No Game No Life - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating

[Pellissier]

This thread is to be used for discussing the entire episodes of No Game No Life ... your thoughts about the show, overall impressions, expectations and hopes about Blu-Ray/DVD-exclusive footage etc.

A few subjects you might want to ramble on about:

• General impression of the series.
• Opinions on the overall story, writing & plot devices.
• Thoughts about the animation quality.
• Characters/Character Design
• Voice Acting
• Which kind of footage (Blu-Ray/DVD-exclusive) you feel you'd really like to see.
• What the show meant to you.
• What could the creators/animators/writers have done better.

And so on.

The poll represents your total series rating. In other words, how you would rate all the episodes combined (1-10)? If you'd rather rate the whole series by technical/artistic merits, you can do so. An example:

Animation Quality: 1-10
Voice Actors: 1-10
Script: 1-10
Soundtrack: 1-10
Editing: 1-10
Enjoyment: 1-10
Emotional Involvement: 1-10

Average = Total Series Rating

Or a combination of the two. Or your general gut feeling.

Feel free to discuss and more importantly, have fun

[Netto Azure]

I think this series sets a great standard for recent adaptations for the light novel genre. I was initially worried because of the source being slightly difficult to adapt and my expectations for anime adaptations way shot down in the floor with SAO or Mahouka, this was certainly a gem.

I had felt that everytime I picked up a light novel and then it gets an adaptation I'd be disappointed by them, but this certainly exceeded my expectations. I look forward to the next season when we get a lot of interesting developments.

Animation Quality: 9
This was certainly a well made adaptation in the artistic sense, the use of bright colors enhances the feeling of vibrancy and fantasy that the series revels in. I know it was quite off putting for some but to me it was a breath of fresh air to the darker tones that somewhat permeates other series. Still it incorporated the monochrome and grayscale to quite the emotional impact for a particular episode, enhancing our anxiety.

Voice Acting: 9
I believe the voice actors did a great job in evoking the fun and light heartedness of the series. Still each characters personalities were certainly expressed by the VA's.

Matsuoka has certainly gone far from his role as Kirito in SAO and delivers an engaging performance as Sora with the manipulativeness and yet comedic moments.

Kayano as the somewhat stoic Imouto Shiro performed well, but alas as a character was overshadowed by Sora. Still ever the supportive sister she performed great.

Hikasa as Stephanie Dola? Well certainly top notch. We got the feel of her hard work and love for her grandfather. Although treated as a butt monkey for most of the series, it was certainly quite a wide bearth of voice acting.

Tamura as Jibril was...hmm I think consensus was best girl? :P

Soundtrack: 8
This adaptation certainly went far with its gaming and anime parodies. It used OST's from games such as Ace Attorney to Catherine. It certainly went well with the fact that the characters were using genre saviness as a way to get through games. Still none of them did leave an earworm unlike a Kaijura track.

Editing: 10
As I have mentioned earlier this was quite a new standard for adapting something from a format such as a light novel. It was able to convey many of the important plot points withought overburdening the viewer with verbose information. Yes some fans of the source will hem and haw about the adaptation, but personally I am happy we are even to experience a visually entertaining story in this format.

Enjoyment: 9
I remember picking up this series a while back, the initial games were interesting but it was the Materialization Shiritory that hooked me (along with fan favorite Jibril of course) Starting the game with a Hydrogen Bomb? The epitome of human weaponry? Sheesh the game just went off the wall after that. It was a feast for the eyes to watch. The other games were also quite fun from Civ Chess to the FPS GalGunxL4D love child . Certainly something to rewatch again.

Emotional Involvement: 8
The plot has just begun, there are still 12 more races to go. I can't wait for more.

Overall Impression: 9
I, personally am a fan of the fantasy RPG genre. When I first read this series it was certainly quite a fun ride, but seeing it visually was a much better format. The anime took a few liberties with its focus on gaming and anime parodies but I believe this enhanced the story overall and helped reinforce the idea that Sora and Shiroe are having fun using their entertainment and gaming knowledge, while enticing the viewer due to their familiarity.

