Stark700

Gamers is honestly a show that made me scratch my head more than I realized. As a gamer myself, this anime really feels relatable at heart on occasions because of its concepts. However, what really follows is a rough adaptation that translated into a questionable story. It ended up being an anime that I can’t fully say it’s appreciable for what it had to offer. And that’s too bad really. Based on the light novel of the same name, Gamers stood out as an anime at first for me just by its title and it seemed like a show that I felt comfortable with. However, whatthis series actually presents is far more just about gamers gathering together to play games. It became a show with romance themes, misunderstandings, and drama shenanigans that really took relationships to a strange level. On paper, the show’s premise sounds pretty simple as main male protagonist Keita Amano is invited by the prettiest girl of the school Karen, to join her video game club. What follows is a string of misunderstandings that ended up being messy. Let’s get the obvious elephant in the room out of the way. Gamers is not recommendable if you have an obvious dislike for rom-com. From the very start, it’s pretty straightforward as the anime jumps right into the main picture with the characters and their roles. Karen is a character that I found to be easy to accept as she is friendly and simple to get along with. What might rub people in the wrong way is her obsession with video games and more so, her obsession with Amano. The anime makes it clear that she likes Amano and extends beyond just the idea of video games. For Amano himself, it seems he has a mutual attraction towards Karen although has a hard time to confess the truth. Unlike Karen, he’s also more timid and unpopular at school. Drama follows the both of them as ship teases begins to develop between various characters. Beyond Amano and Karen, we also got Aguri and Tasuku, a couple with very sociable personalities. They bring in the comedic drama as misunderstandings are often created by plot circumstances and their own personal delusions. Individually, Aguri is also quite an energetic character with a friendly personality. Similarly, Tasuku finds himself easy to make friends with others and very outgoing. Both of their live are intersected with Karen and Amano as the story picks up and they get involved in drama and the misunderstandings. For me, this shows draws and sells its humor through the misunderstandings. Unfortunately, I can’t really say the anime’s plot work overall from this formula. It’s very formulaic and predictable as almost every episode feels the same. You may think there are developments between the main characters but in reality, the anime doesn’t do a clever job at progressing the plot. While I appreciate how the anime tries to sell its comedy with character pairings, it’s really no different in the end with plot resolutions. Beyond the humor, there is some actual drama if you count Chiaki’s role in the show. The character chemistry between her and Amano occasionally has more emotions although is still often downplayed quickly because of how lighthearted this anime is. Surprisingly, I found her sister to be more likable as she seems like a fun person to hang out with and talk to. The sibling relationship Hoshinomori is surprisingly realistic as the two can be easily relatable by their roles in this show. If you’re a fan of video games, you’ll notice a lot of references. These range from console games, PC gaming, dating sims, and even arcade games. Thanks to these ideas, I think some people may find this anime likable even with the lackluster plot. The idea of gaming is explored with social norms and relatable with the main characters. However, do realize that the anime is very lighthearted and doesn’t really take a serious approach at exploring the cultural ideas of gaming. It’s more of an anime that deals with comedic relationship pairings in order to draw out a casual audience. The lack of background storytelling (with exception of Tasuku and Aguri) also holds this anime back at times. To me, Gamers is an anime that’s easy to accept but hard to embrace. Adapted by Pine Jam, this anime originally had my worries due to its lack of promotions. More importantly, their previous project was pretty unnoticeable for its technical quality. However, my worries quickly died down after seeing the first few episodes. It’s not at a level that will make your jaws drop but definitely consistent for a light novel adaptation. What really draws the audience into the technical quality is perhaps the character expressions. The biggest sell of this show is the humor so it’s important to capture those expressions. Thankfully, I found myself laughing on occasions when characters react as result of misunderstandings, drama, and other shenanigans. The character designs themselves are also appealing enough to make them stand out; except with the case of Amano as he looks like a generic Average Joe. Unfortunately, this anime doesn’t escape the fan service pit so expect some episodes to have it with suggestive camera angles and swimsuits. As a lighthearted anime like Gamers, the theme songs aren’t particular noticeable until you realize their style. While it’s not truly avant-garde, it does take an approach that will make the audience talk about especially with its catchy OP song. The gaming references extends to its soundtrack elements as it sometimes uses a similar style for its OST. Still, character voice mannerism is rather moderate as none of them really stand out. Aguri’s accent also took me some time to get used to as she sounds like a kid at times. Should you watch Gamers? Honestly, it really depends but the anime felt more like a big ship tease rather than an appealing show of sharp writing. The comedy is the main selling factor so if humor is your cup of tea, then this anime will be one that you’ll remember that by. As for the storytelling? It really doesn’t do any favors when the show is like a loop that doesn’t progress the main plot altogether. The anime itself is also an incomplete adaptation as the novels are ongoing. So in essence, it’s rather open ended. For gamers and anime fans, this show is fun to watch when you’re bored and need time to pass by. But for what it really delivered, it’s an anime that I found face palming myself more than laughing.

