NEW GAME!!

OVERPOWERED99

img(https://orig00.deviantart.net/1aa8/f/2018/262/d/0/new_game___score_banner_by_overpowered99-dcn8ohv.png) The gratifications, the fun learning experiences, and the chances to overcome your personal limits. They're all something game development can give back to you. Now with two exclamation marks in the title, New Game!! continues to be a delight once again, bringing in even more endearments and tight-knit bonds to your screen. Ding, ding, ding! The second level refreshes a new year and marks the start of a new game for the team over at Eagle Jump. More fun, more entertainment, and this time, the game developing process takes on a more central role so there's more growth for the characters. Between the productive and merrier days, the story is able to find the right balance and explore them as both friends and co-workers alike. When they pour their hearts to improve themselves, face their own struggles, or express their gratitude to one another, all these aspects are not just some singular details. They combine together into this lovable synergy. More than only attachment, it opens up a path to actually feel and be supportive for them. Their cooperation streams ideas that keep coming one after the other. Their minor drama is a result of each of them having such strong relationships. As a result, I've come to care about seeing their game turn from a mere idea to a final product. Because there is no shortage of chemistry when it comes to these characters, every single interaction, whether that'd be the insignificant hijinks or the emotional connection, is an enjoyable experience that does my heart good. In the end, I can say that I'm proud of what they've achieved together as an enchanting team. Artistically speaking, that exact enchantment also takes form as a scheme of sweet hues. Doga Kobo has reached my heart once again with their art style that appeals to the emotions. Being lustrous and pleasant in color, the lovely brightness gives off an endearing aura throughout the whole show. It's like they've used a soft brush to gently add some visual subtleties around everything. On the motion side, the animation still radiates emotive energy but as this sequel comes in with more maturity, it doesn't just achieve cuteness. Their feelings are very demonstrative, having expressions and gestures that convey their own character and personal conflict. To augment this, the voice actresses did a great job to bring out rawer emotions out of them while still striking with the same, adorable pitch. It's a nice balancing effect between a work and fun scenario. The calmer soundtracks ease up the atmosphere, making it easier to focus on the characters while in contrast, the opening and ending songs take in energy and convert them into some of the most catchiest tunes. These songs are even sung by the voice actresses themselves! That in itself adds even more adorable points. And lastly, I loved seeing how their cutesy game is progressing with the small tidbits of previews every now and then. Since its boot up, New Game!! never ceases to lose its purpose in showing the more lighthearted sides of game development. It's fun, it's rewarding, and most importantly, it inspires motivation. This second level is a great illustrative sequel and all these endearments that it gave, they're definitely something that can bask one's soul in a lot of joy.

