People say that NGNL's story is a copy of "Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo?"(Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren't They?), but I say if it has been done about 10 times better than the original, it doesn't matter if it has a similar plot line.
To me, NGNL is a work of genius. The story, yet slightly unoriginal, is amazing. It makes our world and it's laws and wars look utterly idiotic as the people of NGNL can decide everything with games without pain, suffering, death or destruction. Sounds like fun right? This also means that it is generally the most tactical and knowledgeable people that have the power to obtain what they desire in their life.
The art in NGNL is amazing. It's flashy and fun and matches the tone of the anime almost perfectly. The landscape is especially nice with it's seemingly random and gravity defying scenery that gives the anime a fun yet alien feel.
For me, one of the highlights of the anime is it's sound. The soundtrack is bouncy and fun, sounding like it should come from a video game, matching the gaming style of the anime. The best part of the sound is the opening: "this game" by Konomi Suzuki. An absolutely beautiful song that I just can't hear enough of.
Im not sure if the characters in NGNL can be considered "original" but I don't think that really matters too much. All that matters is how they fit in with the story. You've got Sora, the cocky, perverted mastermind who is never short on cunning schemes and ways to win games and annoy Steph. There's also Shiro, the loli sister of Sora who is stupidly smart and adorable. She can learn languages in hours, calculate trajectories for bullets in milliseconds and can't be out of the line of sight of Sora without both of them having major panic attacks. There's also Stephanie Dola who is the comic relief character in NGNL. She is always the target from one of Sora's pranks and goes through all sorts of trouble from the siblings. Then there's Jibril who is a bloodthirsty, knowledgethirsty and almost psychopathic Flugel which is a made up race from NGNL. They are angel-like beings who can use very powerful magic and adore books.
This was probably the most enjoyable anime I've ever watched. Its got games, magic, alternate universes, kemonomimis, strategies, witty puns and Sora.
Overall, I would recommend this anime to anyone who loves non generic shounen protagonists with actual brains or anyone who loves anime in general. It is a must watch anime that should be enjoyed by everyone.
