Yet we still have to get another generic anime.
Summary:
- Gods' Game We Play revealed a new key visual, and fans find the character designs way too generic.
- The anime feels like No Game No Life meets battle magic school harem genre.
- The LN is written by Kei Sazane, the author of Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World.
Gods' Game We Play (Kami wa Game ni Ueteiru) is an anime coming out in Spring 2024. Haven’t heard of it? No wonder — it wasn’t heavily promoted, and while it is based on a light novel, it’s not one that is very popular — at least in the West. The anime has revealed a new key visual, and fans’ reactions are… not very positive, to be honest.
The characters look generic
There’s nothing inherently wrong with the key visual itself — however, it doesn’t really make the anime appealing to watch. The character designs look extremely generic — a dark-haired protagonist, a red-headed — likely tsundere — female lead, etc.
Overall, the anime looks like another by-the-numbers light novel adaptation, and there’s nothing particularly special about it.
One thing fans have pointed out is the existence of a second — apparently important — male character. In a series that, at first, looked like a harem anime, it’s an unexpected twist, though probably not one to make the anime unique.
The anime instantly drew comparisons
Many otaku compared the anime and its character designs to battle magic school harems that were so popular in the mid-2010s. In fact, a lot of the character designs and uniforms are reminding them of that era of series.
Those were also notoriously criticized for being generic — just how isekai anime are being criticized now. That said, there were still a few worth watching.
Others compared Gods' Game We Play to No Game No Life — and the comparison makes perfect sense. Both series focus heavily on games and feature genius protagonists going through them.
It’s odd we’re getting this adaptation instead of another season of No Game No Life — which wasn’t even the first anime like this to need a sequel. Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Aren't They? came out even earlier, had a similar premise and was also very obviously unfinished.
The author is somewhat notable
Perhaps the most notable part about Gods' Game We Play is the fact that it was written by Kei Sazane — the same light novel writer who wrote Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World.
Sazane is also responsible for Why Nobody Remembers My World?, an adaptation of which is coming out this July. He’s notorious for referencing his other works in practically every light novel he writes — in fact, the made-up language of magic is the same across all of his writing.
If nothing else, at least that part will make the anime actually interesting