Review of No Game, No Life: Zero

One of the best anime movie based on a TV series. I saw this movie back in 2017 when it was released on theatre. I got to watch it again just recently in BluRay. I enjoyed it immensely both times. Personally, I found this movie to be superior than the tv series. It improved on the tv series in every aspects. Music and animation is top notch. Art direction is superb. Some of the visuals in the movie are breathtaking, appropriately portraying bleak sceneries and events as the result of a planet torn by an eternal war between powerful magical beings. There is a lot ofdialogue, although they provide some crucial development to the dramatic and dense story. The action scenes, although minimal, were among the best animation I’ve seen in an anime movie.

I liked the the main NGNL series well enough, but the fanservice parts were a tad too overdone to the point of being tacky. Thankfully, the unique art, characters, and interesting plot were enough to keep me entertained. The movie, however, have much less fanservice and if any, they often serve to provide some relief to the dark moods that are abundant in this movie. I am grateful for that.

The movie still maintained the underlying theme of the original series about how the weak human race fight by using their wisdom. However, the story is darker and more dramatic. The characters went through some dire emotional and physical hardships. The main character lose more than they win. Due to this, I can relate more to their struggles and motivations.

This is not a feel good movie, however, and fans of the anime tv series might find this departure jarring. I actually like it. I found it fitting that the main characters are named Riku (Earth) and Schwartz (Black), as opposed to the MC of the TV series Sore (Sky) and Shiro (White). This symbolizes that this movie is the other side of the same coin. If in the tv series the characters always win, in the movie they lose. If the tv series are bright and playful, this movie is bleak and serious.

If you are looking for a well made movie with a cool setting and plot, this movie is worth checking out.