Story (7.96/10): The story of NGNL as it's better known in an acronym form is about two step siblings named Sora and Shiro. Better known as Blank in our world, these two NEETs, or intense gamers have been known to absolutely wreck basically any sort of game that exists in the world. (MOBA's, MMO's, Puzzle, Online chess, etc.) One day, during their normal gaming sessions, a random online chess match appears, and the duo, locked in heavy combat (through online chess), finally win against the mysterious player, only to find themselves transported through their computer screens, and into the land of Disboard. (Yes, it is actually called that). There, they are welcomed by the god of the world, Tet, told the essentials of the new world they are in, (called the 10 pledges), and are sent out on their own to live their lives in this new world.
What I find quite interesting about this anime, is the fact that usually, when characters are transported into a strange new world, they usually want to escape it somehow. (Zero No Tsukaima, SAO, Accel world, Digimon, etc.) These characters, don't want to. Like log Horizon, these characters choose not to find a way out of the new place they're in, which I find to be a much more interesting plot line than the generic, WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!
What I find most troubling about the story in this anime, is the fact of how slow and dragging it takes to really get anywhere. From the beginning you sort of get a sense of what the main goal of the series for these two characters are, but you never really get to know their true goal till about halfway through the series.
The plot of this anime follows a very similar plot line to Death Note, where the characters plan every step of their next move before executing it, which actually was a nice surprise considering the fact that the synopsis doesn't give that impression at all. Back to my original point, the plot line is similar to Death Note, where the characters for the most part look at all of the possibilities and take every precaution before even moving an inch. This is all fine and dandy, but it causes the show a bit of downfall, because it was just too slow. About 2/3 of the actual anime itself is put into this planning phase where the characters research, think, and what have you in order to create their next move. And while the plan itself was quite stunning and "well done" worthy, I felt as though the show itself just had an uneven pacing where they dragged on the planning portion of the show and rushed through the actual game itself.
While the pacing of the show was quite uneven in terms of balance, the show did provide nice comedy tidbits in order to keep the show interesting for viewers during its "planning phase." The majority of the comedy falls on, for the majority of the show, fanservice, and it's funny. Because our main protagonist is a 18 year old pervert who has had little to no contact with women outside of his little sister, things get, well...interesting. And also, because of the fact that the two main characters are NEETs, the idea of coming in contact with people comes up as a fear to them, creating some pretty funny moments.
For an ending, the show is obviously incomplete. The entire goal of the two main characters has barely even been achieved by the time the season has ended. In fact, the series ends in a quite annoying cliffhanger. If the series does not get a season 2, than this ending is the worst thing that could've happened. But, if it does get a season 2, than things can be forgiven. (Only when the next season comes out though.)
Overall, NGNL has a pretty damn good story to it. The pacing issue made it a bit strange due to how uneven it was depending on what part of the show you were watching, but in all fairness, that can for the most part be ignored due to the fact that the comedy of the show, as well as the fact that the plots that the characters make are so good, that you would probably wouldn't care anyway. (Hope for Season 2!)
Overview:
+ Twist on new world idea
+ Death note-like storyline to make a twist
+ Great comedy (although slightly perverted.)
+ Good amount of IRL game references
+/- Cliffhanger ending. (Good if there will be a second season. Bad if there won't be.)
- Uneven pacing throughout the whole show.
Characters (8.89/10): What I think NGNL also exceeds in is the fact that it has a great deal of not only great characters, but memorable ones.
Up first is Sora, the more "people" side of the gamer tag "Blank" that he and his sister share, where he deals with the reactions of people and the possible movements that people make in order to make his next move. (like seeing if someone's hand twitches or eye move when playing someone in poker.) Sora is like an anti-hero character like Light Yagami, except less bloodthirsty on what he wants to achieve, and more perverted than his funny backwards last name counterpart. Sora is a character that thinks things through, and is always willing to take "risks". I call them "risks" in quotes because technically, the things he bets aren't exactly going to escape his grasp regardless of the circumstance. On a more comical side, this character is a pervert. Longing for a girlfriend himself, Sora uses some pretty conniving ways get a girl for himself. (Reference episode 2.)
