Reviews for Hyperdimension Neptunia

It’s one thing when you are a fan of a video game that all of a sudden has been confirmed to have an anime adaptation and feel nothing but contempt and frustration in the reasoning why they would bother. However, when your game is already one that acts like an anime, you think to yourself that this will already be a slam dunk based on how it was born to become an anime show in the first place. So likewise, I was in the same mindset going into this. What I got in the end for Neptunia the Animation was nothing but partial disappointment thatcan only be described as a wasted potential for a series that had a lot going for it in terms of comedy and parody.

Neptunia plays off as your typical moe show with cute girls in suggestive positions. I can understand people passing it off as another generic moe show—not knowing that the Neptunia games themselves are parodying those types of moe tropes. The parody included in this adaptation is just as charming and lovable in portraying the girls as consoles of past generations. However, given how the Neptunia games have endless hours of non-stop comedy in their fun dialogue, understandably, the show is limited due to its 13-episode running time. This points to the show’s main problem: It doesn’t go as far as the games in terms of quality comedy.

It is nice to see the girls in full animation instead of just slightly animated portraits on-screen in your typical Visual Novel fashion. Still, sadly it doesn’t come off as underwhelming and average at best. When you compare the art to the show and the original game’s art done masterfully and beautifully by Tsunako, it’s not what you would call a great transition. The show's art can almost compare to Saturday morning cartoons where the colors look too bright and hardly have any excellent lush drawings like in the games. Calling the art to be “horrendous” or “terrible,” on the other hand, would be a stretch because, for what they’re worth, the fighting scenes are done relatively decent, and there are some moments where the art indeed does add to the humor.

As any fan of Neptunia can all agree, every single character is funny and charming to look at and listen to their witty dialogues with one another. Neptune is an absolute joy to listen to, as always, with her hilarious and sarcastic personality that initially annoyed me. Eventually, I grew fond of it after a while. The tsundere princess herself, Noire, has some great laughs in her hilarious attempts to hide her side. One scene involving her stalker and showing many pictures of her alone was enough to send me howling on the ground and laughing. Our other main CPU, Goddesses Blanc and Vert are great together in how they always argue over such silly things. The side characters, which are the CPU candidates, have equal enough screen time to bolster some memorable scenes together, though really, could they have at least given us more of Rom and Ram? And finally, Plutia and her rather exciting alter-ego once again never fails to be as sadistically hilarious as usual with her perverted antics. You can’t go wrong with Hanazawa mixed with sadomasochism.

This department has one crucial problem with the gushing about the characters themselves. There are hardly any other characters in the Neptunia universe that either don’t appear or aren’t shown very often. One of the best characters in the 2nd Neptunia game was NISA. Unfortunately, she is nowhere to be found, not even in a cameo appearance which is quite unfair considering that at least 5pb is shown only twice. The only reason for this is that they wanted to hold them off for a sequel because they haven’t appeared chronologically where the show is adapting, right?

The plot for the show follows nearly every single game that has come out. The writers honestly try to put different spins on it by placing characters in various roles that they were initially suited for another one, i.e., Neptune doesn’t get transported to an extra dimension like in Victory. Yet, she still falls on Noire amusingly enough, and this time Plutia gets transported into their world instead of the other way around. At this point, it’s clear that the writers didn’t want to put their time and effort into fitting all 300+ hours combined of all three of the games and wanted to make one show that isn’t trying to be a point to point adaptation but instead represents the entire series as a whole in spirit. So with this in mind, many plot points in previous games aren’t shown or bothered with, which isn’t bothersome considering how some aren’t needed. Unfortunately, there are some points in the show where the rushed plots could’ve worked for the better.

What makes the Neptunia series addictive and fun to play and experience? If you ask any fans, including myself, it sure isn’t for drama or profound moments in any of the games. Not only did they have the will and power to make a show into anything they wanted based on the core concept, but they decided to put in their effort in putting two or three episodes devoted to those two aspects I mentioned before. First off, the drama wasn’t very well-handled anyway in the previous games before Victory, which is by far the least serious of the bunch. Second, if you want to put drama into your moe comedy show, at least try to put more effort into making it believable and somewhat endearing. Granted, the episodes devoted to this aren’t that many, but it can leave a sour taste in your mouth regardless of the quantity of uninvolved drama thrown into you and expects us to be invested in it. Hell, there aren’t that many newly added comedic scenes that have not been seen before in any games, with only a select few that are somewhat amusing.

