High school student Kaname Sudou receives an invitation from a classmate to play Darwin's Game, a mobile game he has never heard of. However, as soon as he opens the application, a green snake suddenly pops out from his phone screen and bites his neck, leaving him unconscious. Waking up in the infirmary without any signs of a snake bite, he is told by the school to take the rest of the day off. Although he is puzzled by what has happened, he dismisses the surreal experience as a hallucination and boards the train home.
Unfortunately, his curiosity gets the better of him and he uses the application once again. As the application appears to be just like any other battle game, Kaname breathes out a sigh of relief and decides to start his first match. However, the pleasant surprise is short-lived, as his in-game opponent unexpectedly appears right in front of him and attempts to hunt him down with a knife.
As he desperately runs for his life, Kaname puts two and two together and realizes that Darwin's Game is not an ordinary game, but rather, it's a brutal fight for survival.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
HellLyter
Darwin’s game is the most recent addition to the survival game genre, and it follows the standard death game blueprint to a tee. The majority of this anime can basically be summed up as generic strong valued anime dude is given Emiya Shirou’s “TRACE ON!” ability from Fate Stay Night and is thrown into a Fortnite styled battle royale that basically uses Future Diary’s phone mechanic. Oh, and he gets all the hot anime waifus who immediately want to bear his children roughly 5 minutes after meeting him. Yeah, it sounds a little ridiculous (and borderline plagiarized in some aspects), but you know what? Iactually ended up really liking it. And that’s not because it has a thought provoking narrative or satisfying character development or anything like that, because the show honestly doesn’t. It does however provide ample entertainment in the form of quirky characters duking it out in a fun battle royale environment. That’s exactly what I expected to get out of this anime and it’s what Darwin’s Game delivered, so it’s a success in my eyes.
One thing that Darwin’s Game does that many others in the genre do as well is to make the setting of the story take place in a realistic world modeling our own. This however raises questions once the survival game starts, such as how the heck can such a game of such a momentous scale be orchestrated and executed in this society, how on earth are people able to receive magical abilities just by opening an app, and why does the game even exist in the first place? Maybe Darwin’s Game’s longer source material explores these questions more, but this anime adaptation certainly doesn’t, which I’ve noticed has caused some people to view it in a negative light. All I have to say is why does it matter? Yes, an explanation of things is always important and necessary, but this anime is only the beginning stage of Darwin’s Game. It’s not meant to provide all the answers, just explore interesting scenarios and establish preliminary character relationships. This isn’t a thought provoking anime by any means, and I just wanted to say that this show is meant to be watched for some good natured fun, and if you’re looking for something deeper, I can almost guarantee that you’ll be met with disappointment.
The plot itself is pretty simplistic, but effective. It follows protagonist Kaname, a normal high school student, who gets abruptly thrown into a death game after opening the titular phone app Darwin’s Game. It’s easy to predict that he makes allies throughout his journey and slowly progresses in power, but it’s the way that these points are portrayed that makes them effective. Every single one of Kaname’s teammates that he makes by the end of the anime besides the analytical loli Rein he ends up fighting before becoming friends. Now while this does seem basic, I actually really like this approach. Most other survival games may have the protagonist make one or two allies with initial enemies, but they just usually up and murder everyone else. Kaname is different in that he tries to befriend all his enemies, and it never once felt forced because there was always a reasonable explanation for why these people who had just been trying to literally kill each other earlier would team up.
And despite it’s short run time, I actually ended up liking the bonds between the members of Kaname’s clan Sunset Ravens. By all means I shouldn’t, because there’s been hardly any time for their relationships to develop and they don’t have great chemistry yet or anything, but there’s something about this group that I just like. Their banter during the car chase episode near the end got me to smile, and I just have a feeling that if there’s ever a sequel, I’ll start to like them even more.
What ended up surprising me most about this anime was just how normal the characters have ended up being thus far. I’ve watched enough survival games, both good and bad, to naturally come to expect the majority of the characters to have absolutely insane character traits. But in Darwin’s Game, they’re surprisingly mellow by comparison. I didn’t even hear a single maniacal laugh given by the main girl Shuka, who I had assumed would be a Yuno Gasai knockoff. Now don’t get me wrong, she’s possessive of Kaname and kills people, but it is a death game after all, and she’s given an understandable, albeit simplistic, reason for participating. The “craziest” she gets is getting jealous over Kaname talking with other woman, which is pretty standard in anime (and probably real life too, but I wouldn’t know…) In the end, Shuka ends up being just a regular badass anime babe with some cute mannerisms and outfits, which I’m perfectly fine with.
So I’m basically saying if you’re here because you want to watch a possessive yandere murder everyone for the sake of the one she loves while laughing hysterically, you’re probably in the wrong place. Sorry!
Speaking of laughing, the voice that stood out to me the most was actually Wang’s, the main antagonist of this arc. While none of the girls were crazy psychos, this guy certainly was, and if you couldn’t tell by his appearance or actions, it was definitely evident in his voice and crazy laughs. Wang isn’t listed under the characters section here on MAL at the time of writing this so I don’t know who is credited with voicing him, but to me he definitely sounds like Yoshitsugu Matsuoka just having fun in an antagonistic role, and he just sounds great! Besides Wang’s voice, the rest of the anime’s technical aspects were generally lacking. The other voices were fine and I did like Rein’s soft-spoken loli voice. The theme songs were catchy and I got pumped up whenever that death metal sounding insert track would play during certain fights. However, it’s the battles themselves and the visuals in general that were a letdown. The art itself is pretty standard, but for some reason I was put off by the anatomy of some of the characters’ faces, primarily Kaname. During many fights, the anime does something that I totally dislike, which is the implementation of many, and I really mean many, still shots. Having unmoving panels with characters talking and sound effects playing over them when a battle is supposed to be going on is just the epitome of laziness in animation in my eyes, especially when the images aren’t even drawn particularly good or anything.The visuals redeem themselves a little with the car chase scene, which I thought implemented a combination of hand drawn and cgi visuals quite nicely. But overall, the animation definitely could have been more polished and aesthetically pleasing.
Overall, Darwin’s Game didn’t bring anything new to the table, that much I’ll concede. The story up to this point has been pretty standard and the characters are as well. But you know what? I still like it. It’s an entertaining anime, in fact one of the most enjoyable to watch that I’ve seen in awhile. I binged watched every episode bar the last in a single sitting, and I had fun the whole way through. And in my mind, being able to captivate and entertain an audience, no matter what the means, is the most important aspect of any show. And for me, Darwin’s Game succeeded in this, so it gets a pass in my book.
Stark700
We’re only 3 months into the new decade and already, there’s an anime about survival games. For context, Darwin’s Game is a shounen manga adaptation directed by Yoshinobu Tokumoto. I remember reading about this manga some years ago and tried to be less critical about it. But years later, I find myself looking back at the series and knowing that it has no redeemable traits. Of course, that’s the manga I’m talking about. The anime isn’t any miles better either. First, let’s get the obvious out of the way. Looking at the episode count, you’re probably asking yourself how on Earth this show could cover themanga in just 11 episodes? The simple answer is impossible because the manga contains well over ongoing 80+ chapters. Even with an hour special, Darwin’s Game falters on its strange pacing. We’ll get to that later but for storytelling purposes, Darwin’s Game does try to connect itself with the genres it has to work with. Specially, the first hour special throws main protagonist Kaname Sudo into a survival game from his phone. In the digital age today, everyone has a phone so the author wanted the audience to be familiarized with the elements. That’s fine and dandy until you realize how that phone throws Kaname into a labyrinth of his worst nightmares. Now as a contestant of a dangerous survival game, Kaname must not only battle but survive with each episode raising its stakes. For its very purpose, Darwin’s Game takes on the survival game genre perhaps influenced by similar franchise such as Battle Royale or Mirai Nikki. I don’t blame the author for having upcoming with such an unoriginal idea but for good sakes, this type of recycled plot is anything but unique.
