3 Reasons Why Darwin’s Game Picked My Interest
Hello everyone, and welcome to our shelter! It has been a while since I’ve written an Anime article. Hopefully, I still got it in me to write something that makes sense. Today, we’re going to look into one of the Animes starting this Winter Season – Darwin’s Game. More specifically, we’re going to discuss the 40-minute first episode and why it worked well enough for me to keep on watching. Without further ado, here’s the top 3 reason why Darwin’s Game picked my interest:
1 – Story Setup
Storys that involve dangerous mobile games are not a new thing. Future Diary is a prime example of that. However, it’s nice to see that there are always ways to be creative and come up with something new. In Darwin’s Game world, people who install and press play on a certain mobile app are given a special ability. However, they have to pay the high price of having to play the game, which consists of fighting people in the real world until death. Even worse, after joining the game, there’s no way out.
The story follows Kaname Sudou, your average teenager that, unknowingly starts playing the game. In a matter of minutes, he finds himself being hunted and fighting for his life while still not knowing the rules and his special power. From now on, he will need to sleep with one eye open and always ready to defend himself.
It might be a little stupid, but what I love the most is the idea behind the game and the name they gave – Darwin’s Game. As you probably know, Darwinism evolution theory defends that only the animals who are able to adapt to the environment survive, resulting in an overall more developed species. Since the game itself is a kill or die kind of thing, only the strongest and smartest of humans will survive. So, in a way, the name just fits too well.
Honestly, I’m not even sure how the series is going to develop, but there is potential to make a great story.
2 – Animation
For an Anime with a story that depends on psychological horror and action scenes, it’s essential to have good animation. Out of battle, the animation reminds me of Death;Note: a combination between typical highschool Anime animation with a darker and more mature tone to it. When it comes to the fighting scenes, I couldn’t ask for more. It’s not the best I’ve ever seen, but from the glimpse I got at the end of the episode, it seems polished and dynamic enough to be exciting.
However, it’s the darker twist that catches my interest the most. The sinister alleys, the blood pouring out, and the faces in despair closeups just do the trick for me. I’ve always loved horror, so it makes me happy to see an Anime that was able to catch somewhat the vibe needed. Unfortunately, it isn’t really that scary. Not sure why, but it’s one of those stories that you know that the main character is not going to die, so the anxiety the audience could feel in the battles don’t kick in as it should. Hopefully, some lovely side characters will appear with that purpose. We all know that side characters are never free from harm.
3 – Main Character Special Power
The special power of the main character can completely change the overall quality. It can bring the Anime to another level, or completely destroy it. I’m pleased to see that Kaname’s power is not that physically strong. Instead, the teenager can teleport items to his hand at will. Compared to the super cool chains that Shuka uses, teleportation seems to lack the manpower to do much. However, that’s why I love it!
Unlike other Animes, the creators have chosen the difficult path of making the main character to use his brain to win fights. In other words, besides great fighting animation, we’re actually going to see Kaname coming up with ideas and strategies to triumph over his enemies. It might not be much for you, but I really appreciate this part of the plot and think it makes it more interesting.
Bottom Line
I’m pretty sure I’m going to continue watching Darwin’s Game throughout the season. It has potential and, hopefully, it’ll deliver what the first episode promised.
What about you? Have you seen Darwin’s Game? What is your opinion about it? Leave your thoughts in the comment section down below ^^
This is pretty much how I saw the first (and now second) episodes. I’m also enjoying the dynamic that’s growing between Shuka and Kaname. Like you said, we don’t know how the story’s going to evolve, but I like what I’m seeing so far!
Yeah, I’ve also watched the second episode after writing the post and I agree with you. The dynamic between Shuka and Kaname is pretty nice so far. Shuka herself is a great character to watch.