References:
1. Berserk: series written by Kentaro Miura that was first presented in 1990
2. Vagabond: series written by Takehiko Inoue that was first presented in 1998
Anime and manga aren't always kid-friendly as many of us have come to accept. We have bloody stuff like Berserk, serious stuff like Vagabond and strange stuff like some unmentionables. But once in a while, we find a series that borders on the WTF and the Ohh, that's cool. Future Diary is one of these well-known and liked series that makes you just go WTF is happening once in a while.
Presented as both a manga and an anime, Future Diary is an incredibly dark yet oddly entertaining survival series.
STORY: Weight of 25% at 3.9/5
Explaining the premise of this story is probably one of the strangest things to do, but let me give it a shot.
The God of the world is approaching his death and needs to find someone to replace him. He decides to do so by choosing a bunch of wierdos and psychopaths and asks them to fight each other to the death. To make things more interesting, he grants them magical diaries, in the form of anything ranging from scrolls to cellphones, each one being able to foretell the future from a different perspective.
The story follows Yukiteru Amano (Yuki) who tries to survive the attacks of the other candidates with the help from an overly loving girl, Yuno Gasai, another candidate.
The plot picks up speed quickly and remains strong for most of the story. Plot twists will happen, shit gets revealed, and all these make for a bizarrely good experience. There will plenty opportunities for viewers and readers to get confused or to just say WTF did that just happen, so you don't need to worry about that.
Almost every candidate is given a back-story that is intense enough for people to come to come to care about the characters and everything works out into a finale that is mind-boggling to say the least.
At the same time, a lot of time is given to the two main characters Yuki and Yuno which keeps them interesting but it can also be argued that the emphasis on these two took away somewhat from the plot itself.
However, not all is fine and dandy and apart from the story becoming somewhat hectic or confusing at times, there was also a certain issue I had which is the ending, but I will discuss about a little later...
CHARACTERS: Weight of 25% at 4.3/5
Like other survival and arena-style series (with Battle Royale coming into mind), Future Diary takes a lot of time trying to flesh out the characters. As I said before, most of the other candidates were given a back-story to work with and those that weren't were usually given a certain quirk to keep them memorable.
Even non-candidates were given interesting roles to play, such as Yuki and Yuno's classmates with Aru Akise being the most interesting one of those.
Apart from that, we have Yuki, starting off the series as one of those annoying crybaby characters. He is quite naive and tries his best to avoid conflict which inevitably fails. But, he is also a huge coward, usually relying on Yuno to do much of his dirty work, even to the point of being called out by another candidate. At the same time, he does not have a quote-unquote static personality. His character fluctuates quite a bit throughout the serious, ranging from frail and weak to downright ruthless. But, these changes keep him fresh and make him for a more-or-less interesting protagonist.
But, the star of the show is without a doubt, Yuno Gasai, the main female character. Yuno Gasai belongs to a very obscure and niche archetype known as Yanderes and although she isn't the first yandere character to have ever been conceived, she has become to new poster child for them. As a quick definition, yanderes are characters to mixes love with violence. She is very caring for Yuki with reasons being given later into the story and she would do anything for him. This does not limit to killing, kidnapping, poisoning, or any other villainous crime. Because she cares for him so much, she willingly gives up her chance to become god and gives her everything to put Yuki onto the throne.
Something that peaked my interest though is why do people love her so much. I mean, sure she loves you, but she's f*cking dangeous dude. Well, for the heck of it, let me give you a few reasons why.
Firstly, she isn't a weak female character. And I mean that in both sense. Yuno breaks away from the typical anime girl role of princess in distress and she does so in a bloody manner.
Secondly, she makes up for Yuki's shortcomings. Now, like I said, Yuki isn't exactly an alpha male but Yuno fixes up most of the problems he had, even if in a strange way.
Thirdly, she is what all boys want, well sorta. Sure, she may kidnap you and enclose you in an abandoned building but heck, 60% of the time when you ask her to do something she does it enthusiastically and without complaint, I guess that's worth it.
Finally, she is pretty. At least, that's what I've been told, seeing as I'm not exactly too interested in middleschoolers but to each their taste.
ANIME: Weight of 24% at 4.1/5
The anime adaptation for Future Diary did everything it was supposed to, it presented a dark story in a dark way. It showed blood nicely, it showed decapitations skillfully and it showed Yuno's yandere mode perfectly. What else can you ask. Well, Asread decided to even include a horifically beautiful opening which to this day remains one of the most memorable opening for me. And possibly most importantly, the anime followed its source material pretty religiously.
MANGA: Weight of 24% at 4.3/5
Future Diary is in no way a long read, with there only being 12 volumes or about 60 chapters give or take. But, the more you read, the more pressed on you are to flipping the pages. The story was riveting and compelling and the art was pretty. Furthermore, this was the first take on the plot, meaning that no modifications had yet to be made on the story. Emphasis on the yet.
ENDING: Weight of 2% at 3.0/5
If there is a single complaint I could file against Future Diary, it would definitely be the ending. The manga ended in a way that made it feel both rushed and overly eager to find a happy ending. The anime sadly also felt like this because of how religiously it followed the manga. But, no worries for everyone out there, the ending will satisfy you, if you buy this. Let me explain.
The original manga was named Future Diary or Mirai Nikki but ended in a most bizarre fashion. If you actually wanted the quote-unquote complete ending, you would have had to read Mirai Nikki: Mosaic/Paradox/Redial, which is less of a continuation than it is a remedy.
The anime pulled a similar move, releasing an OVA containing the true or complete ending.
Although not an issue for people who would watch it now, this was quite vexing for me and anyone else who enjoyed it while it was originally airing. But I guess that would also be an issue for anyone who likes to collect the entirety for their collection.
FINAL VERDICT: Overall score of 82.52%
Mirai Nikki was an over-the-top, trigger-happy and generously bloody shounen series that people will enjoy for many different reasons. I personally enjoyed it for the pure uncensored fun that it displayed and the senseless gore and blood that it gave out in spades. This is still an enjoyable series but at the same time, it might not be everyone's cup of tea. But for those who don't mind anime not rated E for Everyone, I think you will have a blast with Future Diary.
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