as well. It explores how ones actions and willpower can change the future and how good people can do go insane or do terrible things because of traumatic experiences. The pacing is fairly fast, but not forced, even when there's no intense action going on, you find yourself on the edge of your seat knowing that an enemy could pop up at any time. I experienced all sort of emotions throughout the anime, fear, happiness, excitement, sadness.The shock value was insane. My reason for a 9 instead of a 10 was that some of the things that happen in the anime are soo over the top ridiculous and unbelievable that i just couldn't reasonably give it a perfect score and that some of the things that happen in the last few episodes get a bit out of hand, you'll see what i mean when you watch it.

Art 10 - Don't know what all there is to say about the Art. It's not the best ive ever seen, but there's no problems with it. The action scenes are fast paced and well animated and the characters all look fine. I see no reason to dock an anime points unless the animation is so miserable that it has negative effects my viewing experience, and one of my favorite animes is Berserk, which is terribly animated.

Sound 10 - The Opening and ending themes are fantastic, and go along perfectly with the anime. The first opening theme is my favorite song of all of them and does a perfect job of maintaining the feel of the anime. The music generally goes very well with the scenes that its played over, especially when Yuno does something awesome.

Character 10 - I would rate this higher if possible. The characters is where Mirai Nikki truly shines. Yuki is a kind of a wimp who has to rely on others to protect him, and ive seen plenty of people complain about this, but in all honesty i think that makes the anime so much better. He's a 14 year old boy thrown into a battle royal with people trying to kill him, I would probly be a bit of a wimp if that happened to me too. He's forced to seek aid from and rely on others in order to survive. And he isnt without redeeming moments either. All the side characters are well developed and have their pasts and motives explained in the story and a few of them are just plain awesome. All that being said, the part of this anime that got me hooked, and the reason its become one of my favorites of all time, is the female lead Gasai Yuno. She's incredibly cute, and incredibly psychopathic, and the perfect yandere. Shes also one of the most unique characters I've ever seen in an anime. Most of the psychological thrills stem from trying to figure out what the heck shes going to do next. At one moment your scared of her, another you can't help but smile at how cute something she does is, then you notice the knife in her hand and your scared of her again. Sometimes you want her to do something insane and at others your shocked about something insane shes doing. She's the selling point on the entire anime for me.

Enjoyment 10 - I couldn't stop watching Mirai Nikki, i watched it over the span of 2 days. And spent the entire day at work the second day anticipating what would happen in the anime after i got home. I have yet to watch an anime that kept me on the edge of my seat to such an extent as Mirai Nikki.

Overall 9 - Mirai Nikki is a great and unique story, the characters are excellent especially Yuno, who is one of the most unique characters ive ever seen in an anime. Mirai Nikki is certainly worth giving a shot.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Feb 20, 2012

artist-retired

Mixed Feelings

You know, having a future diary for myself would have been ideal for my viewing of this anime, so that I would be warned of how nonsensical and down right retarded the anime gets, which is a shame because I happen to have been enjoying the bloody fun so far...

STORY: Mirai Nikki (Future Diary) is, for lack of a better way to describe it, fucking nuts. A psychogist would be laughing at this mental breakdown of a plot, but I got to be fair, I do enjoy this anime to a certain degree, but it's the crazy sharp turns it loves to take is what ... nearly throws me off into complete confusion, not the "I don't understand" kind of confusion (Though is still includes that from time to time), but the "Why and how is this happening" kind.

However, let's avoid the deep end for now.

The series is based on a manga of the same name originally created by Esuno Sakae about a battle to the death style of competition between 12 eccentric characters, from a terrorist, to a leader of a cult, to a lovey dovey couple, to even a orphen caretaker for the chance for one of them to take the place of a god, who is literally Deus Ex Machina, before he himself dies. Each will battles each other by using future diaries commonly being in the forms of cellphones, which each one varies on what type of future it fore tells.
It's sounds like the love child of series such as Eden of the East and the Fate/ series, though doesn't even get close to them in the intellect or character development department.