However, I may have misspoke on the actual reason why this show is called “Darwin’s Game”. Based on the Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, it would seem the author has decided to apply some of the same principles into the storytelling and characters. For that reason, this anime is more about surviving than discovering the truth of the Darwin’s Game. Getting back into the main story, Kaname is initially clueless about his position until he realizes that lives are at stake including his own. The first episode bounds him into a chaotic fight that puts him into near death positions. If that wasn’t enough, he also learns that in order to survive, he must rely on special abilities while competing against others. The objective of the game is to kill others to collect their points and in return, they can cash into those points for money. In the beginning, Kaname’s lack of allies puts him into a compromising position as he is alone with no one to trust. It isn’t until he defeats other competitors and begins to build his own clan of allies. Among the first of these allies is a girl named Shuka Karino. Coming from a rich family and dressed in a lavish way, Shuka becomes his most trusted friend and perhaps a romantic interest. Their relationship is built on reliance at first but later flourishes into trust. The anime doesn’t explore much of their romantic side, however. If you’re looking for that, don’t bother because Darwin’s Game at its core is about survival. The Darwin’s Theory of Evolution deems those who are worthy to be competitors in this game and Shuka is one of them.
And as the story progresses, we are introduced to other formidable players such as the 13 year old prodigy Rein Kashiwagi, Ruji Masesaka, and even Sui, a character with a dual personality. These characters all possesses special abilities in the form of “Sigils”. In fact, Sigils play an imperative role in the overall Darwin’s Game world for each one has a different ability. For instance, Kaname’s Sigil allows him to recreate items and use them in battle. Shuka has the ability to use wires as weapons and thanks to her agility, she can utilize these wires as a killing tool. Rein’s “Laplace” sigil allows her to analyze vectors and use that information to her advantage. The idea the creators wanted to enforce into these character abilities is that each of them has potential to change the outcome of the game. But the bottom line is that despite having all these creative ideas, the main characters suffers from general characterization. It’s very difficult to get invested into any one of them besides Kaname. The show pushes him as the main guy who is protected by plot armor and his allies. Kaname himself is designed as a generic teenager that you can find in just about any similar gimmicky shows. His relationship with the main cast is untimely written and lacks commitment. I can honestly say that there’s no character pair in this show that has emotional appeal. It’s also hard to root for anyone in this show because by the end of the day, we all know who’s going to be alive.
Despite not facing production issues, Darwin’s Game animation quality lacks any distinctive qualities and relies far too much into its action elements. Character designs looks uninspiring with almost every character having the same face. Main protagonist Kaname adapts a high school student look that can easily turn heads away. On the other hand, I do applaud the character designs for the female cast such as Shuka. That dark scarlet dress she has on is something most viewers will have a hard time taking eyes off of. And if you’re looking for some fan service, you’ll be pleased to know that the anime loves to occasionally have the characters ends up in erotic-like positions or camera angles. Beyond that, Darwin’s Game visual appeal is mediocre at best and insufferable at worst.
Honestly, I think I’ve given up on the whole idea about survival games being translated into anime form. Too many times, this type of show aims at a niche audience and reuses the same ideas over and over. Plus, it seems this adaptation’s goal was to advertise the manga because there’s much more content out there in storytelling. However, take my advice and don’t throw your money at this franchise. It’s not worth it and this decade is just getting started.
Snapshot426
If there’s one anime that I enjoyed the hell out of despite its major flaws, it’s Future Diary. Despite its over-the-top, plot hole ridden story, its weak protagonist and its hit or miss cast, it was a show that never got boring and was entertaining from start to finish. It’s a testament to how a show can be entertaining despite its flaws. It’s funny because I found myself in the same situation while watching this show. A show that had some very similar vibes to Future Diary and was a show that kept me entertained despite its flaws. Sit back, relax and either pay £2.99or watch this 30 second ad on Arknights to continue reading this review as I present to you the anime review for Darwin’s game. Lets begin shall we?
Story: 5.5/10
Our story begins with a random guy getting murdered by a man in a panda mascot costume. Then the actual story sees our protagonist Kaname Sudou get a message from his friend about a new mobile app called Darwin’s Game. Not knowing anything about the app, he clicks on it and finds out that the app is a real life or death game where only the strongest and smartest will survive. With no way of getting out of the game, he has to adapt, make new allies and simply survive this twisted nightmare.
So what we have here is a real life gacha mobile game where the rich get richer and there is no way to escape the addiction. It kind of is a metaphor of how the entire mobile market is portrayed by the public. A soulless pay-to-win game where the only one enjoying it are the ones benefiting from it, the ones who take amusement of people’s addiction to the game and the ones who are dedicated to the game simply for fun. When you think about it, it actually makes somewhat a bit of sense because you got Kaname who sees this game as nothing but bulls**t for the sake of someone else's enjoyment, whereas a character like Banda-kun (the guy in the mascot costume) thrives on the thrill and addictive itch of the game.
That’s not to say that the show as a whole is subtle. Quite the opposite. This show throws Kaname into the deep end as soon as he clicks the app. Now the story can be split into three parts. The first part is setting up the world of Darwin’s game, the second is one big battle royale and the third is the aftermath of the battle royale. The battle royale is where the bulk of this show’s episodes take place and while it did feel dragged out, it was rather enjoyable that managed to keep me on my toes as new elements and factors introduced make the royale more interesting. It did continue throughout the show to make it entertaining but at the cost of some much needed world building. That’s not to say there wasn’t any world building as we did get some interesting elements to the world of Darwin’s game, but it felt like it was not enough. Corpses leave weird holes on surfaces and yet the people outside Darwin’s game never look into it. Or how the creator of Darwin’s game managed to evacuate an entire city for the battle royale. It these things I think that if it was explored upon. It would help give this, “You are merely pawns for my amusement,” kind of vibe to the world that would have made it more interesting.
Characters: 3/10
I indifferent about Kaname not because of his personality, but how rapidly his character grows and evolves from scared twerp to cocky son of a b**ch in no time. It does help remove some of the tedium when it comes these kind of characters but his growth doesn’t feel organic and, more or less, changes for plot convenience sake so we can get from point A to point B. But his cocky nature and moral code does lead to the show’s more entertaining moments so there is some good that has come out of it but I would have preferred that we were naturally lead to his cocky attitude to make his transition more reasonable, but that is just my opinion though.
But Kaname is the only character I sort of like because I really couldn’t care less for the cast around him. They all have rather uninteresting personalities and are merely there to support Kaname despite their significance to the show. Shuka devolves into a generic love interest very quickly as her character arc is solved rapidly. Rein is a charmless tech whizz. Sui is boring and underdeveloped despite having a double personality disorder and Ryuuji is so bland and uninteresting as the edgy, lonesome character with a dark past, that I am starting to doze off while finishing this sentence. Now the biggest problem I have is that I can’t sympathise with them because although they they have backstories that give you why they are going along with Darwin’s Game, they don’t come across as troubled people merely adapting to the whims of the game (even though they try) and trying to survive, but just unsympathetic killers. Something that the show doesn’t have trouble with mind you when characterising the main villains of the show, the Eighths clan, but affects the rest of the main cast outside of Kaname. Can they contribute to the entertainment value of the show, yes but ONLY in the right circumstances.
