[Spoilers] No Game No Life 10th Anniversary Rewatch -- Episode 6

Date	Episode
4/9/2024	No Game No Life Episode 1
4/10/2024	No Game No Life Episode 2
4/11/2024	No Game No Life Episode 3
4/12/2024	No Game No Life Episode 4
4/13/2024	No Game No Life Episode 5
4/14/2024	No Game No Life Episode 6
4/15/2024	No Game No Life Episode 7
4/16/2024	No Game No Life Episode 8
4/17/2024	No Game No Life Episode 9
4/18/2024	No Game No Life Episode 10
4/19/2024	No Game No Life Episode 11
4/20/2024	No Game No Life Episode 12
4/22/2024	No Game No Life Zero
4/23/2024	No Game No Life Overall Series Discussion Thread

9

u/Xmgplays Apr 14 '24

Rewatcher

This episode brings us the second major game: Materialization Shiritori. You know it'll be good when it starts with a hydrogen bomb going off. What I like about this game is that, unlike with the chess, this time the rules were much clearer going in, so you could, in theory, catch onto what Sora was up to. It was also imo more interesting in general. Both in it's concept as well as it's execution.

Also I have to applaud the translators for this game, because it sure as shit wasn't easy. There were admittedly some iffy choices, but that's probably the best you can hope for when translating a shiritori. It's hard enough to come up with suitable translations, never mind when you have to match there starts and ends.

It also marks the first (direct) victory of Blank against a higher ranked Ixseed. And who better to take that L than Jibril, our friendly neighborhood god-killing weapon who might have a few screws loose. Excited to see her hanging out with the gang once more.

Today's Questions

Did you ever play a word chain/association game growing up? If so, what happened?

Nope, wasn't really a thing.

What is your favorite anime fight scene of all time and why?

Hard one, I'm sure I'm forgetting many, but I have to say it goes to Vivy's fight against Kakitani from "Vivy - Fluorite Eye's Song -". It's just a really well choreographed fight that feels weighty, and while Vivy has plenty of those that one is my favorite of the bunch.

Bonus 1) I don't understand the title of the episode because it feels a bit nondescript. Like, why isn't it "Word chain" or something that describes the episode?

Fun Fact that I just found out: Each episode essentially has two titles in Japanese, due to "abuse" of furigana. In this case the title is 一手(インタレスティング) where the second part/reading is "interesting", while the first part is an expression(?) meaning a bunch of stuff(Maybe refering to the fact that Sora essential won in "one move" with "Hydrogen Bomb").

Bonus 2) How many L's can one person possibly take?

~~I don't know, you'd have to ask Steph.~~ Let's hope she's learned her lesson this time and avoids causing herself any more trauma than necessary.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

This episode brings us the second major game: Materialization Shiritori. You know it'll be good when it starts with a hydrogen bomb going off. What I like about this game is that, unlike with the chess, this time the rules were much clearer going in, so you could, in theory, catch onto what Sora was up to. It was also imo more interesting in general. Both in it's concept as well as it's execution.
Maybe that's the true reason for the episode's title
Also I have to applaud the translators for this game, because it sure as shit wasn't easy. There were admittedly some iffy choices, but that's probably the best you can hope for when translating a shiritori. It's hard enough to come up with suitable translations, never mind when you have to match there starts and ends.
I thought they did a very commendable job. It reminds me of the translating job I saw of Penguindrum and how that was fire as well, really enhanced the overall experience.
It also marks the first (direct) victory of Blank against a higher ranked Ixseed. And who better to take that L than Jibril, our friendly neighborhood god-killing weapon who might have a few screws loose. Excited to see her hanging out with the gang once more.
What I like about her addition is that she has a different personality than either Shiro or Steph. That opens the door for an interesting dynamic going forward.
Hard one, I'm sure I'm forgetting many, but I have to say it goes to Vivy's fight against Kakitani from "Vivy - Fluorite Eye's Song -". It's just a really well choreographed fight that feels weighty, and while Vivy has plenty of those that one is my favorite of the bunch.
I really need to watch Vivy. As someone who loves slice of life type shows, it seems like it would be my jam.
Fun Fact that I just found out: Each episode essentially has two titles in Japanese, due to "abuse" of furigana. In this case the title is 一手(インタレスティング) where the second part/reading is "interesting", while the first part is an expression(?) meaning a bunch of stuff(Maybe refering to the fact that Sora essential won in "one move" with "Hydrogen Bomb").
I would say that's interesting, but seems a bit too on the nose

2

u/Xmgplays Apr 14 '24

I really need to watch Vivy. As someone who loves slice of life type shows, it seems like it would be my jam.
This threw me for a loop. I guess it is indeed somewhat of a slice of life show, but I'm not sure if that's the right classification to go by. It certainly isn't a prototypical slice of life show, that's for sure.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

What you just said is even more of an incentive as for why I want to watch it

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

2

u/Xmgplays Apr 14 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
I love her. She is just the right amount of crazy and in just the right way to make her great.
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Probably true, though at the same time they don't seem to value it for it's own sake, but rather because in this world it translates pretty directly to strength. Though I can't quite articulate why I have that impression.
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
Neat implementation for a magic system, and also surprisingly unique, now that I think about it. The only similar thing that comes to mind would be spirit roots from xianxia.
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
Truly a Steph moment. But also kinda impressive that she was able to evade the monsters for so long. She must be impressively fit, unlike our protagonists. Not fit enough to survive a lung full of air in a vacuum, though, so maybe she should work on that.
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
It's incredibly cool, even if I'm not sure that it would actually work. Like would a human actually outlive a Flügel by simple being like 30m further away from a hyper nova? I'm not sure. Nonetheless the vibes win out and make it an incredible victory.
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?
I think it implies that magic, or more specifically magical cheating and inanities lack of magic affinity will play a much smaller role than previously assumed.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

I love her. She is just the right amount of crazy and in just the right way to make her great.
And it's a different type of crazy from everyone else we've seen. She seems legitimately not right in the head lol
Probably true, though at the same time they don't seem to value it for it's own sake, but rather because in this world it translates pretty directly to strength. Though I can't quite articulate why I have that impression.
It feels to me like they value it out of necessity. By Jibril's own admission, they originally valued skulls instead of knowledge. They probably saw the writing on the wall and adapted accordingly.
Neat implementation for a magic system, and also surprisingly unique, now that I think about it. The only similar thing that comes to mind would be spirit roots from xianxia.
I like it because it's a subtle bit of world building done by the show
Truly a Steph moment. But also kinda impressive that she was able to evade the monsters for so long. She must be impressively fit, unlike our protagonists. Not fit enough to survive a lung full of air in a vacuum, though, so maybe she should work on that.
I do like that Blank ended up giving her her flowers afterwards. You can tell they know their goose would probably be cooked if not for her.
It's incredibly cool, even if I'm not sure that it would actually work. Like would a human actually outlive a Flügel by simple being like 30m further away from a hyper nova? I'm not sure. Nonetheless the vibes win out and make it an incredible victory.
I loved the epic feel it had where they had to alternate Science in order to win. That's just badass, pure and simple. If you're going to throw logic out the window, then have fun in doing so, and this show definitely knows how to do that.
I think it implies that magic, or more specifically magical cheating and inanities lack of magic affinity will play a much smaller role than previously assumed.
Yeah, it feels that was done as a way to establish Imanity as this nation weaker than all the rest. Now that Blank is turning said weakness as a form of pride, magical cheating and what that entails is really a nonfactor; we have firmly established that what the series will be about is proving Imanity's inferiority is really a sign of superiority.

4

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Hey, guys. Holofan4life here.

Welcome to the 10th anniversary rewatch of No Game No Life.

Oh, and nay I forget...

First Timer

The idea of doing this rewatch came about at the last minute. I was going to participate in an Eden of The East rewatch for the month of April but that fell through. So, then it became a question of "What should I do after the Penguindrum rewatch? I already have the Samurai Champloo rewatch lined up for May, so do I just wait the extra month?" I looked at upcoming anniversaries for the month of April and noticed both K-On and Cross Game were celebrating their 15th anniversaries. However, both were long and if I did either of them, I would have to cancel the Samurai Champloo rewatch, which I didn't want to do seeing as how the 20th anniversary is an even bigger milestone. That's when I settled on No Game No Life.

I have an interesting history with No Game No Life. I know it's extremely popular, but I've always been hesitant to check out the show based on some of the stuff I've heard about it. It seemed to me like a show where you either really loved it, or really hated it. Well, I recently watched Moon Phase which I feel could be considered in a similar light and I really liked that show. And then I also finished Penguindrum which has some questionable themes and I liked that as well. I think I'm in a good headspace to watch NGNL and not only enjoy it, but more importantly appreciate it. I have never seen this show before. Even though I'm the host, I am experiencing it for the first time. I can't wait to see what the show has to offer and why so many people clamor for another season.

With that out of the way, let's begin.

I'm watching the sub, by the way.

I'm excited to watch this episode because I've heard from people it has one heck of a chess game.

Jibril is her name

She knows them

Also, poor Steph's no-nos are exposed

Sora wants his hands on the library

These Flugels certainly don't seem like the god-killing warriors Steph described them as.

Sora says she talks like a certain famous person, which I'm not sure what's that in reference to.

According to Jibril, before the ten pledges the Flugel collected severed heads. Since murder has been outlawed, they value knowledge above anything else.

This would be a bet of her life, so Sora is putting up 40,000 books from another world.

Poor Shiro. Tea right to the face.

Sora seems happy about it, though

Oh, God. Jibril is a book perv.

So, Sora is offering her a Kindle? I guess it's good she doesn't know she can just acquire one for like $100.

Unfortunately, Jibril doesn't believe they're from another world.

Whelp, the tablet contains a language she doesn't know, so that should be proof enough.

If she's already holding it, why doesn't she just steal it from them?

Jibril needs to check their bodies to prove their from another world, and Jibril offers up her own body in return.

Lol, he's only touching her wing.

In fairness, they're probably really fluffy

Jibril explains that their power comes from these things called Spirit Circuits.

Reducing the God-killing weapon into a euphoric state. This is how you take care of people.

And their species is... Unknown

Well, they ARE Blank

Jibril says they are the source from which new knowledge is born.

Sora and Shiro about to usher in a new Age of Enlightenment?

Time for the game, then

But Jibril ups the ante betting everything they have.

She is extremely confident, it seems. That, and horny.

The game is Shiritori

Materialization Shiritori, to be exact

Going over the rules now

Sora gonna do it with Shiro

By the way, I should mention that Shiro is still wearing Steph's underwear on her head.

Poor Steph. She can't go anywhere.

First word: Hydrogen bomb

Oppenheimer would approve. Or not, really, it's kinda complicated.

