Shibou Yuugi de Meshi wo Kuu.

Shibou Yuugi de Meshi wo Kuu really surprised me quite a lot (and it might surprise you as well).

The art of this anime is very stunning, especially the characters’ eyes, and the overall design is consistent most of the time. When the camera is far from the characters, the art becomes much simpler and lacks detail. I believe this is mostly due to the studio—Studio Deen which is not exactly a top-tier studio—so they focused more on close-up scenes to deliver more detailed visuals and character designs. This is definitely a smart move, and it’s something I’ve seen too little of in other animes.

A good ... staff really changes everything. Souta Ueno’s previous anime, Gimai Seikatsu, was very well adapted, and it showed how capable he is as a director (I watched it, BTW). Now, in Shiboyugi, he is doing his usual good work. I really hope he gets the chance to work with better studios in the future. Not that Studio Deen is completely garbage—it’s just not very good.

Keep in mind that this anime has many deaths and little development for side characters, makes sense since we are seeing the POV of Yuki in the games. Don't get attached to any side characters.

Without Spoilers- (For people who have watched the anime)
I have read part of the novel to compare it with the anime adaptation (and also the manga). Of course, some parts are not included in the episodes, but most of them are irrelevant and don’t add much to the story. However, the character development—at least for Yuki—is being delayed.

In Volume 1, after the Ghost House (28), the next game is Candle Woods (9), which explains a lot more about Yuki’s motivation. In the anime, however, the next game is Scrap Building (10), which leaves us without knowing much about the main character’s overall life and background.

When it comes to adaptations, Yuki is quite different across the manga, light novel, and anime (similar to Classroom of the Elite):
Manga Yuki shows more emotions
Anime Yuki is very emotionless
Light Novel Yuki is a mix of both (though closer to the anime version)
Keep in mind that the anime is an adaptation of the Shiboyugi light novel.

In general, it is a great adaptation coming from a mid-tier studio, but with good staff and a strong story, it is definitely worth watching. I hope all 11 episodes maintain a similar level of quality (though it’s very sad that it’s not 12 or 13 episodes).

Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table. Or are we really playing games? Doesn’t matter, we'll at least look pretty.

Three episodes in, Shiboyugi is leaning hard on aesthetics over substance. The show is visually striking, but not always in a way that works. In wide shots, the characters’ features disappear entirely, probably an artistic choice, but personally, it’s frustrating. The animation is average at best, and characters often move at a glacial pace. Take the stairs scene in episode two, each step drags like hours. If the whole sequence is meant to be a dream, fine, that makes sense. If not, ... I don’t see the point.

Voice acting is subdued and whispery, giving off an ASMR vibe. It’s meant to be edgy cute, but it mostly comes off as flat. Characters try hard to sound quirky or dark, yet the performance often feels performative rather than genuine.

Character depth is minimal. Most of them rotate too quickly for any meaningful development. Yuki is the only constant, and so far we know very little about her beyond how miserable her life looks from an outside pov, and her goal of finishing 99 deadly games for reasons unknown. That said, she’s refreshingly anti heroic. No saccharine "forgive everyone and internalize betrayal" nonsense here, she’s pragmatic, cold, and willing to act without moral fanfare.

Pacing is a disaster. Don't get me wrong, I’m a fan of Bela Tarr and Tarkovsky, I appreciate deliberate, meditative slow burns, but there’s slow, and then there’s this. Scenes drag without purpose, tension builds and collapses in suspended emptiness, and the series risks feeling like a stylistic exercise instead of a story.

Shiboyugi succeeds as a mood piece. Its visuals are bold, its anti hero MC is intriguing, and the premise is darkly compelling. But after three episodes, the series struggles to build narrative momentum or meaningful connection. It’s a striking experiment in style, but substance is still scrambling to catch up.

A story-less story with a pervasively apathetic, nihilistic air about it that progresses at a geriatric pace.

Before anyone gets offended, this kind of tone and approach definitely has an audience. I'm just not part of it. If it makes anyone feel better about my opinion, I'll own up to potentially being stupid as I did not and still do not understand the infrequently increasing ratio throughout the episodes. For me it simply represented an abstract artsy-fartsy way of conveying things progressing. This fits with the general style this show seems to be going for.

The characters are flat both in terms of their affect and their ... depth. They emote as if they are waiting in line at the DMV. To say they have reactions would be an exaggeration. Whatever brief insights are given into a character's background are fleeting and illuminate their personality as well as the static in a perimetry test. Although the premise of the anime involves death games, meaning characters are expected to be short-lived and thus not necessarily needing depth, it would be more compelling if there was at least someone to root for if not against.

The main character herself is the most likely to be compelling, as the reason for her motive is a mystery. The thing is, it's not enough to keep me invested. As it stands, the title of the anime provides more story than what's in the first 3 episodes (insofar as the main character is concerned).

As for the animation, it's fine. There are moments with a minimalist approach that circle back to the anime being somewhat artsy-fartsy rather than being genuinely interesting to look at, but these moments being different than the rest of the time provides some interest in itself for whatever that's worth. Ditto for the soundtrack.