Animation: 7/10
The animation for this series is around good side of the scale. There are some moments in this series where the animation (particularly in the first few episodes) definitely look good and the action can be fun to watch. Other times though it looks just looks fine, although the aesthetics of this series do look good with how characters die when they lose a duel or when the camera angles in on the phones. That being said, character designs are more on the bland side as they don’t have features that make them stand out with the exception of Shuka with her red dress and very long, braided ponytails which definitely made her stand out the most to represent a rose and her...um...stabby chains of death (nailed it) act as the thorns. Overall, solid animation.
Sound: 7.5/10
The more I listened to this soundtrack, the more I liked it. It can be frantic, fun, calming and foreboding as it seems there is a soundtrack to match the situation. The use of techno, violins and electric guitars (not all used within the same ost) are well done to keep the scene interesting and was getting more noticeable as the episodes rode on. It helped keep the action of this series fun to watch and is definitely a highlight of the show.
Same goes with the opening, although I am referring to the song "CHAIN" by ASCA because the animation shown here is questionable. Like why does Kaname run into a shower of bullets when it kind of goes against his character and doesn’t somehow get shot once? Because it’s cool? The opening kind of wants to portray its cast of characters as badassess but it comes across pretty weak. Whereas the ending it just okay. I like the song, "Alive" by Mashiro Ayano but the visuals are basically still images of our characters. Nothing really special about this ending.
Conclusion:
I don’t really know what to make of Darwin’s game. I don’t find this series to be a must watch, especially this season as there are better anime this season to watch. But my feelings towards this show are the same feelings towards Future Diary where the show never bored me and kept me engaged from start to finish. If you feel the same about Future Diary, then I can see you enjoying Darwin’s game as it is an entertaining shounen series with some great action and music. But if didn’t enjoy Future Diary, THEN BOY THIS AIN’T THE SHOW FOR YOU MATE. The world building, janky pacing and characters will frustrate the heck out of you. It’s a show that will appeal to some but not to others and although I did enjoy it, this ain’t a show I would look back later this year as a show that is definitely one of the best. By no means is this a bad show, but it ain’t a great one either.
My Personal enjoyment: 7.5/10
Overall Score: 6.1/10 Recommendation: Consider it
Psychotomimetic
I just needed to write a review for this amazing anime! This anime really blew me away and I have to share my thoughts on this tras- I mean this Masterpiece! First off, Darwin's Game (also known as D-game) is an amazing battle royale experience for every single player! Your entire family can play! I mean, nobody knows how everybody just gets cleared out of buildings and streets. People do end up realizing, but how long does it take the public to realize something fishy is going on? Apparently, nobody knows how the game works at all. There are rules being added left and right,buildings are destroyed, countless people are being slaughtered, and everything is fucking destroyed!
Kaname is shot at many times, but nobody cares. Kaname is getting chased by a man in a panda suit with a knife and nobody gives a shit. Panda dude kills an officer and nobody cares. The panda dude gets run over while he's invisible. The guy just drives off and doesn't even ask if Kaname is okay or not? Not even questioning what he has hit over. That seems realistic! This anime is far from reality. Nobody. Fucking. Cares. Whatsoever. Well, YOU SHOULDN'T CARE YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH!
My dumb ass just came here for fucking entertainment. Common sense and logic? Nobody gives a shit about any of that! Throw that thing out of the window! Scratch what I said a moment ago. There are no flaws within the game!
I have nothing to say about the story except that it's better than Ghost in the Shell's story. The art looks repuls- I mean fantastic! The animation isn't ugly nigga, it's perfect. No flaws. The soundtrack is horrible and it sounds like somebody is playing the NFL theme: ear rape version in my ears for an entire day. But I get a throbbing cock every time I hear the opening.
Shuka is that one clingy, crazy, yandere bitch. Much like Yuno Gasai from Mirai Nikki. She also falls in love with Kaname at the end of the first episode. I'm not even surprised. Nobody gives a fuck about the rest of the cast. Moving on.
I enjoyed this show a lot. I laughed every single episode.
In all seriousness though, this show fucking sucks. I did derive a little bit of enjoyment due to fact that everything was nonsensical and retarded. It would've been better if the game itself was delved into and explored more. I honestly do not see how people gloss over the fact that this anime has glaring flaws that should be obvious. The soundtrack is generic and boring and the character aren't good nor memorable. The animation is ugly as hell. Sometimes it looks decent and most of the time it's horrible.
Yesterday, I stubbed my big toe against the front door and cracked the nail. I felt the pain as I saw the blood from under my nail rise up and slowly, the blood gushed out. There was one day when I was playing Dark Souls 3. I've defeated the Abyss Watchers on my third try. After that, I went into the catacombs and it was a misfortune to go through. I've lost many of my souls to that cursed level. Plans were ruined, deaths were inevitable, the rage was perpetual, and my penis was also flaccid. Those experiences alone were more thought provoking and entertaining than Darwin's Game ever will be.
Schlock of the season. 3/10
YeeYeeAss
I enjoy trash. If you are familiar with Mirai Nikki then you should know where this is going. Again as in Mirai Nikki phones play a very big part. You are screwed if you lose it and stuff. But at least the main character isn't as pathetic as Yukki which is always a huge plus in my book. And this is more like the new era since everyone has smart phones instead of the older types, now you aren't immortal if you own a nokia 3310. By winning games you get points. You can buy shields that removes you from the matchmaking for a week, supplydrops and fucking gacha games. Now you can waste all your points while hoping that you'll get the legendary moms sandal as a weapon. You get points by winning games. I don't know how much points you get by winning but Sadao had like 500 or 600 points after beating Shuka. You can also convert your points into money. 10 equals about 1000000 Yen. So that's a lot of money.
The story starts with some flashy action. Our protagonist sees the app called Darwins game and despite his friend warning him about it he still downloads it and unlocks his Sigil. He then gets matched against a rookie hunter and the game begins. If you lose the you die, you'll disappear in to the void. He through luck wins the game. Then he goes to meet the "Undefeated Queen" and gets into a fight. Then some time passes and a treasure hunt begins. The treasure hunt is like a battle royal where everyone collects these rings that are valuable. The rings are actually a code to unlock the "secret" prize which our heroes try to find and get.
Sudou Kaname is a typical pathetic mc who is again very fucking dumb. He is afraid to kill anyone even if his life is on the line. His special Sigil is creating items, I think. But he can't create much, we have only seen a pistol and a stun gun. Well later on in the end he actually grew some balls and fucked some shit up. Karino Shuka is girl who is titled the "Undefeated Queen" Even though he lost to Sudou because bullshit. Her special Sigil is Telekinesis. She teamed up with Saduo after her loss. She is still feared by many. Her weapon is a chain that has kunais in the ends. Rein Kashiwagi is a girl and works as an Information Broker. Her Sigil is the ability to see the future. She uses it pretty well. She teamed up with Sudou to fight against the florist. She uses a Sniper Rifle. Sui/Souta: Sui is the main host of the body but her brothers ghost/spirit resides within the same body. Sui is very shy and scared of everything while Souta is not scared, brave angry as heck and everything but shy. Ryuuji Maesaka is another player who Kaname picked up when the treasure hunt started. He started off by being controlled by the florist but later on he teamed with Kaname. He wears very heavy armor and uses an lmg as his main weapon. His sigil is pretty useless, it is just lie detection.
The opening is very good. The animation and visuals are on point and the music is very nicely chosen to compliment the visuals. The opening is very good and one of my favourites this season.
If you have shit taste and enjoy trash then watch this. Or if you liked Mirai Nikki then also watch this. Of course the premise or characters may turn people off but if you are willing to try then watch this.