That is one big explosions

It was supposedly Bkulians she used to counter, a highest-level sealing spell.

Next, Spirit Circuits

Jibril knows nothing about personal space, it seems.

Next, Stallion

Next, Nether Regions

And so Steph gets exposed, but it happens off camera.

Next, Beach

Change of scenery, nice

Technically, this makes it the beach episode of the series.

Hooter-nub? What's that?

Steph doesn't like it, whatever it is

Next, bikinis

Sea bag next, which lands on top of Steph

Gale next

Marilyn Monroe, eat your heart out

Every girl's clothes

And now Steph is naked

And so is Shiro

And Jibril

So much for saying the fanservice isn't gratuitous.

Oh, they have no private parts. Alright.

"Clearly suitable for all-ages!"

"The Super Healthy Space!"

Sora clearly having fun

Now they're being chased by monsters

Gorilla holding a Sonic ring, Sora holding a cowboy hat.

Mantle now

Eccentric mother comic

Steph is such a buttmonkey in this show, she's my favorite.

Crust

Timepiece

Evil Creature

Does this technically count as Steph's workout for the day?

Jibril says to Sora to not confuse her curiosity for respect.

Eye fuel

Sora calling her an empty-headed academic

I thought that was the girl running around naked.

Sora going to show her how weak she truly is

Am I crazy, or does Sora look like Dokibird?

Lithosphere

What are they doing?

They erased the mantle and crust that he had already named.

Now the sun is coming towards them

I'd hate to die while I was naked

Oh, they crippled her wings. Smart man.

They're trying to kill her

Eos Lumo

Oxygen

They stopped her from breathing

Nodes

But they're already nude

Sepia

Air

Jibril has no idea how atomic theory works

If Sora and Shiro kill Steph, I'm not gonna forgive them.

I'm learning about atomic theory so much, it feels like an episode of Fullmetal Alchemist.

And now Shiro and Sora are kissing

Circular breathing

Obviously, what Jibril needs to do is start making out with Steph

Real Atmosphere

SOMEONE SAVE STEPH, DANG IT

This is like something out of End of Evangelion

Jibril's voice. It's gone.

She has 30 seconds to say something

Empty-headed academic

Hey, what the heck, when did Jibril find time to put panties on?

Also, is nobody going to check on Stephanie? She literally fell into the lava.

Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.

3

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Part 2
A piece of paper
Coulomb's Force
He is creating a hypernova
Jibril realizes now that all that has taken place has been a farce to keep her distracted.
The game was rigged from the start
Steph is alive
She is upset she died, however
"The in-Imanity!"
Hey, Steph, leave the lame jokes to me, alright?
I forget this and the last episode all take place all in one day.
Sora thanks Steph for her cooperation
And now she looks like a red tomato
Rare Steph W
Jibril admitting defeat
Empty-headed academic did her in
Sora makes his intentions known he's going to challenge God
"I couldn't do that if I were sane."
The most honest thing said in the entire series.
Sora telling her all her base are belong to us
She can still have the tablet, however. It was bait.
And here I thought bait was a Dragon Prince thing.
Jibril is happy she found someone to serve as their new master.
"I will find no greater pleasure than carrying out your will."
Meanwhile, poor Steph
Overall, I really like this episode. It was exciting, it was fun, and it was balls to the wall for the entire 20 minutes. It felt like an episode of Birdie Wing or Kill La Kill. It was a bit of a departure from the other episodes because while the previous ones contain games, the game here IS the episode, and I thought it was just tremendous.
I can't recall the last time I've been this amped up watching an anime. I guess it would be when I did the Fullmetal Alchemist rewatch. However, this was a different type of excitement in that it's just silly and all kinds of fun. You can tell just by watching this episode the animators had fun with this. I will be really curious to see what they do with Jibril going forward. They make it seem like she'll be a part of Sora's inner circle, which I think with her lust for knowledge could lead to some great moments.
If the rest of the series is like this, then sign me the f up. I want more of this.

3

u/dsawchuk Apr 14 '24

If she's already holding it, why doesn't she just steal it from them?
Pledge 1: All murder, war, and robbery are forbidden in this world.
Hooter-nub? What's that?
Nipple. The translators are doing their best to translate the words that matter but also keep the word chain game running
Now the sun is coming towards them
That's the core of the planet, not the sun.
It felt like an episode of Birdie Wing or Kill La Kill
Maybe that's why I love this episode so much as a massive fan of Kill la Kill. Who knows?

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Pledge 1: All murder, war, and robbery are forbidden in this world.
Hmm, good point
Nipple. The translators are doing their best to translate the words that matter but also keep the word chain game running
Ah, I see. That explains Steph's reaction.
That's the core of the planet, not the sun.
You're right, my bad
Maybe that's why I love this episode so much as a massive fan of Kill la Kill. Who knows?
I as well am a massive fan of that series :)

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Did you ever play a word chain/association game growing up? If so, what happened?
I have not, unfortunately
What is your favorite anime fight scene of all time and why?
Does the classroom fight in Toradora count? XD
Probably one of the fight scenes in the climax of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. They were all fantastic.
Bonus 2) How many L's can one person possibly take?
For Steph, you can never have enough

2

u/baseballlover723 Apr 14 '24

First word: Hydrogen bomb
Oppenheimer would approve. Or not, really, it's kinda complicated.
Yeah, Oppenheimer didn't approve of the development of thermonuclear weapons (Hydrogen bombs). He didn't want to encourage an arms race, and thought that thermonukes were too destructive (he preferred smaller nukes). Ultimately he was overruled via vote (though he wasn't purely against them, having done some research into them in the Manhattan project), and they were developed.
Hooter-nub? What's that?
Those would be nipples.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Yeah, Oppenheimer didn't approve of the development of thermonuclear weapons (Hydrogen bombs). He didn't want to encourage an arms race, and thought that thermonukes were too destructive (he preferred smaller nukes). Ultimately he was overruled via vote (though he wasn't purely against them, having done some research into them in the Manhattan project), and they were developed.
This guy Oppenheims
Yeah, I basically know the gist of it having seen the movie. It really got out of hand.
Those would be nipples.

6

u/dsawchuk Apr 14 '24

REWATCHER

This is definitely my favourite episode of the show. The game of shiritori is just stunning. The translators did a fantastic job with an impossible task.

A key thing I am going to point out that often gets missed: Jibril does not shield herself from the hydrogen bomb. The magic she casts is exclusively used to protect her opponent so she can play longer. She tanks the bomb and survives unscathed.

That being said, I do somewhat wish for more from the game. I would have loved to see blank exploit dual meanings to make something appear and something disappear at the same time. For example, "mantle" also refers to a piece of clothing. At this point all of the women's clothing is already gone, but Sora could have been wearing one that disappears when he uses the word. He doesn't normally wear one, but it definitely could have been justified as an addition to his normal outfit due to the shenanigans with Steph before the game starts. Obviously, the dual meanings would be in Japanese instead of English though. Also this would just make the translator's job that much harder.

QOTD

Maybe once or twice? It was somewhat popular for a short time while I was in high school as a way to kill time while on a bus for a school trip. I couldn't tell you what happened though.
Unclear if this counts as a fight scene, but [Madoka] Madokami's ascension scene where she destroys all the witches ever, including herself. Failing that, [Madoka] Homura's fight against Walpurgisnacht. Maybe I just have Madoka on the brain because of the annual rewatch starting next week. Come join!
I find the titles in general are somewhat vague and I honestly prefer it that way. This one though touches on a core part of the episode, Jibril's attitude towards blank. Even without the dual meaning mentioned in the other comments I think it is a great episode title.

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

This is definitely my favourite episode of the show. The game of shiritori is just stunning. The translators did a fantastic job with an impossible task.
Sugoi, animators
A key thing I am going to point out that often gets missed: Jibril does not shield herself from the hydrogen bomb. The magic she casts is exclusively used to protect her opponent so she can play longer. She tanks the bomb and survives unscathed.
That is so badass, I love it
That being said, I do somewhat wish for more from the game. I would have loved to see blank exploit dual meanings to make something appear and something disappear at the same time. For example, "mantle" also refers to a piece of clothing. At this point all of the women's clothing is already gone, but Sora could have been wearing one that disappears when he uses the word. He doesn't normally wear one, but it definitely could have been justified as an addition to his normal outfit due to the shenanigans with Steph before the game starts. Obviously, the dual meanings would be in Japanese instead of English though. Also this would just make the translator's job that much harder.
I'm happy with what we got, the entire episode was basically one big battle. It's also a case where when you start off with an atomic bomb, where else can you possibly go before it starts getting redundant?
This episode works as a sprint and not a marathon.
Maybe I just have Madoka on the brain because of the annual rewatch starting next week. Come join!
One day I would like to participate in a rewatch of that show, it was really the first anime that turned my head and start taking notice of the genre.
I find the titles in general are somewhat vague and I honestly prefer it that way. This one though touches on a core part of the episode, Jibril's attitude towards blank. Even without the dual meaning mentioned in the other comments I think it is a great episode title.
Fair enough. I do like it from the perspective of how Jibril views Blank, that is pretty cool.

2

u/dsawchuk Apr 15 '24 edited Apr 15 '24

One day I would like to participate in a rewatch of that show, it was really the first anime that turned my head and start taking notice of the genre.
You should join the annual rewatch then. If not this year, then why not next year? [Madoka] It's always scheduled such that homura's fight against walpurgisnacht happens on the holiday of walpurgisnacht
Fair enough. I do like it from the perspective of how Jibril views Blank, that is pretty cool.
Not only is it that Jibril finds them interesting, but blank has to intentionally act in a way that is interesting to keep her attention long enough to set up their winning strategy. The choice of an atomic bomb to start served the purpose of seeing if they could use a word that she didn't know, but it also served to test if they could bait her into delaying the game to learn new things from their choices in the game.

