KiritoNarukami

“Ren Homura returns to his former residence, yet he feels very uncomfortable: he possesses no memory of having lived there. Without warning or his permission, a game called “Monster Strike” installs itself into Ren’s smartphone; monsters of the game then literally fly out from his smartphone and start fighting on streets. Watching the fighting in amazement, Ren starts picking up his lost memories.” -ANN

As an ex-player of Monster Strike, I got pretty excited when this was announced. And now that I’ve seen the entire thing, it’s actually pretty good for an Original Net Animation (ONA)!

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Story:

The story develops and creates a quite intriguing plot! We start off knowing that part of Ren’s memory is lost, but that plays a bigger role and links Ren back to his old friends, and they discover a larger force at work. I like the fact that Monster Strike kept the concept that Monster Strike is a mobile game, and then the mobile game comes to reality. Unlike Puzzle and Dragons, which creates an entirely new world and disregards it as a game. It’s much easier to create a story this way than to start from scratch.

Artwork & Animation:

The Character designs, have a Pokemon type feel with all the different colored hair and styles. I like the use of 3D and 2D animation to represent the monsters. It gives off the gaming feel, which makes sense. I like the way the 2D and 3D are used together, the 3D isn’t too overwhelming and it compliments the 2D, which is nice.

Character(s):

As for the characters, they don’t have much depth to them. The main cast is cookie cutter characters, not very interesting. The monsters are more interesting than the main cast themselves.

Sound (OST & Voice Acting):

I do enjoy the OST a lot, and the EDs were catchy enough to pump me up for the next episode. Voice actors did a great job with bringing the characters to life.

Enjoyment:

There are a lot of people saying that this was awful, but I want to say that it’s actually enjoyable, so don’t listen to those people!

Overall: Score 9 

For a mobile game anime adaptation, this is actually a lot better than what we’d normally get. A story that makes sense, a nice steady pace of the story and a possible second season with the mention of the MS competition! Not to mention a movie!