No Game, No Life

It's really fun, amazing world-building, and funny characters! It's thrilling exciting, and so strange that it blows you away! There's a lot of strategy and wit put into it, and it shines in its own wacky and insane way!

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.

Small summary: The story is about Sora and his sister Shiro who are two of the best videogamers in the world. They suddenly get invited to play a game of chess and they accept. As Shiro never lost a game of chess in her life she defeats the player. It turned out to be the god of games, who gives them an option to leave their current world to live it out in a fantasy world where everything runs on games. Even political problems get solved by playing games instead of using violence.

My opinion: I really enjoyed watching this show. The story isn't that spectactular, but it's so funny to watch. Each episode made me laugh which made me want to watch more. Sadly they have canceled season 2. There is a slim possibility they will decide to make a second season, because the fanbase is pretty big and the movie did really good as well.

I was really surprised by this anime. I wasn't expecting much from it, but its funny and surprisingly smart. With five episodes left, unless they just completely drop the ball, this is easily is one of my favorites of this season.

So, whats it about? The anime is about a brother and sister, Sora and Shiro, who are NEETs and experts at games. I mean they are literally the best in the world. The get transported to another world where games are how everything gets done. No war, murder, crimes, just games. Naturally they fit right in.

What makes this show great is the characters. The main duo is great. They are awkward but also extremely cocky. The princess Steph is also great and its funny how the brother and sister treat her. The show has a great sense of humor and I find myself laughing pretty hard quite often.

I said it was smart. Yeah, when they play games, you can really see the gears in their heads turning, trying to figure out how to beat opponents that should be superior to them. It never feels like a dues ex machina is what finishes the game. You really feel like the are extremely smart and cunning.

At first, I wasn't digging the designs, but really quickly I warmed up to it. The style feels like fantasy meets Las Vegas, which makes sense, considering the world is based on gambling. So yeah, I really like it. The girls are also very cute and the reaction faces are great. The OP and ED are very good as well. The presentation is great.

I guess its worth mentioning that it has a decent amount of fanservice. If you don't like fanservice, I personally don't think it will be too distracting... but I'm not the best judge of that. Just try to look past it if you think it might bother you.

All in all, I really like this anime and its one of the better ones this season. Check it out!

EDIT: Follow up after seeing episode twelve. While I will still leave the score the same because my enjoyment for it never waiver, I will admit that at times it falls victim to the Gambitroulette trope. That is, it almost a bit too incredible what they can pull off. Doesn't change much though, I still really liked it.

A different and very entertaining adventure, it will hook you from start to finish. Immerse yourself in a new world where everything is based on the challenge of games. You will learn that to win any game it is necessary to know the rules of the game, know the opponent, have a strategy and above all have a good time. Enjoy ... afterall no game, no life.