Sora and Shiro are set to dominate the world through their intelligence and skills in various different games. The best part about the different challenges is that it takes the traditional game and flips it on it's head. It adds an entirely new dimension to what we all thought we knew about a certain genre of game or a specific game. the other positive would come through the wide variety of games presented. Board, word, and card games are all there. The weak point of all this is that sora and shiro tend to have a "make it up as we go along" mentality. This tends to leave the story to rely on random encounters and leaves the viewer with a vague sense of their motivations. They just come off as a "go with the flow" attitude that doesn't necessarily fit into a world domination plot.
-- Art/Sound --
Bright, vibrant colors dominate the entire world and characters. It really emphasizes the "game world" and gives it a lighter tone overall. However, the world as has a dark contrast to emphasize when a more serious/dire tone is taken. The balance between the two is very strategic and implemented well.
The sound for each instance further emphasizes the light and the dark. the best examples of this can be found in Sora and Shiro's challenges with different races/nations. Each encounter kept me interested in the story, but the music only increased my interest and kept me glued to the screen.
-- characters --
The main focus lies on Sora and Shiro. In them lies the strength of the series. They naturally mesh and feed off of one another, but unfortunately that seems to be the only natural element to any of the characters. Stephanie plays the goofy sidekick that gets the brunt of misfortune. Jibril basically just takes whatever order Sora gives and provides fan service. Even Sora and Shiro suffer from a lack of depth. They are the seemingly invincible duo that seem to not have any flaws when it comes to their gaming skills. What one lacks, the other has perfected. It creates for situations that are falsely tense and lead to end results that don't nearly feel as satisfying. Other characters that appear in the show usually are only pawns in the grand scheme of things for Sora and Shiro or are their to show the diversity of the world. It is sad to see such interesting races like the warbeasts and the angels take a back seat in the end.
-- overall --
I enjoyed my time watching No Game No Life thoroughly. The world grew on me in the diversity of the world and through the life it showed. The challenges through the various games kept me glued to my screen but i always came out a bit flatter than i would have hoped due to the "invincibility" factor. The series holds a lot of promise going forward and i will definitely be watching, but it needs to create more depth in the characters to make the transition from good to great.