The main character, Yukiteru Amano, holder of the future diary that works as you'd think every other diary holder's would work, is an outstanding leading... total pussy. He is your typical spineless wimp, borderline disgusting even (A kid who would stay behind the sidelines and let the guard dog handle everything as he runs away shamelessly, the hero ladies and gentlemen). From having no friends, to even recording what he does daily in his phone (Pre-future diary), he is the definition of an unlikable main lead, one would or should never root for him, under-dog traits or not, his actions are hardly redeemable, he's easily fooled countless times, and develops at the pace of paint drying on the wall... A wall that is told to pretend his character development... Seriously, he remains the same way until he is told to "act" like a badass and and forgets about being a total wimp until later on, but he's my best friend compare to the lead female character.
Yuno Gasai is what makes this anime surpremely entertaining and utterly batshit insane, this is an arkham asylum of lead character (I honestly believe she'd give the Joker a run for his money), but damn she is just fun to watch, wondering what she will do in the next episode is a one hundred post forum topic in of itself, for good and bad. She is also, for reminder's sake, totally insane and major threat to the cast by her self and a catalyst for the series' plot and character development breakdown. She is hopelssly obsessed with Yukiteru, calling herself his future bride, so she's your classic case of stalker too, but to disturbing lengths. She even goes to far so to kidnap Yukiteru, keeping him tied up, all the while prancing around in her underwear. She is a character that indiscriminately kills anything in her way, she's fun to watch but damn, how can anyone like this character? Especially Yukiteru, which he never can't get his hands washed of her.
I know that she's commonly categorized as a "Yandere" type character, but that's not a good reason to fawn over a character like her, she's not a character type, she's a damn psychopath with an endless thrist for blood in sheep's clothing.

But this where I jump right into the twenty feet deep portion of the swimming pool called the "plot" where seemingly anything goes, anything no matter how much sense it doesn't make. The future diaries do seem to be too convenient (Which is understandable since each character gets that advantage for themselves), but one of them practibly, or just flat out ruins the anime completely, as everyone seems to be pulling a future diary for their selves at random, and more over a lot of the diaries range from creative to just gimmicky, where the later is more common (Diaries predicting the actions of other couples and one that literally breeds more diaries is just absurd). Even the majority of the cast come down to one trick performances (Or well they only get one try before they're dead and forgotten forever), just a enemy of the week type of formula rules the most of them (And a lot of side characters that don't contribute to anything, like the stout Mur Mur, what is her purpose anyway? Sigh... You will laugh when you find out).

The anime is indeed addictive, from bloody murders and crazy fallouts from the lead characters, but it's stupidity is overwhelming and just wants to make you tilt your head at the story developments and the absurd character display (Yup, trusting the stalker that just doesn't know how to stop killing everything is the best choice of action Yukiteru, while you're at it, go ahead and hide right behind her back-? You're there already? Then disregard this then and watch your back, like you care pfffth).
But seriously, the main problem with Mirai Nikki is the inclusion of a character being Deus Ex Machina, it's rare that a story can do this effectively and even rarer for a story to not be confusing nonsensical gibberish, which by the way, Mirai Nikki ends up becoming. The anime is still capable of displaying solid moments with the main couple from time to time, but you'll be far from invested with it as the anime marches forward as it makes up shit as it goes along all the way towards the end.

ANIMATION: While it's not among the best, it's not terrible either. While the blood bathes in general get the most of the budget for the animation crew, it's overall pretty average, even character designs are pretty regular too outside the quirky ones and the 3d animated god.

SOUND: Outside of the craziness, the theme music is extremely addictive, with the first opening theme song, Kuusou Mesorogiwi by Yousei Teikoku, being the best. While the performances from the voice actors give off a love and hate vibe, especially where Yukiteru is concerned, his performance only reinforces the pathetic wimp that he is, from whining and freaking out the time... But that's good casting in hindsight (I'm trying to state a positive as a negative, I think this anime is making me crazy...).

OVERALL:
The Good:
+ Great theme music.

The Mixed:
+/- Bloody good fun with crazy as all hell characters / When the plot goes off the rails, it's not a pretty trainwreck.
+/- Creative ways for character to combat each other / Most of which is one time gimmicks.
+/- Yuno Gasai / The unlikable wimp of a main lead, Yukiteru and Yuno Gasai.