DiabloMask
Darwin's Game is just a mediocre action/ super-power disguised as a survival game anime, it doesn't really belong to the genre, nothing about it feels like a game, only people trying to kill each other with no rules except a convenient one where players can surrender so the protagonist doesn't have to kill in order to win. I like the survival game genre because it has tension, with creative rules that result in interesting situations (one example is Life is Money, a manga about a survival game that has the players kill each other by yelling and cursing, the setting is hilarious but creative), unfortunately Darwin'sGame has neither of those, it feels like the writers are afraid of adding any rules because it'd make writing the show more difficult, they did add a few mechanics like getting points and using them to buy weapons, and gave the characters super powers, but nothing is explained with a set of rules, everything is kept vague so the writers can do whatever they want.
Just like most modern anime Darwin's Game has to follow certain cliches for no reason, the protagonist is an ordinary highschool boy just because, it's just mentioned for no relevant reason (you could make him an office worker and literally nothing would change), and the trigger for the supernatural elements of the show is a mysterious gaming app that's installed on his smart phone (which I've seen happen many times in other shows), also the heroine falls in love with the protagonist for no reason, and of course the protagonist's parents are non-existent.
The only reason they add these cliches is because they apparently make the show relatable for the target audience, I guess everything teenagers in Japan like is gonna turn into a cliche' at some point.
These problems make the setting mediocre, but what about the production value?
The art style is ugly and the face expressions are exaggerated, it's hard to tell if it's intentional, but even if it was it doesn't make it cool or interesting, just uncomfortable to watch.
The animation quality is also lacking, it's average at best, the character poses and movements are weird and have mistakes that I expect from a show from the 90s, not the new decade.
The soundtracks are forgettable, I don't remember any of them, and the voice acting is the same as most other shows, it's not bad but there isn't a single character with a unique performance, you could check the lists of each VA from this show and find other characters that sound exactly the same and belong to the same stereotype.
Speaking of characters, just like any other anime, we have a bland protagonist and a heroine that stands out in comparison both in personality and design, you gotta make the protagonist relatable and give him a waifu, right? That's more important than having actually interesting characters, who needs those anyway when you have stereotypes?
A few episodes in you'll start to notice that Kaname (the protagonist) wants to protect his friends and doesn't want to kill anyone, even his enemies, why? For no reason, the guy was supposed to be a blank slate for relatability's sake, but now he has one of the least relatable traits ever, and has literally no background or clear motive that makes sense of it.
Wanna know the funniest part? His power revolves around mass producing weapons, he fights by spamming machine guns and grenades, and it's not like the writer did this to make things more complicated, no, he goes all out but somehow he manages to win without killing anyone, he even had a one on one friendly fight against a guy who only uses his own fists, and Kaname used machine guns and grenades like there's no tomorrow!
That's not the only irritating thing about Kaname though, everyone around him acts as if he's some great leader, but literally neither of his allies had any reason to join him, they start as enemies and suddenly change their mind and follow him, and it's not because he has charisma or the ability to persuade others with words, no, he wins a fight with nonsensical plot armor and somehow everyone's impressed.
Now let's talk about the fights, to give you more reason why I'm not being harsh on this show.
You know the feeling when you watch someone who sucks at videogames playing a difficult game? Watching this show can be as painful sometimes, the characters act in ways that lack any common sense.
In episode 1 after Kaname has the app installed, he's targeted by another player, now imagine yourself in his opponent's place, your prey is sitting right in front of you, he's unaware that he's taking part in a killing game, his guard is lowered, there's no one around, you have a knife on you, and you have the power to turn invisible, what would you do?
Of course you wouldn't be stupid enough to pull out the knife in front of your target, point it at him, and walk slowly towards him, giving him enough time to realize the situation and run away, right? Sadly I can't say the same for the first antagonist of this show.
And how did Kaname win the fight? A car came out of nowhere and crashed into his opponent! It was so bizarre I thought at first that maybe Kaname's power is to summon cars and crash them into people! The writers unapologetically had the first antagonist die in a car accident in the middle of the fight!
In conclusion Darwin's Game is not worth your time, maybe unless you are one of those people who can "turn off their brain", but even then I can think of at least 100 other shows that are worth watching over this one.
Uji_Gintoki_Bowl
Darwin's Game is another take on the "death game" concept that has gained popularity in recent years in various mediums. Everything about the setup itself reeks of reuse, though. There are certainly novelties about some aspects of the anime's system and premise, but a lack of real individuality causes me some inhibition in liking it that much. Additionally, character motives and the reality of interpersonal relationships also become somewhat muddled towards the end of the run. Deeply sci-fi rooted concepts like Laplace's demon and spontaneous materialization are explored, but almost feel like individual add-ons to boost the story, rather than well-integrated pawns of the plot. Settingthese flaws aside though, the music slaps and it was easy to binge in one sitting, so I must at least praise that. It was a a good time; just not one that you should think too hard about. Given how long (and ongoing) the manga is, I'm sure that the story may have benefitted from more episodes or a continuation to flesh out motives and/or increase attachment to the whole work. Alas, with the nature of seasonal runs now, this is all we can expect.
Ethan_07
Winter 2020. One thing that is not lacking this season is the mystery element, which has been embodied in quite an amount of anime. Darwin’s Game is no exception. Its first few minutes in the first episode has nicely captured the essence of mystery and awesomeness that attracted many to the series. But, to what extent? Darwin’s Game has done a great job in laying out what to expect from the life-or-death survival game with the intro of ‘skills’. They reveal just enough information about the game to hook you and then take you to the male protagonist that is just as clueless as you. Then,the possibilities are expanded once the ground rules are cleared. The potential with its premise are explored with the idea of clan-creating, currency-exchanging, events-joining and a lot more features in store. Eventually, the MC and his team are all in this together, to survive this dreadful free game by any means.
But other than that, there’s not a lot to say about it. If you watch close enough, you’ll realize that Darwin’s Game is merely a hype machine. Almost every ending is set for the next episode, the ambience it created and the cliffhanger it inserted all serve the purpose of building the anticipation. Events triggered by events like domino, new characters are introduced and then eliminated, it’s a never-ending battle royale out there. By cycling the formula of twists, blood and tears, the story can go on and on. Depending on the type of audience, you’ll either grow to hate this or love it.
On the other hand, the art is done by studio Nexus, which also handled Granbelm. Some fighting scenes are made to be quite simplistic while the real showdowns has decent animation to keep up with. The opening "CHAIN" by ASCA is thrilling and entertaining while the ending "Alive" by Mashiro Ayano is just fitting when blended in at the right time. Characters-wise, both animation and songs are nice.
Overall, Darwin’s Game is best enjoyed as it is. Up till now, it’s really hard to decide whether the rest of the journey would be worthwhile or not, and the reason is simple. Based on how the story has expanded so far, we won’t be seeing the end of this that soon. So, that leaves you with two choices – read the manga or wait indefinitely for the next season.
Now, you decide whether to play the Darwin’s Game or not.
AnimeExplorer21
Darwin’s Game blew me away—it’s the kind of anime where you sit down to watch one episode, and before you know it, you’re binging the whole series in one night. The story pulls you in immediately and doesn’t let go, throwing you into a world where every move counts, and survival is the ultimate goal. The plot revolves around Kaname, our main protagonist, who unwittingly gets dragged into this deadly survival game. At first, you think, “Okay, just another death game anime,” but trust me, it’s so much more than that. The stakes are high, the twists keep coming, and every episode leaves you craving thenext.
One thing that stood out to me is the balance between action, strategy, and even a bit of romance. Kaname’s dynamic with Shuka, the “Undefeated Queen,” is such a refreshing touch. She’s a total badass with her chain weapon, but at the same time, her softer, protective side comes out when she’s with Kaname. It’s not your typical romance—it’s more like a battle-ready prince and princess taking on the world together, and I loved every second of their interactions.
The action scenes are intense, some of them even brutal, but not overly gory or hard to watch. If you’ve seen your fair share of survival or thriller anime, you’ll be fine. What really impressed me was the creativity behind the sigils (special abilities). Each character’s power felt unique and well-thought-out, adding an extra layer of strategy to every battle.
