How do you win a game against someone who can invisibly cheat with magic? This question is echoed throughout the human kingdom of Elkia, of which Sora and Shiro have managed to become leaders by doing exactly that. However, they are not the type of people who sit in a victory without trying to overcome it, and Sora has a plan.
The Lowdown
Sora and Shiro have managed to become the king (s) of Immanity. However, despite its extensive industrial reforms thanks to the knowledge of its world, the reality is that the kingdom of Elkia simply does not have the land to be particularly prosperous. Fortunately, they know another kingdom that does, and Sora is glad to find that it is made of animal girls for him to caress. However, before they can challenge them to a game, he and Shiro are going to have to find more information about their opponents …
Who is it for?
Anyone looking for a unique vision of a classic-looking fantasy world will be fascinated by the environment. If you are looking for smart mind games where the protagonist faces seemingly insurmountable odds, this is the book for you.
What worked?
No Game No Life, the author Yuu Kamiya has many “interesting” approaches to writing, and from the aspect of storytelling they have been and remain a benefit to the series. He has opened both books with excellent presentations, and the No Game No Life Season 2 is a long comparison of the real world with games, something that is not only a central theme of the story, but also an ingeniously written discussion that excites readers for the real book . In a similar vein, it is important to mention that when comedy is not ridiculously lewd, it is actually quite funny. Sora really feels like Kamiya’s image of himself in a fantasy world, since he behaves in a very similar way to how the author writes. Because the two complement each other quite well,
What I really enjoy writing, however, is how Sora and Shiro handle the challenges as a blank face. So far, Kamiya has never been resolved, since Sora and Shiro have not won the challenges through a series of dei machi, but rather through relatively credible and intelligent solutions. While the story never makes readers feel that Sora and Shiro have any chance of losing, it’s fine because they don’t try to do it. Instead, the goal is to make readers wonder how they will win, creating a compelling psychological narrative. Somehow, this continues to be ripped off in the No Game No Life Season 2 despite facing enemies that are much more difficult than the previous season, including a virtually immortal angel and a civilization that had previously defeated the magic of the elves without their own magic.
What didn’t work?
Fan service and almost erotic situations continue to be prevalent in No Game No Life Season 2, and if you thought they could die after the first one, you were wrong. I mentioned this in my review of the previous season, but it is worth mentioning once again, since history manages to find new ways to be as strange as this. Fortunately, the most incestuous jokes in Season 1 are not really present in No Game No Life Season 2, but the single cover should give you a good idea of what kind of things there are. Sora is still a virgin, but moments like the “investigation” of Jibril the Flugel make me doubt if this is a bit inappropriate. Overall, I wouldn’t say that these moments are necessarily bad in themselves, but I think the story would benefit if they dimmed a bit.
Yuu Kamiya is a very difficult writer to translate due to his interesting writing style, but that is no excuse for the almost illegible moments that appear frequently in what is supposed to be an official legal translation. The sentence fragments are numerous and horribly grammatically incorrect, and the seemingly strange translation options are not even explained at all because there are no translation notes. For example, in the original work, Sora used to say phrases in English to sound sophisticated. Since the translation is already in English, the phrases are left in Japanese. Except … the people who read the book don’t speak Japanese. If it weren’t for the numerous Japanese anime titles and a meme Death Note, I would not have known what ‘kami no keikaku’ meant (means God’s plan, for the record), and the book does not provide a definition anywhere.
Final Thoughts
No Game No Life is still an incredibly intelligent series, and the games and their solutions are fascinating to read. However, the No Game No Life Season 2 seems entangled in silly sexual jokes and a translation that leaves much to be desired. That said, if you can look beyond those (obviously atrocious) issues, then the book is definitely worth your time and you should be able to keep your interest. It is still good to support the official translation to encourage the series to continue bringing here, so if that is the only thing that stops you, it may be worth buying.
No Game No Life Season 2 was published in English by Yen Press on July 21, 2015. Written by Yuu Kamiya, the series continues on the MF Bunko J Media Factory label. The series also received an anime adaptation of a headquarters by Madhouse in spring 2014.