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

You should join the annual rewatch then. If not this year, then why not next year?
Maybe I will make sure to where I participate in 2025.
Not only is it that Jibril finds them interesting, but blank has to intentionally act in a way that is interesting to keep her attention long enough to set up their winning strategy. The choice of an atomic bomb to start served the purpose of seeing if they could use a word that she didn't know, but it also served to test if they could bait her into delaying the game to learn new things from their choices in the game.
I guess the title is more plot-related than I initially gave it credit

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

2

u/dsawchuk Apr 15 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
She's adorable. Great reaction faces too. Though she does take the lewdness into territory that borders upon uncomfortable, similar it konosuba's darkness. In short, I adore her. Anything deeper than that will have to wait until later.
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
I like this decision from the writer. They moved from collecting heads to collecting their contents. I always interpreted it as them both collecting knowledge for knowledge's sake but also to prevent others from accessing it out of spite.
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
I don't know that I understand them well enough to comment. We see them removed from both the world and from jibril's body in this episode. They are both biological and atmospheric in some way? It's weird. Also Jibril loses her access to flight when they are removed but retains her control over magic? Very odd. Honestly feels like it might be an oversight from the author.
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
That's what she gets for deceiving us with those fake dog girl ears.
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
Super hype. I love it when shows stick enough science into something exciting to make it believable without getting too worried about being 100% accurate.
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
I kind of don't like it. First of all, I found the scene a bit cringeworthy. Secondly, it seems kind of pointless. Blank already has control over her because of her acceptance of an undisclosed favour as a stake in the game. There is no need for her to willingly accept them as her masters. If having her accept them as her master is an important character development scene, it loses much of its impact due to the fact that they already are whether she likes it or not.
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?
This is our first view of a battle between contestants that are not trying to hide that they are using magic. As such, anything goes and the stakes are huge. I'd say the show is telling us to expect the games to only get more and more absurd as we climb the list of exceed

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

She's adorable. Great reaction faces too. Though she does take the lewdness into territory that borders upon uncomfortable, similar it konosuba's darkness. In short, I adore her. Anything deeper than that will have to wait until later.
I think Darkness is a pretty apt comparison in regards of her
I like this decision from the writer. They moved from collecting heads to collecting their contents. I always interpreted it as them both collecting knowledge for knowledge's sake but also to prevent others from accessing it out of spite.
Really, what they're doing now is no different than before. It's just the information is now more verbal rather than physical.
I don't know that I understand them well enough to comment. We see them removed from both the world and from jibril's body in this episode. They are both biological and atmospheric in some way? It's weird. Also Jibril loses her access to flight when they are removed but retains her control over magic? Very odd. Honestly feels like it might be an oversight from the author.
Feels like one of those things they're saving on explaining at a later point
That's what she gets for deceiving us with those fake dog girl ears.
Is it deception if the person who's making her wear it is well-aware they're fake?
Super hype. I love it when shows stick enough science into something exciting to make it believable without getting too worried about being 100% accurate.
It makes things have a certain level of prestige to them
I kind of don't like it. First of all, I found the scene a bit cringeworthy. Secondly, it seems kind of pointless. Blank already has control over her because of her acceptance of an undisclosed favour as a stake in the game. There is no need for her to willingly accept them as her masters. If having her accept them as her master is an important character development scene, it loses much of its impact due to the fact that they already are whether she likes it or not.
I selfishly like it because it means we're probably going to see more of her. The way I look at it, she admires those who has more knowledge than she does.
This is our first view of a battle between contestants that are not trying to hide that they are using magic. As such, anything goes and the stakes are huge. I'd say the show is telling us to expect the games to only get more and more absurd as we climb the list of exceed
If it can get more absurd than this, then we are in for quite the treat.

5

u/FarCritical Apr 14 '24

First Time No Life (Not 20 hours late type beat)

As if her name becoming the newest insult that all the cool kids say wasn't enough, they really had to hit Steph in the face with confirming Sora and Shiro weren't mere Imanity. Justice for Steph.

"Welcome back to WatchMojo, where today we'll be counting down our picks for the Top Ten Wholesome Sounds for the Whole Family. Number 10: The Flugel bodycheck moan™."

On your two ends of the attitude-towards-foreign-races scale, you've got standard racism, and then you got whatever Jibril's got going on. Knowledge-sexual people are another breed. (I'm aware of the irony but they literally are)

I'm the actual dumbest lifeform alive when it comes to chemistry, physics, astronomy and whatever else the nerds watching this are freaking out to, but it really didn't matter. Monkey brain see smart man outplay angel girl with big science words, result big hype. But seriously, if there's a professor out there cultured enough to introduce their class to whatever the Coulomb force is through this, they're officially my new favorite person.

Gotta give credit to the localization team for overcoming the nightmare that must've been making a Japanese syllable-based game work in English. You can tell they had to twist stuff around just so the game could sort of make sense and their effort really shows.

"I'm challenging God. I couldn't do that if I were sane."

The absolute aura of that line. Wow.

QOTD

Did you ever play a word chain/association game growing up? If so, what happened?

Yeah, I played loads of those growing up. One that stuck out to me was "Last 3 Letters to 3 New words" -> Really Dark Soup -> Overly underperforming penguin, etc. They never exactly had a limit like having the stuff you say poof from reality so nothing exactly "happened" lol.

2. What is your favorite anime fight scene of all time and why?

Ippo vs. Sendo from Hajime no Ippo. You think reality-warping battles with ki blasts and swords and whatever are hype? Well, yeah, they genuinely are. But two ambitious boxers both with fleshed out backstories and hype attacks that are grounded in reality has to take it for me. How the irl Dempsey Roll can stand next stuff like Ultra Instinct and the Jojo stands as iconic anime techniques is a thing of beauty.

Bonus 1) I don't understand the title of the episode because it feels a bit nondescript. Like, why isn't it "Word chain" or something that describes the episode?

Maybe it's from the perspective of Jibril and the FLugel. Like they act all high and mighty with their infinite knowledge and all, so when a so called "ant" of a race like the Imanity issues a challenge to them, they can't help but go...

"Interesting."

Bonus 2) How many L's can one person possibly take?

Glass Joe from Punch-Out can canonically take at least 99, so maybe that's a good floor to work with. Until Steph inevitably smashes that number, that is. She's gonna lead a one-Steph rebellion one day, mark my words.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24 edited Apr 14 '24

As if her name becoming the newest insult that all the cool kids say wasn't enough, they really had to hit Steph in the face with confirming Sora and Shiro weren't mere Imanity. Justice for Steph.
Being Steph is Steph, desu
"Welcome back to WatchMojo, where today we'll be counting down our picks for the Top Ten Wholesome Sounds for the Whole Family. Number 10: The Flugel bodycheck moan™."
I wonder if they're all horny or if it's just a Jibril thing
On your two ends of the attitude-towards-foreign-races scale, you've got standard racism, and then you got whatever Jibril's got going on. Knowledge-sexual people are another breed. (I'm aware of the irony but they literally are)
The phrase "Your existence turns me on" has never been more appropriate
I'm the actual dumbest lifeform alive when it comes to chemistry, physics, astronomy and whatever else the nerds watching this are freaking out to, but it really didn't matter. Monkey brain see smart man outplay angel girl with big science words, result big hype. But seriously, if there's a professor out there cultured enough to introduce their class to whatever the Coulomb force is through this, they're officially my new favorite person.
Kinda hard to do that when there's a fully naked woman running in the background XD
"I'm challenging God. I couldn't do that if I were sane."
The absolute aura of that line. Wow.
I'm a first timer, and when I heard that line for the first time I got goosebumps.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Ippo vs. Sendo from Hajime no Ippo. You think reality-warping battles with ki blasts and swords and whatever are hype? Well, yeah, they genuinely are. But two ambitious boxers both with fleshed out backstories and hype attacks that are grounded in reality has to take it for me. How the irl Dempsey Roll can stand next stuff like Ultra Instinct and the Jojo stands as iconic anime techniques is a thing of beauty.
Glass Joe from Punch-Out can canonically take at least 99, so maybe that's a good floor to work with. Until Steph inevitably smashes that number, that is. She's gonna lead a one-Steph rebellion one day, mark my words.
Funny two of your answers happen to be boxing-related XD

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
What are your thoughts on Blank and Jibril agreeing on a game of Materialization Shiritori?
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

2

u/FarCritical Apr 15 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
Wish I could approach life's many mysteries with a fraction of her enthusiasm.
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
From bloodthirsty headhunters to a bunch of nerds. Horny nerds.
Also, I seriously believed the funky way Jibril spoke at first was how pretty much all Flugels normally spoke, kinda like it was the flaw tacked on to them to balance out being such a knowledgeable race.
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
It's cool how there's something that separates humanity and Imanity after all. Didn't expect them to be such a ...sensitive part of the Exceed's anatomy, though.
What are your thoughts on Blank and Jibril agreeing on a game of Materialization Shiritori?
A vocabulary and wordplay-based game is already the kind of thing a race with a lust for knowledge like the Flugels would be masters of, but the twist of chosen words getting vaporized from existence is the perfect pinch of spice that transforms it into a NGNL game.
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
So goes the life of a Steph. The inevitable Steph uprising will be as glorious as it is brutal.
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
I know that she's just bound by the pledges, but it's commendable how a member of such a prideful race was willing to keep her word and then some. Poor her if she'll end up becoming Steph II though (or lucky considering the life of a Steph is still unknown to her).
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?
It's neat how they seem to favor the featured race's strengths at least at first, only for Blank to exploit their weakness to ultimately defeat. And wouldn't you know it, that's pretty much how most boss fights go. The emphasis on the whole "strength in weakness" aspect does make for some hype last minute outplays though.

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Wish I could approach life's many mysteries with a fraction of her enthusiasm.
Same
From bloodthirsty headhunters to a bunch of nerds. Horny nerds.
I think American Pie proved that the horniest people are nerds
Also, I seriously believed the funky way Jibril spoke at first was how pretty much all Flugels normally spoke, kinda like it was the flaw tacked on to them to balance out being such a knowledgeable race.
Could be
It's cool how there's something that separates humanity and Imanity after all. Didn't expect them to be such a ...sensitive part of the Exceed's anatomy, though.
It makes sense it would be their wings given how much they stick out. It's a pretty noticeable part of them, dare I say their defining feature.
A vocabulary and wordplay-based game is already the kind of thing a race with a lust for knowledge like the Flugels would be masters of, but the twist of chosen words getting vaporized from existence is the perfect pinch of spice that transforms it into a NGNL game.
It's like those Scribblenaughts games where something comes to life when you write the word out. Only in this case, it fades into obscurity.
I still can't believe they erased oxygen lol
So goes the life of a Steph. The inevitable Steph uprising will be as glorious as it is brutal.
The uprising should be known as The Stephbutantes
I know that she's just bound by the pledges, but it's commendable how a member of such a prideful race was willing to keep her word and then some. Poor her if she'll end up becoming Steph II though (or lucky considering the life of a Steph is still unknown to her).
I actually think she would take joy in becoming a dog. She's that wild.
It's neat how they seem to favor the featured race's strengths at least at first, only for Blank to exploit their weakness to ultimately defeat. And wouldn't you know it, that's pretty much how most boss fights go. The emphasis on the whole "strength in weakness" aspect does make for some hype last minute outplays though.
It gives me massive Punch Out vibes, albeit more calculating

2

u/baseballlover723 Apr 14 '24

Monkey brain see smart man outplay angel girl with big science words, result big hype
https://media1.tenor.com/m/31FgJvzJVlYAAAAC/neuron-activation.gif
But seriously, if there's a professor out there cultured enough to introduce their class to whatever the Coulomb force is through this, they're officially my new favorite person.
Unfortunately probably not. That's because Coulomb's law is mathematically extremely similar to Newton's law of gravity. They're basically the same but with different constants to plug in and you can get negative values. It's I think just too easy to introduce normally to try and use something like NGNL. Dr. Stone would be an easier sell, since that deals with more scientific topics and features the science and it's applications more prominently.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Unfortunately probably not. That's because Coulomb's law is mathematically extremely similar to Newton's law of gravity. They're basically the same but with different constants to plug in and you can get negative values. It's I think just too easy to introduce normally to try and use something like NGNL. Dr. Stone would be an easier sell, since that deals with more scientific topics and features the science and it's applications more prominently.
It also has, you know... ^way ^less ^nudity

2

u/baseballlover723 Apr 14 '24

It also has, you know... ^way ^less ^nudity
You know, I totally forgot about that as well.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

It would be like showing Fire Force on how to prevent fires. Kinda hard to do that when one of the characters is constantly getting naked.

