An Anime Review of 'Darwin's Game'

Darwin’s Game is an eleven episode, 2020 anime adaptation by the studio Nexus. The show is based on the manga by FLIPFLOPs which has been running since 2012. The show revolves around a secret game that lets people kill each other for rewards and privilege. The caveat being that said participants receive a ‘sigil’ that allows them all to have one unique power to aid them in their fights. Our central protagonist is Kaname, and we observe his journey into the violent game that he has stumbled into.

The show has the feel of a Battle Royale, and a Hunger Games to it. The fact that the characters have a ‘sigil’ makes the encounters all the more interesting as it adds a dimension to the fight that would otherwise make it a budget version of Baki. The narrative is quite shonen in nature, and the progression is very much something that we have seen before, however where this show stands out is in the way that it treats the characters. The show has no remorse when it comes to their treatment, so much so to the point that at times, it is genuinely hard to watch. Also, I am certain that the creator of Darwin’s Game is a fan of Seven due to the reference of a certain scene.

The characters are what you would expect in a show such as this, the overly competent lead, the powerful girl that is head over heels for the lead, the ultra smart tech girl, and the always dependable best bro. With, I am sure, many more to enter. While this group has been tried and tested in shonen anime, these set of characters do not walk through the obstacles in front of them. In every battle that they take part in, they lose something, or a fundamental part of the ideology has shifted, making for some truly fascinating characters to watch. The best example of this is the series lead, Kaname, who has fantastic character development and character progression.

Visually the show is great to look at, while at times you can notice where the animation is being reused, it was never egregious enough to truly take me out of the show and label it as a negative. The colour palate in the show is fantastic and makes the scenes incredibly vibrant at times, and when it is depicting something gruesome, it shifts accordingly to accommodate without breaking the integrity of the show to the point where your mind cannot accept the visuals are indeed from the same show. The fight sequences are quite well executed making the strategy be the highlight of the fight as opposed to the visual flair of the fight. In that way, Darwin’s Game has far more in common with Code Geass than it does with One Punch Man. The visuals do enough work to make it exciting to watch, while the intelectual battle takes centre stage.

The music in the show fits the scene that they are in and does its job in amplifying the strength of the scene, and when there is a lack of sound altogether there is a tremendous impact to that particular scene. In addition, the openings and endings of the show are well worth a listen in their own right.

There is a fantastic mystery to the world that Darwin’s Game takes place in. It also sets up characters and plot threads that are to be continued into a second season, which at the time of this writing has not been green lit yet. This is a rich world with some rich characters, and so I hope that there would indeed be a second season.

This is a show that I recommend you to watch, however I must warn you that there is a significant amount of violence and gore within it. You can watch Darwin’s Game on both Funimation and Crunchyroll.