Thankfully, all original voice actresses from the games are here and fill in their respective roles with the same amount of chemistry as in fun. Amai Isumi, once again, never fails to embark into dangerous territory in becoming the next queen of Tsundere voice acting. Rie Tanaka has perfect charisma whenever she works as Neptune and successfully fulfills Neptune as a larger-than-life character. With our two leading ladies getting out of the way, our supporting cast consists of Yui Horie, Kana Asumi, Rina Satou, Yui Ogura, Kaori Ishihara, Kana Hanazawa, and Eri Kitamura. All of them make for a terrific ensemble cast. You couldn’t have asked for better casting than all of them combined.

To conclude my thoughts, Neptunia the Animation isn’t a terrible show to sit through. It’s one of the better video game adaptations out there, whether or not how much you care a lot for the medium in general. It is not something you would recommend to your friend if he wanted to get into the Neptunia universe firsthand. They’ll most likely think of it as nothing but pure moe pandering at its purest if they aren’t into that whole thing already. It is nothing more than pure fan service to the people who play the games to see the static portraits come to life before their eyes, even if the result isn’t as mind-blowing as previously expected. If you are a fan like me by chance, you could probably try to see what is in store and how it is taken in animation. You’re better off just firing off another new game, plus my fellow Neptunia brethren.

Grade: C

Have you ever wanted to wake up in an anime world? Ever thought of going to a world where there's cute girls, cool technology, and having fun nearly all day every day? I'm not talking about dreaming about it but rather going into one. If I had a choice to journey to any world, it would be Gamindustri, a futuristic world where the fun almost never ends. Well, that's all fiction but there's one thing that came to reality...and that's the fact Hyperdimension Neptunia finally gets its own anime adaptation! The anime is based off of the game of the same name that debuted in 2010as a role-playing game developed by Idea Factory. Apparently, it takes place in the world of Gamindustri where its land is dominated by cute girls who are able to transform into gorgeous young ladies in order to fight off enemies to their homeland. As for the series itself, it is composed of mainly a female cast with all sorts of character designs and personalities.

The series takes place in Gamindustri that is divided by four regions - Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox. Apparently, there's a region goddess that rules its region. There used to be conflicts between each region but lately, they have reached a truce and now settles for peace. Yes, that means goodbye to war and hello to happiness.

The show's title follows a main female character named Neptune (same name as the planet of the Solar System). She is the goddess of Planeptune. However, at most occasions, we see her as a cute and innocent child that is quite cheerful with her friends. At other times, she is also naïve, clueless, and seems to jump straight into action without thinking. In other words, she's the type of girl who rushes into action without a plan. (usually) Her transformation as Purple Heart though gives more much more mature appearance both physically and mentally.

That's just one quarter of the iceberg though.

There's also the tsundere Noire (Black Heart). Representing a more independent character, she often hide her cute side when people are not watching. And furthermore, she represents perhaps a perfect tsundere with her personality throughout the show. There's also Blanc as someone whom possesses a short temper with a foul mouth. At many occasions, she seems to only care about what's going around her but deep down truly does care about her friends. Finally, last but not least is Vert, a guardian of the land Leanbox whom is considered more of a mature lady. She can be seen as calm as well as being polite to many people. As now we have the four Goddeses in check, they are the central characters that makes Gamindustri as what it is today. As they are now at peace, their relationship are much better than what is assumed previously. The slight problem here might be what happened in the past that seems to be omitted from the series altogether. I have not played the games before but it would be nice to get a deeper insight on the planet's origins and backgrounds. However, the show makes it up with its lighthearted humor and relationships. Among its many characters, there's a sense of sisterly bond. Despite the fact that many of the characters sometimes gets into fights over pity things, it's clear that they deeply care for each other at important situations. A clear evidence of this is seen in the aftermath of one of the earlier battles and more so later on against more dangerous adversaries. Although most of the characters are appealing, they lack any sort of progression. The character interactions feels real though but sometimes leaves it off in ways that are too simple.

Choujigen Game Neptune: The Animation follows more of a fantasy format so expect fantasy elements like the various creatures involved throughout each episode. Some of them are simple child's play while other brings more of a threat to the main characters. This can be seen in the earlier episodes when the Goddesses finds themselves in a complicated situation. Everyone tries to be a hero but not everything goes according to plan at first. Sometimes though, they have to rely on the younger generations to get them out of that sticky end. Even though some of these conflicts are presented as dangerous to the characters, there's also a sense of parody that crosses the line in them. This can be interpreted by the positions the characters gets stuck in with their lascivious figures shown at various camera angles. One other episode involving a 'torture' like scene can be viewed as a parody as one of the Goddesses gets a taste of her worst nightmare.

