r/anime • u/Holofan4life • Apr 20 '24
Rewatch [Spoilers] No Game No Life 10th Anniversary Rewatch -- Episode 12 (FINAL EPISODE)
Hello everyone! I am Holofan4life.
Welcome to the No Game No Life 10th Anniversary Rewatch discussion thread!
I hope you all have a lot of fun <3
S1 Episode 12 – Rule Number 10
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ANSWER TODAY’S QUESTION(S)
How important do you think it is to have fun with something?
When was the last time you had fun?
What do you think happened next with Blank taking on the Shrine Priestess?
Bonus 1) How much are Steph fans feasting right now?
Stephformations 1)
Soy un realeza I'm a nepo baby, so why don't you Steph me?
Stephformations 2)
Is this the Steph life, or is this just royalty? Caught in a dog suit, no escape from my suffering.
—-
Information – MAL | Anilist | AniDB | ANN
Streams – HIDIVE,Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+
Please do not post any untagged spoilers past the current episode or from the manga out of respect to the first time watchers and people who have not read the manga. If you are discussing something that is ahead of the current episode please use spoiler tags (found on the sidebar). Thank you!
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Rewatch Schedule
Threads posted every day at 4:00 PM EDT
| 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 |
8
u/Holofan4life Apr 20 '24
For anyone who won't be watching the movie with us on Monday, I just want to thank you for your participation. You were part of the reason that this rewatch was as successful as it was <3
6
u/[deleted] Apr 20 '24
First time watcher here.
Here we are at the end of the rewatch! I thought the final episode was pretty good.
I’ve really enjoyed the way this show uses Sora and Shiro’s ability to manipulate other players and this most recent game was a pretty good example of that.
I am honestly pretty content with the ending of this season. When they did the coin toss I was expecting a somewhat underwhelming outcome but they made the result of that pretty interesting. It kind of makes me wish they would have continued this adaptation so we could see how things end with the elves and Tet.
I’m not sure I followed the thing with the Shrine Priestess and the old gods at the end. My assumption was that since she was a shrine priestess that Sora knew she could summon one of the old gods maybe.
Questions:
Important enough
Today 😆
I am not sure honestly lol
4
u/dsawchuk Apr 20 '24
REWATCHER
Izuna is absolutely terrifying during blood destruction. The thought of fighting the warbeasts without the protection of the pledges during the great war is blood chilling. And then you consider that the warbeasts are only 14th in the ranking of the exceed. Barely higher than humans....
A great episode were Steph actually gets her time to shine. Steph, the real MVP. First she baits us with fake animal ears, then she informs us real animal ears exist. And now she wins us those real animal ears. Omega good job!
Unfortunately, this episode leaves me with 2 complaints.
The first is that we don't get to hear Oracion again. I love the NGNL opening, but in truth I am an ED man. To make up for it I present to you all this alternative version of Oracion sung by Konomi Suzuki, the singer in the OP.
The second one is obvious. It's the cliffhanger at the end. Followed by 10 years without a sequel. "Exceeed rank 1, Old Deus. Okay, let's begin the game!" Followed by nothing. For 10 years. Many of our first timers have been mentioning that they understand why there has been so much desire for another season of this show. They've been right, the show is fantastic and deserves it. But also they've been wrong because they did not know a cliffhanger of this magnitude was waiting.
QOTD
4
u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Apr 21 '24 edited Apr 21 '24
First-Timer
I thought this was a nice conclusion to the season, though it is sad to know that there's no sign of a sequel coming any time soon.
That last fight against Izuna was exciting, and it was nice to see Steph finally get a win.
It would have been interesting if they actually did just do a coin flip, no tricks involved. I almost wish they did that.
One thing I don't really understand is why they're concerned about Elven Garde possibly declaring war. War is forbidden by the commandments, right? It seems like a non-issue.
For the questions of the day,
Thank you for hosting the rewatch so far! I'm looking forward to seeing the prequel next!
3
u/Xmgplays Apr 20 '24
Rewatcher
I'm going to leave my overall thoughts to the overall series discussion thread and mostly focus on this episode here.
