The Future Diary or Mirai Nikki revolves around a young boy named Yukiteru Amano who unwittingly finds himself thrown into a "Diary Game", in which all the contestants are given special diaries which can predict future events in their own unique way both with advantages and disadvantages. During the Diary Game he meets a seemingly friendly girl named Yuno Gasai, who, in reality, is secretly obsessed with Yukiteru to the point where her personality resembles that of a yandere character (yandere is the term for someone who is shown to be naturally kind and friendly to someone they really care about to the point where their romantic attraction becomes increasingly destructive and they will use any means, usually violent, to ensure that they stay with their romantic interest forever). As Yuno and Yukiteru progress through the Diary Game, they meet the other contestants that either intend to kill them or attempt to join forces with them as allies. Through these interactions, Yukiteru begins to questions the motives of those around him, and uncovers the truth about who Yuno Gasai truly is. By the end of the series, Yukiteru becomes a very changed person who is far from who he was at the beginning. The ending has a big twist which I won't spoil here, but it was a twist that I definitely did not see coming.
STORY 10/10
The story of Mirai Nikki at its base level is one between Yuno and Yukiteru and their twisted love story. It was very interesting to see how the two characters interact. The Diary Game storyline also shines, but is sort of secondary to the main characters' relationship. The twists and turns the story brings are truly award-worthy, with the ending being the ultimate bringing the ultimate twist that no one saw coming.
CHARACTERS 10/10
The chemistry between the two main characters is great, despite the two of them having very different personalities to begin with. Yukiteru starts off as a very kind, shy person who does his best to avoid killing people, but also lacks the ability to protect himself properly, whereas Yuno will do anything to protect him, even murder others. Her Yandere tenancies is what bring the whole show together in my own opinion. Her psychotic personality and the identity of who she truly is was a defining moment in the story. The character evolution of the two is intense, and by the end of it you'll see Yukiteru end up as a completely different person.
Other characters in the series have great progression as well. Some of the Diary owners are actually genuinely caring people, like Keigo, a police Captain who helps Yuki and Yuno and forms an alliance with them. Minene Uryu is also a character with great depth and my second favourite character of the show. She is also a Diary owner who starts off as an antagonist to the main characters, but eventually ends up as a protagonist by the end of the series.
All of the characters have an interesting story to tell, and as you watch each episode, you'll begin to wonder and look forward to finding out more about each Diary owner, and the ability of their Future Diary.
MUSIC 8/10
The first OP was probably my favourite of them all, by I didn't really enjoy any of the EDs, but that's just my personal opinion!
OVERALL 9/10
Overall, Mirai Nikki is a great suspense/thriller with plenty of action and no boring bits, leaving you at the edge of your seat after every episode. I was so hooked that I wanted to binge watch the entire series in one go. The ending had me wanting more, because I felt that there wasn't any closure for the main character, however, the OVA rectified that.
If you enjoy action, drama, and suspenseful thrillers involving time travel with fantastic character development and storyline, you'll enjoy Mirai Nikki hands down. It's a show you'll end up loving or hating, depending on what kind of anime you enjoy, but to me, it would definitely be worth a watch.
