Top 20 Reasons to Watch/Read Mirai Nikki
There are a lot of animes out there. A filter needs to be set up to choose what to watch. I usually decide to watch a show based on its popularity or the show is well received. Mirai Nikki or The Future Diary has a positive reputation and a sizable fanbase. This fits my criteria to watch any show.
Mirai Nikki has an easy-to-digest 26 episodes that make the show more appealing. Anything popular doesn’t necessarily mean that it is good. So, do not expect the show to be a masterpiece of any kind. It is not perfect. Though, the show guarantees basic entertainment and enjoyment.
In this blog post, I discuss the appealing things about the show Mirai Nikki, also known as The Future Diary. I have curated a list of the Top 20 Reasons to Watch/Read Mirai Nikki.
Also, check out the Top 20 Reasons to watch Monster: https://animeloved.com/blog/top-20-reasons-to-watch-read-monster/
The Plot
The story revolves around Yukiteru Amano, a standard bland high school kid. He leads a normal life until one day he is approached by a God named Deus ex machina.
Yukiteru has a habit of noting down everything that he sees every minute of the day in his phone’s diary. This somehow qualifies him to be a suitable candidate as God’s replacement.
The god is not immortal and is running low on time. Without someone filling in his place, the universe will very quickly cease to exist. Of course, he is not the sole contender for the role, eleven others are also selected as potential successors.
Why the name of the show is The Future Diary?
Every candidate like Yukiteru has their own diary. The diary is then modified by the god to display entries from the future. Hence, the name Future diary or Mirai Nikki.
After it is understood that there will be only one god, a survival game quickly begins among the diary keepers. No one knows the exact identity of anyone else. So the diary keepers have to use their future diaries to first identify, then outsmart, and then kill each other.
The last man or woman standing will gain immense powers and become the next God.
The Characters
All the characters in Mirai Nikki have one thing in common. They are emotionally broken in some respect or another. For example, Yuno loves Yuki to a scary degree. She can go to any limits to make her ideal relationship work out.
And believe me, Yuno is not the only one with such toxic traits. The show has a load of crazy characters with psychopathic tendencies. This makes the story more interesting because a lot of the plot runs on a bland, weak diary user.
Kill one psychopath and another will be at your doorstep right away.
Heartbreaking backstories
A lot of the story of the show is told around the brokenness of each diary user’s personality. The character development of each of them is laudable despite them getting comparatively lesser screen time.
All the diary users have their own motivations and reasons for wanting to become the god. Usually, the reason is that they want to try to fix their horribly broken pasts. So over the course of the show, you will inevitably run across a diary user. That is so horribly broken that you feel sorry for them. And wish that things were better for them.
Character of Yuno
Yuno is the real reason that people watch the anime, Mirai Nikki. She is in my list of Top 40 anime waifu that will steal your heart.
She is a reasonably deep character but also kind of fucked up. She can go to any limits for the relationship she has with Yuki. We get a pretty good understanding of her character and how she got this way.
Her parents were extremely abusive, and her mother had some mental disability. This made her mother more and more unstable and abusive as time goes on. This takes a toll on her father, who is always working. He starts being home, less often because of his mentally ill wife.
Also, check the Top 10 Best Anime Main Characters of all time: https://animeloved.com/blog/top-10-best-anime-main-characters-of-all-time/
The Show Levels Up as the Story Progresses
As the story progresses, the show tries to one-up itself with bigger and bigger moments. All the way up till the biggest plot twist in the end. As the show expands its level, the plot and the characters push to the extremes of reality.
This leaves the show with a lot of plot holes. These big moments do stand out and compensate for the plot holes. In a way, this element of the show makes it more fun to watch. The characters become way cooler and the big moments become immense.
Game Setting
Mirai Nikki takes place in a game setting. A god named Deus became aged and had to pass on his throne to a worthy successor. Following some sort of criteria, 11 people are selected to compete to become the next god.
Each one of them is given a diary that has future entries in it. All these diary keepers are to kill one another until the last man remains.
If you are a fan of shows with game-type settings like No Game No Life, then you should definitely watch Mirai Nikki.
Sci-fi and Time travel
If you are a fan of shows like Dark on Netflix and the anime Steins Gate. Then I recommend you to watch Mirai Nikki. The show has a science fiction element in balance with over-the-top magic.
Time travel in any show is a double-edged sword. If used properly, it creates masterpieces. Examples are abundant, films like About time and Dark are critically acclaimed. While if not used smartly, it leads to many plot holes.
Similar is the case of Mirai Nikki, the time travel in the show has led to a lot of plot holes. But, if you ignore the details of the anime, it is really enjoyable to watch.
Animation
Mirai Nikki is a gore fest and gruesome. It is not as badass as some shows like Attack on Titan or Higurashi. But it can put needless violence on display and the scenes are brutal. In these regards, the animation is done well.
The animation is not outstanding, and the animation is average, but in a good way.
Artwork
The artwork in Mirai Nikki is good overall. It is clear and colorful with great character designs. The shadows are used smartly, especially in the opening theme. The majority of the characters are unique and easily distinguishable.
Disappointingly, the environments are unmemorable, even in the more unusual settings. The animation of Deuce seems awkward and doesn’t fit the rest of the art. Though Deuce’s design is very cool.
Though lacking in beautiful environments, Mirai Mikki makes an effort with tremendous art designs and artistic use of shade and light.
Music
All the defaults in the animation are forgiven with the existence of this anime’s first opening. This opening is in my list of the top anime OPs of all time. This opening is fantastic. It has exciting music with wonderfully animated aesthetics. It all makes for a Kick-Ass opening.
The rest of the openings don’t disappoint but are not as good as the original, in my opinion.
Also, check the Top Anime EDs that slap: https://animeloved.com/blog/best-anime-eds-endings-that-slap/
The subbed version is better
Many consider that to enjoy Mirai Nikki is to watch it in Japanese with English subtitles. I admit that the dub has its problems. But personally, I didn’t find anything too wrong with it.
The main problem I had was the casting of Yuno. Yuno’s character is kind of special and I do not think that it was nailed in the dub version. In comparison to the Japanese version.
I can go on to rant about how the script itself had flaws. And how it was made to adapt it for the more Western audience. But, when I watched the show, these things did not really bug me.
Fan Service
Catching the attention of many, Mirai Nikki is another word for fan service. The anime is filled with ecchi scenes all over. It has led to some oddly timed yet effective humor.
Yuno carries the show not only in brutal action scenes but in fan service too. She is the face of Yandere waifus in the anime community. And usually the center of attraction for the harem scenes.
Concluding Remarks
The romance aspect of the anime works because the relationship between Yuno and Yuki is linked with a bit of tragedy, which deepens it. Even though it is a bit weird sometimes.
As the show ends, I had a good impression of it. Though I did have some problems with it too. But, again if you do not dive into the details. Mirai Nikki of The Future Diary is pretty enjoyable.
I would straight recommend Mirai Nikki to those who are looking for shows with gore violence and bloodshed. To those who are looking for some over-the-top action sequences.
Let our team know your thoughts below and share your opinion on Mirai Nikki or The Future Diary.
