Review of No Game, No Life: Zero

If you watch no game no life zero with high expectations of it being a parallel to the original anime series with its intellectual outsmarting and "you thought you were winning but nope I had the upper hand all along" kind of plot (or even with its fanservice/ecchi elements), you will be greatly disappointed. That's because ngnl zero is a completely different story from the one we were all familiar with, the lighthearted, playful story with one of the brightest most colourful palette in anime history. Instead, its frankly quite the opposite, and I absolutely enjoyed it. Ngnl zero sheds a different light onto thisfantasy world of disboard, and delves into the sacrifices and hardship some had to go through to achieve the current "utopia" that Sora and Shiro live in. The movie has a distinctly different feel and vibe to it despite the same art style and very similar looking characters with the same voices. And contrary to the series, it takes itself very seriously and will touch your heart in one way or another, and perhaps you will shed a tear or two, which I did in my case.

Plotwise, however, the movie may have suffered due to a rush pacing or a not so smooth adaptation from the original light novel (disclaimer: I have not read any of the novels). There were many parts where I wished they spent more time going into the details of it rather than just rushing through, spamming the audience with complicated names and numbers introduced as quickly as they disappeared. This movie does not have the most logical, unique or mindblowing plot and will not satisfy you the way the series did with its clever tactics and counterattacking measures. The uneven pacing left me with a confused expression plastered on my face as what little explanation(mostly done through exposition) that the movie threw to me I wasn't able to grasp completely, and that deeply irritated me because it felt like I was shortchanging myself on the movie experience. But upon completion of the movie, it struck me that it didn't matter if certain details were unclear or left out, because that wasn't the point of the show. And it did happen 6000 years ago so really, the details of execution of plans shouldn't be the crux of the story, but rather the heart and emotions behind it. And to me that was done really well.

Now on to why YOU MUST WATCH THE MOVIE. The visuals...they were so beautiful, although literally blinding at some times, unfortunately. But Madhouse really did a fantastic job with the crazy amount of details they put into every single background and the smooth fluid animation in the fight sequences. It was a feast for the eyes and I was happy to see that they toned down on the colour spasm and made it into something more subtle but still incredibly breathtaking. The music and sounds were also phenomenal with many dramatic silences that led up to emotional pitfalls for the audience ;_; (if you know what I'm taking about). I watched this movie in the cinemas and it was worth every cent with the huge screen and blasting music it was great.

Ngnl zero isn't a masterpiece movie that will change your life or anything. It's far from that really. But it can't be taken as a stand alone. It is a prequel and a side story of sorts to supplement the main story and I think it has done an incredible job at fulfilling its aim :)