You are welcome to look at the talkback but please consider that this article is over 2 years old before posting.
Forum - View topicThis Week in Anime - The Worst Game to Play With Your Tomodachi
|
Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
StarDango
Posts: 92 |
|
||
|
I love anime/manga/video games of the Killing/Survival game genre. But it’s the kind of story telling that’s tricky to make work. I’d say 99% of all these stories that I’ve indulged in are objectively really bad. A lot of them, especially in manga, try so hard to be edgy that it starts out as amusing but then becomes eye-rolling the more you realize they really want you to take their edgy philosophy seriously.
And Tomodachi Game felt the same way. Dropped it after the first episode. I should’ve dropped it the moment they introduced their characters with text. Hell, one of the fun parts about this genre is the sheer brutality/absurdity of the deaths. It’s what made the early Saws and even Dangan Ronpa such a hit. And yet I haven’t heard anything about how Tomodachi Game supposedly ruins the cast. Another let down. |
|||
|
|||
Tanteikingdomkey
 Posts: 2346 |
|
||
|
hey could you possibly give recommendations to actually good titles in the genre besides Battle royale, dangan ronpa, or squid game?
|
|||
|
|||
|
Dayraven
Posts: 176 |
|
||
Future Diary, in a trashy fun way. Kakegurui is technically gambling rather than survival game, but it scratches the same itch (and does involve life-and-limb gambles at times). |
|||
|
|||
Greed1914
 Posts: 4442 |
|
||
|
I'm only up to episode 3, but there is a good chance I'll check out of this one. Like StarDango said, this is a genre that is tough to get right. Looking back, I don't drop many shows overall, but the ones where I do tend to be in the survival game category since it is pretty easy for them to slip into boring territory if they can't at least find a hook. I've seen some through to the finish that I won't claim were all that good, but they at least managed to entertain in the moment.
|
|||
|
|||
|
JR-1
Posts: 70 Location: Southeast Asia |
|
||
Ones that are from manga tends to be on the very trashy side of the spectrum (Gantz, Btoom, Usogui, etc). The topic of this column is another example. A notable title that I think has some things to say rather than just embracing the trashiness is Alice in Borderland. It still has that rough edgy edges, which is kinda sanded down on the live action adaptation but also it’s a cheesy manga live action adaptation so ymmv. For a more satisfying games with maybe some character exploration on the side gambling manga are usually better and scratches similar itch, such as Kaiji, Liar Game, One Outs, Kakegurui. For a more thematic and character exploration visual novels is where it’s at imo, such as Zero Escape series, Umineko, Raging Loop. |
|||
|
|||
|
StarDango
Posts: 92 |
|
||
For the record, I think this genre is best enjoyed if you view it all like a B- horror movie. So opinions will vary if these manga are actually “good.” But I personally enjoyed them for their campy horror/action. (1) Darwin’s Game - I can’t comment on the anime cause I haven’t seen it, but I read the manga and I’m surprised by how much I liked it. It’s ridiculous and more of an action-oriented death game than a horror one. (2) Doubt - A really campy one. But there’s a mystery to the story that I did enjoy. (3) Real Account - Also really campy. With the edgy MC, sexual humor and everything. But I liked the gimmick of the games and how it involves a lot of people. Unfortunately, I think it overstayed its welcome. I lost interest by the second part but I still think the first part holds up. (4) Life is Money - I read this one years ago so I’m not sure how it holds up now. But I liked the pacing, art style and character designs. And I also really liked the ending. (5) Kamisama no Iutoori- I’ll be real, I only really like this one for how absurd and brutal it is. I can’t deny that I enjoy the occasionally overtly bloody manga. Like, if you’re going to have a bunch of deaths, you might as well go ham. It’s also very supernatural so a lot of the games are pretty absurd imo. Love it. (6) Your Turn to Die- A VN, but there’s also a manga. I recommend playing or watching a Let’s Play of the VN. As of now it’s not done yet, but what is out so far is really good. It can be argued that it takes a lot of inspiration from Dangan Ronpa (absurd character designs and bizarre deaths.) But it does a lot of things that most stories in the survival game genre usually miss. Namely- actually getting me to really care about the characters involved. All of them. I’ve heard good things about BTOOOM and Alice in Borderland but I haven’t read them yet. There’s also survival manga in the sense that something supernatural is offing the cast and the fun is finding out what. Like Another and Umineko (I’ll die on the hill that Umineko is more entertaining than Higurashi.) The King’s Game mangas are a glorious read for just how stupid they are. Also recommend watching the anime when you’re either drunk or high. It’s so stupid they it’s a great time for all. I also have recommendations for manga that is about the human characters having to survive killer monsters/animals/mysterious island residents. I consider that to be way different from the survival/death game genre, but it scratches the same itch for me. Also, there’s one manga that I remember vividly but I can’t name the title. It’s about a bunch of teen boys who wake up in an abandoned school and they all have at least one part of their body removed (head, arms, heart, etc.) And they’re forced to do tasks in order to survive. I really enjoyed it but I can’t remember the title for the life of me. |
|||
|
|||
|
8Kurisu8
Posts: 1 |
|
||
I think you are talking about "Dolls Code" 
|
|||
|
|||
|
Tanteikingdomkey
Posts: 2346 |
|
||
|
Oh I will die on the Umineko is better then higurashi hill as well...But at the same time I consider higurashi one of a VERY SHORT list of good horror anime that are actually good.
I did check steam and apparently I had purchased raging loop and never started it.....SO THAT GOES ON THE BACKLOG LIST.....SIGHHHHHH |
|||
|
|||
|
Kirki
Posts: 296 |
|
||
|
The constant MC deification "oh look Yuichi is so cool, so smart, so wicked" is so cringey that it understandably scares people away. Even if he does make some clever move, the constant overanalyzing and forced 'hyping' totally kills any possible vibe. I have read other series from the same creator and the plot twists usually make them worthwhile, so I'm still hanging on and expecting some big revelation as to how nothing is as it seems. I have also read feedback of the type 'it gets better later on I swear', but I'm not sure how much I believe in such comments anymore, plus the fact that this is one of the creator's first works so it's more possible it never got to become as polished as it could. I guess I'll have to wait for the end to form a complete opinion on this, in case it has in store the surprise I'm waiting for. If it doesn't... well, I've seen way worse.
|
|||
|
|||
Takkun4343
 Posts: 1507 Location: Englewood, Ohio |
|
||
|
I was honestly expecting this review to be a little more favorable towards Tomodachi Game, especially after how crap everyone found Platinum End to be on the "death game" front. Guess I was aiming a little too high there.
|
|||
|
|||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group