The apex of degenerate escapism. If you're rich, popular, or just generally happy with how your life is going, this anime won't hit you with the same spark it does for others. This anime caters towards the degenerates and losers that spend all day playing games, and wasting their time goofing off. I'm not ashamed to say I'm one of those degenerates, and like me, I'm sure there are others who were bullied or at the very least scorned for these traits, and in return, resented the way the world treated them.
This idea of distaste towards the way people treat those who they deem lower than themselves. The complexity and unfairness of this confusing world, a world that many have come to hate and resent. These are the very concepts No Game No Life builds upon.
The very first episode showcases this foundation in which Sora says: "In this game, there's no way to know the rules or how to win, yet there are 7 billion players all making whatever moves they want. If you win too much or lose too much there are penalties, you can't pass your turn, and if you complain, people look down on you." He goes on to say that this world has no parameters and he calls it a shitty game.
Sora and Shiro honed their skills at something near-useless in the real world. Gaming. They don't know how to cook, they don't exercise, and they dropped out of school. And with no other skills to help them in the real world, naturally, they come to spite it. I know several people who were put down and told "that's a waste of time" when they were just pursuing their passion. Art and Music majors in college getting ridiculed by their colleagues, the list goes on and on of people who hone their skills at something society deems unimportant.
No Game No Life sets the stage in a world where the skills Sora and Shiro honed, that were once useless, now serve to benefit them. It's a dream world for all the people who feel like they've wasted all of their time in a passion or craft. No Game No Life brings to the table a blend of both realism and escapism that I've never seen done before.
The messages that the anime sends makes it amazing already but what really brings it home is the things that happen in Disboard. From the games they play down to the very race and magic system.
The first 2 games are arguably the most important, as they show the viewer a demonstration of the 10 pledges.
First, they play cards against a woman just outside an inn, and they win by cheating. This demonstrates to us that the 8th pledge ("Being caught cheating during a game is grounds for an immediate loss") only comes into effect when you get caught, and this is extremely important for every single game they play afterwards, because cheating becomes almost guaranteed to happen.
As for the 2nd game, rock paper scissors against Stephanie Dola, ends in a tie. They actually demonstrate 2 important details here. 1st, is that by asking for a "favor" (or anything vague) they can exploit the 6th pledge ("Any bets made in accordance with the pledges must be upheld") and 2nd, they showcase that the loser of the bet has no say over whether or not they want to fork over their side of the deal. Reality itself will bend to make the bet possible. This is important because it lets the reader/viewer know that gambling with abstract concepts like memories and emotions are possible.
The rest of games they play don't exactly show us how far the rules can be stretched, except for maybe the materialization word game with Jibril but other than that, the other games are more-so for progressing the story instead of teaching the viewer. They don't just leave us in the dust though, they instead use Stephanie Dola as a means to explain the games/strategies to us indirectly. That's not the only time they slip information in discretely though. For example, not a lot of people caught on to the fact that Sora and Shiro's parents were abusive and neglectful because the show is so subtle about it. It's really important to look between the cracks so you don't miss all the hidden pieces of information.
The 16 Ixseeds are also very well written, even though they don't tell us much directly. I can't go too deep into this topic without spoiling things for either the movie or the novels but in general, each race feels like a whole new obstacle or challenge the siblings have to face. Almost as though each race is a Super Mario level with the Old Deus being World 8 - Bowser's Castle. I absolutely recommend reading the novels and/or watching the movie so you can get to understand the races more.
The music, art, and animation are truly exceptional too. Especially the music. No Game No Life has one of my favorite OSTs of all time, of all forms of media, that being "All of you is all of me" by Super Sweep. But that's just personal bias. The animation however, is something I've not seen a single person argue over. The animation during their game against the Eastern Federation is riveting, and the colorful candy-like artstyle of the series helps contrast the difference between the dull old world and Disboard.
Now, this wouldn't be a review without looking at the cons. I see 2 that can understandably turn people away.
1.) The sexualization of Shiro, a minor. and the incest dynamic with her brother
2.) The lofty amount of bath/nude scenes
These both fall under fanservice but I'll go into them individually.
First, the incessant amount of panty shots of an 11 year old is insane, and if this factor alone makes you hate the anime, I wouldn't blame you. However, the incest dynamic is actually a common misunderstanding. Shiro has feelings for Sora, but Sora does not reciprocate them. Though, he does love her as one would love their own family—not romantically. Shiro's love towards her brother is the prepubescent and immature type of love that little siblings develop before they really understand what love is.
Secondly, the bath/nude scenes. Sure, there ARE a lot of ecchi scenes but they never intrude on the important scenes of the anime. Ecchi scenes are fanservice—specifically made to make the viewer happy, and if you don't enjoy that, you can always look at it as filler, and just fast forward, though I don't recommend it because you get to know the characters a bit more and how they interact with each other, and they only last for a fraction of the episode.
Personally, I've watched the anime and movie several times, and I'm currently reading the light novels. The movie and light novels are phenomenal too but those aren't what this review is about. It's about No Game No Life, and the messages of realism and escapism it tells. If you can't overlook Shiro's panty shots, it's just a flat 0/10, but if you can look past it and see all the other things it has to offer, it's an easy 10/10. Quite the "love it or hate it" anime.
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