Out of all the anime released in2014 so far, I’d probably say that No Game No Life is the one that entertained me the most, to the point of me preordering the light novel it’s based on.
The series is basically any gamer’s fantasy, two siblings who happen to be an amazing gaming duo get transported to a world where games control everything, from who runs a country, to who owns what. So if you want something, you play a game for it. Basically, for the two siblings Sora and Shiro the gameworld of Disboard beats the real world by a long shot.
The series could best be described as an ecchi harem comedy with crazy games instead of action sequences. You want a fight scene? No Game No Life has the most intense and action-packed game of chess you’ll ever see. You want psychological battles? There’s a word game that summons whatever word you use, for example, a hydrogen bomb. This is where No Game No Life really shines, you get stunningly animated action-packed games replacing fight scenes, and they are a real joy to watch, combined with the very well done harem comedy.
Haremcomedy, especially the ecchi kind, isn’t for everyone, but this is a case of it being done well. For a start they don’t take the harem part too seriously, it’s mostly played up for laughs. You also getSora’s sister Shiro making jokes at the expense of the whole harem cast, and it is glorious. One particular highlight being one member of the harem being forced to act like a dog and obey Shiro’scommands, with comical and predictably ecchi results. So while harem comedy may not appeal to you, I can promise you that for all the random nudity there’s some good laughs to be had.
I won’t deny that it does have a flaw or two, but they’re definitely minor. One or two of the episodes can be a little slow after some big explosive high energy game, where it’ll be Sora and Shiro planning their next move. But if you like the comedy style it’s enough to keep you invested, and the plot for what the siblings have in store for Disboard is interesting enough on its own that it should hold your attention. The soundtrack does also have the small problem of being a little too unmemorable, it acts as more of a tone-setter. So if you have an action or emotional scene it’ll be in the background to set the mood, but I doubt you’ll listen to it by itself. It does, however, have an excellent opening track though, “This Game” by Konomi Suzuki. A song written for the anime, it’ll be stuck in your head for days.