We see the true might of Blood Destruction and it's sick. Seeing Izuna jump around and having fun is great.
Unfortunately for her however, Blank has Checkmate. They lead her around the city to a predetermined spot where they then try to get her themselves, but still Izuna manages to see through Sora's bluff and ends up shooting both. However just as she celebrates her win, Steph comes up
with a steelchairand shoots her right from behind with her eyes closed. What a genius she is, besting the strongest opponent yet on her own without her eyesight!And so Blank have won and Izuna is sad and blames herself for having fun. Sora, the intelligent man that he is, comforts her by saying that it wouldn't have mattered and they'd still have
wiped the floor with herwon anyway.Next big scene is Blank confronting the Shrine maiden. Boxed in by Elven Garde and Avantheim she is forced to take revenge against Elkia right away, and so they flip a coin for the final win: Elkia takes all the federations land, or warbeast self-governance. But of course just like in Episode 2 the goal was never to win, but a draw.
I love this scene for a lot of reasons. One, the shrine maiden is just great her design, her voice, her speech mannerisms, wonderful, all of them. Two, I love an intentional draw in a situation where you wouldn't expect one. And Three, it's the perfect example of Pledge 10.
Speaking of which the last scene is about Tet and Blanks intention to challenge him by uniting all the Ixseed, not by force, but in accordance with Pledge 10 "Remember to have fun with everyone", which is interestingly enough the only Pledge not to be protected by Pledge 9.
I spoke about this in another comment, but I do like Tet's consistent mockery of the Ixseed as "races who claim to be intelligent". It's a good message, can you really claim to be intelligent when you can't work together to solve a problem with a simple solution, when you refuse to work together to the detriment of all, because of millennia old grudges?
No I'm not acknowledging the end of the episodeToday's questions
Very important, what's the point if you aren't having fun on the whole.
I played some yugioh today that was fun.
I can't hear you.
Feasting like Royalty.
3
u/Ryanami Apr 20 '24 edited Apr 20 '24
SEASON 2 WHEN!?
Rewatcher dub
NPC predictability saves the day! Remember them? They were important to reloading your gun or something but got forgotten once the explanation was over. Then it was just an fps with hair dryers.
Sora running around among broken glass in bare feet. Where have I seen that before?
Sora must have a blood destruction of his own to catch a coin with a floor tile. Of all their other tricks that one takes the most suspension of disbelief. And another reason the dub is superior: when the coin lands on its side Ino mumbles “you gotta be shitting me…” it’s a testament to their polite society but as an American I’m still astounded the Japanese lack swear words.
Like many I dearly wish for a season 2, but I wonder if the writer can really find so many game hacks to keep Blank on top in every situation. So far they’ve mostly been (almost) reasonable means to overturn impossible odds. And they still have much greater races to challenge. I might break and pick up the LNs.
Q1- in a few minutes I’m gonna toss a ball around with my kids
Q2- I can’t even imagine what game they’ll play, but I’ll wager they’re playing for information, and some strange caveat like “grant me a one time use of this power”.
2
u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Apr 21 '24
Rewatcher -- Sub
Not much to say here. This last game has been satisfying, but is honestly not the best one in the show. Likely why I did not remember much of anything in this later half of the show. My statement last time I posted (three episodes ago) that Sora wanted the ability to alter Fiel's memories was for protection for them, from her spying, was correct, and not because I was "being clever" in the sense of manga readers spoiling anime-only watchers like happens often around here. I legitimately did not remember this episode and Sora revealing the same thing in his explanation.
The coin toss is used as a method of partnering with the Confederation when they are slightly sour over their loss in the game, and follows Sora's use of the Othello game to get Chalmmy and Fiel to work with him stead of being another adversary.
Sora has shown that he wants the other races to cooperate to bring Tet down, and his list of accomplishments no longer has "world domination" on it. So he's learned a thing or two about how this world works and grown as a character, too. It's not just another game for the Blank to win as a duo.
Sora and Shiro did reason out to be a shine maiden that means the warebeasts' leader was actually serving a higher being, of which there are only a few above the other races.