The story involves the main characters but often times follows no direct linear story. There's some episodes connected together as a form of mini arc but most of them gets resolved rather quickly. Perhaps the pacing is a problem here at only 12 episodes but it often feels like the show is rushing into ideas. These ideas involves the girls doing battle against enemies, having fun, and interacting with one another mostly in a playful manner. After all, war between the regions are over and it's all peace now.

As the series is dominated by a female cast, there's that sense of fan service coming in. Even the younger characters gets their own spotlights. These usually comes from the transformation scenes. The transformation sequences are designed and animated as being plastered with fan service. The scenes usually depict the girls torn to their underwear with their bodies glowing as their curves are focused at various camera angles. The aftermath of the transformation presents an outfit with much skin showing in a dangerous way. Of course, shows like Neptunia isn't the first show to follow these type of style in transformation sequences. Other series such as Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, and Shugo Chara also follows a similar format in which young girls are destined with a gift. Just be aware though that if you're coming into the show fresh, get ready to be showered with fan service. It's not pervasive but can definitely raise some eyebrows.

Surprisingly enough, some of the action scenes are impressive in the beginning. Perhaps this could involve the the threat of a certain antagonist in its earlier stages. However, this doesn't last too long because what follows later are a more degrading level of what originally was presented. Here I thought villains gets stronger and more dangerous in fantasy shows. Otherwise, the show traces this a bit backwards. The action itself in the show has some intense movements though. It's clear to see a large gap in power difference between the girls' regular selves and their transformation versions. The way they fight shows that they are capable of defending themselves and protect what they treasure. Each of them seems to have a different ability that matches their characters. Even the younger characters are capable of displaying their own powers with a dangerous outlook. It tells a story of 'don't judge a book by its cover'. In this case, that story comes true especially when the younger girls plays on the role of heroines themselves.

Being labeled as a parody, expect plenty of comedy. There's the various cosplays, the humorous dialogues (some of them refer to a more suggestive way of speaking), and other gags. Fourth walls are also sometimes broken here and there. There's also a feast of moe and cutey moments involving the younger characters. A certain character in the show also has a cute hobby that she tries to hide from others but is discovered later on involving references to other shows such as Steins;Gate and K-On tracing back to the idea of various cosplaying. There's even a case of food feeding that can be seen as both humorous and also a bit erotic. The ending of almost every episode plays on a parody for a entertaining way of previewing. And as previously mentioned before, prepare for fan service as the series doesn't omit the beach episode complete with the curves and swimsuits. Overall, expect parody on top of parody like pouring ketchup.

The animation gives off a very fantasy like theme. Gamindustri is designed to look futuristic and is exactly as that with its technology. The beasts and lands are colored with rich visuals and often or not makes it seem like a dream to be there. As this review mentioned before, I wouldn't mind going into this world and live out such a dream. The character designs are also created to give each character a different outlook of diversity. Furthermore, the characters after transformation presents that mature way in which we can instantly see after going through the sequences. Although everything looks and fits right, the series' craftsmanship in the art department feels quite generic and not too stable.

If you have headphones, I would only plug them in for battle scenes and more touching moments. Otherwise, the OP song fits too much for a girly tone. Then, there's the various shutouts throughout some episodes. I find some characters' voices a bit itchy to the ears with their high pitched voices. Additionally, the OST of the comedy scenes sometimes is looked past with the repetitive comedy itself. However, do enjoy the battle OST though as they give a more intense sequence. The ED song can also raise some eyebrows with its animated scenes.

Ultimately, Neptunia is a show that can attract you in an odd way. What I mean though is in a way that makes you want to forget but sometimes come back to remember what you've watched. There are occasions during the show where I hope to forget what I just saw but then later realize how fun it is. However, the repetitive comedy and fan service sometimes becomes a dull to watch. Furthermore, the story itself can turn down some folks if they are into a more concrete written plots. But still, if entertainment is your aim, then give Neptunia a shot. For me, this show is a fun ride; not an entirely memorable ride but had its fun moments. Ah, I would like to buy some ticket to a space rocket to fly to Gamindustri someday. If only....