Now, let’s talk about the ending. It’s not one of those neatly tied-up finales—it’s more like, “This is just the beginning.” And honestly, I’m here for it. I couldn’t stop thinking about the plot after the last episode, diving into the manga to answer all the questions buzzing in my head. But even with the manga, I need a Season 2. The potential for this series is massive, and I’m convinced it would be a hit.
If you’re into action, suspense, or survival anime, this is a must-watch. It’s intense, clever, and even manages to sneak in some heartfelt moments. Darwin’s Game is easily one of my favorite anime now, and I’m holding out hope for that second season. Don’t sleep on this one—it’s worth every minute!
JiangHaoyi1979
Well, as I finish the last episode, it kinda looks like that there isn't much love for this anime and probably I won't be getting a high score for this review of mine, well who gives a fuck anywayz, since this is my opinion anywayz, so here my take for this 11 episodes anime. Story- Mediocre 5: Ok, so it maybe a Mira Nikki knock off or any cyberpunk themed anime for crying out loud, but given that studio " Nexus" limited it to just 11 episode, shows that they're very much pragmatic about their decision to make an anime adaptation of this series. Art- Decent 4:Ok when it comes to something erotic it was limited to only Shuka Karino, the rest, well don't be expecting any panty flash from here nor any of the girls around here.
Sound-Very Good 8: This was because of the emotions and the hate that them characters expresses around here in particular with Wang's evil monologue and Shuka's arrogance also the inflection being express by the character have the good fit in it.
Character- Good 7: At first I kinda hate Kaname's no killing policy when he formed the "Sunset Ravens", but despite of his badass I kinda hate the idea that he himself would break his own policy the moment when he saw Wang kills his friend and there was the fact that it was the final straw, but as we see he later on accepts that kill is necessary so, he decide to just put a limit of the lives to be taken. Let's not forget Shuka who basically serves as his bitch as if if Kaname wants to he can bang her, but whats good about her was that she's one bad bitch that can deliver, but then again it was unfortunate when we see Rein , Ruuyji and Sota/ Sou being limited as nothing more than just a bunch of quintessential henchmen of the leader.
Enjoyment- Good 7: Well, if those who see this a shit then here's a question "Why bother watching this anywayz?" Cu'z I don't know about you, cu'a to me I don't see this as shitty to watch, though I kinda hate that them "Sunset Ravens" were no better than them "8" boy that they just decimated.
Overall- Very Good 8: Cu'z I don't give a shit that this anime's story was all over the place, ok so it was bad, but to me I see this a wickedly good.....
RebelPanda
Logic, reason, reality… these are things I simply do not care about. But because of an anime called Darwin’s Game, we need to talk about them. And by we, I do mean me, so take a seat and let me tell you why this anime is crap. Darwin’s Game tries to pass itself off as a battle royale, one of my favorite sub-genres, but it really isn’t. I expected it to be dumb, shlocky, and nonsensical, which has never stopped me from enjoying an anime before. So I prepared to suspend my disbelief, but nothing could prepare me for what I have witnessed. The titular death gameeveryone plays, shortened to D-Game, is a fight to the death downloadable right on your phone. Players enlist to earn cash money and to get away with murder. It’s also a dueling arena, a power struggle between clans, a citywide scavenger hunt, and it grants every player a random superpower known as a Sigil. There’s a lot going on in this show, it’s chaotic, which is good because chaos is my middle name. The problem is, they never stop adding new concepts, even until the final episode. There’s no shortage of lore and mystery to untangle here, but it’s so confusing and underwritten that I don’t think even the writer understands it all.
No one knows how an entire city is emptied for the game. No one knows how the game works. There here are new rules constantly being added. Skyscrapers are destroyed, people are slaughtered in the streets, entire city blocks are reduced to rubble. And all of society was taking a nap. Every now and then, the entire population wakes up and realizes all this shit happened, and they say “Hey guys what happened to our city? How did everyone sleep through it?” That’s a question that the author doesn’t seem to have a grasp on. Apparently, the game blocks your phone signal, but it still takes place in the real world. In the first episode, someone tries shooting the protagonist multiple times and no one calls the cops. Later on, civilians run over a player, an invisible man, dent their bumper, then drive off without a care in the world. They look around and see the terrified protagonist, but they don’t ask him if he’s ok or if he knows what they hit. They just leave. This is so detached from reality. Although the guy who was trying to kill him was a Panda, so I do like that.
I can’t stress this enough, but I do not care about what is logically possible in reality. Make it stupid, make it ridiculous. I will enjoy it. Punch a guy’s head off, topple a building, make a crazy yandere fall in love with the bland protagonist. Where I draw the line between dumb fun and inane writing is internal logic, which Darwin’s Game has none. For starters, the superpowers are not consistent at all. The main protagonist, Kaname, has the ability to create anything he can think of, any weapon imaginable. It’s awesome. Contrast this with a dude who can detect when people are lying. Not awesome. These powers are incomparable. Another main character is essentially a super-computer who can freeze time, she’s absurdly overpowered.
The logic is skewed to give the main characters as much power as possible, which is admittedly sometimes really fun to watch play out. I loved seeing Kaname pull a machine gun out of his ass to scare bad guys; Or a thirteen-year-old professional sniper evade a dozen burly bad guys and dodge a moving train within seconds. It’s kind of amazing how dumb this show is. But from the start, it’s clear who is expendable and who will never die. Their abilities make them practically invincible unless the author contrives some way for them to get hurt. Keep in mind, there are dozens of random fighters in either clan who have different abilities. There’s no telling how powerful they are or what their power even is. This means anyone can gain a new ability at any time. Unpredictability can be exciting, but it’s hard to enjoy a clusterfuck when you have no idea what’s happening.
Add this to the ugly animation and generic background music, and you’ve got a recipe for boredom. The action is supposed to be the appeal of the show, the rest of it is just the characters trying to figure out how the hell game functions. To this day, no one knows! Even after watching the whole show, I have no idea what Kaname was supposed to look like. His face changes every other shot like he’s made of melting clay. The artists prioritized animation over consistent character designs, probably because the story wouldn’t work without action. Other than a few special occasions, the animation looks pretty awful too. If you pause at any point while people are moving, you’ll notice the perspective is off, limbs look too big or too small.
Kaname, aside from being the personification of mashed potatoes, isn’t that bad of a character. Yeah, he’s an edgelord, but who isn’t these days? My problem with him is that he gained his overpowered sigil out of pure coincidence, and it allows him to succeed in the game. He does not develop until late in the series. Lucky circumstances cause him to succeed, dumb decisions cause him to temporarily fail. He meets powerful and agreeable players, who he dick whips ruthlessly until they join him. Ladies throw themselves at him, worshiping his sigil, to the point of insanity. Dear God, impregnate me Kaname-sama! There were one or two scenes when he was relatable, but that was all.
As for the other characters, we have Yuno Gasai with twin tails, a crazy child who is convinced she has the ghost of her twin in her body. She just whines for most of the show and does nothing. Might as well show her half-naked for the plot! The 13-year-old supercomputer sniper girl, she’s pretty cool. The human lie detector, this game is balanced. The Florist, a man trying to earn money to save his daughter, valid reason. Then he develops a hero complex for reasons. He has a heartfelt dialogue with the sniper girl, but afterward, he regurgitates his same pointless desire to live and die a hero undigested. HE learns nothing from one of the best scenes in the show. The main villain, big Wang himself, is another psychopathic edgelord who fits his role as the leader of the Bad Clan. There’s nothing to him, still, I have to give props to his voice actor for his great performance.