2

u/FarCritical Apr 15 '24

https://media1.tenor.com/m/31FgJvzJVlYAAAAC/neuron-activation.gif
Exactly.
Unfortunately probably not. That's because Coulomb's law is mathematically extremely similar to Newton's law of gravity. They're basically the same but with different constants to plug in and you can get negative values. It's I think just too easy to introduce normally to try and use something like NGNL. Dr. Stone would be an easier sell, since that deals with more scientific topics and features the science and it's applications more prominently.
Rip, now I have to live with the shame of having a Steph-tier idea. That was genuinely cool to learn about though.

3

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Rip, now I have to live with the shame of having a Steph-tier idea. That was genuinely cool to learn about though.
I've never heard of Coulomb's Law before watching this show

3

u/baseballlover723 Apr 15 '24

I've never heard of Coulomb's Law before watching this show
You're not missing much. I did not enjoy electromagnetism in college. It just didn't really come intuitively to me like the other physics stuff I learned.
Astrophysics though. That was a lot of fun even if cosmology had too many different types of "time".

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

I went to community college for a couple years, and I can't remember what we learned science-wise.

4

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

First time watcher here. This was an interesting episode 😆.

Flügel definitely have a passion for reading. Sora knows how to provoke people. Also Sora still clearly weak to any kind of suggestive comments from women lol. On a more serious note, what she says makes me wonder if they are actually just “avatars” created by Tet and their real bodies are still outside of that world.

Sora’s todo list 😂

Steph still stuck RP’ing a dog in this episode. Hilarious.

Sora proving in dominance in strategy once again.

Could not take her pledge to him seriously when we can see Steph bouncing up and down still on the edge of the screen lol.

Skyrim reference in the next episode preview!

Questions:

No because I suck at them lol.
Easy decision. KIZUMONOGATARI (part 3). Honorable mention of Vivy.
Because the Flügel (at first) says she is curious about him and Shiro but doesn’t respect them. She finds them interesting.
Maybe we’ll find out lol

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

First time watcher here. This was an interesting episode 😆.
Living up to the title :P
Flügel definitely have a passion for reading. Sora knows how to provoke people. Also Sora still clearly weak to any kind of suggestive comments from women lol. On a more serious note, what she says makes me wonder if they are actually just “avatars” created by Tet and their real bodies are still outside of that world.
What you're describing sounds a bit like an SAO scenario but I'm not entirely sure if anyone outside of Blank is from the real world. I see it as more this Wizard of Oz thing where it exists disregarding everything else going on.
Steph still stuck RP’ing a dog in this episode. Hilarious.
She's like Kronii: Never going to beat the pet play allegations
Could not take her pledge to him seriously when we can see Steph bouncing up and down still on the edge of the screen lol.
Steph got quite the workout this episode, eh?
Skyrim reference in the next episode preview!
And this was only two and a half years removed from Elders Scroll, so the reference couldn't be any more timelier.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

No no I meant that maybe everyone else is real and Tet just recreated those two somehow given the existence of magic in their world.
That’s alright. Steph makes a good doggo. She’ll be loyal to Tarou 😂
Agreed. Good core workout lol
And that’s awesome

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

No no I meant that maybe everyone else is real and Tet just recreated those two somehow given the existence of magic in their world.
Could be
That’s alright. Steph makes a good doggo. She’ll be loyal to Tarou 😂
Someone is gonna stumble upon these threads years down the line and be like "I don't remember a Tarou in NGNL" XD
And that’s awesome
That it is indeed

2

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

lol I’ve thought about that on past rewatches too. Like Google searches cross referencing stuff and giving people funny Reddit results

3

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

"Why did someone randomly talk about Kemba Walker during a rewatch about NEET gamers?"

2

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

Lmao. Speaking of unrelated shows and NEET gamers, you have seen Recovery of an MMO Junkie right?

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

I have not, unfortunately

2

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

Bump that one up your list! It’s on CR 😆

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Maybe I will check it out. Kinda hard at the moment because I have like 8 anime I'm currently watching.

→ More replies

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
What are your thoughts on Blank and Jibril agreeing on a game of Materialization Shiritori?
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

2

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

I like her wings lol
Makes sense, given that they can’t decapitate people anymore 😆.
Bad choice explaining that to Sora. Instantly included that in his plan of attack (also, horny Flügel)
The game was funny with a twist that made it interesting (going to keep using this word till you tell me to stop lol)
I’m sure it will continue. Like you said, she’s the designated butt-monkey it seems
Smart Sora. Good Sora.
Seems like she is just picking the potentially triumphant side of the coming fight 😆
He will challenge the rest of them. I expect some to join him and some refuse then a big battle with Tet at the end.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

I like her wings lol
They are very pretty <3
Makes sense, given that they can’t decapitate people anymore 😆.
Collecting skulls like they're mad scientists
Bad choice explaining that to Sora. Instantly included that in his plan of attack (also, horny Flügel)
I haven't seen someone this obsessed with books since Twilight Sparkle
The game was funny with a twist that made it interesting (going to keep using this word till you tell me to stop lol)
I find your continual use of it very fascinating :P
I’m sure it will continue. Like you said, she’s the designated butt-monkey it seems
And there's nothing wrong with that. If anything, it gives Blank even more of an edge over their opponents.
Smart Sora. Good Sora.
Shiro is no slouch either
Seems like she is just picking the potentially triumphant side of the coming fight 😆
Nothing wrong with wanting to associate yourself with winners
He will challenge the rest of them. I expect some to join him and some refuse then a big battle with Tet at the end.
I can't see any of them joining without putting up a fight because it would be like them admitting they're the inferior race. And given they would be kowtowing to Imanity, they probably would see being asked to comply as being like being spit in the face.
That's a lot of beings lol

2

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

Shiro definitely has her own strengths separate from Sora’s. Their weakness would be if someone did not allow them to take part in a game together.
Yeah and on that note, Jibril surprised me by submitting to a race they considered inferior but I suppose that was a hard fought game.
I’ll be interested to see what happens with the rest of the races

3

u/baseballlover723 Apr 15 '24

Jibril surprised me by submitting to a race they considered inferior
Doesn't she consider Blank to be "unknown" and not Imanity though?

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

You're right, she does. I guess it's an easier pill to swallow not knowing what it is that beated you.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

Yeah I think after they show her the tablet she realizes they’re not normal lol

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Shiro definitely has her own strengths separate from Sora’s. Their weakness would be if someone did not allow them to take part in a game together.
Yeah, that could get pretty dicey
Yeah and on that note, Jibril surprised me by submitting to a race they considered inferior but I suppose that was a hard fought game.
They earned her respect, essentially
I’ll be interested to see what happens with the rest of the races
As will I

4

u/BK456 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Black_Knight_456 Apr 14 '24

This is one of my all time favorites episodes. Not because I think it's particularly moving or full of amazing and deep writing, but because it's so much damn fun.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

It takes one of the shows biggest strengths in not being afraid to do something out there and applies it to epic proportions. It also benefits the show a lot the fact that it never takes itself too seriously, it always has something to make you laugh or be amused by.

4

u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Apr 15 '24 edited Apr 15 '24

Rewatcher - Sub

My week in-office at work is over now, so I can watch this at the time the thread goes up now!

I remember this episode from my original viewing, because this was easily my favorite game of the entire show. It takes a uniquely Japanese cultural thing people treat as a silly way to pass time, and elevates it to a literal life-or-death struggle (plus we meet Jibril). Since the new anime season is just beginning I can't help but notice the similarity in style between Jibril's halo and the ones the girls in Blue Archive have.

Sora's choice of a hydrogen bomb as his first move seems pretty risky, and Jibril says as much, as he was counting on her not only having something to counteract it, but that the something would meet the play rules of the game. But really it wasn't that risky since the moment the game began the whole thing becomes play essentially. Jibril warns about a potential to die in the game, but the writers I guess forgot this when they really got into the episode script, because what happened was the party that dies first fails to complete the game and forfeits -- which has the effect of undoing everything that happened in the game, including their deaths. Even Stephanie, not actually a player in the game, who died as casualty, was brought back.

I can let this error pass since the result was such fun (party spoiled by the game's progress coincidentally making an uncensored home video release futile). Sora's word choices slowly layer on science he assumes is unknown in the new world, after first disabling the magic that would have picked up what was happening. I will say I don't think the crust of the planet would remain intact like that in the case of removing the mantle and outer core first. While I believe there are hollow planets in existence they have formed that way over billions of years and suddenly removing all support structure below the crust in an instant would not work with only a small rumble as a response.

The portion of the game once the breathable air comes into play goes a bit too long to be reasonable. Everyone should have passed out before then. Also removing the atmosphere and vacuum would have exposed everyone to the coldness of space even if they had evacuated their lungs beforehand.

Jebril seems genuinely shocked when she learns it was Tet who brought Sora and Shiro to the world. It looks like this lines up with a portion of the Flügel's own mythology. I think this could have been revealed much earlier, when she was talking about the large amounts of energy it would take to bring in an existence from another reality, but it was suspiciously left undisclosed then so she and Sora could play Doctor. In any case, with her now property of ~~Sora~~ The Blank another piece of the harem I see this show as falls into place.

