No Game No Life - Episode 4 Discussion / Poll

[Pellissier]

Welcome to the discussion thread for No Game No Life, Episode 4.

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[MisaoFan]

Spoiler for Episode 4:

I don't seem to get tired enough of enjoying this show. The visuals were definitively superior to any other show I'm watching this season and when the battles takes place within traditionnal games instead of usual physical fight as seen with any action/adventure show, it do not throw some dark tension into us. It does have some brutal moments through emotionnal level and they weren't so forced to watch. It looks like that in the end, Sora and Shiro wanted to conquer the world with their own desire to play games with others, so entertainment is thereby the icing in the cake. According to the opening theme, it looks like most of the heroines will likely work best as allies instead of needless haremettes, though I'm only speculating it. Overall, this episode is just like any other, an awesome spectacle full of comedy, strategy-based battles and such.

[Newprimus]

Spoiler for episode 4:

It's more of a resolution episode post-battle with Kurami (her breaking down was great), but it sets up for an eventual ending to the whole story. I don't mean this season, but No Game No Life overall. Even with no battles and mostly just talking it was a good episode.

[Random Wanderer]

Aww, so Clammy/Kurami and Elf-girl didn't get added to the harem?

...They used guides for Civ games to put the kingdom back in order?

So Tet doesn't like losing, hmm? He could have at least put them back inside...

[GDB]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

So Tet doesn't like losing, hmm? He could have at least put them back inside...

Haha that's what I was thinking too. When they called out to him before he left, I thought that's what they were going to ask him, but then they called him out on losing.

[Xacual]

It was an excellent adaptation again though the anime seems to like making public events private ones. In the LN Tet visited while they were in the throne room surrounded by ministers.

Spoiler for Scene from LN left out:

Also disappointed the masturbation chat was left out. It might come up later but I was looking forward to it quite a bit.

[chadrew]

Not as awesome as the previous episode, and the chess battle ended really quickly. However, still enjoyable.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Awesome in its own way. Almost awe-inspiring, in fact. I got emotionally caught up in Sora's declarations of human weakness/strength, and of his/their desire to conquer the world and challenge god. And Kayano Ai continues her glorious performance as Shiro. A bit of gap moe combining the cute little sister, the brilliant hikikomori gamer, and the queen.

[Benigmatica]

Originally Posted by chadrew

Not as awesome as the previous episode, and the chess battle ended really quickly. However, still enjoyable.

Well, it supposed to end it yesterday...

But anyways, I like how Kurami being a crybaby after losing a chess match. Oh, and I like how Tet can be a sore loser sometimes.

[Shadow5YA]

Tet totally teleported them outside to get back at them

[Reckoner]

This show is disgustingly transparent in its attempt to champion their "battle-hardened" NEET/Hikikomori characters with all sorts of extremely worn-out otaku humor. There is an unbelievable disconnect between the yagami light-esque portrayal of Sora and his actual self. It seems that NEET/hikikomori is a label that is meant to be cool and that somehow makes you a badass who can solve all the problems with simple tricks that no one ever thought of before in this universe. Wish fulfillment fantasy is one thing, but trivializing the conditions of these kinds of people does an immense disservice.

It doesn't help so far that the games have already degraded into pure nonsense it seems. The resolution to the chess match was as stupid as the lead up. They just make up rules as they go with no real thought actually put into it. How can there be any sense of excitement or enjoyment here?

I don't buy the characterization of Sora and Shiro, the show's immature mindset and worldview, nor do I think it manages to be entertaining in spite of that. Horrible, horrible episode and show.

[hai_san]

Lol haha i can't say the author did any good with the games or strategies but the brainwashing was excellent.

The Queen Chess piece and the Imanity people all believe the "crap" Sora is telling

[HandofFate]

lol. good episode.

Sora's speeches are really carrying this show.

lol @ Tet.
I know Tet says he's flavors all races equally, but imagine the other races seeing them together, and thinking that its not a regular race backing up the Imanity, but God. They be pooping their pants.

[Divini]

Such a fun series to watch. The world is just like Mondaiji minus any kind of fighting, and instead relying entirely on your wit and wisdom. Sora+Shiro and Izayoi are both horribly overpowered, but they're having a BLAST while doing it, making the stuff they pull (no matter how convoluted or insane it is) so much fun to watch!

That's one of the better speeches on the strength and weaknesses of humanity I've heard in a while. (Maid Ane's from MMY still edges it)

[teejmo]

Originally Posted by Reckoner

This show is disgustingly transparent in its attempt to champion their "battle-hardened" NEET/Hikikomori characters with all sorts of extremely worn-out otaku humor. There is an unbelievable disconnect between the yagami light-esque portrayal of Sora and his actual self. It seems that NEET/hikikomori is a label that is meant to be cool and that somehow makes you a badass who can solve all the problems with simple tricks that no one ever thought of before in this universe. Wish fulfillment fantasy is one thing, but trivializing the conditions of these kinds of people does an immense disservice.