Ever since watching the classic Japanese film Battle Royale (that the Hunger Games shamelessly copied), I’ve loved death games. I think I have made a good argument for why Darwin’s Game is a very shitty anime, and I could end the review here. But I need to make it clear why this is also a shitty death game anime as well. I’ve enjoyed bad death game anime in the past, I love the catastrophe that is Mirai Nikki. I expected Darwin’s Game to be a fix for my shlocky battle royale addiction, but I was baited. Kaname basically uses his power and *sexy* personality to sway his enemies he encounters into joining his team. This is where Darwin’s Game ceases being a battle royale and becomes a battle between clans. I didn’t sign up for this! Worst of all, a lot of the violence is censored. There was a badass scene when a dude punches off a guy’s head. Well, it would have been badass if they hadn’t censored the shit out of it! Fuck censorship! Some guy’s arm got chopped off and it’s shown as a silhouette. This is a battle royale, I want to see blood, guts, filth!
I feel like I’m committing some kind of crime by reviewing this garbage. It’s not worth the effort I put into writing this review. It shouldn’t be as popular as it is; People are going to see this and think this is what anime is like. They’re going to think we’re all babbling angsty babies who believe this trash is high art. It’s obscene that I feel the need to announce I know this anime is bad when it’s clear from just the first few minutes how shitty it is.
Marinate1016
Darwin's game is my entry into the world of battle royale death game anime and as such, was one of the freshest and most fun experiences I've had watching anime in a very long time. The show was one of the few I've ever seen to be able to hold my interest for 23 minutes every single episode and is packed full of amazing fights, cool characters and interesting concepts. "Darwin's game" is a mobile game with seemingly no escape that pits users against each other for supremacy. You die in the game, you die in real life. Simple concept right? Well, there's much more to thegame than anyone could have ever imagined and each episode more and more is revealed about the true purpose of D-game.
Good plot is one thing, but to really hold my attention a show has to have good characters, consistent writing and good technical qualities and Darwin's game excels in all of these categories. The show is beautifully done featuring great and consistent art, sound and animation quality. The fight scenes, and there's a lot of them, are all well animated and fun to watch. The characters all feel unique and there's a sense of purpose with them. Often when you watch a show with a bigger cast, there's some characters who make you question what they're even there for. I never felt like this at all with D-game. They all are there for a reason and add to the experience of the show.
Overall, if you're looking for a fun and fast paced show to watch, or if you're into battle royale style anime, Darwin's game is a must watch. It features good characters, writing and is well done. 9/10.
badabass
Another anime with the game type genre had just finish to be watch. The name was Darwin's game. I dont have detail about the meaning, since i can not reach any resource material referring to this anime. So, maybe my judgement get to some bias, i dont have the right to stop it at the right time. Darwin's game, what is that? Again, another typical shounen type show, with MC had all kind of imbalance power with no good explanations from the start. Well, im not surprised at all, just, smirk long-long anough like a crazy people. What is this? Generally, i must say thisshow was average. Sometimes can make my adrenaline got high, sometime feels flat. I can't help myself since this kind of anime not be my favourite type to watch. However, again, another hint help me to brave. And yeah, it is not to horrific as im thinking before. Just take my adrenaline to pump highest than ever be. I can't for that with suddenly my reaction got so tensing!
If you kind of people with so much courage, maybe this anime match up your interesting. But you must understand, some scene might boring. And all the protagonist got too much benefits. Maybe its just my early assumptions, since i dont read any other resources like Manga or LN. So, prepare yourself with the criteria i say before, cause sometimes it trigger a boredom.
With too small information, lack of detail of the story main idea, even i dont understand much about why the name Darwin's has to be at the game's name (yes, i will, im blind and so dumb at this rate). Then, i can't give a fair judgement at this show. Maybe 60-70 %? Yes, just for that rate i can make this article to publish, while other percentage come to my blind spot. Blind information, can not take good explanations with some foreshadowing that may appear, or other reasons. Too much danger, like the Darwin's game prove at that show.
Lets start, the game!
Story: to be short, the show talk about the game. Like some other anime with game at their flag point, Darwin's game proved to be the hot one. All my friend talk about this. When i had time to watch, i watch it with the feel how the game was really full of trouble. Yet, as always like other Shounen Anime type, MC can solve his problem with the game. With unexpexted power, Sigil, the main resource of this game to be exploit over this show. At this point, i shall say, not good. I feel bored with the way of story they wanna show to me. Not long until some Moe character saved this show.
Again, cute character always get distracted. With that cute girls appear out of nowhere (with her power later get reveal), i can't blame my heart to put this show at my trust. I try to believe, and to force my mind to understand the concept of the game by rewatching some scenes over and over. I swear, if Moe girls never show herself, i may dropped this show 5 minutes to begin. But, i refuse to do that, i try to trust. I had a nice feelings about the end. And yeah, i feel the enjoyment.
Not much enjoyment, i must say here to revised statement before. But its good enough since i can't really stick my dumb mind well in to the game system. This is my first time, i dont get the exact point watching the anime. Maybe some other just done it before, but this is the first one i ever get to finished. Darwin's Game, an interesting kind of the show. I will recommend this, you all shall read its Manga. Because the detail will be pretty explain much there. It even match the genre list as fit as ever.
With a Shounen typical plot (a boredom will appear at 50% probability) you will always like, some romance and ecchi scenes popped out to serve your perverted habit in a nice art (this shit really shock me), and an unknown power of system they try to introduce (Yes, Sigil, or whatever its name, like Doujutsu? Or, you had any preference? Just watch it).
Do you like some of that? Or do you like the battle animations? Unique way to animate the battle (and sometimes i shall say, a parody one)? Cute momment by a girl with multiple personality? A badass loli with no expression, like a Kuudere type of girls? A tense action by the double men you always dream of? Thats some of my judgement toward the whole 12 episode the Darwin's game had.
All the answer shall be surpass at the show. Enjoy it till the end. 7/10 to the story. Minus three point at the lack of minutes play to serve the best story telling, story progression, and plot armour too much to even get predict by myself. Since i can't quite fit with the main concept with my nicest approach. But, yeah, i shall reduce my sentiment with no intentions to put this to 6 or even 5. With all of that, now i can rest in peace for awhile.
Music, sound, art: all shall stay at the average point, may put it to 6 or 7. Its a fun-ride till the half, but not too fun at all. Music was too generic and can not stack well to my brain well. Because it was too short? Yes, 12 episodes have not any chance to attach my mind and be my favourite. But, well, this is good. I hit myself. Especially with the art, i rather put 8, im impressed with the animations they try to show. All the power, how sound effect really match the condition. How good the expression the girl had. Etc. Take your two cents and enjoy the show. Yeah, enjoy huh? Enjoyment will put to the 8 point too, with no other better explanations as stated above. Ah, forget about the character change at the end.
Some scene leading to the end bring some extreme change to the MC. It shocked, later bring me some joy. Yet, other character really had a sudden change. Like some twisted plot, after some event, the character grown up too fast to get a full development. Yes, lack of detail, rushed pace toward character improvement make this show worse. But, somehow, i understand the way this show had! I can't believe it, trying to pick some good side.
I make such a hard push to trust the drastic change. It even so fsst as the new anime. I feel not right there, you goddamn! But, what else you can do? I can make a review here, but can not make the story tell the character to be more kind. No, this is Darwin's Game. And this is just the start of the game. Like any other typical show, as my last sentence to strengthen my idealism. 7 points will be my wise judgement at this long phrase toward character section.
So, my overall? Not much i can say here. All details shall be digged up at above. With my previous review, i rather give my point high enough to the story section. However, some condition make it excluded. This show, generally, included a push from the outside power, 8 shall be the best to this.