As a big, humungous, obnoxious fan of the Hyperdimension Neptunia video games, I was overjoyed to hear that it was getting an anime adaption. Studio David had us believing that they were going to do pretty well by this adaption. And in the first few episodes, that’s the impression you get. But from there on, it all goes downhill. It’s unfortunate, but the end product turned out to be a bit of a rushed mess that only captured a fraction of what was so loveable about the games. The first thing that’s noticeably off about this adaption is the character designs. Tsunako, the original characterdesigner, is practically the master of detailed and attractive moe character designs. These designs don’t translate too well into this anime. The designs just don’t look as good as Tsunako’s. There were even some shots where the characters looked sloppy, uneven, and oddly proportioned. To be fair, it can be difficult to adapt designs from a game into an anime using a completely different character designer. But it isn’t as if it’s impossible. The anime adaptions of Tales of the Abyss and Persona 4 are two in particular that succeeded in looking very close to their original character designs. And AIC did a much better job of adapting Tsunako’s designs in the Date a Live anime.

The animation is not bad, but nothing spectacular. There are some flashy transformation scenes that we’re treated with that are never to be seen in the later episodes. The backgrounds are bright and colorful, fitting with the spirit of the series. The fight scenes are very minimal, not serving as much excitement in terms of action.

Another gripe I had with this adaption is how they portrayed the characters. The girls of Hyperdimension Neptunia are loveable and hilarious. There’s a girl out there for everyone to love: the tsundere, the yandere, the genki girl, the little sister character, the rich girl, and much much more. It’s true, they are typical anime archetypes that we’ve seen time and time again. But what made them fun was the comedic banter and playful interactions between the characters. In the anime, these interactions aren’t always as fun or funny as they were in the game.

Not only that, but Studio David literally shoved two games worth of characters into a twelve episode anime. Yes, over twenty characters had to duke it out for screen time in an incredibly short show. So to remedy this, they gave the most popular characters, Noire, Neptune, and Nepgear the most screentime, while neglecting and sometimes outright ignoring other characters. Fans of the three most popular characters won’t mind at all, but it sucks for those of us who are bigger fans of the other characters.

In the game, the girls may have been typical archetypes but they rocked it and even made fun of it several times. There’s no self-awareness in the anime so they just seem like generic characters, and to make it even worse the anime sometimes wants us to actually take it seriously. What is this sorcery!?

The Neptunia games have always been about jokes, good fun, parody, and humor. But here we go with the melodrama in this anime. Cringeworthy melodrama at that. The Neptunia games have never been about being serious. Even in moments that seemed serious, someone would crack a joke or do something silly to remind us “Hey! This is a parody you know!” The melodramatic moments aren’t handled well, and they stand awkwardly next to whole episodes that involve silly humor and jokes. It’s off putting and it’s just not Neptunia.

Here’s a fun fact: One possible ending in the second game was one that was incredibly shocking, dramatic, way too serious, and a bit disturbing. The fans hated it so much that Compile Heart chose not to include anything like it in the third game. Okay. So it’s been established that the fans don’t like that sort of thing. So what made Studio David think it was a good idea to put seriousness in the anime as well?

My last gripe with this adaption is the overall execution. It’s a mostly original story, only loosely following the events of the second and third game while adding some new scenarios. This gave the story an enormous amount of potential. Unfortunately, as stated above, this story had no flipping clue what it wanted to do with itself. It jumps from serious to silly at the drop of a dime. It can’t decide if it wants to be an action anime or a slice of life anime. Characters are severely neglected to give the three most popular characters screen time. In turn, we get characters who we meet for one or (if they’re lucky) a few episodes and then quickly forget about, such as CFW Trick, Linda, Abnes, and Anonydeath, who were hilarious characters in the game. Their origins don’t resemble what they were in the game; in fact, they are sometimes not even mentioned at all. So they appear then disappear and we aren’t supposed to care or even notice. Good god, I could have directed this anime while drunk.

Now despite my harsh criticisms, I did enjoy this anime a little bit. And it does have some redeeming qualities. The voice acting is as good as it’s ever been, with most of the voice actors reprising their roles from the game. The soundtrack is a mix of original tracks with the splendid music from the game. The transformations, though only appearing a few times in the beginning are flashy and much nicer than the simple transformations they introduced in the second and third game.

There is a small sliver of the Neptunia spirit in the episodes that focus on parody and silliness. The video game references and jokes are still there and although the animation is subpar, it is nice to see your favorite Neptunia characters up and at ‘em. After all, the cutscenes in the games were mostly visual novel-esque scenes.

Overall, this adaption is not good but not terrible either. It’s hard to recommend this to anyone who isn’t already a diehard fan of Neptunia. One who is just being introduced to the series through the anime might not have a positive impression of the series at the end. The second and third games would be an ideal starting place if you’re looking to get in to Hyperdimension Neptunia and experience it in its original, silly, over the top glory. If you’re going to watch the anime first anyway, it’s imperative that you keep an open mind and not write off the entire franchise due to this anime. Studio David really did try, but the end product just wasn’t as good as it could have been.

