In 2007 Square Enix blew Nintendo DS owners’ minds with the release of their teen-angst fueled dual-screen masterpiece, The World Ends With You. The game saw players take a coming of age journey with series protagonist Neku and friends in their attempt to win “The Reaper’s Game,” a twisted contest where the contestants’ existence can be permanently erased. For years, fans of the original game have clamored for a sequel. Despite several teased announcements that almost always turned out to be tablet, Square Enix has finally announced Neo: The World Ends With You, a true sequel to the DS original.
Does this mean anyone hoping to play this new entry will need to buy the original game? No, as Square Enix also announced an anime adaptation of the original The World Ends With You. Regardless of being one of the shorter JRPGs from the minds behind immersive time-sinks like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, The World Ends With You has a winding plot with plenty of twists and turns. There’s also a diverse cast of characters with clashing motivations that makes for a bombastic ending to the story. For fans and newcomers alike, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the upcoming anime adaptation.
Tetsuya Nomura has come to define the style of modern Final Fantasy characters and has achieved incredible success with the Kingdom Hearts series as well. While the characters in those franchises have decidedly fantasy or other-worldly appearances, TWEWY actually sees the creator use a bit of restraint. The looks are based on popular Japanese fashion trends of the era, though there’s still plenty of spiky hair and zippers to be seen. Think Persona with fewer school clothes and more of a street/graffiti/punk vibe. This difference from Nomura’s usual work gives TWEWY a unique feeling.
Fans of the original TWEWY were smitten with the game’s art style, which combined striking pixel art with a grungy street aesthetic and fluid animation. The subsequent re-releases updated this art style into a more cartoonish style, shedding some of the original pixels in the process. Judging by the trailers for the anime adaptation, it looks to carry on the fluidity of animation as well as bright, vibrant colors for Neku and the team’s psychic abilities like pyrokinesis. Enemy designs are all faithful to the games and it just pops. Speaking of visual marvels, there’s also the game’s setting based on real life locations.
People who enjoyed traversing Shibuya in Persona 5 would do well to check out TWEWY’s interpretation of the city. Iconic locations like the Shibuya Scramble and the Hachiko statue were lovingly recreated in 2D. It looks like the anime will also take the time to recreate the city and make it feel alive just like the game did. Exploring Shibuya is central to the original game and the city unfolds along the way, revealing secrets of its own. The city also has some highly interesting inhabitants.
The Reapers are TWEWY’s equivalent of the SAW franchise’s Jigsaw. They run the Reaper’s Game in Shibuya and enforce the rules as well as erase players. They’re almost militant in structure though, with rankings reflective of their power level and dedication to the game. Even at the lower grunt level, the Reapers all have their own personalities that help TWEWY reach certain levels of charming that it wouldn’t otherwise. These levels of distinction help to make these characters feel particularly varied, and some of them have agendas of their own that add additional spice to the mix. Some of them are particularly dangerous.
There’s always that one person that just can’t seem to play nicely with others. Sho Minamimoto is one of the most interesting villains of TWEWY and one of the more dangerous Reapers. He’s also one of the few villains in existence that will hurl insults at the player in the form of different mathematical terms (“So zetta slow!”), but it somehow just works for him. He’s a bit of a wild card and throws wrenches in the plans 0f both the players as well as the higher echelon of the Reaper command. It’ll be interesting to see how the anime adjusts his storyline specifically, so keep an eye out for this character for sure. He’s not the only wild card in the mix, either.
He’s one hip barista, Mista, and it’s anyone’s guess as to his true identity. He seems to know all about the Reaper’s game despite not directly being involved in it, and keeps appearing throughout the story to give advice to Neku and friends. He’s always got a helpful tip and a cup of coffee (if you can afford it, that is) at the ready. Despite his mysterious behavior and aloof demeanor, he’s one of the few characters that’s often able to surprise Neku with his insights about life and how to treat other people. He’s one of the game’s primary sources of optimism.
If Neku seems like an insufferable jerk at the start of the series, bear with him. This is ultimately a very optimistic story about opening up to other people and learning to listen. It’s about the opportunities and expanded outlook that come to a person who takes the time to understand and help others. The titular line comes from Mr. Hanekoma in the original game, and it’s one that will probably pop up in some form in the anime: “The world ends with you. If you want to enjoy life, expand your world.”
The TWEWY anime is bringing over more than just the visual style of the original game, it’s also bringing its stellar composer Takeharu Ishimoto along for the ride. The original game has a soundtrack that does a great job of encompassing the eclectic styles that make up the sounds of Shibuya. There’s rock, hip-hop, rap, electronic dance music, you name it. The tracks perfectly set the tone for battles or even just for walking around and exploring Shibuya. The anime will hopefully capture this as well.
It’s not going to be a large focus probably if it does make it into the anime, but it would be incredible if TWEWY’s mini-game Tin Pin Slammers were mentioned in some form. The game is essentially a Beyblade stand-in and is played by younger teenagers in Shibuya that sees competitors try to knock each other’s pins off of a table. The story in the original TWEWY forces Neku to compete in a Tin Pin tournament, and would make for a highly entertaining episode. Fans would definitely get a kick out of an episode that features this sub-plot.
The World Ends With You airs in Japan in April of 2021.
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