Lovestruck, he scrutinized the reactions of other people watching the anime, and the positive reviews and high ratings brought a smile to his face :)
But alas, just as the anime scrolls had foretold, the smart-alecks eventually started watching the anime.
They had heard the legends about this anime's greatness, and screamed:
"No! All anime must have flaws.
If an anime is a 10, it's against the laws!
I'm a self-absorbed git that needs to get a life!
I must rate this anime as lower than a 5!
People call this anime good? That definitely won't do.
Oh look here! A panty shot! A flash of boobs too!
My nose-bleed can't handle it! Let's give it a four.
Oh wait, no wait! There is even more...
The story actually involves humans? How unoriginal!
It's just like that other anime. They practically copied it all!
Now that we have another excuse, let's just give it a three.
I actually secretly enjoyed it, but keep that between you and me.
We are the "real" reviewers. Oh my gawd I'm so smart!
Rather than watch anime, you should hear my brain fart!"
Once they found the tiny blemishes of the anime called "originality" and "fan-service".
They decided that nothing else mattered, and started hating on the anime.
Seeing all this, the poor boy cried out rivers of sorrow.
He tried desperately to defend his beloved anime, but the haters called him a fan-boy and ignored him.
But after watching the anime a second time, the boy wiped off his tears.
He knew the anime was great, and decided to show it in a review.
And so it starts...
If you haven't caught on by now, this review is for all those haters out there complaining about "originality" and "fan-service".
Story: (9/10 Great)
No Game No Life(hereafter referred to as NGNL) is a splendid anime about a pair of brilliant-minded brother and sister, who travel to a parallel universe where gaming is everything.
Being excellent gamers themselves, they proceed to conquer the world, one step at a time.
Now, some of you may say at this point that the story doesn't seem all that new.
Maybe so, but this hardly matters because of the smart games and plot twists that make the overall story very interesting and unique to behold.
There are times when everything seems lost, but our two protagonists will demonstrate a brilliant plan and eventually overcome any obstacle they face.
There will inevitably be someone saying "But Kaiji...!". Well, Kaiji is a great anime in its own rights, I'm not denying that.
But to combine so many different elements, such as ecchi fan-service, fantastical races and magic, as well as comedy into an anime so that they fit and work together so well is not something you see everyday.
Furthermore, the entire story is tied in smoothly to an overall plot of conquering the world. Unlike other animes, such as Kaiji, that has been divided into no-so-smooth arcs.
The story is well-paced to give a balance of entertainment and progress in plot, and each episode will leave you wondering about what will happen next.
Also, the fan-service is just enough to keep the ecchi fans interested, and does not get in the way of the plot. (The ecchi is often part of the plot)
Lastly, I'd like to argue that anime need not be original in the first place. Unlike college application essays or scientific journals, anime solely exist to entertain people, and NGNL has proven itself to excel here.
So "If it ain't broke, don't fix it.",
and haters, no more complaining about originality xD
Art (10/10 Outstanding):
Vibrant, beautiful colors, as well as detailed background and beautiful characters have more than succeeded in seducing my eyes.
What more can I say..
Just by typing in NGNL in Google, you should be able to glimpse what I am talking about.
The animation is smooth, and the action scenes are quite cool.
The characters are well proportioned, and the girls look very gorgeous (and sometimes boobalicious).
Jibril is my personal favorite :D
Characters (7/10 Good):
Nothing too special here, tbh.
The characters have realistic thoughts and reactions, but there are some stereotypes at work here.
The two protagonists are as awesome as they should be, and even with their overpoweredness, gets the audience to sympathize with them and root for them throughout the series.
Jibril is somewhat weird, what with her majestic looks and ditzy personality. However that makes her quite funny and cute (?), at least for me it does xD
Steph is stupid :P She was, is, and forever will be. Least favorite character, and perhaps she could've been made a little less silly.
Overall though, the characters were quite good (especially the protagonists).
Sound (9/10 Great):
Nice OP and ED music, as well as theme music & soundtracks.
"This Game" is one of my favorite anime music, but that might just be because I absolutely love piano music.
All of the music fit in well with the theme of the anime and with the specific scenes they are used in.
The sound effects are well done, nothing to complain about.
Enjoyment (10/10 Outstanding):
Loved it, love it, and I mean every moment of it.
I really haven't enjoyed an anime this much since Code Geass.
I would actually say that I enjoyed NGNL even more than Code Geass because I prefer the more laid-back and fun atmosphere of NGNL.
Enjoyed the fan-service, the comedy, and so many other things (including Jibril).
A definite 10 for me here!
Overall (10/10 Outstanding)
There really is something for most people out there in this anime:
You like fanservice? NGNL's got it (appropriate amounts of it)
You like cool or OP MC? NGNL's got it
You like psychological/strategy stuff? NGNL's got it
You like colorful art? NGNL's got it
You like nice music? NGNL's got it
Whisper: *You like lolis?* *NGNL's got it*
Is there really a question? 10/10 for me!
and may I just add that I don't understand the people rating this anime as a "4" or lower. According to MAL's grading scale, "4" is for "bad" anime. But haters gonna hate, too bad they're missing out ;)
Thank you for reading all of this!
Signing out,
jizzaloo