I am a HUGE overzealous fan of the Hyperdimension Neptunia games, and have even garnered myself a bit of a reptutation on DeviantART by creating "Custom Canvas Textures for use within the second and third games in the console series. (mk-2 & Victory) I LOVE this anime, i think they did a great job mixing the plots of the games together to create a comprehensive story line for an anime that i believe is probably only ever going to have this one season. The art is beautiful and vibrant, and the character designs are as close to the game as possible without Tsunako doing theanimation alone. The sound quality is great and it's very funny and entertaining.

As for the drawbacks, there are only 2 that really stand out to me. This is NOT a series you can just pick up just because....because the characters personalities and the humor don't make a lot of sense without playing the games.

The second Drawback is the English dub....at least for me, as a fan of the games. Because, They replaced 4 different characters actresses, and they chose to do an English dub for a song, which is one of my pet peeves when it comes to anime. the fact that that song also happens to be the song for the opening sequence of one of the games, makes it even more annoying to me.

And lastly, the first thing i thought when i watched the English dub of the anime was "wow, i just noticed that the more Purple Heart talks, the less cool she sounds." Because in the games, she doesn't talk all that much, and when she does, she's usually doling out either a good passive-aggressive insult, or passing on a few words of friendship and wisdom. So hearing her talk so much in the anime took some getting used to, but i understand why she talks more, it would be boring if The main character who by all standards, in her human form, is a regular chatty Cathy, were to stop talking when she transformed into her Goddess form.

Altogether, i give it a 9/10 for fans of the game, and a 8 out of 10 for others.

Some people may like this anime, but for me, oh Jesus. I'd just like to say that I have a weird anime rating I use, and weird tastes in anime, so I know I'm going to get like 5 million dislikes. And excuse this long post/rant, I need to get it out of my system. =__=" Choujigen Game Neptune, the only anime that has really made me disgusted and pissed off (Since the 2nd half of Sword Art Online). I had to even drop this anime, because I seriously could not handle it. I don't even mind getting mindf*cked by something like RahXephon or Evangelion (Which totally don'tmake sense by the way).

There are so many gripes I have with this anime, it's not even funny. Seriously.

I've been hearing positive reviews about the game, sayings it's great and funny, however this 'anime' adaption, is just really pathetic.

Am I watching some sort of super censored hentai? Because what happens a lot, is that the characters are so pathetically weak, that they make 'iiyaah' cries like every 5 bloody second. Why?

It tries hard to be a comedy, but I couldn't even smile at any of it, and I was watching this anime with moderately high expectations, was expecting an anime that was comedic, fun to watch, and something that wouldn't annoy the 'shaizen' out of you.

Also the characters, why the hell does so much damn drama need to be in an anime about these 'happy go round' looking girls? And Neptune? Oh Christ, she is one of the most annoying characters I've ever seen, it's like,

"How on the planet Namek, did you become a Goddess?"

Isn't this an anime about 4 'Goddesses' trying to maintain the treaty for peace? I understand that there has to be some form of enemy for plot, but come on! They didn't have to do the anime the way it is.

Like that one scene where they are trapped in some form of 'Anti-Magic' pyramid, was it really (REALLY REALLY) necessary to pose them in some what of a sexual position?

I will make a comment on the art however, it is pretty to watch, vibrant, many nice looking colours, and yet, with all this visual appeal, it was so disappointing. I really do like the art, I really do, and yet even with a pretty exterior, it cannot hide how hideous it really is.

Let's do a Character summary shall we?

Neptune - The annoying lazy one, can make you go insane. Could of been portrayed better, in my opinion. Nuff said.

Blanc - Her character to be both 'quite' then 'loud' was really poorly executed, and I'm thinking it was her character personality design flaw, or just maybe her voice actor.

Vert - She was some what okay, was mildly surprising she liked Online Games. She's an alright character.

Noire - In all honesty, Noire was the character I didn't mind watching the most, surprisingly. She did not seem annoying, nor did she make me want to throw a rice ball at a fish.

Forget the little sisters and the 'Villain'.

In all of this, seriously, don't watch this, it's not all 'cutesy' as it seems, there is a lot of unnecessary drama, and a lot of 'iyaa' type screaming.

And I know I am bashing this anime, a lot. I don't care.

I'd give the game a go, just to see if this is the anime the game needs, but being a Japanese Title on PlayStation 3 (and with pretty much 100% expectancy to not come to the English speaking audience), I would have absolutely no clue on what is happening.