To Madhouse, Omega Good Job (b")b

[~Yami~]

Animation Quality: 9

I'm not a fans of this ambiance animation style... but I love every comical animation that sometimes used which make the animation didn't really hurt my eyes
I'm enjoying it

Voice Actors: 9

Jibril's VA is the best.... Shiro's VA is also good.. the rest are okay...
oh.. Steph's WRYYYYYYY is awesome

Script: 11

Magnificent.... clearly exceeded my expectation.. Every game is very detailed and explained well.. Best game-themed anime I ever watched

Soundtrack: 10

This game and Oracion still ringing in my phone... simply... the OST and songs are great

Enjoyment: 10

This is simply the best anime this year so far.... thanks for making this anime.. Omega GOOD JOB for the staffs

Emotional Involvement: 9

not really emotional... but so far so good... like Steph's interaction with her grandpa, the way Sora and Shiro matured as leaders, and Kurami-Feel's past

[Cosmic Eagle]

Hopefully this thing gets a second season. It's one of the few ones where it's actually more enjoyable than the source material.

[Jaden]

Well, at first I thought it was going to be a deep story focusing on mystery and tricky games, but it turned out to be a completely different experience. Highly visual with a focus on entertainment and not a dull moment. It's not what I started watching for, but I ended up thinking that this is fine, too. If they went too serious with intellectual pursuits during the games, it would have hurt the pacing that they set.

The production, from art and animation to music and voice acting, I thought was absolutely top notch.

I'm loathe to comment on the story since it's half way, but I like the evocative fantasy setting and the fast development.

When it comes to the characters, I liked the designs but writing-wise they were weak. This ends up being my only major disappointment.

It's not my favourite kind of show, but it does what it does very well, gets an 8/10 from me!

[takai]

Plot: 9.5
While the theme of "being in a video game" has been done many times before, No Game No Life gives it a very cool and interesting twist. These 13 races fighting one another to face a god, is very cool. It just feels original and interesting. I also like the underlying plot of saving Imanity from dying out. Saving it from it's poverty stricken state. The games by which this world is dictated are extremely awesome. They all varied from the simplest of games, to the most complicated things imaginable. It's all just plain fun.

Characters: 10
In my opinion, the strongest aspect of the show. The characters in this show were nothing short of brilliant. Sora clearly takes the lead, along with Jibril. Jibril's thirst for knowledge and her own superior intelligence makes her both unique and fun.

Steph's back-story and character were also great, even though she unfortunately just became more a fan-service character half way through. Which was really a shame. She has the potential to be a lot more, so I really hope she's treated much better next season. And lastly, Shiro. Using her strong intellect and wit, she's definitely a much more interesting character. However, she really doesn't make all that much of an impact in comparison to Sora. As the team strategist, she did well, but could've been better. The episode when it was just her was definitely an improvement to her character, as she was the one who needed to think her way out of an almost impossible to solve mystery. I'm hoping she makes more of an impact in the next season. Side characters such as Tet was even given a solid and back story, I'd love to see him more in the future. Even Miko, a character we've only met for an episode was a refreshing sight. Her strategic fail-safe plan against Imanity was extremely smart.

What I really liked about Sora and Shiro is that they really broke the mold for main characters lately. They acknowledge their weaknesses and play on their strengths. Most main characters today are just given something, they don't really do anything to earn it. It just happens. That also includes things later on, things just "work out for them". For Sora and Shiro however, they earn everything they get. They outsmart their opponents and strategically plan all of their possible moves. Not only that, but we still do not fully understand their past. This element of mystery keeps these characters interesting as well as it keeps us invested in them.

Animation Quality: 8
I would say this is one of the weaker aspects of the show. At times, the animation looked pretty good, other times, it was sort of stoic. But that was few and far between. And sometimes it even looked great. But for the most part, it looked pretty good.

Voice Actors: 9.5
The voice actors did a very solid job. Sora's, Jibril's, Steph's, and Tet's to point out the best ones. They delivered their lines very well. The silly voices a lot of them made were great. They really brought the characters to life.

Script: 9
From my first impressions, the script was quite strong. It was coherent in its explanations, but also complicated at times too. Not to say it's a bad thing. Heck, I even learned a thing or two about science from this show. I'd have to re-watch the show a few more times to rate it properly, but a 9 is my initial thoughts.

Soundtrack: 8
The soundtrack was a surprising delight. A mix of techno, beats, and ambiance, with some orchestral mixed in. It really fit very, very well with a video game themed show. I was an especially big fan of the hip-hop beats during talking scenes. Definitely added more to the scenes. Also, the OP and ED's were outstanding.

Art: 9.5
Really beautiful art. The bright palette and sharp character designs really stands out. The scenery for Disboard was gorgeous as well, it always had this really nice dynamic lighting that just made everything pop. Character designs felt genuinely fresh and new. The coloring for the character was interesting as well. Hair gradually changed color, or the eyelashes were something other than the generic black. It was very rare that you ever found a dull color in this show. This was an extremely strong aspect of the show that I truly adored.