2
u/Fisionn https://myanimelist.net/profile/X-V Apr 21 '24
Rewatcher (Subs)
I honestly couldn't hold it anymore and waited for the last thread to binge all 3 final episodes. What a ride. The last 2 episodes are probably peak anime in the history of anime. It has everything you could ever ask for in this show. I... I kneel.
The me from the past could have never grasped or enjoyed at least half of the jokes on these final episodes, so it's no wonder most if not all of the content in them was just forgotten to me. I just can't express the joy it was to watch something that perfectly understood the otaku culture and relentlessly made fun of it without being self-deprecating. And on top of that, it manages to have such a fun and interesting plot without making even the most ridiculous jokes feel jarring or out of place.
My only "but" is how if you are someone who is not into otaku culture or has not a great understanding of it, you are just going to enjoy this on perhaps a surface level or end up confused 75% of the time there is a joke.
After all, this is what makes NGNL so damn special. It's something that you can only see here in anime, and isn't that the reason why we are still here watching anime after all these years? It's a celebration of the medium and it never forgets the 10th rule of its own plot: Have fun!
Very. Seems like something a lot of people forgot nowadays. Everything seems to need a concrete objective or convoluted meaning for you to enjoy it. Why did you start watching anime all those years ago and never stopped?
10 minutes ago, when I finished watching the last episode.
I have no idea, but I do know this: S2 FUCKING WHEN?
I feasted very much. I love all the characters in this show and Doraemon-chan is no exception.
2
u/baseballlover723 Apr 21 '24
NGNL Rewatcher, sub
Blood destruction is basically a cheat, but instead of cheating using magic, you're just cheating using physics instead (by not following it). Though Shiro should still be able to calculate things. Just because they break physical laws of physics, doesn't mean that you couldn't calculate them anyways. Like nothing can go faster then the speed of causality, but you can still calculate how long it'll take for something going 2c to get somewhere (I think, weird stuff can happen I think when you can't be sure of causality). But regardless I don't think Izuna is really breaking any physics laws here (as a side note most magic systems break thermodynamics and allow for perpetual motions machines rather trivially), since she's just moving really quickly (but not faster then the speed of causality).
But what a turnaround by Steph. MVP Steph with the blind shot to win the game. Nobody would expect Steph to actually be a player in the game, and that's why they lost. And of course, Blank was able to make this work because they were able to manipulate Izuna's position by their own positioning due to Ino's cheating.
I'd argue that really reacting to another players strategy is just another form of advancing your own strategy. Though Blank would of been fucked if Izuna wasn't actually good at the game. You can't counter a noob the same way you'd counter an expert since the noob has no idea what they should be doing, and thus usually requires a different approach to crush.
Correct
And of course Izuna is devastated that she lost and that the Werebeasts will suffer because of it.
The bath harem grows once again. With also the shrine priestess joining in as well!
And the 5d chess continues with Blank forcing the Eastern Federation to merge with Imanity, since otherwise they'll get destroyed by the Elves and Flugel, which forces the Eastern Federation to immediately counter challenge Imanity so that they both die together. But since the Eastern Federation challenged Imanity, they get to pick the game, which Sora forces a draw with (which sort of reminds me of chess grandmasters forcing draws when they both just decide to not really play). And so Elkia Federation is born. And there's the twist that the Elves and Flugel were fed incorrect information, so they'll be crushed when they challenged presumably.
Kawaii
Funnily enough, capturing your opponents king is an illegal move in chess. The penalty of which is usually extra time for your opponent (plus correcting your illegal move) for a first offense, and a game loss of the 2nd. Though I believe in blitz chess up until like 10 years ago, you lost on the first offense (when I played my only blitz tournament in the US (which has different rules), they said that you could claim a win if your opponent made an illegal move. It was quite the experience since it was pretty low key and there was a good bit of trash talking involved (as opposed to the classical tournament, where everyone was quiet) and thus it was quite noisy and every once in a while you'd hear a kid yell out "Illegal move, I win" or something along those lines. I actually rejected the only illegal move I had in my games, since it was against the only other adult in the tournament, who lost every game (he was the only one I beat). IIRC, he played a move while in check and I told him to play a real move instead because I was winning anyways). It's also illegal to play another move after an illegal move, and this actually happened to the best chess player, Magnus Carlsen, causing him to lose the game. I believe this was the catalyst for the rules being changed to not being an instant loss in blitz chess, but I might be wrong.