Sorry again about the rant. (-__-)

*This review comes from a fan of the video games.* When an anime of Hyperdimension Neptunia was announced, I got excited. I’m a fan of the series (except for the first game; that game was terrible) so naturally I was really looking forward to the anime. The games played well, the dialogue scenes had great graphics, and the characters were likeable for the most part. Depending on if you’re a fan of moe or not, you can even say the voice acting is a strong point. However, the gameplay is what truly kept me playing the games. Western reviewers even praised the RPG gameplay ofthe latest game, Victory, when Western reviewers are usually very critical of Japanese RPGs. So how would the anime turn out without one of the core aspects? What we got was what the fans wanted, but it may alienate those who are unfamiliar with the series.

Story: The series itself is a parody of the video game industry. There are 4 goddesses who rule over 4 countries: Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox. Those countries represent the video game companies Sega, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. With the exception of Sega, these companies fight the modern day “console wars”. The console wars formed the basis of the first Hyperdimension Neptunia game, but in the anime, they chose to focus on the second game, mk2, and Victory, the third game. At the start of the anime, the 4 countries sign a peace treaty that prevents the taking of Shares (the source of power in the world) by force. So you can say that the story of the anime is split into mk2’s arc and Victory’s arc. Story has never been the game’s strongest point and, unfortunately, the same goes true for the anime. The series is at its best when its being what it’s supposed to be: a parody. So drama does not fit well into the series and that’s where my problem with the story lies. At times, it’s too serious when it really shouldn’t be. A couple of times the drama does work, but for the most part, it really doesn’t fit in. The series is actually at its best when there is no story and the characters are just messing about and making references to the video game industry. The overall story the anime tells is half-decent but it’s certainly not the best story ever.

Characters: The characters can either make or break the series. Depending on taste, you can love the cast, or hate it. The 4 main characters: Neptune (Planeptune), Noire (Lastation), Blanc (Lowee), and Vert (Leanbox) are the goddesses who rule over their respective countries. The three former goddesses have younger sisters who are also a big part of the plot. The main characters don’t get a ton of character development in the games and the same runs true in the anime. If you don’t like them at face value, then the chances of them growing on you are pretty low. The characters who actually get the most development are the aforementioned younger sisters. The series’ most popular characters are Neptune, Noire, and Nepgear, Neptune’s younger sister. It was clear that they focused a lot on these three characters throughout the show while putting the other characters aside. Although Blanc and Vert are main characters, they get less screen time than Nepgear, who’s a supporting character. Standout characters from the anime are Nepgear and Plutia/Pururut who make big impacts in the show. The other characters are hit or miss depending on what kind of characters you like.

Art: The art style is an appropriate moe type. The characters are well-drawn and designed. The games do look significantly better though. I was initially disappointed with the art style but it grew on me over time. The animation is average for most of the show but more focus is put on the action scenes.

Sound: The soundtrack does a decent job in being appropriate in their scenes. There are a couple of standout tracks like “Ryuusei no Bifrost”, which played during the fight scene of the first episode, and “Kirihirake! Glazy Star!” which played at the beginning of the third episode. These two themes are the openings from the first and second game respectively. The series is known for its great opening songs and “Dimension tripper!!” does a good job living up to expectations. The voice acting cast is quite prestigious, featuring big names like Rie Tanaka, Yui Horie, Eri Kitamura, and Kana Hanazawa. You may or may not like their performances though; it all depends on how much you like moe voices. If I had to choose standout roles, it would be Asami Imai as Noire, Yui Horie as Nepgear, and Yuu Kobayashi as Rei Ryghts. They handle their roles appropriately and are believable. The sound effects are nothing too special for an action anime.

Enjoyment: How much you enjoy this anime will likely depend on if you like moe, have knowledge of the video game industry, and if you have played the games. If you said yes to all three, then you’ll probably like what you watch. That’s the best way to get the most enjoyment out of this show. One thing I do need to point out is that this series does contain quite a bit of fanservice throughout. Fanservice is old news to fans of the games but seeing them animated instead of CG scenes gives them new meaning. Fanservice is something you need to factor in as well.

I tried to be as unbiased as possible when I wrote this review. This is not the perfect adaptation of the games that I was hoping it would be but it represents the series faithfully. It was still an enjoyable watch for a fan of the series even without gameplay. As a fan of the series you’re going to see a different score on my list. But this is the score I’m giving for this review.

