No Game No Life: A Review

No Game No Life (NGNL) is probably one of the more interesting anime I’ve seen over the past 7 to 8 years since I discovered the world of anime. For starters, the series wasn’t adapted from a manga but instead the light novels. I was still in my early high school years when I discovered this series and what intrigued me were the vibrant colors of the cover art and how unique the characters looked. No Game No Life classifies as an Isekai series. Isekai is just a word used to describe when someone is sent from their world into a new or unfamiliar world due to factors such as after death or through an unnatural phenomenon. In the case of No Game No Life, this happens more due to an unnatural phenomenon so grab some snacks, get a drink, and let’s talk about a series that definitely deserves a season 2 but is never getting one.

No Game No Life starts with our two main characters Sora and Shiro, who are genius siblings that are masters at gaming. Sora, the older brother specializes in strategy while Shiro, the younger sister specializes in math and logic. The both of them together are ranked highest in any game they’ve ever played. They go by the name [Blank] to keep their identity a secret. One day [Blank] receives an anonymous email from someone who figured out their identity and challenges them to a game of chess. Sora and Shiro manage to win but are then transported to a world called Disboard where they learn that the person they were playing chess with was “god”. This God has made it so that the world he created has no war, murder, or crimes and every dispute that someone has is simply solved by games. In this world, it’s impossible to break an agreement that two individuals have come to. There are 16 races in this world and humans are at the lowest because they essentially have no magic. Sora and Shiro are the only ones who are smart and skilled enough to bring humanity back up to the higher ranks.

The setting of No Game No Life is absolutely gorgeous. It isn’t just the generic pretty open fields of birds flying through as the wind breezes through the glades of grass. In the world of NGNL, there are floating trees, glowing orbs, and giant chess pieces that tower in the distance setting an unearthly tone to the atmosphere of this world that we as the watchers become immersed in. The soundtrack of this anime is also beautiful and the opening is iconic probably one of my favorites. This show definitely has flaws and things that you won’t like about it but it’s a fun watch and even though it will never get a season two, it’s well worth the watch. I myself, haven’t read the light novel which is completed but maybe one day I will and update all of you here on what I think about it. Thank you for taking the time to read this post and see you all in the next one.