Hideki

img720(https://files.catbox.moe/3kl1lv.jpg)
When the sequel to _New Game!_ was first announced in Feb 2017, the game development community were not as excited for it, due to the first season being not as positively received by game developers who aren’t artists. _New Game!!_ (note the double exclamation mark) is quick to realise its mistakes and explores actual game development in both character art and programming teams, and tones down the exaggerated cute-girls-doing-cute-things tropes that plagued the previous season, in favour of realistic human interaction that will tug at your heartstrings. (Minor gripe: they missed the chance to name this __New Game+__ !!!!) I am a game developer with focus on game design and programming. This review is written after my second viewing. Unlike its light-hearted predecessor, _New Game!!_ features a prominent plot and gets pretty heavy (for a CGDCT anime) as early as episode 2. Nevertheless, the anime manages to find the perfect balance between playtime and seriousness. __This review contains mild spoilers. Explicit spoilers are hidden.__ ---- One year has passed since Suzukaze Aoba entered Eagle Jump, and post-release busyness for the recently released title _Fairies Story 3_ is almost over. The executives at Eagle Jump now want to create a new intellectual property (“IP”) distinct from the _Fairies Story_ franchise. A character design contest is opened, and whoever wins the contest will be the character designer for this IP. Aoba, who is a fan of _Fairies Story_ since young, has always wanted to design characters due to Yagami Kou’s captivating character designs for said franchise. To Aoba, this is a dream come true. Of course, Aoba becomes the lead character designer for the new IP. img500(https://files.catbox.moe/ce5e32.png)
Meanwhile, Sakura Nene is bad at art, so she focuses on programming (heh, same as me). Nene has been developing a game by herself in secret, wanting to give her childhood friend Aoba a surprise. However, since she is a programming newbie, she makes a lot of rookie mistakes and gets disheartened. She turns to Ahagon Umiko, her superior during her part-time stint at Eagle Jump, for help on her programming issues. After hearing from Umiko that there is no such thing as a bug-free game, Nene gets back her confidence and continues developing the game. Not long after, Nene decides to join Eagle Jump as a part-time programmer, juggling work and university studies at the same time. _(Apparently, she wrote her own game engine in C++ before showing Umiko, so she is already way more advanced than me! But then again, one can always copypasta code from ‘MeTube’ tutorials without actually understanding anything which was hinted later in the season, so, meh.)_ There is also some manpower movement prior to the development of the new IP: Tooyama Rin is now producer; Yagami Kou replaces Rin as art director; Shinoda Hajime becomes one of the game designers for the IP on top of her animation workload; Takimoto Hifumi becomes character team leader upon Kou’s recommendation and encouragement; and Umiko is promoted to programming lead. With the exception of Rin, we see character development for all the above mentioned characters. Kou learns to accept what happened in the past and become a ‘good senpai’ for Aoba and the others; Hifumi is willing to step out of her comfort zone and tackle her fear of social interaction; and Iijima Yun realises that she was unable to grow due to her constant negativity. After the reshuffle and character development, the anime continues with a fresh dynamic, different from the first season. img500(https://files.catbox.moe/7sxqnm.jpg)
In the later half of the season, office drama is introduced with the entry of Mochizuki Momiji and Narumi Tsubame as interns. Momiji joined Eagle Jump for the same reason that Aoba did – Yagami Kou – but the difference is Momiji had actual modelling experience from vocational school, while Aoba had none when she first joined. Momiji views Aoba as a rival after learning Aoba is the lead character designer at her age, and the contrast between the two is purposely made evident with their behaviour, as well as in their names (Aoba: 青葉, green leaf; Momiji: 紅葉, red leaf). Tsubame started programming at a young age due to Momiji’s influence, and starts looking down on Nene upon learning that she had no aspirations and picked up programming on a whim. The contrasts between the two pairs are purposely made evident, highlighting the parallels between Aoba & Nene and Momiji & Tsubame; and also showing the polar opposites that are Aoba & Momiji and Nene & Tsubame. Even the tensions between the characters are contrasting. Momiji, even though seeing a one-sided rivalry with Aoba, respects Aoba as character designer, takes pride in her work and ensures her work is of top quality. On the other hand, Tsubame scoffs at Nene’s programming bugs, and says mean things to Nene such as her getting employed due to her connections to Umiko. Tsubame gets her programming done hastily and doesn’t care about the quality of her work, as long as it secures her employment at Eagle Jump. The healthy and unhealthy tensions developed feels fresh, and is a much needed spice to the story since it was mostly all high jinks prior to the interns’ debut. It was also necessary to grow the four characters involved. img500(https://files.catbox.moe/auik01.png)
_New Game!!_ addressed most of my complaints in the first season by putting a lot more emphasis on the actual game development this time round, mentioning field technicalities and issues that may arise during game development in the characters’ daily conversations. Game developers often have conversations like that, even in our arguments, and are definitely not forced into the show just to sound knowledgeable. As a programmer myself, I am amused that the anime makes a point to show that even seasoned programmers make the same mistakes beginners do! _New Game!!_ also features the publisher meddling in the affairs of the game development, although it is extremely minor in the anime compared to those in the real world. Not only does _New Game!!_ explore the art and programming aspects of game development, the anime presents an actual game idea that works — the new IP that Eagle Jump is developing this season could actually sell well in the real world; I have praise for the background lore given to the final boss, the worldbuilding, game mechanics and the creative direction of the game – it already has all the details down. If one lifts the idea, develops the game and markets it properly, I have no doubt that it will be positively received. img500(https://files.catbox.moe/8mi4s2.jpg)
The season also fixes its storytelling. The growth of Aoba as a character designer is now shown on screen and not told. The anime shows, with moderate detail, Aoba’s initial struggle to win the character design contest, to her cognisance that being chosen to be lead character designer made her pompous, to her realisation that she needed to be more humble around her peers as she only had basic knowledge of 3D modelling. One can empathise with Aoba’s frustration in her determination to win Kou in another contest, started by none other than Aoba herself. We see each bit of growth of Aoba and it makes me attached to Aoba as a character; I find myself tearing up along with Aoba, even though I am not an artist. ~!Kou’s submission is definitely more suited for key visuals, since it gives an idea of what the gameplay would be like without any explanation – the protagonist in a plushy disguise attempting to cut another plushy using the scissors, and getting found out by other plushies. Aoba’s submission places the protagonist in the background, with enemy plushies all around her. Other than depicting the game world, we know nothing of what the game is about. However, if the submission is intended to be placed on box art, I would use both – Aoba’s submission as the front cover and Kou’s as the back.

