Hey there! Time for my first Rising Sun in a while, and we’re going to talk about the first episode of New Game!. So let’s log in!

Plot
Aoba Suzukaze is fresh out of high school when she joins game development studio Eagle Jump as a 3D artist. When she arrives, she meets a ton of crazy personalities who will be working with her on Fairies Story 3. I’m a game designer myself, so I really wanted to watch this. Suffice to say, I enjoy shows where everyone is unique in their personalities. Seriously, the character Hajime Shinoda plays around with a toy lightsaber every once in a while, which leads to a good gag later on regarding Aoba’s ID card.

Aeshetics
To start things off, I like the character designs and their motifs. Aoba herself resembles a middle school student in a suit, which contrasts herself with the other, more casual seniors at Eagle Jump effectively. Then there’s the animation. When I reviewed The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, which BTW will be re-released by Funimation on September 13th, I praised Kyoto Animation for having fantastic character animators. I don’t know who did New Game!, but they gave Kyoto a run for their money. There’s just so much fluidity in the animation that I don’t know where to start.
And I’ll admit the music wasn’t very memorable. In fact, while I liked the opening and ending themes, I don’t remember much of the background music. Although maybe that’s because I’ve been listening to Vic Mignogna (voice of Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist) while writing the review. He really knows how to sing! -Ahem- Enough of that. Point is, the background music doesn’t interfere with the gags, and you’re not gonna remember it well. Especially if you listen to something else right afterwards.

My Conclusion
New Game!, streaming weekly on Crunchyroll, is off to a fantastic start and I look forward to watching more episodes later on. If you want a light-hearted look at what goes on in a game studio, you’ll enjoy New Game!.

On the topic on Crunchyroll, Funimation Productions no longer has the license to Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, so the series will begin streaming there soon, complete with the fantastic dub.