Enjoyment: 10
An easy 10. I loved every second of this show. It was pure entertainment, not only in plot, but in the characters, the visuals, the comedy. Everything.

Emotional Involvement: 10
I was definitely all in emotionally. Before this show even started I was all in. I loved the preview, and was extremely excited to watch the show. I loved every second.

Overall, No Game No Life was an incredible ride, full of both colorful characters and backdrops in an interesting, yet mysterious world that we've only just begun to understand. It's well written plot and characters keep you interested as smoothly takes you from one episode to another without the feeling of slowing down. I sincerely hope a second season, with 24 episodes instead of 12, is on the horizon. By the way sales are going, I don't think the next season is too far off. Madhouse did a splendid job.

10/10

[Guy Incognito]

having read the book before the anime and still liking it. it is a very good adaptation.

[Bakaizer]

hate and like about this anime is all i've seen

[debrr07]

I'll keep this short and sweet like the anime xD

I LOVED the anime !!!!
Now I'm going to read the LN's on Baka Tsuki

Thoroughly enjoyed the anime
BRAINS>BRAWNS

9/10

[Atomic-brigade]

No Game No Life overall for me was a 10/10. Truthfully i loved it and i thought the anime was great. I loved the strategy and comedy mainly put into it and how they made the bonds with both sora and shiro so strong.I really hope they make another series and i may even check out the light novels that were released because of how good the anime was.

[OH&S]

Animation Quality: 10
The animation quality was excellent and most importantly, consistent. The art was nice to look at with stunning visuals.
Voice Actors: 10
You can just tell that the voice actors had a lot of fun acting in their roles. Praises to Sora, Stephanie and Jibril's voice actors in particular. Everyone was well cast.
Script: 10
Everything made sense with the internal logic presented in the series (if not stretching credulity sometimes, though not a scripting issue). All ideas that wanted to be presented were presented adequately. The sheer amount of comedy jam-packed into the script gives it a perfect score.
Soundtrack: 8
A nice fun soundtrack that fit the series quite well.
Editing: 10
No complaints. It was perfect along with the script.
Enjoyment: 10
This was an anime that was made to be fun to watch. It fulfilled its quota and some more.
Emotional Involvement: 7
It IS present but not really worth commenting on IMO. If instead we talk about my involvement with the series as a whole then it might lose a few more points as I saw the series as something to be enjoyed rather than get emotionally involved with.

OVERALL: 10

A well directed, well scripted, well edited, well cast, high quality animation that did its job in bringing joy and amusement to the viewers ie. let them have fun.

There ARE complaints one can think of but they really mean nothing when the point of the anime was to have fun. Fun, fun, fun.

[Allium]

Just finished marathoning this. NGNL didn't sweep me off my feet, but it's definitely one of the season's stronger shows. The visuals are unique and stand out a lot, and I liked how consistent the pacing was. Imo the voice acting is one of the anime's strong points; I enjoyed Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Yoko Hikasa's roles as Sora and Steph respectively.

My major gripe with the show is that I can't get emotionally involved with the characters. The only character I felt some sympathy for was Steph, but in the end her role was reduced to a side character who's merely 'just there.' Also, there isn't much tension or excitement in the games, since we all know that 'Blank always wins.' The blatant otaku pandering is another thing, but I'll just overlook that for now.

Overall, entertainment-wise, it was a solid show, but I admit it's not my cup of tea. 7/10 for me.

[GreyZone]

9,7/10, rounded up to 10/10

I liked how how certain visual tecniques were used (EP8 ED, EP9), which I could only rarely see in other anime. Soundtrack was very good (escpacially a certain song). As a LN reader I have no problems with the adapation, aside from little details that amount to "-0,3" points (change of last fight's ending details & removing the audience from ealier games).

To adress the "Otaku pandering": If you talk about the fanservice, then yes, that is "Otaku pandering" if you want to call it that, though it was integreted in a way where it makes sense (i.e. Sora having his "needs") and not just tacked on just for the sake of tacking it on to pander to the Otaku crowd.
However I have to argue against the notion that "the protagonists are Otakus therefore it is a Otaku wish-fullfillment-fantasy". It cannot be like that, because Sora and Shirou are characters that you cannot just self-insert... do "regular" Otakus have the same level of abilies and intelligence as Sora and Shirou? The answer is: "Not even close!" This is like saying that Death Note is pandering to High-school students, College/University students, police forces and tennis players, because Light is all of these! That is completely disconnected from reality and doesn't work, because people can only have a wish-fullfillment-fantasy, if they are close enough to reach the level of the person they want to self-insert-themselves into. Shows that do that are shows like to-love-ru. Useless highschool student that just for being normal gets a great harem. Now THAT is Otaku pandering at its best and the only reason that that show became so popular.

