Review of New Game!!

*Please note I watched both the first and second seasons in succession so there may be crossover in this review* Upon first glance, my assumption was for this to be a moe centered anime, profiting from cute girls, thus I didn't watch the first season when it came out. Seeing that it got a second season, I presumed there must be more to it and decided to give it a watch. My assumption was wrong. This anime really hit home with me, a brilliant artstyle which personally I don't think I've seen elsewhere, lovable characters with a strong sense of character development and an engaging, excitingand at times emotional storyline.

Story- 9
The story centres around a 18/19 year old character designer named Aoba Suzukaze at a games company, working under her idol Kou Yagami. The story was engaging and interesting, yet easy to follow, going on an idea that as far as I am aware is untapped in the creation of video games, New Game!! managed to balance a serious story, with hints of slapstick comedy and romance.

Art- 10
I am personally a big fan of the artstyle used in New Game!! the main highlight being the eyes, which admittedly are what made me initially assume the anime would focus on being moe, because lets be honest, they're frickin cute. But that isn't the sole feature, the visuals were fantastic throughout the series, the realistic game promos and artwork within the games, everything was exceptional.

Sound- 8
I thought that the music for this anime was great, nothing stand out, but catchy tunes and well thought out BGMs, helping to set the mood of different scenes.

Character- 9
The main feature in terms of characters was the addition of 2 new characters, whom initially I didn't like, upon first impressions the new characters seem callous and as though they may disrupt the existing calm environment, however as with the other characters of the show, these 2 characters develop with time and become very much lovable. We get to see the ups and downs of each character, demonstrating emotional instabilities and understanding and showing how different situations effect different characters helping to humanise them, and help the viewer relate. A personal favourite part of this for me, is showing how severe Hifumi's social anxiety is at the beginning of the first season, and being able to see visibile progress across each episode as she begins to open up as a character. And they did manage to get the moe in, all of the characters are cute girls, the hints of fan service that are pretty much essential in this generation of anime, such as Kou's panties, Hifumi's cosplay and any bath or shower scenes, were made in ways to keep from making them the centre of attention, making them whimsical to the story and not having any lewdness to keep the innocent slice of life feel to the show.

Enjoyment- 10
This has been one of my best watches in a long time, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the series and may go back and watch it dubbed too, the overall experience tugged at my heartstrings and although the ending satisfied me, I can't help but want another season.

Overall- 9
In summary, the New Game! series is great, I would definitely recommend it.

*This is my first ever review so constructive feedback would be appreciated rather than flame*