Tuesday
Sep292009
Mirai Nikki - Queen Of Crazy
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 12:16PM
Anime has had it's share of slightly off female characters. They are assasins, seductresses, sadistic murderers, psycho killers, possessed school girls, you name it. And to all of them, I would like to say...meet your God:
Rena...ain't got nothing..on ME!
Yuno is the co-star of Mirai Nikki, loosely translated as Future Diary. She joins Yukki, who one day is given a cell phone diary that predicts the future thanks to his imaginary friend turning out to actually be a god. God needs a replacement, so he has peppered the land with 12 Future Diaries, each slightly unique. The last surviving diary holder will be his replacement. Oh yes, there will be blood.
Yuno comes on the scene first with an unrequited love for Yukki, and has a diary that tells her everything that is going to happen to Yukki. This elevates her from "crush" to "stalker". She even calls her diary the Stalker Diary. Probably should be some alarm bells going off now. She pops up to save him from another diary holder who is a serial killer that records his kills in his diary, thus he has the Murder Diary, which tells him how his next kill will go down. But with two diary holders against one, they learn they have the power to change fate if they work together. With that, they become the number one guns in the Diary game.
Good to know
I'll add some more spoilerific prose after the break, but needless to say Yuno quickly establishes herself as Yukki's companion and protector. Yukki is naturally wary of her motives, as it becomes clear most of the other diary holders are trying to kill each other one by one. Is Yuno really on his side, considering the source of her fascination with him is one time he said hi to her? Or is this a set up for a future plan? More spoilers after the jump.
Good deal
It's a good thing I read chapter 1 to 40 in one sitting, as this can be a slow burn. At first, they establish that destroying the diary destroys the owner, so you expect a lot of kid grade phone breaking and clean "disappearances". This goes out the window as Yukki's second assailant, a world renowned terrorist, looses an EYE to Yukki during their encounter. The rest of the series produces plot twist, betrayals, alliances and schemes that remind me of the mind screws Deathnote put me through. And oh yes, there is lots of blood.
for you, maybe
Mostly from Yuno. Back to her. Early on we establish she's not right. Crazy stalker chick we can deal with. Crazy ax-wielding stalker chick who lives with the corpses of her family and kidnaps and drugs you so you'll always be together with the heads of said parents, not so much. What makes her such an awesome character is she is truly dedicated to Yukki, willing to sacrifice, willing to kill, willing to die for him (at least I'm convinced of it). It's so bad that even Yukki ends up thinking "aside from the crazy part, she's pretty cool" and they end up as the Bonnie and Clyde of the diary game. It doesn't help that the series puts them both through a nonstop ringer, driving all the remaining participant to the edge of madness. And at the end, the prize is godhood, thus the ends can literally justify any mean necessary.
Turn your back, and she'll kill your dad!
This leads into my review of the current chapter. They are released monthly, so while you have to wait, you get a big chunk of story compared to 12 page weekly offerings. We are in the crescendo of the story, as an alliance of 4 diary users has failed to take out the last "bad" user, known as 11. He has locked himself safely away while the alliance breaks down outside. Minene, (my second favorite character) injured and probably dying due to a blown off hand, has tuned on Yukki once it is revealed that his plan got her love interest killed. Meanwhile, Yuno moves to take out the other captured teammate so that in the end, all that's left is her and Yukki (keeping in mind her plan is to kill herself at the end so Yukki can become god, and I assume bring her back).
Yukki and Minene end up in a Mexican standoff, both reluctant to kill the other, but both with reasons to do so. Minene finally gets the drop on Yukki, only to pause as she sees the results of her own shattered childhood in Yukki. A single shot rings out as the chapter closes.
I really am hoping for a plot twist that leaves Minene alive, but the fact is she has to die sooner or later. The other odd element was the fact that they never actually show Yuno killing the other diary holder, thought that is clearly what we are meant to believe happened as she races to save Yukki. Could the plan be to free her rather than kill her? Can I wait a friggin month for the answer? You have that long to catch up for my next review, stay tuned.
