Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle

Kaito Daimon would be a completely average high school student except for one thing: he's a "demon" at solving puzzles. Kaito is so brilliant, in fact, that when he's asked to take some 'special' tests of his unique ability, he immediately suspects that the test itself is a test. Kaito suddenly finds himself caught up in a lethal Philosopher's Puzzle made by the sinister group POG, a murderous maze of trap upon trap, where failing to solve the secret correctly will result in death! Fortunately, Kaito's skills prove up to the first test, both for himself and his childhood friend Nanoha, who is also caught up in the deadly scheme. But now that he has been designated as a Solver, he is pulled into a new life where he must travel the world with other Solvers, attempting to solve the latest deadly riddles left by POG. There's a new conundrum around every corner and each deception could lead to death, but once a riddle has been posed, you can count on Kaito to unfold, unravel and unlock it!

(Source: Sentai Filmworks)

Daimon, Kaito Main

Asanuma, Shintaro Japanese

Gram, Ana Main

Yukino, Satsuki Japanese

Crossfield, Rook Banjou Main

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Sakanoue, Gammon Main

Fukuyama, Jun Japanese

Itou, Nonoha Main

Shimizu, Kaori Japanese

Galois, Cubik Main

Miyata, Kouki Japanese

Jikukawa, Souji Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Makata, Jin Supporting

Koyasu, Takehito Japanese

Mizutani, Airi Supporting

Gotou, Mai Japanese

Himekawa, Elena Supporting

Nakajima, Megumi Japanese

Satou, Junichi Director, Storyboard

Hatakeyama, Mamoru Episode Director

Takashima, Daisuke Episode Director

Endou, Hirotaka Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Nov 21, 2022

DieTown

Recommended

I think the easiest way to describe this show is that it’s a battle shounen except fights are replaced with puzzle battles. The puzzles often take place in a ridiculously large arena that is always visually interesting. The puzzle logic is solid, and I found it more fun to watch than certain shows where a character wins because they can punch the enemy harder or faster. The audience isn’t usually given enough time or information to completely solve the puzzles ourselves, but we have enough to follow the general strategies. However, there are still several puzzles you can do by yourself if you pause the ... show, and those can be really fun.

The show wasn’t amazing, but it gives off the impression that it wanted to create a genuine story that doesn’t copy the battle shounen formula.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Nov 6, 2022

jkalyana

Mixed Feelings

I have this policy that I should not write reviews for anime which I have not completely seen, at least for those which finished airing. This is an anime which made me really happy I stuck to my policy, because my rating dropped from my initial thinking of 7 after first two episodes to 5 later on.

Coming to the actual review. The core concept is a good one as is to divine revelation which can make man God. Now how the story develops around it is the anime. Obviously from the title you can guess its in the form of puzzles. People have to solve ... puzzles to get closer to this divine power.

If the plot of the series is revealed in the first few episodes, its interest should be carried in some form till the ending with a good ending. This anime completely fails at it. Not only does it fail to deliver anything interesting, it fails to do even a mediocre job and has one of the most crappiest endings ever seen.

The antagonist is in some form of love with our hero, and keeps chanting his name watching him on a big screen which makes you sure he is gay and that is how the theme is carried.

When the hero activates his sort of magical power, do you remember the old atari/nintendo 2D game console 8 bit music, such crappy music plays. Honestly its a failure in every aspect, character, character development, art, sound.

Story: 6
Character: 5
Character Development: 3
Art: 5
Sound: 5
Overall: 5

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Sep 3, 2012

Infinite

Not Recommended

Phi Brain is all about solving puzzles, however if you think that you'll be able to solve puzzles along with the protagonists, then I'll put that hope to rest now; you're not. Whilst you'll get the occasional glimpse at the whole puzzle, they are for the most part exclusively for the characters.

The character designs are very brash and crude, very much like the show itself, and whilst I am hesitant to call them outright bad they are certainly below average. This is a low budget anime, and so the animation and art is poor, expect to see many off model shots every episode, which are ... often so bad that they are distracting. Whilst this is the case, the animation level doesn't detract too much from the anime as a whole.

The music is worlds apart from the art, the opening "Brain Diver" is a catchy and energetic song that fits the series well, and the ending, "Hologram" is a pleasant track that grows on you as the series progresses. The soundtrack is also pretty good, which at points makes up for the appalling animation quality. It isn't amazing, but is remarkable considering the budget, and works well to make the action scenes tense.

During the first few episodes you will find yourself hard pressed to like the main characters, as the first few episodes focus on making Kaito look as cool as possible by having him casually solve difficult puzzles and the like, to the point where it feels like they're trying to force it down our throats. Gammon comes across as loud and obnoxious, and Cubic seems like an arrogant child prodigy. However as the series progresses past the first few episodes and onto the main plot, the characters become much more likable. This is because they stop trying to outdo each other in both arrogance and in puzzle solving and start working together against the antagonists of the series, the POG.

The story starts off very simply, the POG will set Kaito a puzzle and he'll proceed to solve it using his Orpheus armband, often with the help of one of the geniuses that Kaito meets during the first few episodes. Fortunately the plot becomes more engrossing before too long which makes the series more interesting and reduces the repetitiveness. Don't expect anything deep or complicated from the main plot of Phi Brain as it's still straightforward and standard shounen, but it's an improvement. The puzzles act as a way for the characters to fight each other, and in later episodes "battle puzzles" are introduced, where the two contestants directly match their wits. This is quite entertaining at times, however, the fact you can't see the puzzle in its entirety is frustrating, as it alienates you from the tactics employed.

Phi Brain improves as it progresses, but it never reaches the level of quality I would have liked, however that does not mean it's bereft of entertainment, and although it doesn't have the gripping battles of wit it was aiming for, it's a simple shounen that you can find fairly enjoyable if you aren't feeling too critical.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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