I was the type of anime viewer who mostly watched shonen-series like Naruto, Bleach, DBZ, etc. Recently I've branched out and have begun trying out other genres. Boy did No Game No Life impress me.
The story revolves around a sibling pair, Sora and Shiro, who call themselves "Blank." Working together, they've never lost at any game thrown at them. One day, they're taken to a world that suits them perfectly: a world centered around the concept of games.
Whereas shonen animes define "epicness" as intense action sequences involving fantastic displays of power, this show gives the word another meaning entirely. Many of the games that the characters engage in are a battle of wits, requiring complete knowledge of the rules and demanding clever manipulation of their opponents. Often we find ourselves wondering HOW, rather than IF the protagonists will win, seeing as they are this fearsome pair.
I do wish that more attention was given to the younger sister, Shiro. She's supposed to complement her older brother, yet he often outshines her. Many times Sora is shown as the mastermind behind everything when we know that Shiro is every bit as talented as he is. Another point that needs to be addressed is the explanation component of games. The pace needs to be slowed at these points, or else audiences will feel enthralled merely because of the exciting soundtrack and a general epic sensation. We can only truly admire these prodigies by understanding exactly what feat it was they just pulled off, which is hard to do when explanations are whizzing by lightning-fast.
Other than that, the voice acting, art style, premise, soundtrack, humor, and much more all coalesce to form one gripping anime you can't get enough of. If you're looking for a lighthearted yet awe-inspiring anime, look no further.