On the opposite side of "Blank", is Shiro, the adorable 11 year old girl that no matter what you do, will beat your ass in whatever game you play. Unlike Sora, Shiro focuses more on the "intellectual" side of games, where she is the one playing the moves in the game itself, due to having an intellect far higher than any scientist or genius ever to exist in recorded history. I find her interesting due to the fact that even though she has this intellect, she only uses it when her brother asks her to, following his plots and plans to the point that it seems like a brother complex... Well, we don't have to worry about that.
When you put these two together, the two become an inseparable pair. (I'm not kidding. If you separate them, they become completely different people.) The combination of these two characters make quite an interesting group, as essentially, they cannot lose. They literally, cannot lose.
Apart from the two main characters, we have a whole host of side characters, all of which are practically women, leading me to believe that this is some sort of twisted harem. Stephanie, who seems the most out of place due to the fact that she is the most sensible character in the entire series. (We don't need common sense here!) Jibril, who is a flugel that is both a sadist and a masochist it seems. Kurami, who seems to have a bust complex. (I don't blame her, have you seen the females in this series?) And, Izuna-tan! My favorite out of the entire cast! (Sorry, fanboyed a little bit there.) All of these characters are exceedingly well done and very memorable. All factors that made the show quite well-made and good.
Overview:
+ Well detailed and great main characters
+ Excellently made supporting characters
Art and Sound (9.20/10): Madhouse, thank you. Not only for helping create Fire Emblem Awakening, but also for making the artwork for this series, because it...is...amazing.
What I like a lot about the art in the series, is the fact that it legitimately is a style that is all of its own. Everything from its characters, its backgrounds, everything, is just so vibrant and bright, to the point that all of it looks like it's in neon. It is so eyegougingly bright, that it fits so well with what the insanity and inner workings of the madman that is our main protagonist, Sora. Even when the show decides to go comedic with chibis, the bright style remains, showing that they do retain the color and style regardless.
On the subject of art, the show does have an ecchi tag to it. And, with my previous mention of the females of this show, aha...yeah, there are a good chunk of female characters with rather large chests. On occasion, the show does do showering scenes, where the girls of the series go an take a bath together. Usually, something goes wrong, and well, thing turn a bit weird. There's even a specific episode where the character Jibril just bares it all, sitting there with her chest out for everyone to see like it's no big deal. Unlike most ecchi shows, the fanservice is not overwhelming. In fact, it seems to be that breed of ecchi, that is required. It doesn't take over the show, and it doesn't go too overboard in what it wants and does not want to show. For me, this was a tolerable amount, since it did not hinder the show in any way.
On the topic of sound, well, it's awesome. Like many other shows this season, NGNL has a great soundtrack, with its opening "This game" being its flagship song. This song is awesome. It gives a whimsical feel to the magic that is the show, before dropping it into a rock-style sound, giving a tone of ambition akin to Sora, that works very, very well. This is definitely a song worth listening to over and over again. On the other hand, we have the ending, a more softer and more musical style of song that retains to Shiro, and her love for her brother. Personally, I found both of these tracks to be very well executed, and a great listen to whenever I need motivation for something. (Because the opening is awesome.)
Overview:
+ Unique and very colorful artstyle
+ Fanservice not too overpowering
+ Very memorable tracks
Personal Enjoyment (9.87/10): I had high expectations for this show, I really did. As with hyped shows, if it lives up to the hype, than it is a good show. This show certainly fulfilled a great deal of that. While yes, I had a problem with how the story was portrayed, what with it being mostly planning than actually playing any games, I didn't mind it due to the fact that the characters, whom were the stars of the show, made these boring phases seem more vibrant and more enjoyable to watch. NGNL is a great show in the sense that it fulfills a lot of what people expected it to be, and overall did what it wanted to achieve. While, I am still quite butthurt on the fact that the show ended on a very, very, very big cliffhanger, if the show continues to a second season, than all will be forgiven. Until then, I will be anxiously waiting, hoping that the disappointment won't come.
This is a show that I would recommend watching. If you're a fan of Death Note, (as I know a lot of people are), you probably will like this, as it has that sort of same complicated thinking process that that show had.
Overall Score: (8.99/10)
