Review of No Game, No Life: Zero

This film is GORGEOUS. That's the thing that had me the most pumped throughout this entire experience was how amazing the visuals were. Especially the wide shots of the rooms or landscapes. Absolute perfection. The rest of it was... well, it was pretty good. I think the story would've done better to be told as a series rather than a film, but I still thought the premise of explaining how the No Game No Life world came to be was a good choice for a prequel. The overall plot was written really well, in my opinion, especially in its metaphors for humanity. The message itconveyed about the tenacity and hidden strength of humans was something that made the story feel special. Since it is in a film format, though, it was entirely too rushed. It felt like stuff was going at a normal pace at the beginning, and then it turned into a bunch of big events happening one after the other. It caused me to get a bit confused with the characters' developments and the actual plot itself. That's why I think it would've been much better to have it done as a series.

As far as the characters go, they're meant to mirror Sora and Shiro, so if you love them from the main series, you'll probably love their so-called "past-selves" here. I did appreciate that the two main characters' relationship being written the way that it was because it felt rich and deep, which was development that was lacking from the main series.

I mean, No Game No Life is difficult for me to review, if I'm honest, because I can't really view it from a critical standpoint. It is what it is, and it's enjoyable, it just isn't something I'd come back to. I do want to continue the story, though, so maybe that's all you need to know. This film was interesting enough, and I'm glad I got to see the origin of the ultimate gaming world.