Pipe

What is the meaning of gamer? If we go to our favorite culture dictionary, we will consider a gamer someone that plays video-games. Is it the main topic of this anime? Sadly, it isn't. The video-game idea is irrelevant here unless that we associate the game concept with a relationship. In that case, we can say that the plot of this anime is a relationship game and a "gamer" interprets, acts, and plays on that relationship game. The goal of the game could be ending with someone, maybe love, etc. I can give several convenient titles for this anime, "Misunderstandings," "The mess," "Mistakes," "Misconceptions." Allthese titles point to the same problems in a relationship and how messy a relationship can be. It would be wrong waiting to see a full-time anime about "video-games," tournaments, and more video-games. If you just watch this anime for that reason, you will receive a big blow on your face, you will lose all your health points, and you will end very disappointed with a big question ¿And the games? Story: 7/10 Relationships are complicated and love ones are even worse. How many times have we seen an anime about them? If you answer just this one, I will call you Pinocchio. This anime created some relationships from a simple topic the "video-games." The characters have something in common, video-games or persons that played them. These characters will try harder to find more about other players because they have THAT something in common (games). That's the main story of this anime. Keita the typical gaming freak meets another gaming freak called Karen. Call it destiny, cliché, lack of argument she felt something for Keita. For me, both them are the first gamers. The goal is that they end together. During this adventure, other "gamers" joined this messy match and added chaos with some alternative endings. For example, Keita should end with Chiaki, etc. All this mess is titled "Gamers!" an amusing comedy with funny moments and some frustrating events but enjoyable at the end. I know, Gamers' story isn't that amazing. After the half of the series, we can consider it average and repetitive. Also, several persons expressed unsatisfaction of the same misunderstanding recycling and how it only gets worse. From my perspective, that is the main argument of the series if you remove this "mess" we will end with an empty casket that would talk about video-games, a gaming club but won't be an enjoyable comedy. Besides, no matter if the argument is repetitive we can associate it to the insecurity found in every relationship. They are average students without any relationship experience, they will make several mistakes and will tend to overthink everything. Characters 7/10 We have five main characters. They share the ability to mistake relationships from bad judgment. They don't have any love experience. They will overlook every decision for that reason all ends in chaos. Keita Amano, the conventional freak. We can see him as a zero at the left. None notice about him and he lives in a gaming world. Insecure, shy, but cares for his new friends. Tendou Karen, the freakish idol. She is a beautiful face, desired student, popular, and with a hidden gaming addiction. From a relationship perspective, she is very insecure and timid. Chiaki Hoshinomori, the last freak. We can consider her a secondary freak. She is similar to Keita, they like the same and do the same, but they have several differences when they talk about games. She also is the last acting. Tasuku Uehara, the ex-freak. A reformed "Keita." He was like Keita but changed and became popular. He wants to help Keita, but he overthinks everything and ends creating a bigger mess. Aguri, the insecure lover or better the ex-freak lover. She has a particular personality, but she is very uncertain of her relationship and sees a cheating ghost every time. Even if she doesn't like games, she enjoys being around gamers. All these characters have a twisted insecurity that keeps adding gasoline to the fire but thanks to that we can see some hilarious moments. Sometimes we want to hit the screen with our head but overall the moments are good. Art 7/10 The art isn't that amazing, and there are some angles where we can see some ugly spots or weird faces. In general, the art is acceptable. They focus on the characters, their faces, and details to create an impact on the expressions depending on the situation. The palette is the same most of the time as the lighting model, so they used a bright light with a pastel combined palette. In general, the art is acceptable for a comedy. Sound 8/10 The sound mix helps on the situations and adds tension when needed but also focus on the awkward moments, so it helps with the plot and levels the climax. The OP and ED are good, I loved more the ED, but both are very catchy. Enjoyment 8/10 No matter if the problems are repetitive the show offers several hilarious scenes. The insecurity of this group is presented to the audience with a combination between mess and comedy. This concept works well with the storytelling, a good pacing, and produces a twisted love comedy that we will enjoy. Overall 8/10 Finally, I want to apologize. I overused the word "GAME" maybe you are exhausted from it, but I am sure this simple messy story will bring a smile on your face. It isn't the best comedy out there, but it is acceptable. The characters have their moments, and their insecurity is used to create some epic events. I am sure that you will enjoy some of them. Give it a try.