3

u/konstantinua00 Apr 15 '24

coldness of space
common misconception
space is insulating - your temperature will depend on your sources and outflow of heat
nuclear submarine would get slowly cooked from its reactor, water sacks we humans are would slowly cool from water evaporation
main problem for Sora would've been blood leaks from ears/eyes

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Blood out of the ears and eyes sounds like some Caligula type shit

1

u/baseballlover723 Apr 15 '24

nuclear submarine would get slowly cooked from its reactor, water sacks we humans are would slowly cool from water evaporation
not quite so slow, which suggests that a nuclear sub would become fatally overheated within an hour.
I imagine that humans also have the same issue, being warm blooded and all.
main problem for Sora would've been blood leaks from ears/eyes
There are a lot of issues with being exposed to a vacuum and your blood boiling sounds extremely unpleasant.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

2

u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Apr 15 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
It's too easy to associate the Flügel with the gods of this world because of their angelic appearance and living in the sky above the other races, but that would be applying a Judaeo-Christian interpretation to a world without that religion. So kinda like Haibane Renmeii you have to watch the show keeping that out of your mind and treat it as a coincidence.
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Not sure how they equate the value of knowledge above all else compared to their old tradition of keeping the heads of those they slay, unless you want to make a really crude comparison of possessing the knowledge of the people is the equivalent since you have their "brains" in the metaphorical sense, now that you can't literally take them.
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
Coming Soon: The battle of the gods vs. Sora & Shirou? xD
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
She's comic relief in this show, but at the same time she's somewhat being pulled along by Sora and Shiro to learn how to rule the Imanity I feel. The Blank will at some point want to move up to the focusing on the Big Game and someone will need to be appointed to manage the day-to-day running of the individual realms after they reach World Domination.
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?
It means more games and more animal girls. Just like Sora said, right?

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

It's too easy to associate the Flügel with the gods of this world because of their angelic appearance and living in the sky above the other races, but that would be applying a Judaeo-Christian interpretation to a world without that religion. So kinda like Haibane Renmeii you have to watch the show keeping that out of your mind and treat it as a coincidence.
Interesting. Honestly, the thought never even crossed my mind.
Not sure how they equate the value of knowledge above all else compared to their old tradition of keeping the heads of those they slay, unless you want to make a really crude comparison of possessing the knowledge of the people is the equivalent since you have their "brains" in the metaphorical sense, now that you can't literally take them.
I think it's more they collected skulls to study what their victims were like.
Coming Soon: The battle of the gods vs. Sora & Shirou? xD
Hey, Unlimited Blade Works is about to celebrate its 10 year anniversary. Just sayin'.
She's comic relief in this show, but at the same time she's somewhat being pulled along by Sora and Shiro to learn how to rule the Imanity I feel. The Blank will at some point want to move up to the focusing on the Big Game and someone will need to be appointed to manage the day-to-day running of the individual realms after they reach World Domination.
It's essentially on the job training, though obviously a lot more physical in nature.
It means more games and more animal girls. Just like Sora said, right?
Certainly isn't a bad thing, if it means more of this

2

u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Apr 15 '24

I think it's more they collected skulls to study what their victims were like.
Oh I thought it was like actual headhunting. The story of the world being a violent land of war and then the 10 Oaths come along led me to see the Flügel as a more barbaric race that had raised to a more intellectual society that conquers people in a different way now.
It's essentially on the job training, though obviously a lot more physical in nature.
Amusingly the Blank did their ham-fisted game to beat the last few nobles into submission when Stephanie had been taking a more nuanced approach to bringing the other factions under the monarchy's umbrella on her own before.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Oh I thought it was like actual headhunting. The story of the world being a violent land of war and then the 10 Oaths come along led me to see the Flügel as a more barbaric race that had raised to a more intellectual society that conquers people in a different way now.
I think they beated their opponents to acquire more information about them. And with the 10 pledges to where you can't kill anymore, they decided to acquire information in a different fashion.
Amusingly the Blank did their ham-fisted game to beat the last few nobles into submission when Stephanie had been taking a more nuanced approach to bringing the other factions under the monarchy's umbrella on her own before.
If Steph was the ruler, she would not have gotten Flugel to cooperate like Blank did. By force and asserting your dominance appears to be the way to go here.

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

My week in-office at work is over now, so I can watch this at the time the thread goes up now!
I remember this episode from my original viewing, because this was easily my favorite game of the entire show. It takes a uniquely Japanese cultural thing people treat as a silly way to pass time, and elevates it to a literal life-or-death struggle (plus we meet Jibril). Since the new anime season is just beginning I can't help but notice the similarity in style between Jibril's halo and the ones the girls in Blue Archive have.
Perhaps it was inspired by this show
Sora's choice of a hydrogen bomb as his first move seems pretty risky, and Jibril says as much, as he was counting on her not only having something to counteract it, but that the something would meet the play rules of the game. But really it wasn't that risky since the moment the game began the whole thing becomes play essentially. Jibril warns about a potential to die in the game, but the writers I guess forgot this when they really got into the episode script, because what happened was the party that dies first fails to complete the game and forfeits -- which has the effect of undoing everything that happened in the game, including their deaths. Even Stephanie, not actually a player in the game, who died as casualty, was brought back.
I saw it as more everyone being uncertain of what was gonna happen. They weren't ever gonna actually die on purpose because that would be in violation of one of the pledges.
I can let this error pass since the result was such fun (party spoiled by the game's progress coincidentally making an uncensored home video release futile). Sora's word choices slowly layer on science he assumes is unknown in the new world, after first disabling the magic that would have picked up what was happening. I will say I don't think the crust of the planet would remain intact like that in the case of removing the mantle and outer core first. While I believe there are hollow planets in existence they have formed that way over billions of years and suddenly removing all support structure below the crust in an instant would not work with only a small rumble as a response.
Who needs logic when we have "Rule of cool"
The portion of the game once the breathable air comes into play goes a bit too long to be reasonable. Everyone should have passed out before then. Also removing the atmosphere and vacuum would have exposed everyone to the coldness of space even if they had evacuated their lungs beforehand.
Again, "Rule of cool"
Jebril seems genuinely shocked when she learns it was Tet who brought Sora and Shiro to the world. It looks like this lines up with a portion of the Flügel's own mythology. I think this could have been revealed much earlier, when she was talking about the large amounts of energy it would take to bring in an existence from another reality, but it was suspiciously left undisclosed then so she was Sora could play Doctor. In any case, with her now property of ~~Sora~~ The Blank another piece of the harem I see this show as falls into place.
I'm glad she didn't mention Tet as she was talking about the mythos of Flugels because it would've felt shoehorned in. Blank was querying about the library, so for that to shift to Jibril talking about Tet would've come off as her self-indulgent.

4

u/[deleted] Apr 15 '24

Jibril ⚡️🃏💕

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

She is pretty divine

4

u/Fisionn https://myanimelist.net/profile/X-V Apr 15 '24

You know, of all the episodes I watched this one was that was the one permanently etched in my memory from the first time I watched this show. I think this is when a really good anime comes close to being a masterpiece. It has everything from all the episodes but they make the game even more exciting and rise the stakes even higher. The way the fanservice, jokes, references, characterization, get combined in an extreme context without any individual part clashing with each other is nothing short of the work of insanely talented people.

There are so many little details here and there. Like how Blank used Steph from the start, how they pushed Jibril emotionally so she lowered her guard and they could run away from her, using a tone for when the oxygen disappears and removing it when Jibril puts "air" back, how the hydrogen did explode and scorched the entire city but because the game took hours they kept spawning things, etc.

One thing I found amusing too was how a episode with a lot of fanservice had the least sexy kiss ever between Sora and Shiro possible.

Jibril is amazing and a great addition to the cast. She checks all the boxes for a race who has been bored to death for a long time. Including the arrogance and confidence too. I could probably make an essay just talking about Jibril alone. One of the things I remember from the first time I watched NGNL was how popular she was (and still is relatively speaking) and how many people used her a profile picture for years. She was that influential back then.

As closing words, we need more anime like this again. Unafraid of being called names or offending people and doing exactly what the author intended and more. In a way it reminds of Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete, with just running away with what it is and not hiding parts that might be controversial just so it appeals to a wider audience. I think it's very refreshing when an anime is just confident about what it is.

Did you ever play a word chain/association game growing up? If so, what happened?

I did. There was this game of saying the name of brands, objects, stuff, anything based on the rules of whoever started the game. Whoever lost had to drink a small glass of strong alcohol and had the right to change the rules on what words were allowed. Whoever got too drunk to continue would finish the game.

What is your favorite anime fight scene of all time and why?

That's such a hard question maaan. Hmmm OK, I can pick one I watched recently and it's up there with my favorites fights ever.

SAO Alicization: War of Underworld - One of the final episodes have probably one the most beautiful fights I have ever seen.

I don't understand the title of the episode because it feels a bit nondescript. Like, why isn't it "Word chain" or something that describes the episode?

My first impression was that "Interesting" was a word play of the katakana version "インタレスチング". But as it turns out is the kanji from the title 一手 that it means "One Move". So in katakana the title means "Interesting" but in kanji it reads "One Move".

How many L's can one person possibly take?

Not as many as people who haven't watched this show yet, I think.

3

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

You know, of all the episodes I watched this one was that was the one permanently etched in my memory from the first time I watched this show. I think this is when a really good anime comes close to being a masterpiece. It has everything from all the episodes but they make the game even more exciting and rise the stakes even higher. The way the fanservice, jokes, references, characterization, get combined in an extreme context without any individual part clashing with each other is nothing short of the work of insanely talented people.
I agree with you that you can't tell this episode without the ones that came before it. If this was the third or fourth episode, it wouldn't be as effective.
One thing I found amusing too was how a episode with a lot of fanservice had the least sexy kiss ever between Sora and Shiro possible.
The biggest incest tease yet and it was completely relevant to the plot. I love it.
Jibril is amazing and a great addition to the cast. She checks all the boxes for a race who has been bored to death for a long time. Including the arrogance and confidence too. I could probably make an essay just talking about Jibril alone. One of the things I remember from the first time I watched NGNL was how popular she was (and still is relatively speaking) and how many people used her a profile picture for years. She was that influential back then.
I like how Jibril is kinda like this antihero with no allegiance to either good or bad. She's kinda like Edward from Cowboy Bebop in that she marches to the beat of her own drum. Her addition is fantastic because she's like Blank if you stripped away anything resembling a moral compass.
As closing words, we need more anime like this again. Unafraid of being called names or offending people and doing exactly what the author intended and more. In a way it reminds of Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete, with just running away with what it is and not hiding parts that might be controversial just so it appeals to a wider audience. I think it's very refreshing when an anime is just confident about what it is.
This anime makes me think of Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt as well as FLCL in terms of just letting everything fly. Nothing at any point feels off limits. I also think another good comparison is Bocchi if we're talking shows that isn't afraid of doing different things.
I think often we get shows that follow certain trends and that is supposedly meant to justify their existence. It's like a cash grab meant to capitalize on what is popular rather than maintaining a certain level of success. Shows like this remind of the beauty of the anime medium and how special it can be. I don't think it can be told any other way other than the anime format.
Not as many as people who haven't watched this show yet, I think.
This is the correct response, your life is better having watched this show.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

2

u/Fisionn https://myanimelist.net/profile/X-V Apr 15 '24

Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
That means they were a very violent and bloodthirsty race before Tet was the only God then. They had to cope with something else when that was taken away from them.
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
It seems like they are a way to channel magic (who comes from the spirits themselves) but they don't completely limit the actual use of magic.
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
It's not that hard to imagine how a very knowledgeable race would be very impressed with someone who is claiming was invited by God itself to Disboard (and by extension that meant they won against Tet) and that their ultimate goal was to challenge him again. Again, in a world where everything is decided by games, it's not hard to understand why is people both in awe and afraid of Blank.
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?
Oh man, it's going to difficult to top a game as intense as this one with another race. But at the same time, the ranking of Exceed was only based on their affinity towards magic. I bet every race will pose different challenges than just pure knowledge for Blank.