It doesn't help so far that the games have already degraded into pure nonsense it seems. The resolution to the chess match was as stupid as the lead up. They just make up rules as they go with no real thought actually put into it. How can there be any sense of excitement or enjoyment here?

I don't buy the characterization of Sora and Shiro, the show's immature mindset and worldview, nor do I think it manages to be entertaining in spite of that. Horrible, horrible episode and show.

Ouch. This is a pretty harsh judgment. Though, considering it's only a third of the way through the season and still just through the first volume of the novel, it might be a bit pre-mature. Let's just say, the MC has been through hell in his life. What that hell is isn't necessarily stated yet in the light novel, but we already know he can read people too much (it's stated earlier in the season, so that's why I'm not putting this in spoiler format). We'll probably not find out about the actual details in his past that form the foundation of his personality for a long time (as in, not even in a sequel season), so if you have no patience, I do recommend quitting.

As for the Chess match, it was stated from the beginning that the pieces "had their own will". So I'm not sure what you were expecting. Most of the time, when people have "their own will", it doesn't work out as nicely as it does on an actual chess board, which Sora did realize and used to his advantage. Though I will admit, the galge part was unnecessary.

[larethian]

Cool speech was cool. Nomura's plot and setting are simple and straightforward and yet decently entertaining for me. Whatever comes after this will be mostly new territory for me. I hope they don't come up with original ending and follow through, since I won't have time to resume this series in its text medium.

[revive4563]

Hmm...I'm waiting for more comedy than something like this rhetorical show IMO.
If Flugels are living in the land upper than cloud, it could be interesting Skypear arc.
btw I never knew that Teto's voice is Kugimiya. Generations is changing...

[FlareKnight]

Another really fun episode. Not a bad speech at all from Sora once he was able to calm down a bit. A lot of fair points to be sure. For the weakest race they did a pretty good job surviving during a horrible period where all but one god was killed and who knows how bad the death toll was for the individual races. While the other races could spam their respective talents, the weak needed to get creative in order to survive and thrive. Once the system changed and those other races started to use those tactics themselves + their respective skills it got a whole lot tougher. But just means that people have to dig deeper and without any magic to lean on they'll be better at it because of pure necessity.

The "chess" match ended in a pretty entertaining way. Was a gamble, but paid off well when the Queen became a third faction. Just kept pushing Kurami into a corner until she pretty much self-destructed. Her desperation and paranoia cost her in the end. In the end the game and historical knowledge for Blank did its job. Sora pushing her into breaking down in tears at the end was quite the scene as well.

The aftermath was pretty good. The Blank war of games clearly nearly annihilated them since no one could win a second game in a row and just can't stand letting someone keep a win on them. They are certainly unbeatable together for a reason.

Scene with Tet was good. Certainly not a shocker that he pulled these two into that world just for a big rematch down the road.

[Kanon]

This show is definitely the biggest surprise of the season. It's pure fun. Sora is pretty much the best MC of the season. He's smart, wise beyond his years, ambitious, and funny. His speech about humanity's weakness being its biggest strength was inspiring. You can tell he's no ordinary NEET and that he's already been through a lot in his short life. I wonder what kind of upbringing he and Shiro had to turn out this way.

Although I'm enjoying this show, I hope more thought will be put into the next games. The "chess" game was very fun, but it became more and more random as it went. I know it was meant to display Sora's outside of the box thinking, but the author went a bit too far. I hope for more grounded and intellectual game later. Ones with firmly set rules. The author is apparently a fan of Jojo, if he's learned anything from it, it should be good.

[MK-95-]

Simply entertaining. That's all I can say right about now. The dialogue is what makes this series fun for me. Sora's charisma & witty dialogue is beyond interesting & the character interactions also make it that much more interesting.

Again, I have to say that this is the most faithful adaptation of the season, so that makes me really thrilled, but the episode gets a 9 because they altered one scene I really wanted to see & excluded another I was looking forward to.

Originally Posted by Xacual

It was an excellent adaptation again though the anime seems to like making public events private ones. In the LN Tet visited while they were in the throne room surrounded by ministers.

Spoiler for Scene from LN left out:

Also disappointed the masturbation chat was left out. It might come up later but I was looking forward to it quite a bit.

I'm a bit disappointed. I was looking forward to both those scenes. I wanted to see everyone in awe when they found out that they beat Tet & I wanted to see that chat for the lols.

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Next up, we're heading into vol 2 territory, I so look forward to that upcoming game.