Now add to that how a lot of people are saying how they cannot "emotionally involve themselves into the show" and you see why a self-insert is evidently not possible in NGNL.

The shows popularity certainly is partially dependent on fanservice (escpacially considering how much Jibril's appearance had affected the LN sales), so I do admit that it had it's part in it.

I personally don't mind the fact that the protagonists are Gary Stu/Mary Sue. If you see enough shows where the main characters are constantly weak and only in the last episode get a sudden asspull-power-up to somehow shove in "character development" into the show, then I'd prefer NGNL easily. Even if you know they win, isn't it interesting to see how they did that? How is that worse to other shows? Why is it supposedly worse than anime where the main character(s) is/are useless and always have to be saved by others? Why is it supposedly worse than shows where the power level of the enemies conveniently always rises in a linear way that the MC(s) doesn't/don't get overpowered, or shows where the initial final boss turns out to be the substitute of the substitute of the substitute, of the underling of the real final boss (see: Naruto)? I think instead of powering up a character time and time again with the characters suddenly having exponential power-level growth is much more "boring" then what NGNL does, but maybe that is just me.

[erneiz_hyde]

Originally Posted by GreyZone

However I have to argue against the notion that "the protagonists are Otakus therefore it is a Otaku wish-fullfillment-fantasy". It cannot be like that, because Sora and Shirou are characters that you cannot just self-insert... do "regular" Otakus have the same level of abilies and intelligence as Sora and Shirou? The answer is: "Not even close!" This is like saying that Death Note is pandering to High-school students, College/University students, police forces and tennis players, because Light is all of these! That is completely disconnected from reality and doesn't work, because people can only have a wish-fullfillment-fantasy, if they are close enough to reach the level of the person they want to self-insert-themselves into. Shows that do that are shows like to-love-ru. Useless highschool student that just for being normal gets a great harem. Now THAT is Otaku pandering at its best and the only reason that that show became so popular.

Your definition of wish-fulfillment-fantasy defies the very notion of the word. If I'm already close to the level of my fantasy then it's not exactly fantasy anymore. It's fantasy, of course by definition it's disconnected from reality, and we're not even talking about the setting or the theme.

To Love Ru is wish-fulfillment exactly because otakus can only dream of having such a huge harem and ridiculous happenings while being an everyman. In a similar manner, NGNL is wish fulfillment because otakus can only dream of being as genius/brilliant/great as Blank while being an otaku. (though Japanese otakus actually often display incredible skill levels in games, just not on Blank's level)

"self-insert" is a little different from wish fulfillment but also usually done in this manner instead of actually "inserting one's real self as a character" (though there are exceptions). Because generally "self-inserting" is a way of glorifying one's self and thus is most likely different from what you actually are irl. "self-insert characters" are self-insert from the author's perspective, not the reader's.

And why do a lot of people say they aren't emotionally attached to Blank? Well, do you think people who enjoy To Love Ru actually are emotionally attached to Yuki Rito? Emotional attachment doesn't come from the status of wish-fulfillment, but from how interesting the characters are and how they develop. If anything, the lack of emotional attachment is more indicative of the lack of character development in the show.

And as a side note, pandering isn't always interchangeable with wish-fulfillment or self-insert. I mean, look at Strike Witches.

But really, what's so wrong about this show being an otaku wish fulfillment fantasy? It's not like that is a bad thing in itself. And even despite all of those "drawbacks", in the end, the show have managed to be greatly entertaining. Animation Quality, Voice Actors, Script, Soundtrack, Enjoyment, all of these are indeed top notch.

[Akito Kinomoto]

When the games got going, they really got going and were so entertaining to watch. Unfortunately, anything I could use to call the characters compelling--development, personality, backstory, ect--falls below average on amount of it, and the grace of it. Not low enough to be offensive, but earnest character building being pushed aside for fanservice antics just puts me off. Especially when the games and explorations of DisBoard had fanservice but weren't slowed down anyway. But that's okay. The main draw of this anime is keikaku doori, and it certainly delivers on it. It's just a shame the characters are hard to care for.

PS: Why so much pink in the color scheme?

[quigonkenny]

Let me just say that if they ever manage to adapt the next three volumes of the light novel series, you may find some of your complaints to be resolved...

[Nvis]

Just rewatched the series and I still love this!