No Game, No Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

No Game, No Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

So... much... color. Can't... see. Must... keep watching, though...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 14, 2015

There's a fine line between tropey and satirical anime. There's an even finer line between mocking your target audience and winking at good-natured fans who are in on the joke. It's lines like these that No Game, No Life walks with light, airy, often hilarious ease, playfully teasing those willing to buy into its eye-gouging visuals and sharp humor, cleverly toying with familiar convention, and gleefully -- but oh so lovingly -- deconstructing, skewering and fully embracing its premise, genre and influences. And with a cast of likable, engaging characters to boot, each of whom enhance the story, expand the world and heighten the comedy. I laughed, and I laughed hard. Early. Often. Eagerly. Out of surprise and out of admiration. It doesn't mean everyone will have the rip-roaring time I did, or that everyone will have the same stupid grin plastered on their face that was stuck to mine. But it does mean those who warm to its style and temperament will have a blast.

On the internet, they're legends: the tag-team duo known as BLANK, famed for their incredible game-playing skills. In the real world, however, the lives of 18 year old Sora and his 11 year old stepsister Shiro have been spiraling out of control. Now existing as shut-ins, they rarely leave their house and are unable to be separated without suffering panic attacks. Games, for them, are the safest retreat from reality. Until they win a chess match against a mysterious opponent known as Tet and find themselves pulled into a game bigger than any they could have ever imagined. Now, in a world where the outcome of games determines the fates of both civilizations and species, they must defend Humanity in the ultimate challenge, vying against a host of otherworldly competitors for the right to rule them all! But if they fail, it means slavery or destruction for all mankind. No pressure, of course! Can two misfits who can barely handle their own lives somehow rise to the occasion and save the human race?

Gamers will get a particularly strong kick out of No Game, No Life, though it's by no means limited to a single audience. The series works on multiple levels and develops multiple endgames, often indulging in seemingly erratic and spontaneous whims when it's doing anything but. At the same time, its world is cohesive even in its incohesion and interesting even when it seems like it has no idea where it's headed, flinging open doors and revealing its realms in exciting but utterly absurd ways. There's a thoughtfulness to its design and various elements, and an attention to purpose and short and long punchlines not all comedy anime gets right. Each character oozes cliché yet subverts every ounce of convention; sometimes knowingly, with a smirk and a nod, sometimes not, but never so self-aware that the series or its colorful heroes become pretentious or mean-spirited. Likewise, fan service is frequent but entirely unlike what we've come to know as fan service, inviting its audience to be as much a part of the joke as they are the beneficiaries of the silliness. And it's here, in that nebulous area between parody and high-concept saga that No Game, No Life finds its energy, fine tunes its humor (despite a few struggles with tone and pacing), and builds welcome momentum, settling into a rhythm and verve that doesn't grow stale.

The Blu-ray release of No Game, No Life features twelve episodes spread across two BD-50 discs:

