Platinum End

[neflight86]

262296.jpg

"* Based on a supernatural thriller manga written by Ooba Tsugumi and drawn by Obata Takeshi.

As his classmates celebrate their middle school graduation, troubled Mirai is mired in darkness. But his battle is just beginning when he receives some salvation from above in the form of an angel. Now Mirai is pitted against 12 other chosen humans in a battle to become the next god of the world. Mirai has an angel in his corner, but he may need to become a devil to survive.

Source: Viz"

Genre(s): Thriller, Seinen

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Like it says on the tin, this is a thriller, and based on the latest death game manga penned by the duo behind the much lauded "Death Note". This actually has a slightly different 'DNA' than the old DN series, I suspect because it is lacking the old director who made everything ultra dramatic (potato chips, anyone?), and because the writing is trying to inject a little more emotion into the non-stop logic and moral ambiguity that the characters banter with.

Suicidal kid gets some vaguely defined powers that will be exploited to the fullest of their capabilities to oust and kill other like-equipped schemers like their lives depend on it (cuz they do).

Who's the second victim, assuming the guy in the limo-harem was the first? We haven't even met most of the characters- way too fast to be killing them off!

[neflight86]

4

Ok, four episodes in, this is finally getting to be worth watching. Yes, the modern anime aesthetic is a bit at odds with the death game, and the physical limitations of powers are a bit fuzzy to grasp and account for in real time, but we have finally gotten to some delicious evilness and a real villain to hate. This is what I was hoping for. If it keeps this level of trickery and intrigue going forward, we'll have a winner.

[neflight86]

6

That somehow got even darker. Serial killers are pretty passé in anime, but to use one like that is pretty low, Metro. This is falling in better with the mixed logic that I'm craving- why use arrows when we have perfectly usable firearms and high explosives for indirect combat? Too often these kind of death games don't mix the 'rules' of the powers well with the practical applications of modern convenience, and I'm liking that very much because it opens up the decision space considerably. There were many ways this could have played out, and this one doesn't seem dumber that what I could come up with, which makes following along more fun.

[neflight86]

7-8

Keeping a steady level of interesting developments. Metro is devious and ruthless; just what a villain needs to be, and the hero trio is getting fleshed out as well. Good use of non-angel items to complicate the engagements, and the clever butt-pull application of things like arrows deflecting other arrows add fuel to the fire, though the high speed "mid-air anime fights" feel out of place, tonally. A necessary concession, I suppose, for an anime adaptation of a manga about fighting and death.

Special shout out to the OST, as it carries most of the emotional and even expositional scenes that are otherwise clinically handled and framed. If you haven't tried this out yet, there is plenty enough out now to give you a very clear picture of what this story is going to be like, but you really gain nothing watching week-to-week unless you want to be involved in a discussion about it.

[neflight86]

9-11

Incel power versus catgirl moe. The outcome was obvious.

The conflict in Platnum has been, so far, too open ended, and doesn't feel tactical or tight enough to seem clever. Taking hostages, again? Why didn't that work last time? I don't remember, and it doesn't really matter. Why did team Metro actually wait while half of the team Mukaido was gone? Is that the one time he didn't want to lie? This is really stretching the audience's sympathy so much more than Death note or even Bakuman ever did. I don't know what to blame for this, but I'm suspect the flat adaptation and lazy pacing again.

[neflight86]

14

Well, I'll be darned. They can make a decent episode if they try. Poliman's death was appropriately edgy and couldn't come too soon, because he was a kinda trash villain, in spite of thinking he was competent before- he just got more grandiose and arrogant as time went on leading to this. They also evoked some semblance of emotion with Mukaido's passing. Weird enough, they seemed to start intercutting actual manga panels this episode for some reason- maybe to flex on how much the animation pales in comparison?

Hope this new kid mastermind makes for a more interesting opponent.

[MFauli]

neflight, just totally honest: I like the art on the pic in the op. Is this a truly great anime that's worth watching even when you have other stuff to watch already, or is it just another so-so anime? thx

[neflight86]

It's not particularly good, no. Its only claim to fame is you can reasonably compare it to Death Note. Some people have been longing for a show like that for so long that they essentially take what they can get in this style. This show is for them, if anyone.

Edgy, depressing, violent, and heavy handed. Is that what you're after?

[MFauli]

Hm, sounds like no then. Although I *am* desperate for more Death Note, so maybe I'll keep it in my mind :> thx

[neflight86]

15-16

They did the 'us versus the world' phase earlier than I expected, with governments and the like horning in on these power wielding people. Too bad the kid didn't mention while spilling the beans that this selection process only lasts for xxx days and after then, presumably, the powers disappear. Also, did the story just muddle the 'win' condition? I remember it being the last survivor getting the seat, but recent dialogue suggests that they can vote for a winner? Huh?