No Game No Life
When it comes to amazing anime that never got the Season 2 it deserved, no other title stands out more than No Game No Life. There are so many anime series, old and new ones alike that get Prequels, Sequels, Specials, OVAs and Side stories as an extension to the main series. Even among them, at times fans are left to wonder why the series in question ever even deserved such an extension. This feels like utter injustice to the masterpiece series that never got a Season 2. It's been around 7 years since the standalone Season 1 was ended, and to this day fans are still clamoring for No Game No Life Season 2.
No Game No Life (“No Game, No Life” or NGNL) is a 12 episode TV anime series that first aired back on April 9th and concluded on June 25th as a Spring 2014 anime. The series was produced by Frontier Works, Media Factory, Movic and AT-X. It was licensed by Sentai Filmworks and brought to life in vivid colors by Studio Madhouse. The featured genres are Game, Adventure, Comedy, Supernatural, Ecchi and Fantasy, rated PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older.
The series is based on the Light Novel of the same title. The No Game No Life anime available to fans now adapts the first three volumes of Yuu Kamiya's light novel series. Kamiya Yuu is both the Author and Artist of the ongoing novel series, which began publication on April 25th in the year 2012.
Additionally, a six special episode series was released under the title “No Game No Life Specials” in June 2014 by the same creators. A prequel to the series was also released in the form of a Movie titled “No Game No Life: Zero” on July 15th of 2017. This is the only NGNL movie to date and was received quite well by fans.
No Game No Life is a surreal series with a nice comedic twist which focuses on the two main protagonists and siblings Sora and Shiro. The two are essentially shut-in NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and also the iconic online gaming duo behind the legendary gamer username "Blank."
The duo view the real world as just another game, a very lousy one that they hate, in fact. As they spend their days triumphing over every gaming challenge to ever appear before them, being unbeatable in all game fronts, destiny intervenes one fateful day.
They receive a strange email by an unknown individual which challenges them to a straight forward Chess match. They take up the challenge, emerging victorious no less. But this one match changes everything for them; without warning the brother and sister are plunged straight into an otherworldly realm (Isekai-ed) where they have a brief but eventful encounter with Tet, the God of Games.
The mysterious god Tet welcomes Sora and Shiro to the new world, named Disboard. This world is very special due to the fact that all forms of conflict, be it petty squabbles or the fate of whole countries, are settled not through wars, but via high-stake games.
This system works flawlessly thanks to the fundamental rule that each party must wager something they deem to be of equal value to the other party's wager, to equalize the stakes. In this orthordox world, in stark contrast to the real world, the very idea of humanity itself is reduced to mere child's play. This environment, however, is ideal for the indifferent genius gamer combo of Sora and Shiro, who have finally found a real reason to keep playing games, living the kind of life they dreamed of, in a world controlled by games. Now the two are determined to unite the sixteen races of Disboard, defeat the God Tet and finally become the gods of this new world where gaming is everything!
The Ten Commandments of Disboard that act as laws in No Game No Life are as follows,
No Game No Life is a series mixing together numerous ordinary concepts into a not-so-ordinary and very refreshing story. The originality is top-notch and execution is fantastic, making for a very entertaining and over-the-top anime.
When reading the synopsis, the series comes off as dumb and ridiculous, but the magnificence of it is only realized once watched. It's a nice twist on Isekai, with the siblings voluntarily staying in the fantasy world built on the foundations of games. Disboard is the ultimate paradise for gamers and thus the games began.
In Disboard there are a total of sixteen different races under the protection of the Ten Commandments. These traces are sorted in the order of magical strength and at the rock bottom there is the race of Imanity, Disboard's version of humanity. With the siblings' descent, the two begin long-term planning for conquering the world by challenging other races to games, using the Ten Commandments' wagers as winnings and maintaining a 100% win record.
Regardless of the ten commandments, how the games are played and their consequences are is completely limitless. Almost anything and everything is game and the author uses this to the maximum, concocting nothing short of spectacular. The amount of creativity and vividity poured into each and every game session are magnificent. Even single episodes, on their own, are awesome. The overall story is conveyed piece by piece in each episode very smoothly, building up the incredible bigger picture as it goes.
The two protagonists are the highlight in terms of characters and they are done pretty well, among the supporting cast. Sora is charismatic and cunning, using deceitful tactics and strategies planned in advance to direct the flow of events, assuring his victory from the very beginning. He has no sinister ulterior motives (except perverted ones) and is a very humorous, enthusiastic and fun character.
Shiro is quite fun to watch too, with her almost completely expressionless voice and blunt words. She is a genius above her brother, but in a very different way. She is like a supercomputer, capable of unmatched amounts of logical thinking and data storage.
This restricts her adaptability, making her feel less human in comparison. This dynamic is perfect, as each sibling covers the other’s weakness. The two are unbeatable together and whenever the two are not within each other's line of sight, they start panicking and getting seizures. Stephanie Dola of Imanity is mostly a comic relief character and she does this perfectly. She is impulsive, kind and supportive. The fan favorite Jibril is awesome in every way; badass, smart and resourceful.
The word "colorful" doesn't even begin to explain NGNL’s Art and Animation. It has one of the most vivid color schemes in anime. There is a lot of emphasis on purple and red everywhere and tends to use colors for distinguishing details like shadows and outlines. It is truly something that stands out and is best experienced first hand. The artwork too is great, as it fits the over-the-top environments and atmosphere of the series very well, letting it all blend together in a glorious mix.
The sounds and music of NGNL don't stand out as much, but are still pretty good and solid. The Opening theme “This game" by Konomi Suzuki is one of the best, one of those Openings you just don't want to skip and will be immortal in fans’ memories. The other Opening is "Onegai☆Snyaiper" by Izuna Hatsuse (Miyuki Sawashiro).
The Ending theme is "Oracion" by Shiro (Ai Kayano) doesn't really stand out, but is decent. The OSTs are much better in comparison, during the games and epic speeches delivered. These make for epic background music that never fails in conveying the impactfulness of each moment. The Voice acting is also top-notch and soothing on the ears, especially with regards to the lead duo. They both do a very solid performance but even then, Stephanie’s voice actress is in another league above. She nails her role every single time in an absolutely hilarious fashion.
NGNL is without a doubt one of the most enjoyable anime out there. When it ends, fans will be left thirsting for more. Each episode is so fun to watch and the entire concept of the series is both appealing and interesting. The unlimited potential of the games played make every episode unique and memorable. There is also so much charisma in all the characters and settings. Each character is unique and likable in their own right and the comedic factor doesn’t fall short either. The execution is almost flawless!
Every fan who judges NGNL from the Synopsis will find themselves blown away after watching it. Also, its important to note that there is no incest in this series, just pure sibling love. It's hard to find anything not to like in this series; from start to finish it's just so funny, original, charismatic, intelligent and epic, all working perfectly in tandem. Overall the series is highly recommended and very satisfying. There is more than enough content for a Season 2 and fans will never stop asking for Season 2 of No Game No Life!