What is the outside power im talking here? A hope. A hope with the courage expectations to a continuations this show had prove. The show had its potential, i wanna get attach well if i get other continuations. Like the OVA, or even season 2. Since the ending really open to continue, i really hope it to happen, right? With my hunch, and all the possibility, i place the high roller to this show. Darwin's game. 2020 show really had something to be proud of.
Syureria
Darwin's Game tells Kaname Sudou a normal student who is forced to become a killer. Earlier, Kaname involved in a game app Darwin's Game. This app contains the battle between the individual, players are required to kill individual each although sometimes contains battle royal. My impression of the anime is very good and interesting. In the first episode delivering a message very good, the point of the game darwin conveyed clearly. The regulations are also very interesting and quite clear although it is thought to once again. Tell a story about survival game of course the lust to kill and murder everywhere it reasonable. I givethis a ten for the way the story because the theme of survival games like this very step I think and also of the many anime that aired this season this might be one of the best.
Carrying the theme of survival games of course happened the shedding of blood and human organs scattered, I think the anime is also great in terms of design and graphics. If you see depictions of the blood and organs of the human body look like the original, but it is very unfortunate that I think the design of the characters as well as the effects resulting from the battle of the mediocre.nothing special.
Leave aside the question of our image towards the character, judging from the characters I think I like less than the character Kaname Sudou because of the nature of such a coward I really don't like it, but I think this is the concept of "Zero to Hero" so the development of the properties, strength, and skill in killing the more far the more good. In addition to Kaname Sudou, Shuka Karino who become heroin is also very annoying, I think how not, Shuka a girl who appears only to give the impression of romance in this anime, instead of feeling stressful with the advent of Shuka create a sense of tension that there is in this story slowly began to disappear.
For a voice-indeed they are already good, but wait there are more of them ie the singer of the opening theme or the cover. Just a little bit my opinion about this, I Think if we often listen to a few songs of the opening theme / cover of an anime may be the word "LiSA" is not foreign to our ears but what about the "Asca" is it still foreign? This artist has a unique sound and may be juxtaposed with the singer of top-class. I like the opening theme they show in addition that I also like the lyrics they seemed to specialize their song for this anime. In addition to the opening theme may be the theme of the cover of "Alive" to be the best for this season, the chant melody as well as the electronic song I really like it. Even I often repeat this song several times to listen to the cries of "Be Alive".
I really enjoyed this event but there are a few things I didn't like as I mentioned above. Theme survival game feeling stressful very pronounced in my opinion. Is this worth watching? I think it's very worth to watch especially for those of you lovers of gore and thriller.
LegendAqua
Darwin's Game is no King's Game: The Animation, but clearly surpasses Mirai Nikki. Ok LA might be putting Darwin's Game to a pedestal but what Darwin's Game has going for it, LA can at least bring it to a moderate degree. Darwin's Game is about Sudou Kaname voiced by Yuusuke Kobayashi who gets unwittingly roped into a mysterious mobile game app, but the game has literally his life on the line, but to counterbalance that, he's given a superpower in order for him to survive. Darwin's Game works in alot of ways like most mobile game "events and news" but again with the entire survival real lifegame aspect to it, everything is on the line and with how not only charismatic Sudou is but his entire drive of just wanting to survive without killing, brings a sorta unique take on these survival death game anime.
Yes people might see Sudou as the pacifistic, harem gaining white knight Sudou but no actually, Sudou attracts his core cast of the anime thanks to his charismatic and drive to want to survive no matter how bad his opponent is, no Sudou drives the plot and him wanting to stop the mastermind behind all this and his bravado drives the plot forward along with the rest of the cast that joins him.
On speaking of which, Shuka Karino voiced by Reina Ueda is a top player of Darwin's Game and she latter joins Sdou's cause for good reason with some ulterior motives. Alot of people has said Shuka is similar the classic yandere Yuno Gasai. Again no, Shuka has her own goals and Shuka isn't really romantically interested, she more or less are in friendly basis to Sudou and in a ways use Sudou to further her own ulterior motives but in a good perspective in Sudou's gang. Latter on Rein Kashiwagi voiced by Nichika Oomori, Ryuuji Maesaka voiced by Taku Yashiro, Sui voiced by Yumiri Hanamori joins Sudou to survive the game. Rein is the info broker of the core cast and Rein was LA's favourite character throughout the anime as much like Sudou, she was roped into the mysterious mobile game by happenstance and her stoic nature was actually charming and like Sudou drives the plot forward. Ryuuji at first a bad guy, latter turned good has beef to one of the gang leaders that's in the game and lastly Sui like Ryuuji once a bad guy, she latter "doesn't want to kill".
If there was anything Darwin's Game does well is tension at the situation at hand but more importantly, character development and the character interactions itself is one of the best strengths in the anime.
Darwin's Game does quite well in terms of giving tension to the survival mobile game aspect of the anime to which LA says in the direction of giving the core cast ALOT of obstacles not only from the opponents the core cast needs to surpass (and sometimes can't) but doubling that with the games rules added to it drives the stakes even further to the aspect to drive the tension of many of the encounters Sudou and his gang goes through, be it an escape plan, joining Sudou's gang or endgame, really lots of blindsides happen in this anime (sure Sudou and Shuka have some plot armour) but nonetheless, Darwin's Game does tension well and for a survival game even better.
Darwin's Game...the mobile game itself has a mystery towards who created it and how Sudou wants to stop it as well as allowing his members to survive at all cost. The mobile game "game" does work in a realistic "mobile game" game like having events and in gaining points and the like but with the process having to kill people as a result, to this defense the creator during Sudou's time in the game allows for killing but killing doesn't ALWAYS equate to gaining points. So it's a nice new perspective of the "mobile game" survival game.
The animation done by Nexus was actually pretty decent right down to the character designs, battles and background work. The animation doesn't really do many derps at that. Nexus did pretty well outright from the character designs as well as the battles itself, so if there is any contention to watch for the animation, then Nexus did great in terms of animation and consistency.
The voice cast were pretty good, from Yuusuke Kobayashi as Sudou, Reina Ueda as Shuka to Nichika Oomori as Rein. What LA made this voice cast GREAT was that Dio happened to be in this voice cast and no LA won't mention who he's voice. Nonetheless Reina Ueda as the femme fatale Shuka was done pretty well what with her cadence given to Shuka. Nichika Oomori as Rein also deserves some praise in her role as she got ALOT of good screentime to show her chops in voice acting. Lastly is probably Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Wang of the Eighth channeling his Betelgeuse as a gangster and HAMMING IT UP. Yeah to say LA REALLY liked this voice cast is an understatement.
So Darwin's Game has alot of positives to it, from the solid characters and their development, the tension of the many situations Darwin's Game was thrown at the core cast, good to great production value. So you can kinda see why LA put Darwin's Game on a moderate pedestal.
Darwin's Game endgame pretty much challenges Sudou's pacifistic beliefs and nature in facing off with one of the most unbashful asshole villains in the anime that was building up throughout the anime and sure this detracts from the entire mystery of the creator of Darwin's Game but since the entire feud with Sudou and Wang of the Eighth started quite early on, LA can see why they focused on that. It's a "Read the manga" ending essentially to this end.
All in all, Darwin's Game isn't that bad of a survival mobile game anime adaptation, from having a main character you can root for WHILE having some white knight tendencies but not as annoying, good core cast with ALL it's members having a role throughout the anime and with good production from the voice casting to the animation done by Nexus. If you want a decently mature and slightly edgy survival anime then Darwin's Game is your anime and LA enjoyed LA's experience especially with it's core characters carrying the anime throughout.
