Good Night World Review 2023 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
Good Night World is an original net animation adaptation of the manga series written and illustrated by Uru Okabe. It was serialized in Shogakukan’s Ura Sunday website and MangaONE service from 2015 to 2017. It is directed by Katsuya Kikuchi, with the scripts written by Michiko Yokote. Rena Okuyama handled the character designs, and Takatsugu Wakabayashi composed the music. The opening theme song is “Black Crack” by VTuber Kuzuha of Nijisanji. The ending theme song is “Salvia” by Nornis, a vocal unit composed of Nijisanji members Machita China and Inui Toko.
Video games are usually a good way to escape from the stress and miserable problems caused by the real world. Heck, I even occasionally play them to get away from my own personal issues. However, as much as we all want to leave the harsh and depressing world we call life, we must accept that there’s no escaping reality, even in a fantasy RPG world. This concept shapes Good Night World as an anime series that appears harmless and fun regarding the isekai game genre but is actually more profound and more unsettling than we realize. That defines my experience with the latest anime series on Netflix that premiered a couple of days ago, which I had no intent of watching until now. After watching its first couple of episodes, I had no intention of logging off early due to how it displays its mature themes and horror aspects.
The first few minutes of Good Night World set the series up as another light-hearted gaming isekai adventure involving a guild family racing against other guilds to earn the prize money. The money can be obtained by finding and defeating the game’s final boss, the “Black Bird of Happiness”. However, once we enter the real world and are introduced to Ichi’s user, Taichiro, for the first time, the series takes a much darker turn, but not for the worst narrative-wise. Because of its first episode and many others, Good Night World flips this harmless and cheerful concept over our heads to portray an unsettling yet surprisingly emotional representation of fantasy vs. reality.
Consisting of 12 episodes, the series focuses on Taichiro shutting out of society due to his perspective of how miserable his life and the people are. He’s estranged from his younger brother Asuma and even his father Kojiro due to a tragic incident that took the life of his younger sister Aya (Anne Yatco). He escapes the real world by playing “Planet” with his in-game guild, the Akabane family, consisting of members who also want to cope with their personal problems. However, they don’t realize that the Akabane family members are actually the Arima family playing “Planet”. Of course, the forces beyond Taichiro’s control force him to do what he thought was impossible.
The series represents that it’s okay to use video games as a source of escapism, but not if you’re using them to solve every problem reality throws at you. Those problems include abuse, depression, and even loss, mainly from Aya killed by a cardboard box incident when Kojiro forced her to walk to school to get her notebook. The real world can be shit, as Taichiro stated numerous times, but it can also be beautiful, as stated by Taichiro’s in-game former friend-turned-opponent, Captain Pico (Jeannie Tirado), the leader of the game’s Pirate Guild. It makes these flawed characters effectively complex and engaging and makes the seasonal narrative thought-provoking and refreshing to the genre.
In addition to its gaming isekai, family drama, and action elements, Good Night World has a surprising amount of horror injected into the series’s programming. This is mainly due to the “Black Bird of Happiness”, although, based on what I saw, there’s nothing happy about this “final boss” created by Kojiro, the head of the company responsible for the creation of “Planet”. The horror aspect comes from the Black Bird trapping the game’s players in the Bird Cage, a virtual reality realm resembling the real world where they’re forced to die repeatedly by its “durability tests”. It’s like “Final Destination”, except through suffering instead of death. From its disturbing imagery to the Black Bird’s cruel intentions, the horror aspect of Good Night World is as terrifying as an elevated horror movie from A24 mixed with a creature feature from Blumhouse. The fact that its introduction is unexpected makes the show even more unnerving.
The English voice cast also did very well with their performances, including Nicolas Roye as Taichiro. The complex emotions of Taichiro, including rage, were nicely handled by Roye’s vocal range. However, my only complaint about the character is that his dialogue uses the word “shit” way too often that it started to get repetitively annoying. Like, are there any other words he can use to describe the real world and his father? Of course, that could be due to the screenplay they used for the English dub for his dialogue. Kieran Regan and Christopher Swindle were also decent as Asuma and Kojiro, respectively.
The animation in Good Night World was produced by NAZ. NAZ is known for producing shows like My First Girlfriend Is a Gal and Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer. The company also animates other ONAs like Blood Lad: Kanketsu-hen and Thermae Romae Novae. The animation looks superb in displaying its dramatic elements and action. However, it should also be recognized for portraying the different tones of the two worlds through its lighting and presentation, emphasizing its theme of fantasy vs. reality. While “Planet” is seen as a light-hearted yet adventurous world like any other video game, the real world is a bleak and depressing mess that Taichiro neglects. I would also credit the animation team for portraying the horror aspect with violent and unsettling imagery.
Overall, Good Night World is another surprising addition to the anime catalogue, especially one from Netflix. At first, I thought I would get another basic gaming isekai series involving characters exploring the VR video game. However, it turned out to be more than just what was given, which I really enjoyed. The series is a deep, disturbing, refreshing, and emotional representation of a family torn apart by hatred, which can be solved with peace and forgiveness. From its well-handled themes to the superb animation, the ONA series gains a high score in its storytelling, resulting in it being another diamond in the Netflix anime sea.