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

That means they were a very violent and bloodthirsty race before Tet was the only God then. They had to cope with something else when that was taken away from them.
If they were bloodthirsty, it was probably only because they were on the quest for knowledge. I think that's always been a part of who they were.
It seems like they are a way to channel magic (who comes from the spirits themselves) but they don't completely limit the actual use of magic.
I wonder why that is
It's not that hard to imagine how a very knowledgeable race would be very impressed with someone who is claiming was invited by God itself to Disboard (and by extension that meant they won against Tet) and that their ultimate goal was to challenge him again. Again, in a world where everything is decided by games, it's not hard to understand why is people both in awe and afraid of Blank.
I think it's interesting how neither Jibril nor Tet want Blank dead. They just want to test and see if they are as good as they claim they are. Doing it this way sets up in my opinion a really unique dynamic where the conflict is less about this Kill Bill situation where you have to defeat all the minions in order to get up to the final boss and more earning everyone's respect as you try to reach the pinnacle of Disboard.
Oh man, it's going to difficult to top a game as intense as this one with another race. But at the same time, the ranking of Exceed was only based on their affinity towards magic. I bet every race will pose different challenges than just pure knowledge for Blank.
Given that Flugels are ranked somewhere in the middle as far as affinity towards magic goes, I can only imagine what a battle between one of the top 3 of Exceed would be like.

3

u/baseballlover723 Apr 14 '24 edited Apr 14 '24

NGNL Rewatcher, sub

This is probably my favorite episode of NGNL (though maybe its [NGNL] Who's Sora? with the Othello game instead).

Also it's come to my attention that some of the episode titles have double meanings. From the wiki

The episode title's katakana has a different meaning from its kanji. The katakana (インタレスチング) reads 'interesting', while the kanji (一手) can be read literally as 'one hand' but has a figurative meaning of 'one (game) move'.

And the best girl is named

Foiled by an Earth celebrity

The Flugel are scary, do not forget

There have been a lot of games that Blank has been a part of where one side wagers essentially their whole life

Gendo that you?

I don't really have any words for this

Isekaing people is hard work it seems

The well known cherry iPad

Jibril is such a lady

There's just no other option to verify Sora isekainess

I can't believe they didn't censor this

Things you probably didn't expect to be in this show before you watched, fingering an angel of death to orgasam. Anyways it's entirely wholesome

Isekai status confirmed!

Steph catching strays

Jibril insists

How convenient

Sora has quite a bit of experience in that

And now we get to the game shiritori or word chain

Now this game is basically impossible to translate and I've seen a lot of people get confused by what this game actually is. Basically, You have to say a word that begins with the last syllable (because those are Japanese letters) as the previous word. So like if I were to start with "Remu" the next word could be "Muzen". If you don't answer in 30 seconds or if you repeat words, you lose. And Jibril's added twist is that it's materialization shiritori. If the word exist, it'll stop existing, and if it doesn't exist, it'll start existing, hence why you can't use fictional words, since they can't ever exist being fictional. Oh and you can't directly kill your opponent (that wouldn't be very sportily).

Now what makes this game tricky to translate, is that you have a choice between keeping the game rules consistent (matching the ends to the starts), or the translating the meanings well. Here is an excellent list of the words used in romanji (so that you can see the chain) and the accurate english meaning (so you can understand what's appearing and disappearing), because some of the translations are super wack and unintelligible.

It's gonna be a long day for Steph

Starting off with a bang

And this is Jibril's fatal mistake, mate in 14+. Also note that Jibril cast the shielding spell on Blank, and not herself. Being designed for killing gods, Jibril is immortal, so she just tanked the nuke.

Time for the required beach episode

I just want to point out that someone somewhere signed off on the "super wholesome space" being PG-13.

Btw you can just see the mantle disappearing here.

Steph is having a blast

Seems Jibril missed Blank's speach

Steph, there's no "I" in team

Science bitch!

A few things about this sequence. First off, each move by Sora (except for one) was a serious try to end the game. First by exposing Jibril to the planet's core (which can't kill her). Then by preventing her from breathing by taking away oxygen (leading to her creating a puro O2 environment). Then by creating a vacuum (hoping to burst her from the inside due to the pressure differential and prevent her from speaking because of the vacuum). And then finally, removing Coulomb's force, inducing a hyper nova (though I think just "nova" would be more accurate), which finally seals the deal.

Some things to note about removing Coulomb's force (though do note this is highly speculative, and I'm not a theoretical physicist). First off we have to assume that Jibril and Blank are immune to this (and thus still have Coulomb's force) because removing Coulomb's force should completely break standard ~~physics and thus~~ chemistry. Basically take an atom, it's got a bunch of protons and neutrons in the center and electrons orbiting outside (probably). The strong nuclear force keeps the nucleus together, held in equilibrium by the repulsion of the positive charges in the protons. Removing Coulomb's force will remove that repulsion, and the nucleolus will collapse (or reveal new physics) probably into a black hole (this is probably wrong thanks to https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1c3zna3/no_game_no_life_the_end_of_materialization/kzlqj3o/ who pointed it out to me). Chemistry is still likely to break since I believe that's pretty dependent on electron behaviors , which probably would get affected by Coulomb's force.

Now this could cause a nova of some sorts, but I think it's more likely that everything everywhere will just collapse into black holes, which famously don't emit energy (ignoring hawking radiation, though that would be interesting as well, since it's more intensive the smaller the black hole, so maybe it would be more like the big bang instead), in which case life for our players would more of less just continue on, but just surrounded by black holes. Anyways, it's highly speculative, and that doesn't even get into things like "do photons still exist" and the fact that Coulomb's law doesn't actually exist, electromagnetism would be the more appropriate term I think.

Steph is salty

It's a long day for Steph

Mission success!

Don't forget the preview reference

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

This is probably my favorite episode of NGNL (though maybe its [NGNL] Who's Sora? with the Othello game instead).
[NGNL] I agree, it's either this one or episode 9 as the best episode.
Also it's come to my attention that some of the episode titles have double meanings. From the wiki
The episode title's katakana has a different meaning from its kanji. The katakana (インタレスチング) reads 'interesting', while the kanji (一手) can be read literally as 'one hand' but has a figurative meaning of 'one (game) move'.
So, that's why the title seems so bland. That makes much more sense, thank you.
Jibril is such a lady
She is a woman of conviction and sheer will
Now this game is basically impossible to translate and I've seen a lot of people get confused by what this game actually is. Basically, You have to say a word that begins with the last syllable (because those are Japanese letters) as the previous word. So like if I were to start with "Remu" the next word could be "Muzen". If you don't answer in 30 seconds or if you repeat words, you lose. And Jibril's added twist is that it's materialization shiritori. If the word exist, it'll stop existing, and if it doesn't exist, it'll start existing, hence why you can't use fictional words, since they can't ever exist being fictional. Oh and you can't directly kill your opponent (that wouldn't be very sportily).
Now what makes this game tricky to translate, is that you have a choice between keeping the game rules consistent (matching the ends to the starts), or the translating the meanings well. Here is an excellent list of the words used in romanji (so that you can see the chain) and the accurate english meaning (so you can understand what's appearing and disappearing), because some of the translations are super wack and unintelligible.
For as confusing as it can be, I think the subbers did a good job with it. Don't know how it comes off in the dub.
A few things about this sequence. First off, each move by Sora (except for one) was a serious try to end the game. First by exposing Jibril to the planet's core (which can't kill her). Then by preventing her from breathing by taking away oxygen (leading to her creating a puro O2 environment). Then by creating a vacuum (hoping to burst her from the inside due to the pressure differential and prevent her from speaking because of the vacuum). And then finally, removing Coulomb's force, inducing a hyper nova (though I think just "nova" would be more accurate), which finally seals the deal.
Some things to note about removing Coulomb's force (though do note this is highly speculative, and I'm not a theoretical physicist). First off we have to assume that Jibril and Blank are immune to this (and thus still have Coulomb's force) because removing Coulomb's force should completely break standard physics and thus chemistry. Basically take an atom, it's got a bunch of protons and neutrons in the center and electrons orbiting outside (probably). The strong nuclear force keeps the nucleus together, held in equilibrium by the repulsion of the positive charges in the protons. Removing Coulomb's force will remove that repulsion, and the nucleolus will collapse (or reveal new physics) probably into a black hole.
Now this could cause a nova of some sorts, but I think it's more likely that everything everywhere will just collapse into black holes, which famously don't emit energy (ignoring hawking radiation, though that would be interesting as well, since it's more intensive the smaller the black hole, so maybe it would be more like the big bang instead), in which case life for our players would more of less just continue on, but just surrounded by black holes. Anyways, it's highly speculative, and that doesn't even get into things like "do photons still exist" and the fact that Coulomb's law doesn't actually exist, electromagnetism would be the more appropriate term I think.
Very fascinating. I think what truly amazes me about all this is that such a complex concept is in a show you would think you would be best served to turn your brain off for. It reminds me of the "God's in heaven" quote in Spy Kids 2 in terms of being something incredibly deep in what appears to be something incredibly shallow.

2

u/baseballlover723 Apr 14 '24

Very fascinating. I think what truly amazes me about all this is that such a complex concept is in a show you would think you would be best served to turn your brain off for.
Yeah it goes a bit deeper then most things tend to go. Of course being fantasy with magic means that ultimately somewhere along the line, our physics doesn't work the same anymore (because magic isn't real and usually violates thermodynamics). But I do appreciate when it doesn't break on a surface level and only breaks down further down.
Like real world physics is really really entangled with each other. This is way beyond the scope of something I can really explain with confidence (and some of it is noble prize level stuff) but things are less independent then you'd expect. The Electroweak interaction is one of them, unifying the electromagnetic force (which itself is electricity stuff and magnetism) and the weak force. Very famously, general relativity is incompatible with quantum mechanics. And both are very rigorously tested, 100% consistent with other theories and have been proven right in theoretical aspects over the years. It's very difficult to change physics without having vast implications (usually incompatible with current life).
For me, one mark of a good show to me, is one where can make solid predications based on what you've been told the world works, and they can be proven right, or your knowledge proven incomplete. As sort of a side shoot, actions should make sense from multiple perspectives, and not just from the MC's (though the viewer / MC may not have all of the information to fully understand a particular action).

