game anime Archives | 100 Word Anime

Recently I counted down the top 5 worst game anime I had ever watched. As a counter point, this week I want to look at the top 5 game anime that I’ve watched.

Whether these games are computer, boards games or other doesn’t really matter. As long as a game is central to the premise of the anime and the anime was enjoyable to watch it is in contention for this list. Which actually means those of you who have followed my blog for a long time will probably already know which anime will be number 1.

As always, this list is just my opinion so feel free to throw your favourites into the comment section below.

Best Game Anime No. 5: Bofuri

I thought about this one for awhile but Bofuri was just too cute to pass up. Immersive RPG’s feature heavily in a lot of anime as death games or trapped in a game, but having a fantasy game that the characters are just playing for fun and enjoying is a little bit different. Even the online gaming community in Bofuri are nice (as hard to imagine as that might be).

If you are after high stakes or tension, Bofuri isn’t going to provide it. Main character Maple is cute as can be and literally just playing for fun. She’s also completely over-powered, or at least her defense is, so don’t even think about taking her on.

Honestly, Bofuri deserves a place on the best game anime list because it really just reminds you how much fun playing games can be.

Best Game Anime No. 4: Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online - Episode 4 - Best game anime

Okay, this is one people love to hate on but I’ve always loved the original Sword Art Online series. I loved the way Kirito ultimately made his peace with living in Aincrad even as he continued to try to clear it.

Also, aside from the whole you die in real life thing, Aincrad looks like a great world to explore and I kind of wish full dive RPG’s were actually a thing because I’d love to spend some time in that world. I doubt I’d get very far up the tower but I’d certainly have fun poking about and exploring.

Anyway, Sword Art Online is one of those anime that holds a special place in my heart (again, at least the first season) and so was always going to have a spot on a list of best game anime.

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Best Game Anime No. 3: Recovery of an MMO Junkie

Recovery of an MMO Junkie - best game anime or cute romance.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie might be better defined as a rom-com than a game anime however the game and the freedom it gives the characters from their lives is pivotal to the ongoing plot. And again, it is one of those cool fantasy worlds that just seems fun to spend time in.

Like Bofuri, this one is fairly relaxed viewing and in this case the older characters in the leads really did win me over as I kind of enjoyed spending time with them and watching the romance slowly form.

Again, don’t expect high stakes from the game world as it is more a setting for the story to happen rather than the driving force of the plot, but do expect some cute in-game moments.

Best Game Anime No. 2: Death Parade

Would you like a variety of games where the stakes couldn’t be higher? Death Parade has you covered. This game anime features a new game each week as two souls arrive in a bar and are judged. While some of the games are quite simple (darts or similar) there’s always a wicked twist.

While Death Parade has its issues as a series, the largest being that a lot of the potential world exploration never happens, each of the games is intriguing and learning more about the bar-tender and his assistant is certainly fun.

Though, this one is definitely on the darker side dealing with death and some of the darker sides of human nature. The boppy opening theme doesn’t exactly prepare you for the slow and contemplative episodes that follow, however the whole package is quite entertaining.

Best Game Anime No. 1: March Comes in Like a Lion

March Comes in Like a Lion - Best game anime

Yes, those of you who have read my blog for awhile will know about my obsession with March Comes in Like a Lion with its heavy shogi focus. Forget best game anime, March is one of my favourite anime in any category. It is a shame because there’s another shogi anime, Shion no Ou, that is actually pretty impressive with a murder mystery running through it but it can’t hold a candle to March (at least for me).

Tense game play, interesting characters, great visuals, and an overall brilliant emotional experience, I can’t really stop singing the praises of March Comes in Like a Lion. The only real caveat on that is that if you don’t like slow story telling you probably won’t click with this one but it is worth trying if you’ve never seen it.

Top 5 Best Game Anime — What would be on your list for best game anime?

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Karandi James

There are lots of game based anime out there. Whether they are playing on the computer, playing shogi or anything else, games make for a great plot device. However, some anime just don’t quite manage to make the experience of watching people game fun. And so I’ve made a list of the top 5 worst game anime that I’ve watched.

