Level up: a "New Game" review
While I'm not an avid gamer, there are a few franchises that I'm into and enjoy playing. The Just Dance series and the recent Mortal Kombat installments have been blasts, and I've always been curious about some fighting games, music games (Rock Band shall live forever), and other titles that I've missed throughout the years that seem like things I'd be into. But the thought of being involved in a game from start to finish, whether it be writing or song selection, is mind-blowing. To have all that power and get to work on something you love? Unfathomable, but not impossible. Hence this show.
New Game was a title that immediately grabbed my attention as soon as I saw it. I'm all for cute slice-of-life anime, and this looked like prime content for me. The first two episodes were great, so I put it on my Christmas list, received it as a gift, and then finally snuggled under a blanket to watch it right as my summer was kicking off. Did this anime pass the beta test?
Yes, it did, and with mostly flying colors, too. New Game is the perfect anime to relax with after a long and stressful day. It's charming and bright, filled with the exuberance of the incredibly optimistic and inspirational. I had so much fun watching it and laughing hysterically at all the shenanigans these young women got into at their video game office, from late nights to spilled tea (literal, not the drama kind) and goofing off when work needed to be done because sometimes that's what happens on a 9 to 5 job. The characters are all endearing, and their moments of camaraderie were really fun and special, especially because they reflected their personalities perfectly. If there are any minor quibbles I had with the show, it definitely leaned into pandering for its target demographic a lot; once I saw it, it was hard to ignore it. Regardless, New Game is a new favorite of mine, and I'd happily re-watch it (with the second season) to be reminded of all the adorable memories, from getting locked out of the offices just after getting an ID to late night drinking parties and spa visits.
Meet Aoba Suzukaze. She's an eighteen-year-old high school graduate, about to enter the hustle and bustle of the working world. Thank goodness her first job is going to be at Eagle Jump, the company behind her favorite video game series, Fairies Story. When she played the first installment as a kid, not only did she fall for the story of the fantasy RPG, but she also loved the character designs. And now, she gets to live that dream as a rookie character designer for the next half a year until this project hits the streets.
Her first day introduces her to her fellow character design team: director Ko Yagami, who Aoba admires even after discovering her habit of sleeping pantless when she works long nights, Ko's boss and best friend Rin Toyama, who serves as the animation director, seniors Hifumi Takamoto and Yun Iijima, the former a socially anxious cosplayer who prefers instant messaging and the latter who dresses in Gothic Lolita fashion and hosts tea parties during breaks. Then there's Hajime Shinoda, a motion team member who's in the character cubicle due to a lack of space with high energy and a passion for epic character figures. We also can't forget Shizuku Hazuki, the director of the project with a weird hobby of collecting smiling photos of her co-workers, and Umiko Ahagon, a programmer with a fascination for military and airsoft weaponry. With this wacky crew, Aoba is definitely going to have some interesting days at work while training to become the character designer she's always wanted to be. Is she ready for the challenges to come?
Like I mentioned before, I have a soft spot for slice-of-life anime. They tend to be very relaxing, and I like their focus on character interactions and scenarios outside of plot. It's nice to take a break from story-driven shows sometimes. Although there is the release of Fairies Story 3 serving as the end-goal, a lot of the time is spent getting to know our cast, their eccentricities and what makes them tick. While they do fit into certain archetypes (Aoba is the try hard newbie, Hifumi's the shy one, Hajime is energetic and loud, Yun is relatively normal but also deeply concerned about her figure, Rin and Ko are good cop and bad cop, etc.), they're fun to watch because they have surprises up their sleeves. Aoba can be a bit of a tease, Hifumi is a really sweet girl in her messages, Yun has concerns about her image, Hajime blubbers in front of her younger co-workers, and Ko and Rin are supportive and enforcing when they want to be (they also have such an awesome relationship that makes me ship them like FedEx). It relieves them of the constraints they face to see these other sides to them, and it helps that they're so charming and full of energy. One part of that charm I especially loved came from Aoba's friendship with her childhood friend Nene, a scrappy little ball of energy who always falls for the teasing but loves Aoba no matter what. That was one of my favorite parts of the series (another was Umiko's entire character and how she actually had a delicate side underneath her stern no-nonsense attitude and love for airsoft).
I also liked how the development of Fairies Story 3 affected the scenarios the girls fell into. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how accurate the cycle is compared to the real world, especially since Aoba joins the team relatively late in the process with only six months left to go until the game's release. But from the late nights spent staring at computers until eyes feel like they're about to fall out to sleeping underneath desks (Aoba in her "hi-bear-nating suit", which sent me) to making a hot bath trip, these adventures were always entertaining. The moments of actual working on the game, like Aoba's transition from making background NPC's to an integral one, feel just as monumental as the other shenanigans, which help anchor the fluff and give it meaning for being there.
However, the slice-of-life scenarios tend to get a little bit lewd. Considering that the mangaka is male and that the targeted audience is teenage men, this is not surprising. But considering how pure the content of the show is, it is surprising how sexualized the material can get, from unfortunate queerbaiting to Hajime trying to be cute cat-style to literally anything involving Yun's chubby arms. Even some of the director's strange behavior and suggestive shots of the women in compromising situations gave me pause. Once I discovered the background, I struggled to separate it from what I was watching, especially towards some of the middle of the series where things get especially pandering (looking at you, cat-like Hajime and her worries about her breasts in later episodes). But at the end of the day, I just have to note this as part of the show and leave it be.
The animation for New Game was handled by Doga Kobo, a studio that isn't a stranger to the slice-of-life genre (Yuru Yuri and Three Leaves, Three Colors). What I loved the most about the animation was how bright and colorful it was. Everything glimmers and shines in saturated color, and the environments are given just as much focus as the wardrobe each character sports (surprisingly, New Game gives several outfits to its leads outside of Aoba, who pretty much wears her suit-pieces in the office). It made it easy to pay attention, and it helped play up the optimistic energy the show carried on its shoulders. Also, characters rarely went off model, which was a relief. Everyone was so adorable, too!
Hajime Hyakkoku's score, unfortunately, isn't as memorable as the animation. The songs are bubbly and serviceable for a slice-of-life anime, but they don't immediately jump out as something that I'd listen to outside the show. The music did its job accenting scenes, and that's all I have to say about that.
Meanwhile, the dub is the exact opposite. I watched the first two episodes after their original simuldub release in July 2017, and while I don't mind what I've seen in Japanese (one episode), the dub for this show is excellent almost two years later on a full watch. Directed by Clifford Chapin and Caitlin Glass with ADR scripts by Matt Shipman and Niki Shults, New Game brings a group of phenomenally talented voice actresses together and allows them the chance to give career-defining performances they pull their heart and soul into. Words cannot describe how happy this dub made me, particularly with its wonderful and humorous script that these actresses nail. While all strong, my favorites would have to be Jill Harris's switch-ups as Hifumi, Leah Clark and Tia Ballard delivering unique and completely different roles for them as Yun and Hajime respectively, Bryn Apprill's adorable cartoon animal-adjacent energy as Nene, and Caitlin Glass's gruff and soft Umiko (why did I sleep on Caitlin Glass? She's one of the best in the business right now, IMO). But seriously, everyone in this dub deserves a medal for their great work.
And that's New Game! Whether you decide to stream it via Crunchyroll (subbed) or FUNimation (dubbed) or buy it from FUNimation, expect an adorable slice-of-life series that will inspire you to put your own hard work into something you love. It might be pandering to its male audience at points, but the general sweetness of this fun group of girls working on a video game is the kind of material made for everyone to enjoy. Binge it during a rainy day or creative shortage and prepare to have your creative juices flowing once again.