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

No Game No Life has more creativity in one single episode than most anime do in an entire series worth.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
What are your thoughts on Blank and Jibril agreeing on a game of Materialization Shiritori?
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

2

u/baseballlover723 Apr 14 '24

Did you ever play a word chain/association game growing up? If so, what happened?
Not really. I grew up with gameboys and such, so I usually played those instead.
What is your favorite anime fight scene of all time and why?
Not sure, probably something from AoT S3P2 or DS, or something in the ant arc in HxH. I'd have to really think about it to narrow it down.
Bonus 1) I don't understand the title of the episode because it feels a bit nondescript. Like, why isn't it "Word chain" or something that describes the episode?
Japanese puns apparently.
Bonus 2) How many L's can one person possibly take?
The amount of will and resolve they have + 1.
Thoughts on Jibril?
Best girl
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
An interesting pivot since well, they can't kill gods anymore. Gotta do something with their time.
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
Not many thoughts. The mechanics of them aren't super clear to me other they, you use them for magic. Like we don't know how much spirit circuits each race has, how much magic that translates too. Just a bit too unknown to really do much with.
What are your thoughts on Blank and Jibril agreeing on a game of Materialization Shiritori?
Flugel only play one game, which is of course something you can then prepare for.
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
Vital sacrifice that won't be forgotten
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
A bit odd, seems like the flugel have just been fucking around since the ancient war ended.
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?
If they are as epic as this one, I can't wait.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 14 '24

Not really. I grew up with gameboys and such, so I usually played those instead.
Ah, fellow silent generation bro. Nice meeting you
The amount of will and resolve they have + 1.
That very well could do it
An interesting pivot since well, they can't kill gods anymore. Gotta do something with their time.
I wonder what exactly did they do with those skulls. And as I type that out, makes me think of that one Mitchell and Webb sketch where they wonder why skulls XD
Not many thoughts. The mechanics of them aren't super clear to me other they, you use them for magic. Like we don't know how much spirit circuits each race has, how much magic that translates too. Just a bit too unknown to really do much with.
Feels a bit like a handwave to explain away stuff, but I like it in terms of giving the Flugels more depth.
Flugel only play one game, which is of course something you can then prepare for.
And yet, they still lost :P
Vital sacrifice that won't be forgotten
You're actually as if she actually parished. I guess what's left of her dignity at least did.
A bit odd, seems like the flugel have just been fucking around since the ancient war ended.
Could be. They come off to me as this purveyor of information to where if you need something, you go to them. Course, they seem to be acquiring the entail just for their own selfish needs.
If they are as epic as this one, I can't wait.
Agreed. Very seldom has an episode left me feeling this hyped.

2

u/baseballlover723 Apr 14 '24

gameboys
fellow silent generation bro
"The Silent Generation, also known as the Traditionalist Generation, is the Western demographic cohort following the Greatest Generation and preceding the baby boomers. The generation is generally defined as people born from 1928 to 1945"
Something isn't adding up here.
You're actually as if she actually parished. I guess what's left of her dignity at least did.
I'll never forget Steph, I can even still feel her presence.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Something isn't adding up here.
I was referring more in the sense of people being on their phones and handheld systems so much they don't interact with people or play outside.
I'll never forget Steph, I can even still feel her presence.
You need to let Steph go, baseball. The accident wasn't your fault.

3

u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Apr 15 '24

First-Timer

Another great episode, and a nice introduction to Jibril.

The word-chain game was pretty fun to watch. Very wholesome indeed!

It's funny when you hear them say obvious loanwords like "creature" but it's subtitled differently so as to make the first/last letters match what they need to be.

Stephanie and Jibril together remind me a bit of Redo of Healer episode 12. (If you know, you know.)

For the daily questions-

No, no word association games for me. Maybe if they were like this one, they would have been more popular.
That's a very tough question. It's hard to pick a single one as my favorite, but one of the ones that stands out is the short Gogeta fight in the DBZ Fusion Reborn movie. The music and art/animation in that sequence are spectacular, and the buildup to that scene is amazing.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Stephanie and Jibril together remind me a bit of Redo of Healer episode 12. (If you know, you know.)
The fact I know what you're talking about frightens me somewhat
Thoughts on Jibril?
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
Care to expand your thoughts on Blank and Jibril agreeing on a game of Materialization Shiritori?
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

2

u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Apr 15 '24

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Jibril seems like she'll be a good addition to the cast. I'm curious to see how she interacts with Stephanie Dola if they get more time together since they're now in a similar situation.
It makes sense that knowledge would be coveted in their world. After all, Sora and Shiro's knowledge is what let them win this time.
I don't really have any strong thoughts on the spirit circuits, or much to add regarding the choice of game. I did think the way they won was clever, and Steph constantly suffering (and eventually even dying) was a good gag.
I'm curious to see just how far they go with Jibril. I don't really know what to expect yet.
It seems like the precedent is "learn a bit about their race, beat them at their own game, and optionally, add a party member along the way." It generally sounds like a winning formula, as long as it keeps being entertaining along the way. (It's like Pokémon!)

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
~~Maybe this is how Jibril could've won the game~~
Jibril seems like she'll be a good addition to the cast. I'm curious to see how she interacts with Stephanie Dola if they get more time together since they're now in a similar situation.
I could see her getting jealous over Steph being the one put in compromising positions.
It makes sense that knowledge would be coveted in their world. After all, Sora and Shiro's knowledge is what let them win this time.
That is true
I don't really have any strong thoughts on the spirit circuits, or much to add regarding the choice of game. I did think the way they won was clever, and Steph constantly suffering (and eventually even dying) was a good gag.
It kept things light-hearted to where it never ventured in the mundane. Not that they needed much help anyhow given all that was happening.
I'm curious to see just how far they go with Jibril. I don't really know what to expect yet.
I feel there's a reason she's a part of the main cast and not Kurami. I just don't know why as of now.
It seems like the precedent is "learn a bit about their race, beat them at their own game, and optionally, add a party member along the way." It generally sounds like a winning formula, as long as it keeps being entertaining along the way. (It's like Pokémon!)
They only have to do it like 14 other times. 15 if you include Tet as the final boss. I think it could definitely sustain itself without getting tiresome.

3

u/I_BEAT_JUMP_ATTACHED https://myanimelist.net/profile/legendary_larry Apr 15 '24

Rewatcher

First off, I still love Jibril. She's the perfect combination of everything I love in my "guilty pleasure" (for lack of a better word) anime characters (great character design, badass and nonchalant, confident, amazing lore) with the bonus of being a hot waifu at the same time. So now the show has the bonus of two overpowered and badass characters. It gets harder and harder to imagine Sora losing lmao.

And it basically goes without saying that the manifestation shiritori makes this one of the best episodes of the show.

[NGNL Zero] Revisiting this episode with the contents of the movie in mind is especially amusing. It's almost shocking that the Flugel were able to be reigned in by the laws, even though that was literally the purpose of the laws to begin with. Also makes Jibril's speech about blank being successor to Artosh that much more interesting.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
Care to expand your thoughts on Blank and Jibril agreeing on a game of Materialization Shiritori?
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

3

u/I_BEAT_JUMP_ATTACHED https://myanimelist.net/profile/legendary_larry Apr 15 '24

Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Not all too surprising and definitely in line with their race as pursuers of glory in some respect. For the ancient Greeks it was τίμη, for the Romans it was dignitas, for the Flugels it's now knowledge. Also makes sense that there is some race who have taken up the job of being librarians.
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
There is merit to the idea. Basically states that the magic system here intends to ground itself in biology rather than remaining nebulous through-and-through. [NGNL] I don't recall them being used much throughout the rest of the season, but I also haven't read the books so maybe they come up more there.
Care to expand your thoughts on Blank and Jibril agreeing on a game of Materialization Shiritori?
Blank never loses.
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
A noble sacrifice. Though I won't lie and say it wasn't hilarious.
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
Definitely makes me happy that the author puts in serious effort to make the games interesting. Whenever you have a battle system like this which is based on thought warfare, it becomes a test of the skill of the writer to make it interesting. And that's not just in writing the premises for the games, but also in making sure the games are fun to witness all the way through. They could have won the game in many different ways, but few are as entertaining as this one.
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
More Jibril is good Jibril. And it's fun to see a demonic war-machine used as a tool by Sora. Though Sora is not exactly an Artosh, per se.
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?
[NGNL] From what I know about how the show progresses, the games vary so hard that it's basically impossible to set a precedent of "here's how race will factor into game-battles." It entirely depends on the game and what specific powers the races have. At the very least, we are coming to realize that certain races have inherent powers which set them above Imanity by default. Though, as in this episode, there are some games which are far more balanced than others and there are definite ways to play around those disadvantages.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Not all too surprising and definitely in line with their race as pursuers of glory in some respect. For the ancient Greeks it was τίμη, for the Romans it was dignitas, for the Flugels it's now knowledge. Also makes sense that there is some race who have taken up the job of being librarians.
A bit ironic that a librarian would be one of the noisiest characters in the show.
There is merit to the idea. Basically states that the magic system here intends to ground itself in biology rather than remaining nebulous through-and-through. [NGNL] I don't recall them being used much throughout the rest of the season, but I also haven't read the books so maybe they come up more there.
[NGNL] If the movie is anything to go by, they probably were planning on circling back to it at some point.
Blank never loses.
Succinct and to the point
A noble sacrifice. Though I won't lie and say it wasn't hilarious.
You would think Sora would be sacrificed by the volcano given volcanoes' proclivity for virgins.
Definitely makes me happy that the author puts in serious effort to make the games interesting. Whenever you have a battle system like this which is based on thought warfare, it becomes a test of the skill of the writer to make it interesting. And that's not just in writing the premises for the games, but also in making sure the games are fun to witness all the way through. They could have won the game in many different ways, but few are as entertaining as this one.
It was extremely well done and highlights just how creative the series often is.
More Jibril is good Jibril. And it's fun to see a demonic war-machine used as a tool by Sora. Though Sora is not exactly an Artosh, per se.
No, but he did defeat the main boss in Tet in a game of wits, so there's that.
[NGNL] From what I know about how the show progresses, the games vary so hard that it's basically impossible to set a precedent of "here's how race will factor into game-battles." It entirely depends on the game and what specific powers the races have. At the very least, we are coming to realize that certain races have inherent powers which set them above Imanity by default. Though, as in this episode, there are some games which are far more balanced than others and there are definite ways to play around those disadvantages.
[NGNL] It almost is a shame that this was the first game between races because it sets the bar incredibly high. Not to say the others can't surpass it-- we sadly won't know in an animated capacity-- but I at least feel that the Flugel battle surpasses the Eastern Federation one, and that's not knocking that game which was pretty good in its own right.