• Beginner: Sora and Shiro are unemployed and never leave their house, but on the net, they're known as "Blank", an invincible team of gamers. One day, these siblings are visited by a boy named Tet, who calls himself god. Tet summons them to a world where all war is banned, and everything is decided by games.
• Challenger: Sora and Shiro have been abandoned in another world by Tet. In this world all war is forbidden, and everything is determined by games whose rules are determined by the "Ten Pledges" that Tet established. They find themselves in the country of humanity, the weakest of the 16 races in this new world.
• Expert: A girl named Clamy has won the right to be the next king of Elukia by her overwhelming good luck. Steph lost to her and loses the chance to become the next ruler. Just as she defeats the last challenger, however, Sora and Shiro interrupt her.
• Grandmaster: The game Clamy challenged them to wasn't normal chess. Shiro is a chess master, but even she is helpless against Clami's assault. But when Shiro understands the real rules of the game, things begind to turn around. The battle to determine the king of Elukia, and all of humanity, finally reaches its end.
• Weak Square: Sora and Shiro leave the running of the country to Steph and spend every day playing video games. Steph's hope that they would become not only the saviors of Elukia, but all of humanity, crumbles away.
• Interesting: Sora goes to regain the national library, which was lost in a game with the 6th ranked race, the Flugel. There he meets a Flugel who calls herself Jibril.
• Sacrifice: Sora and Shiro have their eyes on the 3rd largest country in the world, the Eastern Federation. But Jibril tells them that they'll never be able to win, because even the largest country, the Elven Garde, and Jibril herself, can't beat them.
• Fake End: Sora and Shiro have found the secret reason why the Eastern Federation never loses at a game, and visit their embassy. They declare war on the Eastern Federation and demand all the territory on the continent. The Federation tries its hardest to avoid the game, but Sora reveals their secrets and makes them an offer they can't refuse.
• Sky Walk: When Shiro wakes up, Sora is gone. It's as if he never existed, and he's vanished from Shiro's smartphone and Steph and Jibril's memories. She knows he's real, but everything around her says otherwise. Jibril begins to suspect that she lost a game and has had false memories implanted.
• Blue Rose: Sora manages to win his game against Clami and Fi, and asks for their help in fighting the Eastern Federation. Clami understands what he's after and accepts his request, and promises to fight the Eastern Federation with him. Now that they're allies, Sora invites them to partake of a Japanese tradition, the bath.
• Killing Giant: At last, the game with the Eastern Fedreation begins. It's a first person shooter held in virtual space. Through a variety of strategies, they manage to match the overwhelmingly powerful Izuna. However, their perfect attack is easily dodged, and suddenly they're in huge danager. As things get worse, Shiro takes a hit meant for Sora.
• Rule Number 10: Izuna uses her Blood Destruction ability, which lets her temporarily gain abilities beyond the laws of physics. All Sora and Shiro can do is run. Her astonishing physical abilities allow her to dodge attacks that should be undodgable. At last, her gun is pointed at Sora and Shiro.

No Game, No Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I can't recall any anime release, or, come to think of it, any Blu-ray release hurting my eyes as much as No Game, No Life. And I mean literal physical discomfort that eventually pushed me to adjust my display settings. The series is so glaringly colorful, so tear-jerkingly bright, so insanely vibrant that it regularly enters headache territory. Is that an actual problem? Absolutely not. Sentai's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation may stir up a migraine or two in more sensitive viewers, but it's unapologetically faithful to Madhouse's original animation and, frankly, looks quite stunning. There are hints of banding here or there, particularly in darker shots that rely on light gradations in the shadows, but it's rarely a distraction. Most viewers won't even notice. Primaries are bold and boisterous, black levels deep and satisfying, contrast vivid beyond vivid, and detail is perfectly on point, with clean lines and gorgeous backgrounds. Flashbacks and other stylized scenes employ faux-grain, but it functions exactly as intended. Otherwise, there isn't any significant noise or anomalies of note. No Game, No Life's presentation impresses.

No Game, No Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release of No Game, No Life offers two audio options: a Japanese-language DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track with non-optional English subtitles and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 English dub. Both mixes are strong, with crystal clear voices, effects, magic bursts and otherworldly eruptions, and the series' music sounds great. Full and uncompromised. Obviously LFE and rear speaker support would have been most welcome considering the series' playfulness and chaotic action, but Sentai's stereo tracks do a fine job with everything they're given.

No Game, No Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Japanese Commentaries: Six English-subtitled, Japanese-language audio commentaries are available, among them "Beginner" (Ep.1), "Grandmaster" (Ep.4), "Interesting" (Ep.6), "Fake End" (Ep.8), "Blue Rose" (Ep.10) and "Rule Number 10" (Ep.12). If there's any issue with the commentaries, it's that subtitled speakers aren't identified by name through the track, making it confusing at times to determine who's talking. It isn't that big of deal, and doesn't pose that many problems, but it's worth mentioning all the same.
• No Game, No Life Shorts (HD, 16 minutes): The set also includes six (minimally) animated shorts. There's some fun to be had here, but anyone expecting something comparable to the series' animation will be disappointed.
• Japanese Commercials and Promos (HD, 9 minutes): A variety of marketing spots and trailers, some of which present concept art, storyboards and other early design work.
• Clean Opening & Closing Animations (HD, 3 minutes): Textless opening and closing sequences.

No Game, No Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

No Game, No Life is a lot of fun. Not everyone will appreciate or even get its humor, but if you're in on the joke, there are an endless supply of laughs to be had. Divisive? Oh yeah. But in the way series like Ouran High School Host Club are divisive. So give it a spin. You might be pleasantly surprised. You certainly won't be disappointed by the Blu-ray release itself, not with its striking video presentation, solid Japanese and English stereo tracks, and special features. (Yes, a Sentai release with special features!)