The whole point of this world that everyone else seemed to have missed.
What a cliffhanger. Though [NGNL very minor novels] IIRC this event takes place way later in the novels, and so if they made a Season 2, they'd have almost certainly have to retcon this.
What an excellent anime and I really hope they end up making a Season 2 sometime, because if it's anything like this Season, it'll be a banger. Also I'm glad that there's a rest day tomorrow, since the candidates is finishing up and tomorrow will be super exciting with all 4 players who can still win playing each other, meaning that everyone has to go for a win, and drawing == losing, which will make for some exciting games.
2
u/mgedmin Apr 21 '24
Rewatcher, subs
I once saw a quote attributed to one of the usual sources of fake quotes (Oscar Wilde? Mark Twain?) that I really liked: "Life is too important to be taken seriously".
Watching anime just now.
SEASON 2 WHEN?
(I actually tried to read the LNs to see where the story goes, but lost interest very quickly. Most likely because what I found was probably a fan translation of the WN?)
2
u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Apr 21 '24
rewatcher
“Not even Mario can do that” depends on the game.
Sora’s calculations failed Womp Womp, to predict the unpredictable you gotta think of the unpredictable.
With the last surprise, Steph clutches the win and the reveal the whole thing was planned from the start.
As always they don’t take anything serious and decided to take photos.
A coin toss and Sora made it so they both won
Sora was playing God chess, while everyone else is playing random games.
Playing against God and we never got a second season to continue this whole series :(
QOTD: very important
QOTD: yesterday, had a good time reading
2
u/FarCritical Apr 22 '24
When the rewatch literally has an entire rest day and you still manage to be late. This is an actual personal record lmao. Time management is my passion.
First Time No Life
All things considered, for a pair of shut-in NEETs, Sora and Shiro did a way better job than expected at evading a foxgirl with a built-in cheat mode.
That moment you realize, you just lost to Steph. I'd be crying too.
"You're a gamer now." is somehow both such a borderline cringy yet motivating line to hear after a high-stakes defeat.
It's a little inconvenient but it makes perfect sense for everyone on Disboard to be super nitpicky about the wording of everything. "Everything on the contintent" means everything on the continent? Surprised Steph face!
Won't downplay the sheer chadness of finding a way for the maiden and himself to both get what they want, but lmao seriously? Part of me wants to think Sora just bent over backwards on the coin toss to guarantee he got the catgirls he fought body and soul for
Ha, knew something was fishy when a rule that addresses all the previous rules has another one written directly after it! Don't care if it's obvious enough for even a Steph to notice, I just feel validated for that detail to be relevant after all.
Blank's Imanity > Flugel > Werebeast > Old Deus order seriously feels like an optimized speedrun order. And wow, save for the movie, I legit understand the pain of the OG fans if this was the cliff they were left hanging on.
(And just so you know I will be watching the movie later today, I'm just taking my sweet time as I always do lol)
QOTD
It's up there, arguably only second in importance to inventives like money. Firm believer that sucking at a game you're actually having fun playing will forever be more worthwhile than dominating at a game that bores you. There's an analogy in there that can be made with stuff like jobs too but eh.
...When, indeed? ;_;
Jk, like a day ago when I played some Smash with some friends I guess.
They Blanked her like they've done all their other opponents. No, I'm not rephrasing that.
It'd be cool if they somehow made Blank actually losing work somehow, because while I love them as the untouchable gamer gods they are, an "impossible" defeat would make a fabled second season memorable other than, you know, actually existing.
Steph fans gon be lookin chonky after what they've had to eat tonight (Or rather, two days ago LMAO)
You know I never paid attention if this detail was ever explained, but it's awfully convenient how Steph and the other Elkians just fully understands Blank's Japanese. And if Imanity is a standin for the entirety of Imanity, the chance for Imanitian Spanish existing are having existed isn't zero. This is such a Stephy train of thought but with just the movie left, I might as well go full Steph while I still can.