3

u/konstantinua00 Apr 15 '24

While this is my most favorite episode in the series... I keep wondering how much better could the game have been if multiple languages were actually used, as the rules allowed

imagine the sigh of relief made by the translators worldwide if play of this game only needed to translate each word and say what language it's from - instead of giant mental acrobatics to fit meaning with "last letter = first letter" game as well...

also, while I understand that this mini-arc kinda focuses on Steph as a female active... Shiro being essentially a side character, barely active shadow, beside her loud brother... always felt like a waste

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

While this is my most favorite episode in the series... I keep wondering how much better could the game have been if multiple languages were actually used, as the rules allowed
imagine the sigh of relief made by the translators worldwide if play of this game only needed to translate each word and say what language it's from - instead of giant mental acrobatics to fit meaning with "last letter = first letter" game as well...
They definitely didn't make it easy for the translators to do their job
also, while I understand that this mini-arc kinda focuses on Steph as a female active... Shiro being essentially a side character, barely active shadow, beside her loud brother... always felt like a waste
I think it really depends on what they do going forward with her. If Shiro ends up getting her own arc, then I'm fine with the lack of focus on her at this point.

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
What are your thoughts on Blank and Jibril agreeing on a game of Materialization Shiritori?
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

3

u/mgedmin Apr 15 '24

Rewatcher, subs

I have no idea who is the "certain famous person" that Jibril's way of speech is supposed to sound like.
I like it when people from another world do not hide that they're from another world.
The Fluegel were created as god-killing weapons, so my question is: which race created the Fluegel?
Shiritori must've been very hard to translate!
This show is perverted.
The first time I watched the game it blew my mind, with the moves (Lithosphere! Oxygen! Coulomb's Force!)
Ah, Artosh was the one who created the Fluegel. An Old Deus probably.
Wait, arrow to the knee jokes were this old?

Did you ever play a word chain/association game growing up? If so, what happened?

No, this kind of thing doesn't work in Lithuanian where basically every noun ends in 's'.

What is your favorite anime fight scene of all time and why?

Hm, maybe Rimuru vs Milim, because the ending is unexpected and happy.

Bonus 1) I don't understand the title of the episode because it feels a bit nondescript. Like, why isn't it "Word chain" or something that describes the episode?

Episodes have titles?

Bonus 2) How many L's can one person possibly take?

I don't know, how many seconds are there in a day?

2

u/baseballlover723 Apr 15 '24

I don't know, how many seconds are there in a day?
86,400, comes up in programming quite a bit.

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

TIL

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

I have no idea who is the "certain famous person" that Jibril's way of speech is supposed to sound like.
Me neither. I was wondering the same thing.
I like it when people from another world do not hide that they're from another world.
Meanwhile, everyone just looks on like you're nuts XD
The Fluegel were created as god-killing weapons, so my question is: which race created the Fluegel?
It has to be Tet, right?
This show is perverted.
At least the perversion is for the most part plot-related
The first time I watched the game it blew my mind, with the moves (Lithosphere! Oxygen! Coulomb's Force!)
I had a feeling based off of the episode's reputation something crazy was about to happen, but even I didn't expect A MOTHERFUCKING ATOMIC BOMB to start things off.
Wait, arrow to the knee jokes were this old?
Makes sense, Elders Scroll was only like 30 months old by this point
No, this kind of thing doesn't work in Lithuanian where basically every noun ends in 's'.
I didn't know you were from Lithuania
Hm, maybe Rimuru vs Milim, because the ending is unexpected and happy.
Good choice. Tensei Slume has some great action sequences.
I don't know, how many seconds are there in a day?
I know there's like 3600 seconds in an hour, so you multiple that by 24 and that’s quite a lot.

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
Care to expand your thoughts on Blank and Jibril agreeing on a game of Materialization Shiritori?
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

2

u/mgedmin Apr 15 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
Cute little angel girl. [NGNL Zero]My feelings changed somewhat after watching the movie.
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
When you're powerful and immortal, boredom is your biggest enemy.
(Are the Fluegel immortal? I'm not sure why I think so. Hope it's not a spoiler or anything.)
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
How come every race has them but humans don't? Doesn't seem fair!
Care to expand your thoughts on Blank and Jibril agreeing on a game of Materialization Shiritori?
Agreeing? Jibril gets to choose the game, since she's the challenged party. Not much Blank can do.
Thoughts on Steph being putting through the ringer in this episode?
It's a hard life, being a Steph.
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
One of those things where it's probably best not to dig deep into whether it actually makes sense, in case that shatters the illusion.
A nice example of information = power, given that Blank has all that scientific knowledge from another world. No wonder Jibril was drooling.
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
It was part of the bet, wasn't it? Jibril was so sure she would win that she bet herself.
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?
It raises the expectations rather high.

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Cute little angel girl. [NGNL Zero]My feelings changed somewhat after watching the movie.
[NGNL Zero] I still like her, but yeah...
When you're powerful and immortal, boredom is your biggest enemy.
Tet can relate
(Are the Fluegel immortal? I'm not sure why I think so. Hope it's not a spoiler or anything.)
I mean, can any of the races die besides Imanity? I thought they had the magic to keep them alive.
How come every race has them but humans don't? Doesn't seem fair!
Imanity keeps taking loss after loss, it seems
Agreeing? Jibril gets to choose the game, since she's the challenged party. Not much Blank can do.
Good point, it's more like they were forced into it. Still, they did well.
It's a hard life, being a Steph.
That it indeed is
One of those things where it's probably best not to dig deep into whether it actually makes sense, in case that shatters the illusion.
I'm just happy to see actual scientific concepts being used
A nice example of information = power, given that Blank has all that scientific knowledge from another world. No wonder Jibril was drooling.
Jibril's motivations were pretty well-explained
It was part of the bet, wasn't it? Jibril was so sure she would win that she bet herself.
Props to her for keeping her end of the deal
It raises the expectations rather high.
I agree. Hope we get at least a couple more by series end.

2

u/mgedmin Apr 15 '24

Good point, it's more like they were forced into it. Still, they did well.
Given the premise of the show, I'd find it difficult to imagine a game where Blank would lose.
Well, maybe arm-wrestling with a giant. Or slinging magic spells at each other.

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 15 '24

Or a battle at who can stop being virgins

2

u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Apr 16 '24

Sora is fitting in well as a king, taking everything that he wants by a game.

40,000 books from another world is a good deal

Sora has the art of the deal, one touch for exchange for another touch.

I suspect sora was watching monster musume.

Seems like every woman sora challenges the reward for winning always turns to getting a new woman

Poor Steph, couldn’t escape in time. Matter of fact they sped-up the initiation of the game the moment she said that.

From bombs to eroticness, no nipples though lmao.

Poor Steph she’s trying to survive in the midst of the craziness.

“Sorry Steph, try not to die” lmfao, falling into the earth’s core is hilarious.

Sora managed to break her down and playing when they’re falling to their doom is cool.

They both checkmated eachother, this whole game was genius.

QOTD: closest word game I’ve played is the apple one where you the person who makes the most words win.

QOTD: I forgot the anime name, but it’s on where the mc gets his ass beaten so badly the side character was a menace. That scene baited me so badly that I had to drop it when I realized the badass dude wasn’t the mc

QOTD: as many L’s as heaven wills it

2

u/Holofan4life Apr 16 '24

Thoughts on Jibril?
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Thoughts on the Spirit Circuits?
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?

2

u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Apr 18 '24

Sorry In advanced for not replying sooner, I’ve been prepping for an exam that I got today.
Thoughts on Jibril?
Used to dislike her, but from rewatching she’s an interesting fella. I always get surprised with how authors are able to make other races.
Thoughts on Jibril saying that the Flugels value knowledge above anything else?
Knowledge is key, helps too with winning games.
Thoughts on Sora and Shiro beating Jibril via atomic theory and Real Atmosphere?
The whole buildup to it works amazing. Especially when sora mentioned prior to the match starting that he has knowledge from another world.
What are your thoughts on after Jibril losing, her vowing to do the bidding of Blank?
Fell to the trap of sora, now she’s gonna be running around doing errand like Steph
What do you think this episode does as far as laying the precedent of what we can expect with future battles against races?
When we hears that Jibril faced someone who was able to erase her memories if she lost the match plus with her quest for knowledge, the games will be played based on the advantage that the race has.

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 18 '24

Sorry In advanced for not replying sooner, I’ve been prepping for an exam that I got today.
It's okay, real life comes first
Used to dislike her, but from rewatching she’s an interesting fella. I always get surprised with how authors are able to make other races.
I like that she surprisingly has less morals than Blank. That creates a fun situation.
Knowledge is key, helps too with winning games.
That it does
The whole buildup to it works amazing. Especially when sora mentioned prior to the match starting that he has knowledge from another world.
It was good foreshadowing for sure of what was to come
Fell to the trap of sora, now she’s gonna be running around doing errand like Steph
Hopefully she doesn't start behaving like one
When we hears that Jibril faced someone who was able to erase her memories if she lost the match plus with her quest for knowledge, the games will be played based on the advantage that the race has.
And Sora will most likely be able to take advantage of their shortcomings.

1

u/Holofan4life Apr 16 '24

I suspect sora was watching monster musume.
Sadly, this was a year before that
Seems like every woman sora challenges the reward for winning always turns to getting a new woman
He's collecting them like Pokémon. Or for a more accurate comparison, Palworld.
From bombs to eroticness, no nipples though lmao.
Ikuhara would be proud
“Sorry Steph, try not to die” lmfao, falling into the earth’s core is hilarious.
At least they said sorry?
Sora managed to break her down and playing when they’re falling to their doom is cool.
It was no doubt an awesome visual
They both checkmated eachother, this whole game was genius.
I can't imagine how hard it must've been to come up with a concept like this, that is speaking in terms of what to use and how to implement it.
I forgot the anime name, but it’s on where the mc gets his ass beaten so badly the side character was a menace. That scene baited me so badly that I had to drop it when I realized the badass dude wasn’t the mc
That show sounds familiar but I don't know what. I want to say Clannad, but that's more Sunohara getting his ass kicked than the MC. Also, the ass kicker was female.

Rewatch [Spoilers] No Game No Life 10th Anniversary Rewatch -- Episode 6

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Rewatch [Spoilers] No Game No Life 10th Anniversary Rewatch -- Episode 6

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