Upon seeing Aoba’s submission, I deduce that Aoba did not understand how to capture the essence of a game in a promo art. Of course, Aoba has only a year of experience so it is natural that she doesn’t have the knack for it yet. The publishers are actually prudent in having Kou do the promo art, and it is a logical choice that I support. In the real world, if the team is big enough, the person/people responsible for promo art, posters and the like is/are not lead designers of the game, because doing the art for these purposes is another field on its own (game marketing). However, not crediting Aoba as the lead character designer for the game is an absolute dick move, and should be frowned upon.!~The anime manages to find the balance between fun and seriousness, whilst not downplaying the negative feelings of Aoba, Kou and the other game developers due to high-level decisions. The cute-girls-doing-cute-girls tropes are played out on an acceptable level, and does not cause mood whiplash when alternating between the light and heavy elements. The character interactions feel very real, resembling actual game developers brainstorming ideas, frolicking in the office, and then panicking later on when it doesn’t seem like they can meet the deadline. Hikasa Youko did a phenomenal performance in portraying Kou this season. The initial bitterness and jealousy towards Aoba as well as the regret after venting her frustrations out on Aoba stood out in the voice acting remarkably, and the feelings of guilt and sadness imbued were so spectacular that they made me feel a lump in my throat even on my second viewing. I could tell Hikasa had a lot of fun voicing Kou, even her improvised humming of the bear song turned out to be superbly addictive, and her final exclamation of 「へぇっ！？」 after seeing Hifumi run off made me laugh harder than I should. youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnQ6G8V1I1Y) The only negative that I have for _New Game!!_ is that it goes over the top with the yuri elements between Kou and Rin, and then have Rin try extremely hard to explain that she doesn’t have that kind of feelings for Kou, only to fail. This recurring gag falls flat from the second time and juts out from the comedic direction of this season, and does not fit with the season’s realistic narrative. If this was in the first season instead, it would have been perfectly fine. ---- In conclusion, _New Game!!_ is a far superior successor to _New Game!_, having more game development elements and issues that often occur. Even though the main focus of the anime is on Aoba the character designer, the programmers are given their well-deserved screen time in the last few episodes of the season. If you are a game developer, aspiring game developer, or just interested in what game development really is, _New Game!!_ is a must watch for you.