Story: 5/10

Characters: 7/10

Art: 8/10

Sound: 8/10

Enjoyment: Dependent on a variety of factors. Personally: 8/10

Overall: 7/10

I've always been kind of interested in the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise, though I never checked out the games. There were people I knew who stood by them as fun and entertaining games well worth exploring, but the abysmal critical reception the series received virtually everywhere in the west made me reticent. Ultimately I decided to put my gaming budget toward what I perceived to be surer things, but I have long wondered if I'm missing out. That's why, when I heard about Hyperdimension Neptunia the anime, I was rather excited for it. I figured it would be a good chance to get a glimpse ofthis series and finally see what it was all about. Having followed it for a while, I'd say it's hardly terrible, but at the same time I'm not really sure it'd be fair to make any conclusions about the series of games based on what we have here.

Neptunia comes to us from David Production, a fairly young studio who I have almost no familiarity with at least when it comes to main production credits. If this show is any indicator, they do pretty solid work. The show looks good. Art is strong, animation smooth. The action is appealingly slick and the characters are well detailed. Sound is good too; it's got a great voice cast who all turn in solid enough performances. The opening theme teeters on the brink of being overly sugary for me, but retains enough charm that I don't often skip, and the ending theme is pretty fun. All in all, I can only think of good things to say about the production.

The problem for Neptunia comes in the story and characters. The characters, really just aren't very well established. I know this is a game tie in, and I'm sure it expects that a majority of the audience will know and love the characters already, but still it could have done a better job of introducing everything for newcomers. Characters are introduced suddenly and sometimes it's not really clear who they are or why they're relevant. Only after watching for a while do you get a sense of who the characters are, which makes it hard to connect with them. The characters on their own are a distinctive enough bunch on their own, I guess. it's kind of hard to judge them, but they're likable and most of the designs are pretty sharp and appealing. At the same time, going strictly by what the show covers, there's nothing really especially memorable here character wise.

The story is equally frustrating. The world the characters occupy is not very well defined just going by this anime. Evidently it's all supposed to be an allegory for the gaming industry, as some names make especially clear, but the meaning of what unfolds and how it relates to anything is hard to determine. The story sort of feels simultaneously lightweight and impenetrable and just isn't ultimately very compelling. I'm kind of really not sure what to make of it. It's passable, I guess, and I don't feel like its insulting my intelligence or anything, it just doesn't really do much of interest.

All that said I can't say I disliked the time I spent watching Neptunia. No, it's well made and kind of fun. It can be funny and charming at times, which really helps make it a more enjoyable experience. It'll depend on personal taste of course. This anime is all about moe and ecchi anime girls, so if that kind of stuff usually makes you roll your eyes with contempt, I can't imagine you'll have much use for this at all. Again, I imagine this show is much better for fans of the game, and not being familiar with it is probably where a lot of my problems with it come from. At the same time, I strongly believe that anime series should be able to stand completely on their own just fine regardless of the source material. This anime doesn't fully do that, which takes away from it all for me even if it can often be a relatively fun watch. As such, the best I can give it is a seven, and only a mild recommendation for those interested who aren't already fans.

Before I start this review, it should be stated that I was already a notable fan of the video games beforehand. When I heard that my favorite video games which had a few credible names working on them: Keiji Inafune and Nobuo Uematsu with the Earthbound Papas, I was thrilled! The only immediate problem for someone walking straight into the anime is that it makes no effort re-introducing a newcomer to the lore and characters of Gamindustri. That was probably done for several reasons, one such being to not keep any newcomers from the video games. Still, I fear it can cause some confusion andavert the attention of someone who might've been interested in the show.

On the other hand, one might be able to catch on to who the characters and their respective countries are supposed to represent. For the reader to get the gist: the different countries of Gamindustri (pronounced "Game Industry"), are satirical representations of Sega (Planetune), Playstation (Lastation), Nintendo (Lowee), and XBox (Leanbox). The story of the anime does a clever mix of each of the video games' stories. The ultimate plot being an enigmatic force working to take revenge on the countries of Gamindustri.

The anime was very well done and for those who enjoy seeing transformation sequences, humor, and every now and again a touchy scene will definitely enjoy this show. Again, the story was scored slightly lower on account of no detailed explanation of Gamindustri's universe. If you ignore that or are already a fan of the video games, the anime is very enjoyable. The art is true to the games and the sound is as well. The opening sequence changes in terms of animation at some point, but still has the same amazing song that adds to my pride as a programmer. The characters are always fun to watch and the show itself is a good time.

One might not appreciate every aspect of the show, but it depends on your tastes. It's not the world's greatest masterpiece either, but it's probably not intended as such. That being said, this show come highly recommended.

