No Game No Life

    NO GAME NO LIFE

Konbanwa!!

I have spent a lot of time trying to decide what my next anime pick should be and I decided to go with No Game No Life, since I'm a gamer myself :) I thought this might be a great option for all the gamer-heads out there! The points I most loved about this anime are the character designs, the super colorful visuals and mind-tricks in each episode. Although I should say that some scenes between Shiro and Sora can be interpreted as incestuous, however the underlying logic has nothing to do with it and those scenes are not disturbing or anything. Plus, Shiro is nothing but KAWAII! :)

Intro

Shiro and Sora are step-siblings who hare hardcore gamers that have become legends on the Internet. In their minds, those two consider everything a game, even life itself and normal life is super boring for them - well, I guess we all have to agree with them from time to time. Sora and Shiro use the identity "Blank" (Kuuhaku) when they are gaming and they form an inseparable duo. They are pretty overprotective about each other too and when one of them is left alone somewhere, he/she ends up having anxiety attacks - Sora's anxiety was just too adorable and funny! Shiro is a genius and she is excellent at calculating game courses and results while Sora is not as bright but extremely good at getting into his opponents' heads and exploiting their weaknesses. 

Sora And Shiro Meet Tet

On a very regular day, they were virtually challenged by Tet, the god of games, to a game of chess and they manage to beat him! As a result, Tet summons them in his virtual world called Disboard, where war is prohibited and everything in the world should be settled by games - oh how I wish such a system existed on Earth! (And oh yes, the god of games looks this cute!) 

World of Disboard
In Disboard, 16 races exist and they all have to settles things through games binded by 10 rules. For example, if a player gets caught while cheating in the game it means boom, he's out! Basically anything can be wagered in those games, including someone's life or feelings too! I would never want to get involved in such a game, thank you. 

Okay, they're playing games but what now? 
As Shiro and Sora struggle to get used to living in Disboard and survive in a world they know nothing about, their gaming skills draw huge attention of their opponents and that's what leads to even bigger things. Now an entire kingdom's faith is in their hands. Shiro and Sora now have to work the magic of "Blank" to save the future of that very kingdom! 

Best Points of The Anime
As I said in the beginning, the most appealing part of the anime is the virtual world and its design. The bright colors mixed with a mythical world is definitely awesome to watch and I guarantee that you'll never get enough of looking at it. 

If you're an avid gamer and interested in strategies, this is just the thing for you. Shiro's genius calculations are one thing but Sora's mind tricks and his way of finding his way through his opponents' weaknesses will make you keep wanting to see more. 

Of course the characters are not limited to Sora and Shiro. The duo will have numerous companions on the way and each of them have different talents and different things to offer both to the duo and the audience. 

Another thing I found amusing was the humor, especially if it's coming from the "stone cold faced", emotionless Shiro! Shiro has a childish but sometimes twisted sense of humor - which becomes a downside in rare cases but overall it's just funny to watch how she mocks people. 

Downsides
There are too many rules to keep in mind while you're trying to see how their game proceeds and sometimes the explanations are way too fast or abrupt. There might even be times you might feel the need to rewind and check the rules again, which I was very lazy to do. 

Humor is a good thing but when each joke is about sexual contents, it might become a snoozefest. Plus, when those jokes are coming from an 11 year-old, they might put you off from time to time. 

Final Opinion and Oxley-stars 
No Game No Life is a must watch anime for all gamers out there to be sure. If you are looking for great settings with awesome colors for visuals this is your thing! A fan of mind games, dilemmas, strategies, MMOs and survival? There you go! Just try to be patient with some parts of the humor and super fast game rules :) I'm sure you'll enjoy the series just fine!

4 Oxley-stars to NO GAME NO LIFE!

I hope this post was helpful, good to read and enjoyable :) If you have any suggestions about contents or my next anime pick, make sure you comment down below! 

Jaa ne!

OXLEYCHAN

                              HUNTER X HUNTER (2011)

Minna-san konbanwa! 

I've decided to start my blog with one of my favorite animes of all time! Although there's a first version of this anime which was aired back in 1999, I decided to go for 2011 because character art is way better - in my opinion! Plus, I guess I love the voice actors of the 2011 series more :) Seiyuu matters!

So the story begins with our main character Gon Freecss, who wants to become a Hunter, just like his father Ging, who left home years ago to pursue his adventures. In order to prove that he is capable of taking the exam, Gon catches the local giant fish "Lord of the Lake", again, just like his father did in the past. Even tho Gon's aunt, who's been taking care of him for years did not want to let him go, Gon hops on a ship with other participants and sets sail to his adventures. 

Hunter Exam Arc

The first arc of the anime is the Hunter Exam Arc where we get to have a closer look to all participants while they start racing against each other to finish th exam and become Hunters. In this arc, we are introduced to the entire crew: Kurapika, Killua, Leorio and of course the weirdo villain, Hisoka. I can't help saying Hisoka is my all time favorite character in this anime - don't judge, I have my reasons. Hisoka sees Gon and Killua as "unripe fruits" and keeps waiting for them to grow up and grow stronger so that they'd be worthy opponents - pretty cool huh?! However there's an additional challenge for Killua... Before the end of the exam, he has to face his brother Illumi! Oh by the way, Killua might become your next favorite anime character, that is some cool kid! 

