In every anime season there is one or two anime's that receive the most hype, where people call it "ANIME OF THE SEASON" or "THE BEST EVER". This happens to be the most hyped anime of the Spring 2014 season. And we all know the anime that receives the most hype, will also receive the most hate. The question now is, how do I personally feel about it and why?
Story-7
Now, when I read the synopsis I was really intrigued. "A story about being inside a game, never heard of that before," you say sarcastically, but please hear me out. The story is about two NEET Step-Siblings, Sora and Shiro who hold world high scores in an amazing amount of online games, where they are known simply as, "Blank." one day, they receive an e-mail asking if they think that they have been born in the wrong world. They are then involved in a game of Chess(Which is a huge staple to the series overall), where, after defeating the challenger, they confirm that they believe that they have been born in the wrong world. This transports them into a new world, where everything is settled by games. While the premise of the story is great (albeit a little cliché), the actual anime strays from the plot at times to deliver ecchi fanservice at times that seem...out of place, to say the least. Despite that, the strategies employed by Blank during games leaves you anywhere from the range of "In awe" to "How the hell's that even possible?" Overall I rate the story as a 7 for having an amazing concept, but not being able to bring out the best in the concept with all the ecchi in the way (I don't dislike ecchi, however, the timing of ecchi for NGNL is pretty bad). That was the main part, now on to some other things...
Art-10
Th artstyle and vivid colors of this anime is simply beautiful, and one of the best parts of the anime. Not much else to say about it.
Sound-9
Nothing is wrong at all with the OST, it is done beautifully, having a very memorable OP and ED.
Character-6
Again, like the story, character development is not fully capable of being brought out in 12 episodes. I will, however, say the reason I rated it so low. The main reason is because at the beginning of the anime, the siblings are full of themselves, and, by the end of the anime, little to nothing changes. Sure there is a little growth here and there, but, most of the time, it isn't significant at all. There are some very memorable characters, such as Jibaril (Who I find to be the best character in the series), who is a Flugel and without giving too much away, has a cool personality (and body, if I may say so myself).
Enjoyment-9
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this series a LOT, despite its flaws. It was very exciting to watch, with me refreshing the page around the time I knew it came out every week. With what seems to be an almost guarranteed second season,am excited and can not wait to see if they can improve over this first season.
Overall-7
Do I think NGNL deserves this much hate? Hell No! Do I think it is "Anime of the Season?"No, I've enjoyed better this season. Do I think it deserves top 15 anime ever? You better believe that's a Hell No! In short, this anime will probably be the hot topic of a lot of hate for the next few months, but don't let that get you down. Don't be afraid to like this anime. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys Games and Fantasy anime, as they will be sure to enjoy it.
