Die Now

Ahh, the wonder of an anime that is Duan Nao...I don't really know where to start with critiquing this piece, so I guess I'll start with a bit of history. At the time of creation of the anime, the manhua off which this is based was considered one of the "big three" shounen-type pieces on u17 (alongside Chu Feng and Zhen Hun Jie). Out of these three, Die Now is the only anime that has stuck to the original storyline with only minor alterations. The premise of this story is quite simple. Once you look past the initial layer of suspense, the series becomes about avirtual reality gaming platform with high stakes. This makes the show very plot-driven, dedicating a lot of screen time to the game rules and gaming content. Thus, if you love seeing a highly competent male lead solve puzzles and play mafia-type games with inhuman wit and intelligence (kind of like Sora from No Game No Life but with a damsel-in-distress girlfriend instead of a cute sister), then this series is definitely recommended for you. Apart from the plot, the show does a fairly good job with suspense-building, as is expected from works by the original manhua author. So the first few episodes especially will leave you on-edge with unanswered questions. This was what drew me to the show initially and prompted me to binge watch everything in one sitting. Unfortunately, the original author is not just known for his suspense building. He is also notorious for his treatment of female characters and slightly perverted sense of humor. Fortunately, though, these factors are not too prevalent in the anime. However, I understand that viewers might not be very happy with the characterization of females. There is also a rather perverted older male character, which you will either really like or really hate. In terms of sound and animation quality, both are pretty decent. There aren't any stunning illustrations or music that tugs at your heartstrings, but it's certainly up-to-par with your average Japanese anime, so no criticism there. The voice actors...eh...I guess it all depends on whether you're used to listening to your typical group of mandarin voice actors or not. But I'd say it's fairly decent. A final warning is that I haven't watched the series since 2015, so my impression of details are purely from memory. I was upset at how few comprehensive reviews this show has on this site, though, so I just had to write one as soon as possible.

The synopsis for this anmie made me think I had mistakenly come to the wrong page. The story is nothing like this. It's about a boy who is a part of a school detective club who goes in search of his missing girlfriend and stumbles across the equivalent of an underground gaming community. A high, tech, merderous, gaming community where people are pitched into some alternate scenarios/ environments. What I liked about the show was the gaming parts. Interesting. The main character is shown to be intelligent, just very stupid when he comes to to his girlfriend but then again, I think he's still in school.The girls in the anime are kind of unfairly treated at times, but that for the viewer to decide. Just kept wondering why the boys got full on gear while the grils got short skirts that did not protect their legs. (fan service) Here's the thing. It's not until the last episode that the reason for the games are shown, somewhat and the story comes to an end without a conclusion. Is there a season 2? Would I watch this agian. No. But if you are an anime fan who is looking for a some 15 min episodes that involve stepping into a game, here you are. Only, I think a few games like Overlord etc did that concept better.