Zoldyck Family Arc

Upon passing the exam and Killua was forced to return home by his brother Illumi, Gon, Leorio and Kurapika now take on yet another adventure and pay a visit to the Zoldyck estate to take Killua back out of there. And I'm telling you guys... That is one scary family of assasins! After a rough patch that ends with a reunion with Killua, Kurapika and Leorio leave to take their own paths and leave Gon and Killua to go the Heavens Arena where they can combat against real tough opponents and gain experience. 

Heavens Arena Arc

My second favorite arc of this series is Heavens Arena for sure! This is the arc where you can see the epic battles of strong opponents! And oh wait... Hisoka is there too! However this time, Gon and Killua will have a mentor! Kung-Fu master Wing, will be teaching Gon and Killua how to use Nen, a power that uses energy to gain superhuman powers! Gon will finally have a chance to face Hisoka in the arena to show how much he has improved... But will that satisfy Hisoka? 

                                   

Yorknew City Arc

Yes, really. It's Yorknew City... In this arc, we witness the clash of many groups in Yorknew City where the world's biggest auction will be taking place. Gon, Killua and Leorio will be going through all kinds of challenges to collect enough money to buy a consol game called Greed Island that might help Gon finally find his father. Kurapika on the other hand appears as an ever tougher guy (and yes, people, Kurapika is a guy. Many people mistake him for a girl but nah. Hard to believe, I know). He now works as the bodyguard of Neon Nostrade, the fortune teller daughter of the head of a mafia family. More gruesome surprises await Kurapika as the Phantom Troupe, the group of villains and thieves who had slaughtered Kurapika's clan in the past also has plans for the auction. 

Greed Island Arc

That's when things get fun! After Kurapika was severely injured as a result of his battle against Phantom Troupe, Gon, Killua and Leorio help him recover. Upon Kurapika and Leorio's departure, we are left with our favorite duo, Killua and Gon again. I have to admit, these two kiddos are way more action packed than the rest of the group. Sorry, guys. Now it's the dynamic duo's turn to play Greed Island where they will be Nen trained by a sensei called Biscuit Krueger, a veeeery cute 10 year-old looking 57 year-old lady. I know it's hard to look aged in Asia, but come on! Little did they know, Phantom Troupe had already joined the game to look for a Nen-Remover to remove the Nen dagger placed in their leader Chrollo's body by our very own Kurapika. (that's where Kurapika gets kudos!) By the way, I gotta say that Chrollo is a stone-cold, relentless leader and he is one of the coolest/hottest characters of the series. He has some really badass tricks up his sleeves! 

Chimera Ant Arc

Guys... I really gotta be honest. This arc KILLED ME! Everything was so action packed and all during all those arcs and this Chimera Ant arc was probably the worst among all. I still can't say "oh it was so boring, I almost barfed" but this is the arc where the anime comes to a halt and kind of drops its pace. After leaving Greed Island, Gon and Killua meet Kite, one of Ging's oldest friends. So there goes some actual connection for Gon to his father! They join an investigation on a giant insect's leg that was found on the beach and it turns out that there are heavily mutated, human eating, giant insects getting ready to raid the planet! (Ewww. Ew. And NOPE.) Those insects were called Chimera Ants and they keep wiping most of the population in towns out and spawn countless offsprings for next generation and guess what! It's upon Gon and Killua to stop them! 

13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc

This arc, had a surprise for all of us. It is now time to pick a the new Chairman of Hunters so the election begins! I must admit, there were some really vague characters running in that election, so basically they did not stand a chance to win but oh well, trying wouldn't hurt. Oh! Guess who's running the establishment! It's the forever lost Ging Freecss! Surprisingly, Leorio is also one of the candidates! In the background, we see a hospitalized Gon in critical condition and Killua tries to get aid from his BROTHER Alluka. Yes, caps lock because that dude looks exactly like a very cute girl, dresses that way too! So I spent a long time in denial and never wanted to accept that Alluka was a boy. I'm still sad about that. This little Alluka boy is also so dangerous that Illumi had to ask help from Hisoka to stop him. 

Oxleychan Comments: 

Well minna, if you are into adventure / magic animes, Hunter x Hunter might be just the right one for you! Friendship between Killua and Gon is adorable and so is their courage. There is a diversity in all stories and backgrounds and there are a couple of pretty solid plot twists. I tried to avoid giving too many spoilers that might ruin those twists so you're gonna have to watch to see what happens. If you're a fan of villains, I'm sure you're going to love Hisoka just like I do, although his weird obsession with Gon and Killua might seem strange to you and I've seen people interpret that as pedophilia on many occasions. Looking at Gon, many people in the past have commented that he is too naive and stupid, which is sad. Yes we have a pretty naive main character but Gon is never stupid, just inexperienced maybe :) If you are the emotional type, make sure you keep some hankerchiefs with you because there are some reaaaally emotional times waiting for you!  The ending for me was really abrupt and we know that the manga is still going on however the artist is going through yet another hiatus that disappoints HxH fans big time. There are also rumors indicating that the show will continue. I really hope it does, WITHOUT CHIMERA ANTS PLEASE! 

I hope this post was helpful, good to read and enjoyable :) If you have any suggestions about contents or my next anime pick, make sure you comment down below! 

Jaa ne!

OXLEYCHAN