Shibou Yuugi de Meshi wo Kuu.

Started it on a whim because of the beautiful art style of the thumbnail and intriguing synopsis. I was quickly hooked on the style and subdued pacing. The quiet nature of the scenes instills the reminder that death awaits in this cold, heartless environment.
The series has the most gorgeously depicted eyes, and I love the use of white or absent hard outlines to soften the characters’ features.
My only disappointment is that I crushed the first 6 episodes and now have to wait weekly for more 😅

Be warned, though- if you’re a Chad whose favorite anime is JuMidSu Kaisen, you’re not going to ... like this. Shiboyugi is aware of its own plot and ,while violent, doesn’t rely on it to carry the series.

Different plot, and good suspenseful or thriller anime are hard to find; however, I decided to start watching this out of curiosity. It is definitely worth to try watching as the art is very unique. There are a lot of small details that create the whole story/environment, including art style/graphics, especially in the character's eyes, which really captivated me. Definitely worth watching, the scene changes and plot for each episode are very unique. Although it is an unrealistic plot, the characters reacted well and were realistic in the situations. There are definitely predictable parts and definitely surprises as well. The art and story complement ... each other so well that, for most anime, if there were changes to any kind of art style, watching it would not be less enjoyable. For this specific anime. It is hard to see it being enjoyable in another art style. Overall, very well made and surprised me in finding it more entertaining than I thought.

Let's start with the good and then the bad. Shiboyugi has a really good introduction, and I love that all the blood in the show is replaced with cotton. It's a unique concept that still keeps the creepiness while not showing excessive gore. Also, this anime doesn't have the cliche that everyone can make it out alive. In some games people are forced to die, and sometimes self-preservation is rewarded over the group's survival. Also, the soundtrack is a banger.

Unfortunately the story doesn't have outstanding characters. Yuki is always right, and the author's explanation of how she knows that there is a trap or what ... to do is that she has experience / she has played these games before. That's just lazy writing and doesn't reward the audience at all. Also the motivations of characters aren't really explored. For example, Mishiro's motivation/backstory wasn't properly explored or reflected upon. It just happened once and then was forgotten.

But the anime really starts to decline a lot towards the middle. Episode 6 scenes are overly drawn out (a static scene lasting over 1 minute), and episode 7 is just a mess. Character decisions become confusing, and even when watched attentively, you would still ask yourself, "Why would she do this?" The timeline is also in wack at episode 7, and there is no explanation for how the timeline became that way.