Mirai Nikki’s internal consistency is shot. It is supposed to be a dark thriller with shounen elements that is unafraid to present moral and ethical dilemmas to its characters in their pursuit of godhood. It does not act like one. Life-threatening injuries are brushed off easily in this universe. A slice to the throat might as well be a paper cut. Characters are gutted like a turkey at a Thanksgiving dinner, and still manage to give lengthy Shakespearean monologues or pull off Olympic-level feats of strength and agility. The plot’s will is paramount, and death means nothing to these characters unless the story deigns it so. For example, one particular character is completely beheaded, yet they are still able to walk several steps in a straight line, perfectly upright, (holding a cellphone all the while) before collapsing. Mirai Nikki cannot decide whether it wants to be a dark psychological thriller or an over-the-top edgy comedy/shounen hybrid, so it tries to be both. In doing so, it collapses.
Due to the aforementioned identity crisis, an uneven narrative tone plagues Mirai Nikki. There is a swimsuit segment in the middle of episode three. Episode 13 presents us with a yuri-bait hot springs scene. A remote-controlled pack of dogs equipped with mechanical razor-sharp teeth is the main threat in episode eight. None of the series’ absurdity and unintentional humor would bother me if Mirai Nikki were a comedy/action popcorn flick. Hell, I would readily accept its campiness with open arms. Yet, it wants me to be emotionally invested in its violence, dysfunctional cast and tragedy for the majority of the time. I completely understand the need for moments of levity in an otherwise somber work. After all, a continuous, overpowering grisly tone is in danger of making viewers feel desensitized.
Nevertheless, out-of-place comedy and fanservice ruins the grim atmosphere. Its poor execution interrupts the flow of the story and causes pacing issues. Overlooking these tonal missteps would be easier if they happened infrequently, but they pop up so often that I can continue giving examples. In episode 16, Yuki’s dad comes into his room and sees him on the floor with a woman sitting on his back; she is adding extra weight to his pushup. The man enthusiastically screams to her, “Go ahead! Ride me, too!” as he gets on all fours, ass up in the air. Brilliant psychological thriller you got there, Mirai Nikki. Scenes like these drove me up a wall, and usually happened right before or after a brutal murder. It grinds the story to a screeching halt.
As if the misplaced comedy were not messy enough, we also have unnecessary fanservice to deal with. Yuno is the worst offender of the lot; at one point, she tries to murder several characters wearing only a white bra and undies. In another episode, she has a requisite shower scene. We get a close-up of Yuno’s breasts as she bashfully comments on how small her bikini is, which is then promptly washed away. Cue the upbeat, wacky music. Did I get tricked into watching an ecchi romcom? Unfortunately, she is not the only female character that is subjected to this. The camera lewdly focuses on underage girls’ panty shots. Hinata has her shorts ‘humorously’ pulled down in her first appearance. A male character falls on top of a woman and accidentally grabs her breasts. Very original stuff. This would all be pretty annoying and immersion-breaking as it is, but the director does something far more egregious and unforgivable.
Gang rape is used for gratuitous shock factor and to garner sympathy points from the audience. Rape as a backstory needs to be done very carefully, otherwise it comes across as insensitive and tasteless. Frivolous rape scenes that add nothing to characterization or plot progression are insulting to the characters and to the audience as a whole. One of these scenes did not exist in the original manga. Had this gang rape been taken out entirely, this character would act the same as they always did. It served no purpose to the plot. Shame on director Naoto Hosoda for the exploitative shots and anyone involved in adding this to the anime.
Yuki Amano’s character development is bumpier than Cedar Point’s roller coasters. Yuki starts the show as completely and utterly weak. He passively overlooks Yuno’s stalker tendencies to keep himself alive. Flirtations from the girl he likes turn him into a puddle of tears. He ponders how a loser like him is still alive. He would even go as far as to beg his rivals to, “give [his] death some meaning.” It is never really explained why he had all these emotional hang-ups other than his parents’ divorce. I prayed to the storyboard gods they would pull an Old Yeller and put him out of his misery.
Then, a miracle happened.
The boy who would cry at the drop of a hat, charged straight into a fire, hatchet in hand, to save a girl. He made friends who genuinely cared about him. In another episode, Yuno collapses after fighting an enemy, and he gives her CPR. Not only was he becoming braver as the story progressed, he was also gaining confidence in himself. Yuki’s emotional growth was – dare I say it? – a strong factor that kept me watching the show. The same person who I had written off as a complete dud. By the midpoint of the series, I was hesitantly rooting for him. We even had an important conversation illustrating how far he has come:
Yuki: “Don’t you want to become happier than this? You’re one hell of a stalker who followed me for a year, right? You’re going to become my bride, right?”
Yuno: “If it won’t come true…th-then I want you to live at least!”
Yuki: “You idiot! Don’t give up like that! I will make you happy! We’re going back. Even if you give up, I won’t! I’m not giving up. Because… I love Yuno, too.”
I felt vindicated. Pushing aside Yuki’s messy feelings for Yuno (which I will get to later), this was the peak of Yuki’s character development. He showed guts, positivity, and assertiveness. Unfortunately, the same guy who made that heroic speech, says the following three episodes later: “What could I have done?! I know I’m scum… I know I am… But I’m weak.” Moments of weakness are fine; we are all human. I still had hope…but it was all for naught. Without spoiling anything, the last couple of episodes cement his complete decay. By the end, his positive qualities are dragged into a sketchy back-alley, beaten up with rusty drainpipes, and then shot in the head execution-style. Ladies and gentlemen, let us give a moment of silence to his nascent character development. I’m still mourning.
