kotokuki

No Spoilers

Overall: Witty, colorful, and enjoyable.

As a binge anime-watcher I can say I watched all 12 episodes with a forced pause for food. This is a very good show and I am extremely pleased with it! I know in its entirety that it's popular, but I haven't really spoken to anyone about the show. Thanks to this there was no build up or expectations besides pretty artwork and a decent storyline (thanks to Crunchyroll commercials).

The storyline has the some standard points of popularity that we've been seeing more frequently in anime. We have gamers and alternate gaming worlds. We also have genius puzzle solvers who think far ahead of the average person in steps and strategy. So although the characters are figuring out the world while the audience does, they actually get it while we nod our heads with "OH that makes so much more sense now!" The writers did a great job not making the characters overwhelming smart by making them test and second guess themselves (thus explaining rules without a narrator and evading loopholes). So it isn't that characters don't make a mistake they're just smart enough to work around it. I enjoyed that parameter a lot. Although the story is common the flair and difference in this caught my attention and kept it. Due to characters and interests they develop I'll stay on although the final objective is obvious and stated. Think of it like Romeo and Juliet - the opening tell you the ending and you stay for the story and curious character intentions.

Animation wise it's a beautiful depiction of the vivid coloring that is presented in games. I mean TVs display settings have a picture mode called "Game," which usually displays the most vivid of colors. By removing color and comparing it to Japan's "real" colors the audience sees how much they come to life. The common color choice is red washes and outlines which is rather stark compared to a monitor or computer that is set with a common blue lighting. I thought it was unique and stunning its own fashion. I cannot wait for more season for further exploration for the colorings alone! Sound on the other hand wasn't anything special. I always forget to judge sound during viewing, but looking back I realize I didn't notice it because it was perfect. It was a lot more upbeat than expected, but it kept the show moving. Much like playing video games (older ones) the music is a bit more upbeat than necessary during casual moments, but I believe the intentions are the same - to propels the player into the next battle. It keeps the energy flowing. Yet the emotion moments still receive their pretty ballads and they hit even harder since that sound is so rare. Fantastic character to voice actor matching. I believed they all matched well.

Finally the characters are an acquired taste. They mock some common stereotypes, but they also fit their own Ecchi stereotypical moments. But by leaving it and entering the smarty-gamer world they're lovable and unique. Thus, these character have diverse personalities that are likable and potentially relatable. I really enjoyed the relationships made throughout the show and never felt weird about the sibling (relating back to my common Ecchi comment). Possibly because they addressed it so forcefully and that the two characters do tease in their own way enough you understand. Solid characters! Fantastic aisde moments, funny comic relief, and wonderfully subtle/believable character-relationship development.

Thus I cannot wait for the next season and the story to progress. The Special is dumb and pointless. Please don't watch as it's just lame Ecchi moment of a few minutes.