Hyperdimension Neptunia – 20 Question Anime Review

What’s the show? Hyperdimension Neptunia (2013).

Uh-huh. And what’s it about? Anthropomorphic video game consoles in revealing clothing fighting generic bad guys and having conversations about international diplomacy with lots of lame video game puns and references.

I wish.

Scathing! And here I thought it would be right up your alley, what with ‘cute girls’ and ‘skimpy clothing’, least that’s what it says here in my notes… *shuffles papers* I don’t like the fact that you seem more prepared for these reviews than you are usually… it’s unsettling.

Well get used to it, bub! So what’s got you so negative about something you’d normally be all over. I don’t like the insinuation that just because something has good lookin’ ladies that I’d be “all over it”, there’s plenty of shows that fit my niche that I’ve not ended up liking, I just don’t find it easy to write negative reviews so I rarely cover them…

Boing!

Why not? Why don’t I like writing negative reviews?

Yeah. Well, every show is someone’s favourite show, just seems kind of mean to pick on something someone out there loves…

That’s a dumb reason, you’re dumb. Fine, you want me to let lose?!

YES~! Fine, this show, no this whole series, is just unbelievably lazy and stupid and inane, it’s kind of like the thing that a couple of ten-year old’s would come up with while having a sleepover, like “omg imagine if our video game consoles were countries and they were ruled over by sexy anime girls, hur hur hur!”

So many characters, so little point.

I’ve probably heard worse ideas for a series, but go on… It’s not even that the idea is stupid (which it is), but that it’s that it feels so half-assed that every idea was like the first idea they had, like “okay, we need a name for the Xbox country/how about Leanbox, lol ok sure whatever” The Japanese are so much smarter than this, and so everything about this series just screams ‘lowest common denominator’. It’s like The Big Bang Theory of anime. Cheap references, lame jokes and zero point to it all.

…Did you watch this in English? Maybe, so what, sometimes I watch shows I know will suck in English so I don’t have to pay as close attention.

Y’ever think it might be better in Japanese? Of course it’s fucking better in Japanese, but that still doesn’t fix the inherent issues… as if I could sit through 12 whole episodes of this shit while also reading subtitles. The only thing that made this tolerable was that I could stare at the eye candy.

I don’t even remember who this is, but ‘Yay boobs!’?

You are unbelievable sometimes… What?!

You’re so judgmental but I bet if you found this show under different circumstances and watched it in Japanese you’d be singing its praises! Haha, okay… And what pray tell are these “different circumstances” you speak of?

If you were a teenager when you watched it! …I-I… no, that’s…

I’d like to give her the D-pad.

That’s…? Okay fine! Maybe, just maybe I would have been into it if I was a ‘young’ and ‘impressionable’ (read: horny) teen! But that me is stupid too, I’m so much smarter now! I’m an educated, well-read adult of class and sophistication with a taste in anime and manga to match!

Didn’t you just give ‘Mononoke Sharing‘—a manga with copious amounts of boob related fan-service, a positive, dare I say glowing review on your blog? Oppai… oppai never changes…

Well~ not really.

Was that a f**king Fallout reference?! So how about them (local sports team)!

I… I don’t even know what’s going on at this point… This show is boring and dumb and I feel like I’m a million years old and let me shake my fist at the unceasing callousness of the passing of time! Just let me be young again and I’ll pay you a million yen!

See what I mean?

Who are you even talking to? God, the devil, I—I don’t know, I think… I think I’m having a midlife crisis!? FFFFuuuu~

SO—final score and recommendation? Ergh, umm—if it isn’t already abundantly clear I don’t like this series, it’s lazy and repetitive and obnoxious and just fucking stupid but I do admit that some of the girls are *kisses fingers* bellissimo! I just don’t care about their “plight” and I certainly don’t care about their characters beyond the superficial, much like the original creators probably! Oop~ there I go presuming things I couldn’t possibly know! Oh well whatever, ahaha, this is why I shouldn’t write negative reviews while drinking: 55 out of 100.

This Digimon spin-off certainly took a turn for the perverse!

New Game! – 20 Question Anime Review

What’s the show? New Game!

Why are you shouting? I’m not, it’s just how they stylise the show’s title, with an exclamation mark, it’s a Japanese thing, they do it a lot.

Fair enough, what’s it about? It’s another in the informal genre of shows ‘cute girls doing cute things’.

What cute thing are these cute girls they doing then? Designing video games.

Not usually the first thing I think of when ‘cute things’ comes to mind. Do they at least do it cutely? Absolutely! I mean just look at their faces! Kawaii!

And do they design video games in their spare time after school? No, it’s their job; they work for an all female video game company called ‘Eagle Jump’.

Wait, okay. How old are these girls supposed to be? Well, Suzukaze Aoba is the protagonist; she’s a new hire out of high school and is 18 years old. The oldest staff member whose age we know about is Yagimi Ko and she’s 25.

Well I admit that’s a pleasant change from the usual anime trope of everyone being high school age but they certainly don’t look it! She get’s that a lot, poor Aoba.

Fine, that out of the way, what’s the show actually about; it’s not just watching cute girls designing a video game, is it? Well…

It is?! Okay, first of all, it’s a ‘slice of life’ anime; so don’t start judging it by normal narrative standards. It’s kind of like if ‘The Office’ was an anime, and everyone liked each other, and there was no real conflict except overcoming minor misunderstandings. Also did I mention cute girls?

Fine, I’ll concede it’s a ‘slice of life’ so its structure is different to that of other anime. So why should I watch it? And don’t you dare say ‘cute girls’! Er, um… adorable females? Listen, ‘slice of life’ is a hard sell for those uninitiated with the genre. The characters are all splendid and likeable, even the shrill best friend character grows to be endearing by the end. And it goes into the inner workings of the art department on a JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Game), and those parts seem accurate and well researched. Plus it gives an idea about how much work goes into even the smallest details of large video game projects.

A niche genre anime about making niche genre video games? It’s like a nerd turducken. A nerducken! Come on, you gotta admit that was good, high-five! What is this, the Big Bang Theory? Ugh. [Gives begrudging high five]

Who is ‘best girl’? Takimoto Hifumi, she’s so shy and reserved and she’s got a pet hedgehog and *SQUEE*!

Did you seriously just ‘squee’? I can’t help it; I’ve got a seriously problem. And the only prescription? More cute girls!

Any additional seasons? New Game!!

Why are you shouting again? I’m not, that’s what the second season is called. See, the two exclamation marks differentiate it from the first season’s title.

A show can’t succeed on ‘cuteness’ alone, so say something negative about the show. There’s never the sense that things could go wrong, at least not catastrophically. The issues that crop up from time to time for the characters are very minor, but that is something that’s not unique to this show and runs along many ‘slice of life’ shows. But at the same time it’s not meant to be challenging or overwrought, it’s meant to be light and relaxing, the fact that it can be that and entertaining is a testament to the show’s writing and style. It’s a show about positivity and hard work and friendship and that’s something that this world needs a lot more of if you ask me.

Hmm, I thought you were supposed to say something negative about the show? You just complimented it more and made me kind of want to watch it. That’s the power of ‘slice of life’, that’s the power of ‘New Game!’ and that’s the power of…

Don’t say it! Cute girls!

Final score? Highly recommended for anyone who wants to just relax and enjoy themselves with some thoroughly non-threatening soft comedy and endearingly adorable characters. This is a ‘game’ worth ‘playing’, 86 out of 100.