Traxdize
As far as I am concerned, they changed some stuff from the Manga. This adaptation isn't perfect. but it will do. I'm glad they didn't cut out any of Kaname's development considering they removed two important characters. They also skipped some details, but I guess it's because they are not making a 2nd season. Truthfully, the animation was decent. Well some fights were underwhelming. The animation for most part are great, buttery-smooth I might say. I'm quite disturbed by some SFX in this anime. Other than the SFX, the Opening song and sequence was a banger (love ASCA). The Ending was great too. Considering theyskipped some parts of the Manga, the character development was decent this time. Kaname's development was great. Shuka's backstory was kept the same, so it's all good. Rein is great for being one of the most mature even though she's one of the youngest. Other characters like Ryuji has their development later though. I really enjoyed this show. It's a shame that the probability of a second season is low, since I really loved the Manga. Nonetheless this was quite enjoyable through the season.
Resting_Bonfire
Darwin's Game As everyone knows, every anime season has its misfits who wouldn't even be loved by their mothers. And Darwin's Game has proven a lot of things with the first 3 episodes, especially how low you can fall and have no idea what you're doing. But I wouldn't call this anime bad, even though the first episodes were just a disaster. Darwin's Game, despite everything, has a relatively average plot, a somewhat detailed game concept, and especially a protagonist which is more rational than you would think. To my surprise, this grit went from being a bad show to a weak show, and in theend, even a slightly below-average show. It is rare to see how a bad series gets better bit by bit. In the beginning, I could hardly imagine watching this garbage to the end and wishing there would be no sequel. Ironically, in the end, I even thought "well, it wasn't that bad, they could make a second season".
What you have to keep in mind, especially with Darwin's Game, is that it is an extremely amateur work. Not only the scenery, but especially the flow of the plot is immensely weak, forced, and without any real build-up. Not to mention my favorite, the disastrously bad dialogue, and character reactions. One could almost think that the author was trying to do something "better". That he was inspired by too many but didn't know what to do with the inspiration. You can see it, especially in the protagonist, who is a typical Weak to Strong character. With a great variation he can be very rational and in the later course destroys many clichés. It's as if one tried desperately to create a protagonist who is "different" from the others. It partially worked, but what was the price?
[Story 3]
Darwin's Game is a Survival-Concept that has been only partially explained so far and still has a lot of unexplained logic in store. This game forces everyone who used its app to participate and fight against others. A point system or simple survival decides the winner and death. The idea is simple and nothing worth mentioning. The only good thing here is the power system, which was explained relatively subtly after all. All Stigma users can control their new "superpowers" as if it were normal for them, like breathing and walking. This creates a certain balance between all participants and no one has to adapt to their abilities.
Of course, our "protagonist" is once again special for various inexplicable reasons and has a very interesting ability, besides his infinite plot armor. I'm still puzzled how everyone in the series dies from strong attacks but the protagonist himself takes wall-level attacks without broken ribs or shredded organs. In shounen this is normal, but here everyone should be "human" except for their abilities.
[Characters 3]
The protagonist has been the only blessing here. In the beginning, he is a naive fool who acts like a bit of a brat but turns out to be a very nice person. Armed with some of the dumbest dialogue and monologues in human history, he struggles through the game hoping to survive.
Even though it feels like his character spontaneously changed 2-3x in the anime, at least he had been given different character traits. And to my surprise, he was relatively rational. That a protagonist brings so many actions that are actually understandable or even "good" is rare.
But that was also the only thing worth mentioning.
Shuka is a boring content-less yandere whose entire personality is just sad. Even her background was incorporated into the plot as if it were a bad joke.
The others aren't even worth mentioning as they barely have personalities nor are they greatly relevant except for the hacker kid.
The two siblings are the definition of cringe and have NO reason to exist. They contributed nothing to the plot and were merely dead weight.
The antagonist of season 1, Wang was at least relatively decent. While he was the typical Darkforce villain with no motivations or depth, this did give him a certain level of menace. Especially his final action against the protagonist and his ending were relatively interesting.
[Animations 5/ Music 5]
Regarding the music, there is nothing to say, it is average. The intro, outro, and osts offer nothing worth mentioning.
The animations are also pure average with no dynamics and very spongy fights. Only episode 9 had a fight scene where 500% of the budget was used.
[Conclusion 4]
Darwin's Game is an anime that could hardly have gotten a worse start. Combine it with its relatively average storyline and poor dialogue. However, the anime still managed to stand its ground with a reasonably decent concept and some interesting choices. If it hadn't gotten better from episode 6 on, I don't know what positive I could say.
[Enjoyment 5]
meowingrat
It's fine, not terrible, but not particularly amazing either. I feel like I would have liked this show if I hadn't experienced much better death games. The show is at least enjoyable, in a fun and edgy way, there are actually interesting and amazing characters in this show, just not the main two. I have seen many plain and boring main characters in anime, and for once these two actually made me actively dislike them. This show is similar to Future Diary in many aspects, but at least I actually became interested in Yuno and Yukiteru as characters. These ones have all the soul suckedout of them, in this discount horrible mesh of who knows what personality they'll have, because even the creators don't know!
Death games can be hit or miss. The problem is the psychological part, death games are meant to have twists that make you reel in surprise, and even if the twist is obvious, at least it will have a psychological effect in the story. This has neither twist nor psychology, and in the end, it is a decent death game show in the pile of good death games yet to be animated.
MyWaifuIsmylaifu
When you first look at Darwin's Game, you may think that it's another edgy cheep survival anime made to cash in on the edgy teen market. Well, you would be wrong because Darwin's game is much worse! Darwin's game, or as I like to call it "Mom look, I can write a survival anime with a shitty allegory!" is a boring, boring, boring experience. One that drained what little enjoyment I got from the beginning of the series and the idea that the paper-thin "evolution" theme would be taken any further than a way to justify the main character being op. The story of darwins gameopens interestingly enough for an edgy survival anime. A teenage boy with the power to shoot box cutter blades is murdered by a man dressed as a panda who can turn invisible. Before he dies though, he sends a text to his friend to invite him to the survival game as well. And from here everything is your box standard trash edgy survival anime.
Despite all this, I will give the show credit that the opening is good enough of a start, but does nothing after they deal with the first threat outside of giving the main character an overpowered ability and continually giving him overpowered abilities
We introduce multiple harem members, kill off a few people, then end with one of the worst fight scenes I've ever seen. All in all, 1/10 story
<art>
Darwin's game has a super ugly art style. One that gets MUCH worse as the show goes on. If I'll give it any credit it's not the worst of the worst and at least is watchable.
3/10
<sound>
Same as the art. 3/10
<characters>
This is where Darwin's game shines. The characters are some of the worst I've ever seen. Our main character (who's name I cannot even remember) is bland, boring, and the most stereotypical main character I've ever seen. Even coming with his own "I can't kill!' complex that he abandons when the straw man villain "pushes him too far!!" Our MC also gains huge power spikes out of nowhere. With the "prize" for the treasure hunt arc being the most boring and overpowered ability.
Outside of our MC. We have girl with chains who falls in love with him after one battle, Gun guy. Water girl who thinks she's a boy. And a bunch of people who get introduced then never seen again.
In short, I will remember none of these characters. 1/10
<enjoyment>
I love simple edgy things. They can be fun to enjoy in their own way. But Darwin's game is the worst of all survival game, power fantasy, and surprisingly isekai rolled into a single package. After somehow sitting through this mess in its entirety I was given a promo for a second season and that has killed what little hope I had that 2020 would somehow have some good in it.
Darwin's game is a nightmare to sit through. Even as a contour of edgy trash anime there was nothing to be enjoyed. What little I liked about the first episode was made null by the third and I am a fool for sitting through this show. The fight scenes suck, the characters are awful, the premise and its puddle depth allegory to evolution ae lost entirely due to the writing being impressively stupid. Only watch this if you somehow find yourself in a world as brainless as Darwin's game
