Platinum End Episode 1 has a legendary set of creators backing it, and the premise looks interesting. By all means, this is another masterpiece waiting to be appreciated. Let’s see if that was the case in this review!
Platinum End Episode 1 Overview
Platinum End comes to us by the writers and creators of Death Note and Bakuman, Takeshi Obata and Tsugami Ohba. As if that wasn’t enough reason to get excited about this show, it is being directed by two prominent people in the anime industry. As it is a two-cour series, its first part is being directed by Hideya Takahashi, who has previously directed JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5. The second part is directed by Kazuchika Kise, the animation director behind Your Name and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
The series is being produced by Studio Signal.MD, the studio behind several well-known anime such as Recovery of an MMO Junkie and Mars Red.
– Platinum End Episode 1 Review does not contain spoilers –
Platinum End Episode 1 Review- The Plot
After the death of his parents, a young Mirai Kakehashi is left in the care of his abusive relatives. Since then, he has become gloomy and depressed, leading him to attempt suicide on the evening of his middle school graduation. Mirai, however, is saved by a pure white girl named Nasse, who introduces herself as a guardian angel wishing to give him happiness—by granting him supernatural powers and a chance to become the new God.
In order to earn the position, he must defeat 12 other “God Candidates” within 999 days. Soon, Mirai begins a struggle to survive as a terrifying battle royale erupts between himself and the candidates looking to obtain the most power in the world.– MAL Rewrite
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To say that Platinum End has high hopes and expectations attached to it would be an understatement. The series is based on a popular manga written by the creators of two of the most highly regarded media pieces in anime history. The anime that we are talking about here is Death Note and everything that entails. The series could easily buckle up into its knees due to the weight of its own expectations, but it didn’t this time.
Platinum End Episode 1 didn’t get a step wrong in its quest to create a captivating world full of promise. The basic premise of the show is somewhat similar to the plot of Future Diary or Mirai Nikki. Mirai is also coincidentally the name of the protagonist of Platinum End. Like Mirai Nikki, the episode also planted the seeds for this show to become a Battle Royale death game.
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The events that happened within Platinum End Episode 1 bordered from heartwrenching to horrifying. The power system that the show has created has the capacity to unleash tons of chaos into the world, and one, in particular, is very reminiscent of the Death Note in its usage. That might lead to some more comparisons between the two series, but that is inevitable at this point. They might as well introduce Ryuk in this series at this point too.
Platinum End Episode 1 Review- The Characters
To judge Mirai on his one appearance in Platinum End Episode 1 would be a tad bit unfair since he spent most of this episode being miserable and wanting to disappear off of the face of the earth. I’m assuming that there will be a lot more depth to his character in the future since he won’t have the thread of suicide hanging over his head. It’ll probably just be replaced by murder, but that’s more fun to watch that suicide in any case.
The “Angel” Nasse interested me far more than every other character in Platinum End Episode 1. She was the only one who didn’t seem like she carried all her emotions upon her sleeve, and we could see a lot of revelations (pun intended) coming from her side in the future. I believe that this particular angel isn’t very angelic.
Platinum End Episode 1 Review- Art and Music
Let’s focus on the good bit first. The music throughout the episode was sublime. It was able to make the viewer feel whatever emotion it wanted them to feel in an instant. There were a ton of great OSTs dispersed across the duration of the episode, and they were all fantastic. There was a Death Note-esque stressful piano alongside a beautiful melody that reminded one of freedom and independence. All good stuff!
The animation, however, wasn’t as good and the weakest part of the show by far. A battle royale is naturally going to have a lot of battles featured, and now I’m not as sure Signal.MD will be able to manage that. The animation in Platinum End Episode 1 was rough in places, and the characters sometimes looked floaty and weightless. That could be an aesthetic the show is going for, but I hope that isn’t the case. We’ll see if it improves anytime soon.
Verdict
Platinum End Episode 1 had a fantastic start and came across really well in its initial outing. While it might not have been a perfect episode, the story and characters were great, and the music was tremendous. This show is one to look out for.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!