Yuno Gasai is the villain protagonist that the plot wants us to cheer for. Her psychopathy and obsession for Yuki are iconic. The main reason a lot of us, myself included, went into the show was to see her crazy self in action. While her lust for murder and Yuki’s cock are entertaining to watch, she lacks any real depth. Her main problem lies on her stunted character growth – she remains her same empathy-lacking, love-stricken, bloodthirsty self for the entirety of the anime’s run. Being Yuki’s bride is her only long-term goal and personal motivation. How can she be a decent female character if her agency and self-worth solely revolves around a guy? Without being hyperbolic, a large chunk of her dialogue is calling out her crush’s name. I watched patiently, hoping that a good explanation for Yuno’s single-minded affection would appear. Surely she had an earth-shattering reason as to why Yuki meant the world to her. Instead, all I got was a very shallow scene that was neither touching nor romantic.
Despite committing monstrous actions, villain protagonists can be sympathetic. Just look at Griffith from Berserk. To the anime’s credit, it tries its best to humanize Yuno through her past. Bits and pieces of Yuno’s tragic backstory are presented to the audience. She’s had a hard life, no question about it, and yet…I was unconvinced. Let me explain. I could buy Yuno developing mental disorders and dysfunctional personality traits, like her paranoia, co-dependency, and difficulty relating to others. However, not to the extent that she went from a happy-go-lucky girl to Ms. Slice N’ Dice in a two-year span. But I digress.
Yuki and Yuno’s romance is toxic at every conceivable level and brings out the worst in each other. The script’s direction wants us to root for them to be together, but I could only see it as a sad case of Stockholm’s syndrome. There were times were I could enjoy their interactions with each other, like watching a slow-moving train-wreck unfolding in front of me. Anime has no obligation to portray healthy relationships, especially in a battle royale scenario. One-hundred percent agreed. However, it keeps Yuno from feeling remorse for her deplorable actions, since Yuki forgives her readily. And as for Yuki, he somehow becomes even WORSE as a character since he met her.
Let’s get to the secondary characters, like Uryuu Minene and Nishijima. It is a sad state of affairs when the child-murdering terrorist is the only one with any kind of meaningful character arc. If someone threatened me with a gun to my head, I would even say I liked her. Minene wants no pity since ‘everyone’s got tragedy in their lives’. Death and destruction marred every facet of her life, but she still wants to survive. Her fierce independence and fiery streak were a welcome contrast to our main hero’s spinelessness. She even calls him out on his bullshit. Bloodthirsty like Yuno, but still carries a small bit of sanity intact. Like all the other Diary holders, Minene’s backstory does not naturally unfold. It is told through random sepia-colored flashbacks and – to my disappointment – not as detailed as everyone else’s.
Nishijima is a nice enough cop, who is terrible at his job. He lets a known terrorist alone with Yuki at his hospital bed. In another instance, he asks a single question to a suspect wanted for murder – both sitting at a café, no less – and lets them go with an exasperated sigh when they do not answer. The anime suggests his shifting loyalty is due to his blossoming feelings for Minene, but the storyline does nothing to show us even the vaguest hints of his growing attraction. The plot tells us they are in love…so they are in love. Still a better love story than Twilight.
Deus Ex Machina and Akise are hard to write about without going into heavy spoilers, but I’ll try. Akise is a bargain-bin Kaworu; from his intense, yet unexplained, love for a boy (in this case Yuki), down to his silver hair and piercing red eyes. I will give him this much: he was an interesting character. At least his intelligent musings on the story’s mysteries kept me from becoming comatose. His thoughts on the nature, or lack thereof, of free will were fine. My biggest compliment to his characterization is that I did not want to throw him into an industrial-sized meat-grinder like the rest of the cast. Deus Ex Machina is disappointing; so much fascinating characterization can be written about a dying god looking for a worthy replacement. All I got were more questions, and few answers.
What can I say about the rest of these lovable characters like the nerve-gas expert toddler, a psychic loli, a superhero wannabe, the murderous battle couple, and a pseudo-Nazi sympathizer? Not much, really. Can you really expound pages upon pages about the tools in your garage? They are pawns of the script; they get a short, sad backstory, before being used up and discarded five minutes later. After the anime concluded, I forgot all their names. Hinata, Mao, Kousaka are there for comic relief and to fill up space – that’s about as much energy as I can muster up for them.
To the anime’s credit, it has a great gothic 1st OP that sets up the mood perfectly for a psychological thriller. Too bad the show is only cosplaying as one. 2nd OP has terrible English; the voice actress can sing, but I kept missing the 1st OP. It’s still catchy, though. At the most inopportune times, stock sound effects that seem ripped straight out of a Looney Tunes episode ruin the tense atmosphere. Surf rock plays during comedic moments. Playful piano pieces accentuate the lighthearted interactions between Yuno and Yuki’s slice-of-life moments. Both EDs are serviceable rock songs. Voice actors did a strong job portraying their insane characters, especially Yuno.
Deny it all you want, character designs are eye-catching. Asides from her perchance for violence, Yuno is an extremely recognizable character in the anime community. Her pink hair, bright smile, and menacing knife make her memorable. I didn’t dislike the colorful look of any of the characters except for the 8th player – Kamado Ueshita. She looks like a sentient bag of flour wearing a Smurf hat. Within the context of the show, her peculiar appearance goes mysteriously unacknowledged. Animation is fine for what it is; Makoto Shinkai can breathe easy. Kudos for drawing Yuno’s frightening expressions, though. There is some terrible CGI in this. Initial D’s cars took a wrong turn and ended up in Mirai Nikki.
And finally, the ending. I would talk more about it but I have only just recovered from a bad case of the giggles. Suffice to say it is the cherry on top of this rancid sundae.
Recommended to anyone who wishes to have a pink-haired, emotionally unstable, sociopathic, murderous teenager for a girlfriend. Don’t invite me to the wedding.
