AKUMA NO RIDDLE “A Thrilling Yuri Anime with a Twist” 2014 that year blessed the Yuri community with two Yuri anime adaptations. It showed us a little hope that this would increase year after year (and finally get our beloved Girlfriend manga, anime adaptation). First that year, we had Sakura Trick, which, well, most of us weren’t even interested in its manga, and like recent Yuri adaptations of that time, the story was bland, not that interesting, and not worth really being discussed. But then Akuma no Riddle came out. And guys, the first episode left me in awe. The plot was NOTHING I had seen before in the genre. It was fresh, it was NEW, and I LOVED it. I hadn’t read the manga yet when the anime came out, but I read that the story was still on its middle point, so it was 100% certain it would have an original finale. It might not have the best conclusion in the adaptation, but I still remember this anime dearly. So, without further ado, let's begin with this review! “13 Assassins, 1 Target: Run, catch, kill.” The story takes place in a boarding school where 13 "normal" girls arrive assigned to the "Black Class.” For the other students, the Black Class is an elite class where there are idols or very influential people. However, it could not be further from the truth since these girls are professional assassins selected for a single purpose: to kill. Ichinose Haru, the class’s target. Among these 13 girls is Azuma Tokaku, the heir to the Azuma clan, a clan of assassins known throughout Japan (which, from what I could find on the internet, seems to have existed and remains in real life), who is the most promising to kill Haru for her family history. The story takes a turn when Tokaku decides to protect Haru first and foremost, even when the only way to finish her mission is to kill her in the end. It's yuri. It does not show directly (without kisses or sexual scenes), at least in the anime as in the manga; some reaffirmations of this kind happened in later chapters. It is more like something that everyone knows. Still, nobody says, because honestly, there is no need. We also have excellent animation by Diomeda, which I sincerely loved. We have a bit of ecchi from some girls, a lot of action, suspense, and sudden death to our brains from scenes where we think that one thing or the other could never happen. “Idols to Assassins You may even find a waifu or two.” On the aspect of the characters, I must admit that I liked the story they gave to each one. They knew how to carry the background of these, achieving an excellent development throughout the anime. I have had some doubts that were just answered after finishing reading the manga. Still, in general, it responds to all the public’s intrigues. Apart from that, they are not only characters that exist just because they live; each has a purpose along with something that motivates them. I liked that she had variety when creating the girls: Isuke is the daughter of a same-sex marriage, Hanabusa is half robot, Suzu has a disease that does not allow her to age, Mahiru/Shinyu has a personality disorder, and Haruki is from an orphanage where she has too many siblings, and so on. We do not see that creativity when creating characters often, which is undoubtedly very striking for the viewer. We have a cast of 13 fascinating characters. Each one has an episode where they focus on their background, the reason that each one has for why they want the reward (which is what they crave the most), and their plans put into play to kill Haru. At the same time of how and if Tokaku will be able to save her this time. It must be said that the predominant genre is psychological and mystery. And Tokaku and Haru's relationship in the romantic sense goes to a second plain. Still, it is not something that detracts points from the series’s quality, as I had already mentioned. And this is because Tokaku, above all things, is a protector. The end of the anime leaves you with, "Why didn't they give me more?" And after reading a lot of the manga (which concluded two years after this adaptation), the differences with the end of the anime became more evident because the potential reached by both works at this point is quite different. So I can recommend that after finishing the anime adaptation, the manga be read. Many doubts that you may have had or things that you did not know that you were going to want to know are answered in that format of the work. Having said that, I still do not think Akuma no Riddle holds its own as an anime series apart from the manga. “Diomedéa Brought The Heat!!” Diomedéa, a studio well known for its work on series like Squid Girl and Domestic Girlfriend, created Akuma no Riddle, also known as Riddle Story of Devil, a 12-episode anime adaptation. Keiz Kusakawa, who had previously worked on Kanon and Asura Cryin, was the anime's director, and it aired from April to June 2014. Kiyoko Yoshimura, who is well-known for her work on Simoun and Last Exile, handled the series composition. This work’s artistic section is perfect, polished in each scene and each moment of the plot. It is a colorful and changing drawing style that allows you to take the animation very seriously. The moments of calm and peace feel like a natural school anime, with their funny and cliché moments, but when things get serious and dark, their scenes can make you tense and even scare you (depending on how crazy the murderer on duty is). The violent moments are fast and precise. The movements of the characters are very natural. Each character has a unique fighting style. It is an animation that is well fleshed. The characters mature together with the plot, making a symbiosis that will surprise you on more than one occasion. “The anime isn't enough; read the manga.” Having watched it the first time without knowing its source material, I would say that there is nothing I could have asked as all my standards were met at the time. Twelve episodes full of tension were a real experience. It had an enveloping plot full of mysteries that are never boring, with very fluid fights that delivered memorable battles. and the technical aspects are very polished and detailed. In simple words, a 100% recommended anime. Originally Publishied 3/24/2021. Edited and Updated 9/23/24. 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