The story in general is a tried-and-tested concept in texts such as BTOOOM! and The Hunger Games, but the twists and turns that are introduced in almost every episode keep things fresh and the viewer guessing. Fanservice is kept to a minimum as well, and what is there is both funny and fluid, barely interfering with the plot at all. Most characters are given a decent backstory and some character development, especially the main characters. For a twenty-six episode anime, the show's pacing is magnificent and the rate at which the story is unravelled is great. I'll admit, the ending did have some fairly ridiculous things, but the ending was wonderfully done, and sets up the epilogue, Mirai Nikki Redial, in a grand way.
ART
In general, the art is very good, with the blend of CG and standard 2D animation fitting very well with the series. There are some baffling uses of CG, however, with items such as Tsubaki's scroll and most other diaries being 3D modelled sometimes and 2D images other times. Other than that, the art is exceptionally detailed and well-done, with character designs being some of the best and most intricate I've seen in quite a while. And then we have the striking opening and ending animations, which are nightmare fuel in every sense of the word. Cryptic, yet oh so perfectly decodable; the perfect way to do it.
SOUND
Can't have a thriller series without spooky ambiance! The music and ambient sounds are a marvel, and really shock the viewer. They add to the striking visuals in a near-perfect way, and set up for even greater things. The two openings are both fantastic as well. Opening 1, Kuusou Mesorogiwi, is very upbeat and punk in style, but suits the overall tone of the show in its mystique and flowing rhythm. Dead END, on the other hand, is very bass-heavy and dark. It is one of the few anime openings I've seen that's completely in English, and it just fits the song perfectly.
CHARACTER
Ah, the characters. Funnily enough, this is perhaps the weakest link in the show. First of all, we have Yuki, who is weak, a crybaby and very scared of everything. He's not a bad character. If you were in his shoes, you'd be on the floor sobbing as well. However, he seems to not realise that he needs to change until later in the series, where he snaps and becomes trying extremely hard to win despite his own morality. It's a hard situation to be placed in, but Yuki pulls it off well... too well. I actually believe that Yukiteru is inhuman, not in his inability to adapt, but in his adapting extremely well for a small period before snapping back to scaredy-cat mode. Yuno, on the other hand, is very protective of Yuki. She is labelled as a yandere due to her actions, and I don't disagree. Bitch is psycho. Combined with her superhuman durability and reflexes, as well as exceptional knowledge of human anatomy, she's on the other end of the spectrum. She's a non-relatable character because of her mindset. You don't know anybody like Yuno, because you're still alive. Strangely, the character I find most human and relatable is Minene Uryuu, the Ninth Diary Holder. Her actions are all fuelled by her own passion and mind. She knows how to survive on her own, and acts as an anti-heroic mentor to Yuki after an encounter as a major antagonist. Minene's character arc is very similar to Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z in a way. Starting off as a villain before becoming a lovable anti-hero with some anger issues, Minene eventually makes an ultimately fruitless sacrifice to try and save the day. This could be considered a cliche character at this point, but Minene pulls it off so well, I can't care. Most of the other characters are either comic relief (Kousaka, Hinata, Mao) or deep characters (Fourth, Aru, Tenth) who would simply take up a lot of space in the review, but all of them have significant and important impacts on the story and characters. Except Third. He's kinda just there. I don't know why.
ENJOYMENT
I had a lot of fun watching this anime, and I'm planning on watching the dub to compare in a while. Its rewatch value is high due to the amount of things that can be missed (and probably will the first time around), however, after watching a few psychological thrillers in the past, I've been able to train myself to pay attention to all the details. If you've never seen a psychological show before, you should at least know what to look for and what to appreciate before diving into Mirai Nikki. A lot of the show may go over your head if you have no idea what a psych show is aiming to achieve. If you have seen a good thriller series before, this show will take you on a ride that ends in a fantastic climax that honestly nearly brought me to tears when I first watched it. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Mirai Nikki.
CONCLUSION
After watching this show all the way through, I can fully appreciate Sakae Esuno's work with this series. It hits rather hard with a clever, exciting story and a climactic destination. The anime has firmly cemented itself at the top of my list of favourite anime of all time, and could perhaps be my favourite work of fiction ever. For a thrilling experience that will keep surprising you until the end, I recommend Mirai Nikki, but be warned; it's not for the faint of heart.