The Bad:
- Character development isn't acting like something you're not, which the main proceeds to do so.
- Towards the end, the story begins to literally make up shit as it goes along.

It's not okay for people to go "That just her character type heehee," when that character in question is unlikably insane, and it doesn't help when the show is almost a competition to see who's the craziest. An over the top psychotic free for all death match is one thing, but when you start to consider a line getting crossed, that line has already been beaten, stabbed, mutilated and and sculpted into something completely unrecognizable before your consideration begins to come across your mind, that's when it's time to get the fuck out.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Sep 13, 2013

Seeyounextweek

Not Recommended

Notice: this review will contain a few spoilers. I'll mark them but if you haven't watched this yet, proceed with caution. Sorry about that.

Survival games have always been one of my favorite kinds of stories. I just love them. So naturally, when I heard about Mirai Nikki's premise, I was greatly looking forward to it. Unfortunately, after an excellent first episode, this series began to get worse and worse; by the end of it all, it had become nothing but a huge disappointment.

Let's begin with the positive aspects of this show. The art and animation in Mirai Nikki are, for the most part, rather good, ... but nothing very impressive. As for character designs, it's pretty hit-and-miss. Some characters look OK, while others are so ridiculous it makes the anime seem/feel less serious than it should be, which is NOT a good thing for a thriller/mystery.

The music is great. Most of the tracks are somewhat memorable and fit their scenes well. The OPs and EDs are also very nice, with the first OP being particularly awesome. I never skipped them. Voice acting-wise, everyone does a solid, consistent job, except for Yuno's seiyuu. I'm sorry, but her voice was annoying and hearing that infamous "Yukki!" every god damn minute was painful.

Now let's get to the bad stuff. While the premise is amazing, the story & script are very poorly written. Thing is, Mirai Nikki is a shounen trying (and failing) to be a seinen; thus, it lacks the maturity and depth needed to handle the kind of story it offers. Many questions are left unanswered, some of the writing choices are just plain stupid, half of the characters have a very low IQ and, for a mystery, there aren't that many twists, and those the anime DOES have are often predictable.

The whole concept of using Future Diaries to outsmart opponents in deadly, tense battles is BARELY explored, plus the battles themselves seldom involve complexity. When you've got tools as powerful as those, you'd think there'd be gambits just piling up on each other, but no. Many battles are over within a minute and are so basic it's insulting. Speaking of insulting, this show has a nasty tendency to have its world just forget about some of the big events related to the diary holders. Normally the media would be all over a series of bombings, massacres, etc... but here? Nah, it's just Tuesday again. It's astonishing how everyone can easily get away from anything.

Another problem with this anime is its bad habit of throwing in bits of humor in the middle of serious moments. It really kills the atmosphere and it's not funny. Even in the more lighthearted scenes it's not funny. Since we're talking about the atmosphere, have I mentioned that some details in crucial moments are overlooked, which obliterates the immersion? Empty hospitals, incompetent cops, silent bystanders...it's the little things that can make or break the mood. A shame, really, because the anime IS able to create a good, creepy atmosphere at times (ex.: the end of episode 3).

Remember what I said about there being a lot of predictable twists? I kinda lied. The biggest twist in the whole story, which unfolds in the last few episodes, took me by surprise. Did it make sense? Well, yes, at least until the anime began to blatantly make shit up on the spot. Did it answer a few questions? For sure. Did it raise even more questions - most of which remain unanswered - and present to us an INCREDIBLY STUPID twist later? OH YES.

Now for the worst part of it all. The characters. If you're already angry at me, stop reading because I will not be gentle.

For starters we have the male protagonist, Yukiteru (or just Yuki). This guy. Let me tell you something about this guy: he might just be one of the worst written characters I have ever seen. No hyperbole there. Not because he's a wimp 95% of the time - I can understand why. No-one normal would stay frosty after being dragged into a survival game full of maniacs. So why is he so bad then? It's because he's absurdly inconsistent. Most selective memory of all time, gullible when not paranoid (never with the correct timing), ability to forgive that defies common sense and, later on, he can't even settle on a personality (which seems to run in the family). Worst part is, his personality shift happens suddenly; he gets almost no development for 18 or so episodes then BAM! complete 180. If you're going to change a character's attitude, make sure it isn't baffling and that it sticks.