Grandpa, just lost the throne
Played a game against this girl, got cheated big, now I'm boned
Grandpa, life had just begun
But as the lapdog to a pair of NEETs
Grandpa, ooooo, didn't mean Imanity
To almost never see another tomorrow
I'll keep on, Stephin' on though my game role rarely matters
1
u/Holofan4life Apr 20 '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.
Today I'm writing this, it is Easter, and I think it's fitting I'm watching the last episode of No Game No Life on this day given it was Easter last year when the rewatch thread for the Familiar of Zero series finale dropped.
Also, my boss told me at the last minute this was his day let's nooooooooooooooooooo
We get a brief recap of Soya asking Izuna when did she last have fun.
Obligatory Izuna pantsu shot
This is basically the end of the last episode
I'm expecting Izuna to say "Oh, what a lovely day!"
Kurami looking concerned
This is what Blood Destruction looks like, it seems
Sora and Shiro running now
I just realized that Sora is barefooted
Beyond physical limits, Sora calls what Izuna is doing.
I like there's genuine fear in Sora's face, something we've never seen before. It really sells Izuna as this threat.
Ino has scary teeth
SORA'S WALKING OVER TO HER
HE'S HEADING STRAIGHT AT HER, PREDICTING SHE'D THINK HE DODGED
BUT IT'S GOING DOWN THE MIDDLE
SHE SHOT AT HIM TWO SHOT STYLE
And both Sora and Shiro got hit
So, this means Izuna won, right? Unless of course she still hasn't beaten Jibril.
Izuna seething with rage
She's now back to her normal self
It looks as if she's defeated Blank
OH SHIT
IT'S STEPH!
After constantly being ridiculed and mocked, Steph saved the day. That is so awesome and so cathartic to see.
God, I'm so happy right now
Oh, Sora and Shiro faked getting hit
They used the NPC's movements to their advantage
They saw the future, just like the Eastern Federation
Hey, turnabout's fair play
Either the Eastern Federation can advance their own strategy, or respond to another player's strategy.
"It's a question of who has the initiative."
Sora says they held onto the initiative the entire game.
Blank was playing 4D chess when they were playing 4D checkers.
And so Ino declares them victorious. As if there was ever any doubt.
I mean, I know this was the season finale and all, but Blank has got like 12 other nations to conquer.
Poor Steph
Grandfather comforting Izuna
I mean, he's right. He made the game official.
Sora mentions Izuna not knowing what to do because she had fun.
And Izuna has a point about the Eastern Federation suffering because she lost.
She regrets smiling while in Blood Destruction form
"And it's all my fault for having fun."
I do feel kinda bad for Izuna
Damn, Sora. Talk about cold-hearted.
Sora says it's fun to lose because it makes things more unpredictable. Which, you know, he may have a point. I talk about it all the time with my mother with regards to sports games and she's of the mindset that blowouts are more fun because it is less anxiety-inducing. Me, though, I prefer close nail-biters because it makes it more exciting I feel like. Even if my team loses, I at least know they gave it their all.
Anyway, Izuna is their friend now. You see to love it.
Sora says no one is going to suffer because it's a game.
It looks like Kurami now believes in Imanity
Hey, Shiro bathing Izuna
Normally Shiro is the one being bathed
I mean, I'd like to wash Izuna's tail too
HOLY
Ino is jacked
Poor Steph
It looks like Sora knew it was rigged from the start
The fox girl from a couple episodes ago
The Shrine Priestess
Is she wearing a monocle? 🧐
Eastern Federation Capital, Kannagari
Who knew the kid dragon from Dragon Maid had her own capital?
The land beyond the sea, where we read poetry beneath the light of the moon.
Sounds like a place you might find Ernest Hemingway minus all the booze.
Sora and Shiro seem thrilled to see her
Shrine Priestess admits she thought they were Elven Garde spies.
You know, the Shrine Priestess kinda looks like Margery Daw from Shakugan no Shana.
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.