That said, because I like to celebrate anime rather than tear it down, next week I’ll have my list of top 5 favourite game anime that I’ve watched and we can have a look at the anime that have gotten it right.

Obviously this list is my own opinion and I understand that some of the anime on this list may have appealed more to some of my readers so as always feel free to share your top 5 worst game anime in the comments. Also keep in mind that I actually did finish watching all of these anime so there are definitely worse game anime out there.

Worst Game Anime No. 5: Gamers

You would think with a title like Gamers and focusing on a group of high schoolers playing games for fun that watching the anime would be pretty enjoyable. And in honesty, if you totally switch your brain off and just go with it, Gamers is kind of fun.

The reason it gets a place on the Worst Game Anime List is the games take a back seat to relationship drama and miscommunications, the plot ends up a complete mess driven by confusion and coincidence and none of the characters ever really make it beyond their basic trope.

Gamers was definitely watchable and there are some good moments in it, but I’d hardly recommend it.

Worst Game Anime No. 4: King’s Game

King's Game - definitely deserves to be on a list of worst game anime

I know, some of you are wondering how this isn’t no.1 on the list of worst game anime.

That’s probably because King’s Game is a bad anime but it is a cheesy bad horror anime and the game element is actually pretty solid in that the king gives instructions and characters have to carry them out or face a penalty (which is usually horrific death).

However with terrible visuals and animation, a plot that ultimately makes no sense as they try to explain how the King’s Game actually works, and really unlikeable characters, you have to really like bad horror to enjoy this one. I certainly do like bad horror so King’s Game worked for me, but it still deserves a place on this list.

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Worst Game Anime No. 3 The One’s Within

Okay, creepy horror anime seem to have crept into this list of worst game anime. However, The One’s Within or Nakanohito Genome belongs here. It has an interesting concept but each of the ‘games’ the characters play are actually pretty lame.

When you couple that with an incomplete ending and ultimately not really knowing what the point of any of the games was then you can’t really say it was aa good game anime.

As an interesting piece of visual story-telling The One’s Within kind of works. So not a terrible anime but definitely a bad game anime.

Worst Game Anime No. 2 Netoge

Netoge: And You Thought There Was Never a Girl Online is an anime that I really just didn’t know what to do with. An anime about a group of teens who form a school club for online gaming (still questionable how that got approved) but then just kind of fluff about.

Some people will definitely object to this one because there are some real fans of the anime, but Netoge just didn’t click for me and would have been number one on this list until fairly recently.

There’s some character points that could have been developed throughout the story but it all just kind of felt like they were drawing random tropes and events out of a hat to progress the story. Throw in copious amounts of fan-service and questionable comedy and really it just wasn’t my kind of story. Basically, of the game anime I’ve sat through, Netoge is one of the worst game anime I’ve finished watching.

Worst Game Anime No. 1: Full Dive

Maybe after some time has passed and I’ve finished writing my full review of Full Dive I’ll change my mind on this one. Maybe time will soften my overall disdain for this anime that uses cruelty and passes it off as humour and is filled with incredibly unlikeable characters playing an awful game. Or maybe Full Dive really is the worst game anime I’ve ever watched and will retain the number one spot on this list.

Time will tell on this one but honestly Full Dive is a chore to watch by the end, much as playing a terrible game that just perpetually beats you down and never allows you to progress would be. And potentially if the characters had charm or chemistry or anything to at least make watching the disaster more appealing they could have salvaged a half-decent ride out of this.

Instead, every episode was harder to stomach until I realised I was only finishing the series because of the time already invested in it and once I got to the end of episode 12 I realised that I was sighing with relief and pretty thankful that the ordeal was over. Seriously, I should learn not to be too curious about anime with that many problems at episode 3.

Anyway, Full Dive is undoubtedly the worst game anime I’ve completed and I kind of hope it is the worst I ever sit through.