Then we have our female protagonist, Yuno, the main source of yandere-ness, fanservice and body bags. THE poster girl of Mirai Nikki, to the point where she may be more popular than the show itself - just look at how many favorites she has here at MAL. The creator knew of this, so s/he made her the most complex character in the whole cast and genuinely fun to watch. Unfortunately, that complexity only really shows up in the last few episodes, so until then she's pretty much a one note character - crush, kill, Yukki!. Moreover, the yandere trait eventually wears off, meaning she can get kinda annoying afterwards, even with all the carnage she provides. If it cannot wear off for you, then Mirai Nikki will be considerably more entertaining. Either way, Yuno was a hit-or-miss character for me.

The supporting cast - Yuki's friends and the other diary holders - is where it gets ugly. Out of the former group, the ONLY truly memorable character (and, might I add, one of the few characters in this anime that I liked) is the intelligent Akise. His personality and abilities are a perfect match for this kind of story, which is a shame because he didn't get enough screen time. The other three, despite getting some things accomplished, end up being inept at almost everything, to the point that Akise pretty much has to carry the team.

As for the other diary holders...just where do I begin? For starters, they're pretty much all insane or very dangerous individuals, except for maybe 2 of them; that alone raises a pretty important question: "why did Deus even consider letting one of those crazy bastards be his successor?". Another problem is that some may as well have "fodder" written on their foreheads: most don't even last for three episodes, plus they're lucky if they get a mediocre, unpolished back story full of cheap shocks to make you feel bad for them.

*SPOILERS PRESENT IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPHS* What kills me is that some of the diary holders are such piles of stupid writing it's absurd. I mean, one of them is a 5-year-old kid who's just as messed up as the others, somehow has access to stuff like toxic gas and who can formulate rather elaborate plans. Another is the mama bear of an orphanage composed of people who are willing to erase anyone for her - dressed as ninjas, no less. Yet another is a blind Power Rangers fanatic who dresses up as an eyeball (and who can somehow bring dolls to life. Never explained!) to fight crime. Remember, this anime takes itself seriously.

There's also the eleventh diary holder, the Hitler wannabe who gave Deus the idea for the diaries. Since the anime never even tries to further explore such an important character, allow me to ask some questions: how did he (or any of the diary holders) meet Deus? Why did Deus even listen to this obviously crazy man? Why future diaries, and not some kind of superpower? By the way, why is Deus decaying? What is MurMur's origin? Why did EVERY ONE of the diary holders only gun for Yuki? The questions pile up fast once the characters are taken into consideration.

Was there not a single diary holder that I liked? The answer is yes. That would be Minene, the ninth, the series' resident internationally wanted terrorist (at the tender age of 18. Seriously). She was pretty awesome and likable for most of her screen time, which made watching her turn into a textbook tsundere even more painful. And let's not talk about her ABSOLUTELY STUPID role in the final marathon of twists. *SPOILERS END HERE*

What about enjoyment? Believe me in this one: if you pay attention to the writing, Mirai Nikki will be painful. The mountain of questions, the absurd decisions that some of the characters make, etc...you just won't get a lot of breaks after the first few episodes. So what if you employ the good ol' "turn off your brain" strategy? It probably won't be all that enjoyable either. As I've said before, this is a shounen trying to be a seinen. You can just FEEL it try. And fail. I don't know about the rest of you, but that really kills the experience for me.

In conclusion, Mirai Nikki is a huge disappointment. Its messy story and weak characters are simply not fit for the genre it belongs to. Even if the art was OK, even if the soundtrack was great, even if the anime has its moments and holds the potential to be enjoyable should one ignore the writing issues, it simply does not live up to the hype. I'm probably gonna get lynched by its fanbase; however, I don't really care. I'm done. I needed to get this out of my system, and there it is.

Thanks for reading this review.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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