Rena...ain't got nothing..on ME!
Yuno is the co-star of Mirai Nikki, loosely translated as Future Diary. She joins Yukki, who one day is given a cell phone diary that predicts the future thanks to his imaginary friend turning out to actually be a god. God needs a replacement, so he has peppered the land with 12 Future Diaries, each slightly unique. The last surviving diary holder will be his replacement. Oh yes, there will be blood.
Yuno comes on the scene first with an unrequited love for Yukki, and has a diary that tells her everything that is going to happen to Yukki. This elevates her from "crush" to "stalker". She even calls her diary the Stalker Diary. Probably should be some alarm bells going off now. She pops up to save him from another diary holder who is a serial killer that records his kills in his diary, thus he has the Murder Diary, which tells him how his next kill will go down. But with two diary holders against one, they learn they have the power to change fate if they work together. With that, they become the number one guns in the Diary game.
Good to know
I'll add some more spoilerific prose after the break, but needless to say Yuno quickly establishes herself as Yukki's companion and protector. Yukki is naturally wary of her motives, as it becomes clear most of the other diary holders are trying to kill each other one by one. Is Yuno really on his side, considering the source of her fascination with him is one time he said hi to her? Or is this a set up for a future plan? More spoilers after the jump.
Good deal
It's a good thing I read chapter 1 to 40 in one sitting, as this can be a slow burn. At first, they establish that destroying the diary destroys the owner, so you expect a lot of kid grade phone breaking and clean "disappearances". This goes out the window as Yukki's second assailant, a world renowned terrorist, looses an EYE to Yukki during their encounter. The rest of the series produces plot twist, betrayals, alliances and schemes that remind me of the mind screws Deathnote put me through. And oh yes, there is lots of blood.
for you, maybe
Mostly from Yuno. Back to her. Early on we establish she's not right. Crazy stalker chick we can deal with. Crazy ax-wielding stalker chick who lives with the corpses of her family and kidnaps and drugs you so you'll always be together with the heads of said parents, not so much. What makes her such an awesome character is she is truly dedicated to Yukki, willing to sacrifice, willing to kill, willing to die for him (at least I'm convinced of it). It's so bad that even Yukki ends up thinking "aside from the crazy part, she's pretty cool" and they end up as the Bonnie and Clyde of the diary game. It doesn't help that the series puts them both through a nonstop ringer, driving all the remaining participant to the edge of madness. And at the end, the prize is godhood, thus the ends can literally justify any mean necessary.
Turn your back, and she'll kill your dad!
This leads into my review of the current chapter. They are released monthly, so while you have to wait, you get a big chunk of story compared to 12 page weekly offerings. We are in the crescendo of the story, as an alliance of 4 diary users has failed to take out the last "bad" user, known as 11. He has locked himself safely away while the alliance breaks down outside. Minene, (my second favorite character) injured and probably dying due to a blown off hand, has tuned on Yukki once it is revealed that his plan got her love interest killed. Meanwhile, Yuno moves to take out the other captured teammate so that in the end, all that's left is her and Yukki (keeping in mind her plan is to kill herself at the end so Yukki can become god, and I assume bring her back).
Yukki and Minene end up in a Mexican standoff, both reluctant to kill the other, but both with reasons to do so. Minene finally gets the drop on Yukki, only to pause as she sees the results of her own shattered childhood in Yukki. A single shot rings out as the chapter closes.
I really am hoping for a plot twist that leaves Minene alive, but the fact is she has to die sooner or later. The other odd element was the fact that they never actually show Yuno killing the other diary holder, thought that is clearly what we are meant to believe happened as she races to save Yukki. Could the plan be to free her rather than kill her? Can I wait a friggin month for the answer? You have that long to catch up for my next review, stay tuned.
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