Shogise

>NO SPOILERS Have you ever taken up a project with full enthusiasm, only to quit halfway? Maybe you were very interested in drawing, but stopped after a week because it was too difficult and you lost your motivation. Maybe you wanted to become a programmer but you stopped because it's just too damn hard. If so, you _NEED_ to watch this anime. Most inspirational anime just tell you to "follow your dreams" and leave it at that. This anime will show you what it REALLY takes and what you must go through. I should warn you. This second season will hit VERY close to home. All characters in this season portray a specific negative emotion/trait that people face while working towards their dream. And if you've ever tried pursuing that big project of yours that you wanted to do, you will have faced at least ONE of these: - Jealousy - Fear of failure - Overly-ambitious - Social anxiety - Family matters or personal circumstances - Lack of purpose in life - Unwilling to improve because you've partially achieved your dreams However, this is an anime about overcoming these problems. You'll be EXTREMELY inspired when the character that had the same problem as you overcomes it. If you want to know how the characters overcame these, read the section marked with spoilers below. The music in this anime is quite generic and forgettable. The art kept varying from average to good. These are definitely not the anime's strong suits. What's great about the anime is the chill vibes, lighthearted comedy, and... oh boy, emotions. >SPOILERS START HERE I hope you've watched the anime if you're reading this section. I'd hate to spoil the experience for you. But if you find that the anime made you feel something but you can't explain it, read my thoughts below and hopefully they might help you clarify your own emotions. Aoba's Jealousy img220(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/03OiIl5v4eg/maxresdefault.jpg) Aoba was extremely happy to work under her idol Kou. However, no matter how hard she tried, she could never surpass her. Eventually, Aoba realizes that she's trying too hard to be Kou. She overcomes her jealousy by accepting the fact that she can never be like Kou simply because she isn't Kou. She had to develop her own style and not rely on Kou. >You can't be like other people simply because you aren't other people. Don't be jealous of them, learn from them and do things in your own unique way. Yun's Inferiority Complex img220(https://64.media.tumblr.com/38cf69a1b2fc716a10fb8e42d9bccb94/tumblr_p4lg0nyJFK1tdrpkqo1_400.gifv) Yun was too scared of failure. So scared that she didn't even join the character design competition because she didn't want to risk failing. Because of this, she never tried to improve her skills. Wit the help of her friends, she was forced to design the final boss of the game the team was working on. This, of course, put a lot of pressure on her as she's not used to having so much responsibility placed on her. But this was the key for her to overcome her fear of failure. >Failure is but a stepping stone towards success. Hajime's Over-Ambition img220(https://i.imgur.com/VIRuVey.gif) Hajime always kept her head up. She had a great passion for games but her head was way too high in the sky, to the point where the ideas she proposed were unfeasible (and got rejected). On top of this, she was too proud to accept any help from others as she thought her ideas were genuinely better. When the time came to create a new game, the company was out of ideas. With the help of the director who ensured Hajime stayed grounded and adviced her to hear other people's ideas, she was able to finally able to bring her crazy ideas to life. >Being ambitious is good, but the path to your dreams shouldn't be a lonely one. Hifumi's Social Anxiety img220(https://64.media.tumblr.com/399259fe9dcae09a36f7ee4d35f7b514/tumblr_okt2l5Khy31tydz8to1_400.gifv) This is one I don't really relate to, but I definitely sympathize with it. Many introverts are really good at a skill because they've spent a lot of time alone working on their skill instead of socializing. Hifumi was arguably the best one on the team, and the seniormost. She was offered a higher position but she refused it because she would have to talk to people a lot in a leadership role. It was only with the help of an understanding friend that she built the confidence to take this role. >The world isn't as cutthroat as you think. Go, talk to people. Nenechi's Lack of Purpose img220(https://pa1.narvii.com/6231/c3db292a6972e550ecdb79be992e410f2372ed5c_00.gif) This review is getting quite long, so this is the last one from my end. Nenechi was the only character in the series to not be skilled at anything. She had no goals, no purpose, nothing to look forward to. Then, on a whim, she decides to learn programming, WIthin 6 months, she was able to learn C and C++ and create her own small game. She worked hard for it, and landed a job in a game company. It may not be her passion, but she isn't one to say no to an opportunity. After all, life doesn't have an intrinsic purpose anyway, so why bother looking for one? Create your own purpose. Take every single damn opportunity you get. >Sure, you might get better or worse opportunities later, but you will NEVER get the same opportunity. Take it while you can.