Now I could argue that the anime industry has been dominated by the isekai trope in recent years. But once in awhile, there's an anime about survival games. Battle Game in 5 Seconds was chosen to be adapted into a 12-episode anime series despite the manga having over 17 volumes and ongoing. Yes, it would for whatever reason, they wanted to showcase an anime about superpowers that draws the line between fiction and reality. And it all begins with protagonist Akira Shiroyanagi.
Akira isn't your typical protagonist as he is protrayed as a prodigy. He's quick to learn on his feet and has a calm composure despite being thrown into a death game along with others. From the first episode, it became clear that Akira isn't a pushover or someone that can easily be intimidated. To add on to his character attributes, he's also got a clever mind and takes full advantage of his ability, the Sophist. With strategic thinking, it became obvious that Akira possesses intelligence beyond his age. When you have a character thrown into a survival game with all these traits, it makes Akira a key figure to watch out for, both for his allies and enemies.
The rest of the character roster consists a wide range of backgrounds. Among the most prominent is Yuri Amagake, a 17 year old girl with a history of bad luck. And by adding her to show, it really brings in the question how much value she can contribute. To be honest, she's one of the most normal characters in the show with a rather abnormal ability (Wrath of God). It would appear the anime wants to show how a misfortunate girl can fight against bad luck and be who she is. However, the anime does a poor job at developing her character beyond the surface level. She's just too normal, with really nothing unique to describe about her.
With those two out of the way, the rest of the character roster starts to stray from normalcy. For instance, the seductive Rin Kashii is introduced in one of the team battles that shows her manipulative nature. Shin, the quiet giant, is protrayed as an enemy of injustice. We also meet the delinquent Madoka who never lets anyone or anything gets in his way. But perhaps the most unusual among the cast is the catgirl, Mion. She plays the role of the administrator for the survival games. And believe me, she's about as cruel as a character can get in the show. Unfortunately, the anime doesn't adequately develop or reveal her true purpose. It's up to the viewers to decide on why she exists and what she truly wants to put all these characters into survival games with their lives on the line. Yes, that is the main drawback of the show. It seems the anime just drops everything to suddenly and expect us to be invested into the story.
Meanwhile, the anime also appears to forgot or never really wanted to develop its character cast this season. Besides Aki and Yuri, most of the characters in the show are overshadowed by them. The overemphasis on Aki's goal as well as the survival theme itself tarnishes the legacy of this show. Given the survival game context, they should at least try to make one other character in the anime more memorable besides our two leading protagonists. Even for the two main leads, their character development is limited and for what's worth, very underwhelming. That it say, this show can easily be described by one word....underwhelming.
Looking back, I never felt the show was visually appealing from the very start. There's obviously some violence and action given the themes of the series. However, nothing else really stood out whether it's the character designs, settings, or even the backgrounds. Somehow, they made a talking cat-like girl the most distinctive character in the series. While you could say the anime isn't about the art, it certainly deosn't enhance the overall viewing experience. Studios SynergySP and Vega Entertainment need to step it up.
Battle Game in 5 Seconds took a hit for the team and I don't mean that as a compliment. It means it took a hit for itself by creating an underwhelming story with an equally underwhelming cast. With a manga running over 17 volumes, this served little more than an advertisement. It practically wants you to throw money at the franchise. Do yourself a favor and save your money. There's better investments you can make.
