Mirai Nikki – 02 Review

“I can’t believe that someone actually likes me”
(oh you poor naive fool)

Episode 02

As someone who has not read the manga, I have to say that based off what I have seen the last two episodes, this series gives off the impression that it is having issues executing it’s content effectively.

Basic information in this episode:

• Hiyama Sensei was killer No.3 (his hair should have been a dead giveaway anyway)
• No. 9 is a girl called Minene who owns the Escape Diary and she uses bombs as weapons
• No. 4 is a Police Chief that plans on aiding Yuki in his fight against the rest and he owns the Investigation Diary. He uses guns (like other police men) for his choice of weapon.
• No. 9, Yuki and Yuno are now a team.

I love how expressive their eyes are. That was one of the biggest factor that contributed to the atmosphere building in this series.

Review

For some odd reason, I have this feeling that the series could have been so much better since the plot seems interesting and has potential. However, everything came across less intense than what I had expected and a lot less… satisfying.

There were some good moments with the story that I had enjoyed like, the sadistic nature of Minene and people being killed all over the place like it was nothing. I also liked the way the different diaries never seem to overlap one another with the data that they have. Also, I did like the fact that the diaries reflect their owner’s way of living, but then it make me wonder… what is Minene’s escape diary suppose to reflect about her life?

The animation could have been a lot better with a more intense soundtrack to build up the atmosphere as the atmosphere of this series felt really lacking. The soundtrack was MIA or lacking at times when I had expected some ominous music to come on to elude to some impending destruction but instead we suffer at the hands of silence. (okay, so I am being dramatic right now. But hey, this show begs for drama, just take a look at Yuki)

My biggest issue with this episode/show is Yuki. I had said previously that I can’t take this guy seriously, and I am not kidding, I really can’t. I enjoyed his pain waaaaay too much, I actually wanted to laugh when he was scared shitless because it was too hilarious to see the look on his face with the gun pointed at him. He has the sort of personality that makes me want to go “ha! you deserve it!” and because I hate Yuki’s whiny egoisticentric behaviour, the format of the episode made it such that half the episode was painful as it was spent voicing Yuki’s internal monologue with himself. (I do not want to push my own personal prejudice against Yuki onto anyone else, so I shall have to omit my own personal feelings about him when I rate this episode.) What I can’t help but wonder is if the character is meant to be someone we dislike and hate. After all, the animators seem to be having fun making him look like a scared puppy.

I wish my school would have allowed us to toss our books out the window.
Btw, why are there still people in the floors that have been blasted to high heaven?

The typical plot progression of Yuki manning up and facing the facts with a girl to fight by his side has gotten really old due to the current trend in anime. Perhaps it is not the fault of the original manga (since I am not sure when the manga was created), but I kinda wish Yuki remained a wuss and coward and grovelled for his life since he is such a pathetic character anyway. I can argue that his pathetic nature is more realistic than all the other main characters who dug deep and found some “courage” to step up and be a man, but I can’t really be bothered. =P

because it is important to learn to enjoy life during a critical moment..
(wth. that was such a random kissing momnet)

Then comes Yuno, last episode showed her to have some psychotic tendencies but this episode made her come across as a love crazed fan that will do just about anything and I did not feel as creeped out by her as I was last episode. At least with the last episode, it looked like she had a deeper agenda. However, this episode does make her seem like she really is just doing it all for love. I am hoping this is not the case and that it is all a ruse for now.

What I did also like was the fact that through the use of the scenes in this episode, they had manage to re-explain the basic rules of the game and essentially integrate a “recap” into the actual on-going plot. This was a nice touch. The introduction of new characters this episode was also nice since it is starting to look like a team is being formed and I just love it when the group grows bigger and bigger. What I found surprising was that the fact that so many of the “mystery players” have been revealed in this episode so early on in the game. Perhaps by next week, everything would be revealed and it would simply become an all out brawl. =D (one can hope can’t they?)

This part sort of grossed me out. I can just image my eyes being poked. *shudders* Don’t you guys get any fancy ideas from this scene.

Overall, this episode made the show seem like a a series that would provide some second grade chills and cheap entertainment. As for whether it will turn out to be something more substantial in the near future… I am hoping that it does because this show is not really griping me at this moment despite its unique plot.

Episode Rating: 6/10 – I pray for the animators to spend time focusing on developing the atmosphere in the rest of the episodes.

-ra

I feel that the show is lacking in something despite the fact that the animation is actually not that bad and does a good job at conveying emotions. I just can’t put my finger on it. =/