No Game No Life
No Game No Life (ノーゲーム・ノーライフ Nōgēmu Nōraifu) is a light novel series by Yuu Kamiya (a pseudonym of japanese-brazilian Thiago Furukawa). It is published under the MF Bunko J imprint with six novels released between April 25, 2012 and April 25, 2014. The author and his wife, Mashiro Hiiragi, adapted the novels into a manga series for Monthly Comic Alive in 2013. Later that year, an anime adaptation of No Game No Life by Madhouse was announced. It premiered on AT-X between April and July 2014, and was simulcast outside of Japan by Crunchyroll. The No Game No Life franchise was localized in North America by several companies: Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the manga, Sentai Filmworks the anime, and Yen Press the light novel series.
The series follows Sora and his younger step-sister Shiro, two hikikomori who make up the identity of Blank, an undefeated group of gamers. One day, they are challenged by the god of games to chess and are victorious. As a result, the god summons them to Disboard, a world which revolves around games. Intent on maintaining their reputation as the undefeated gamers, Sora and Shiro plan to conquer the sixteen ruling species and to usurp the title of god of games.
The series began receiving recognition in 2014. The light novel circulated 1.1 million copies and ranked in the yearly magazine, Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!; all three of No Game No Lifes mediums made appearances in top selling charts. English reviewers for the anime were generally turned away by the first episode, citing the unlikable protagonists and the heavy exposition. However, reviewers who have completed the series generally praised the character dynamics, game strategies, and animation, while panning the fan service featuring the underage Shiro.
Sora and Shiro are two hikikomori step-siblings who are known in the online gaming world as Blank, an undefeated group of gamers. One day, they are challenged to a game of chess by Tet, a god from another reality. The two are victorious and are offered to live in a world that centers around games. They accept, believing it to be a joke, and are summoned to a reality known as Disboard (盤上の世界 Disubōdo). There, a spell known as the Ten Pledges prevents violence and enforces the rules and outcomes of games. The two traverse to Elkia (エルキア), the nation inhabited by humans, and befriend the duchess . Learning about Elkia's decline, Sora and Shiro participate in a tournament to determine the next ruler; after winning the crown, they earn the right to challenge the Disboard's other species as humanity's representative. Their next goal is to conquer all sixteen species in order to challenge Tet to a game.
- Absurdly High Stakes Game: The Ten Pledges allow this to happen, as long one of the parties involved bets a disproportional amounts of resources of its own will.
- Badass Boast: Though it's only in her mind, Shiro wields a sword and says with total confidence that chess, an incredibly complex game, it's no different than tic-tac-toe.
- Crapsack World: How Sora and Shiro see Earth. More exactly, they see it as a "bad game", with low rewards and constants Heads I Win, Tails You Lose moments.
- Facial Markings: Tet has a heart mark on his face. Considering he is a god, it's hard to tell if it's natural or he did it to himself.
- Fanservice: A lot of females bodies exposed here, specially Shiro.
- Gainax Bounce: In the episode 1 of the anime, one particular female avatar's breasts shake a little too much while squealing about "Blank".
- Loophole Abuse: You can cheat without breaking the Ten Pledges, as long you don't get caught.
- Older Than He Looks: Tet is supposed to be at least thousand of years old but looks and often acts like a child.
- Panty Shot: We do get to see Shiro's panties a lot.
- Urban Legends:
- Sora and Shiro are treated as that in the gaming community thanks to their undefeated record.
- The situation that happens to our two protagonists is already one itself in their universe, as Sora says to Shiro after they get transported to Disboard.
- Zettai Ryouiki: Shiro has a grade A.