Story – 6.5/10
The slightly too inseparable gaming duo of NEETs Sora & Shiro are a part of the infamous “Blank” (literally 『 』), a group known to never loose no matter the game with little known about who lies behind the empty spaces left in the name. However, this group are really no illusive expert gamers… and is in fact just the result of 2 siblings becoming so fed up with life they’ve dubbed it a shitty game and moved on to spending their lives inside. Blank’s antics are soon to come to an end in our world - as upon destroying some sketchy guy on the internet in a match of chess, they are invited to the world of “Disboard”.
In Disboard, there are 10 covenants rules to be upheld by every entity:
1. All murder, war, and robbery are forbidden in this world.
2. All conflict in this world will be resolved through games.
3. In games, each player will bet something that they agree is of equal value.
4. As long as it doesn't violate pledge three, anything may be bet, and any game may be played.
5. The challenged party has the right to decide the rules of the game.
6. Any bets made in accordance with the pledges must be upheld.
7. Conflicts between groups will be conducted by designated representatives with absolute authority.
8. Being caught cheating during a game is grounds for an instant loss.
9. In the name of god, the previous rules may never be changed.
10. Let's all have fun and play together!
To skip over some of the boring stuff, this god of this world has decided that this war stuff kind of sucks and we should all just play poker for land and disagreements instead. Oh, and would you look at that! The land of the humans (Imanity) is looking for a new ruler who can outplay all the other competitors! I know 2 people who just happened to reincarnate and are VERY good at playing games… Now I suppose it’s time for a little bit of world domination. Will they give justice to the people and reclaim what’s theirs? Nah, Sora has some other motivations for why he needs to conquer a land full of monster girls. Will they do anything for the first 10 episodes? No, the main cast are probably too busy fucking around and bullying Steph. Will we ever get more seasons expanding on the idea? Remind me what we’re watching again.
Throughout our 2 new monarchs’ journeys to reconquer the lost land of Imanity, Sora will play some mind games, Shiro will have a panty shot every other scene, we’ll meet the worlds most useless princess and be joined by the thirstiest (for knowledge) angel you’ve ever laid eyes on. Get ready and prepare to laugh, because it’s time for No Game, No Life.
Characters – 8/10
I think there’s enough to talk about each character individually to give you a good idea of what we’re looking at. Overall, we have quite the interesting set of characters to lead forwards the plot. Brother & Sister, (forced) lovestruck princess and knowledge horny angel all came together to make the antics and comedy of the show genuinely amazing.
Sora – Our leading protagonist and most relatable member of the cast - scared of woman, society, social interaction and driven by the most stupid ulterior motives everywhere he goes. He makes a perfect charismatic main character to take the centre stage alongside his sister and win every game he plays in using deceitful and overly complicated tactics.
Shiro – A tad too attached to her brother suffering withdrawal symptoms at the chance of being 10m away from him (it goes the other way too), Shiro is blunt, practically emotionless loli reminiscent of a supercomputer here to compliment Blank’s perfect teamwork and cover everything that Sora doesn’t have. Also here for lolicon fanservice... (although none of it felt *too* forced) game is game
Steph(anie) – eternal suffering for steph. Honestly this is the ideal comic relief character. Though mostly on the receiving end of the relentless jokes being thrown at her, the impulsive behaviour she demonstrates because of the deal to “you will fall in love with me” (See covenant 4) was genuinely hilarious and I found each stupid gag better than the last.
The remaining of the side characters kind of just exist and don’t provide much for as far as this season covers but aren’t entirely forgettable. As my rating suggests, this is a very good cast of characters that are as memorable as they are ridiculous and will manage to get atleast a smile out of you.
Art & Animation – 8/10
I surprisingly have a bit more to cover than usual here. The first thing you will notice after 10 minutes of episode one is that the utter contrast in colour between the game, the real world and back to a “game” again. NGNL uses an incredibly oversaturated colour pallet with obvious red borders throughout the show, except the small real-world segment at the beginning, and still has it come out looking great. Not only the neon-bright colours but the consistency of the art was very much appreciated.
The animation of the show was also very good – though not really an “old” show to say – it was all very smooth and free flowing without any random cutting or overextended still frames. I’d have to wholeheartedly say it is above average.
And… holy shit is that a motherfuckin jojo reference!??!?! Yeah, there are quite a few references to different pieces of media haha
Music & Sound– 7/10
The OP was straight heat, albeit I did actually end up skipping it most times it played because I was feeling actual excitement for the upcoming episode. It did eventually find its way onto my liked songs so I was hearing it occasionally as a break to actual music. ED was alright though I can’t really find myself to say anything bad or good about it.
The background music was absolutely incredible at some points and pretty mediocre at others. Most of it sounded like videogame music (duh) but none of it didn’t fit to the situation, so it was good but not great.
The voice acting was very good with great performances from some seiyuu you’ve most likely heard before, both Matsuoka Yoshitsugu (Sora)’s loud and full-on voice and the quiet emotionless puns of Ai Kayano - who voices some of my favourite characters – did great jobs. While reading the reviews for some inspiration I found out that the main characters are also voiced by the same pair for sakurasou so no wonder I liked them so much… anyways we’re getting a little off topic here. I’m going to stop talking about something I know nothing about and sum it up as great.
Closing Thoughts
If I would have to say one thing about this show then it would be “funny as shit”. This is one of the more enjoyable shows I’ve gone about watching, so while it doesn’t provide an incredible storyline or perfect anything it is a good time had by all.
And with that, I have one last thing to say… season 2 when?