I'll be honest here, If you haven't played the game(the anime is based of a game) for this series then odds are you wont like it. The story isn't deep, there little to no character development and somethings are just plain wacky.Then why did I give it such a big score? If you played the game then you already know what your walking into. The game doesn't even take itself seriously, it continuously breaks the 4th wall and its just one huge gag while it tries to be funny. For people like me who have played the game then this anime is the best thingever because we get to see the character animated and moving around, not just a picture of them talking on screen. This is why the people who have played the game give it good scores, because it gave us what we wanted out of the series we already know. If you haven't played the game then don't take it seriously. If your where looking for a silly anime then you just found it.

The story is centered around Neptune and her younger sister Nepgear as they try to save gamindustri alongside there friends. Its a pretty normal plot with a faction trying to conquer the world while the heroes tries to stop them. The story is just arcs from the game animated into a couple of episodes with a few changes. We get most of the characters ranging from the second game(MK2) to the third(victory). It was fun seeing Linda(underling) and pirachu walking around.

"Even villains can use the power of friendship!"

Things like this are what makes this series so enjoyable. It ranges from phrases like that to trying to get they're friends naked on the beach to trying to defeat killer foods. The neptunia cast is pretty large having a punch of different characters that accompany the protagonist through her journey. Some characters appear throughout the series that really get your hairs up if you know them from the game. You probably wont feel anything if your just watching the anime.

Another thing you would notice if you played the game is that they incorporated the game's music and themes into the soundtrack for the anime. It was great hearing those catchy tones again. it really set the mood for the anime. Yet again one would feel indifferent towards this if they haven't played the game.

The art is a 10/10 with no question. Sure there are far better animations out there but thats not whats important. Just seeing the characters speak and move around, have their hands and just be themselves is enough. Thats the prime reason why I watched the anime.

The anime to me was like icing on the cake for the game. If you played the game then this is your dessert. if you only watched the anime then your just eating Icing alone. Not that fun. If you are thinking of getting into the neptunia world then start of with the second and third game of the series. Overall I found this series to be great, a fun watch.

Forewarning: I am not a fan of the game, and I watched this anime due to the nice art it seemed to contain so I am judging this as a anime watcher, not a fan. Story:7 The story was interesting, however both the reviews on here as well as my initial feels for the show after watching it have me in agreement that it was extremely rushed, with at least a good 2 seasons, if not 3 crammed into 12 episodes. I also was a little turned off by the fact it was all female cast, and I mean ALL female, to the extent of which itlooked like a matriarchy.

Art:7

The art was pretty good, definitly could have been better but it had its perks.

Sound:9

The sound was probably the best part of the anime in my opinion, with a really good intro as well as outro, which I liked listening to.

Character:6

While the attitudes and phrases the characters said, like "an arrow to the knee" and other video game references were awesome, I did notice that some of the character designs weren't all that original per say. Theres the rich girl, the hyper girl, the sisters, the brats, the funny perverts, as well as many other ones I fail to mention. I gave this section a lower ranking though because of the...well here it is, lack of male characters. I do get that this is a female based show with focus on the female cast, however this anime takes it way beyond that and has you wondering where the hell all the men are at. Throughout this entire anime, and I was looking XD, there was not a single male human character. There were some other characters who were male, however the closest hint we got that there even was the idea of a male human was on a cover of a manga that was made by one of the characters. However, the game designer made it like that, and I can't blame the anime producers for the script that was in front of them.

Overall:7

Overall, I would have to give this anime a 7. While it certainly lacked male characters which took away from my personal enjoyment, I won't ignore the fact that it did well in other areas as well, which it did.

Neptunia is a game franchise from Compile Heart and Idea Factory. They are solid games, albeit with some issues, and their Lily system is one of the best things in any video game. Seriously, more games need a system where yuri makes the characters stronger. In 2013 there was an anime version, separate in storyline from any of the games. It was handled by David Production, the same studio behind Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. It's only the second anime I've seen where they were responsible for the main production. How well does it hold up? Story: The Console Wars are coming to an end in the great landof Gamindustri as the four Goddesses, Neptune, Noire, Blan and Vert, sign a treaty of friendship that will prevent their nations from taking Shares from one anther by force. Thereby allowing all of them to work for the betterment of their own nations. But all is not well. During a joint excursion with Neptune, Noire is forced out of her HDD form by an unknown force. Meanwhile, an activist named Kiseijou Rei is trying to stir people against the Goddesses.

Actually, the narrative blends elements from several different Neptunia games, mostly the second and third and that's the biggest problem with it. The games themselves took several hours to flesh out events that get glossed over in one or two episodes of the anime. As a result, the anime feels like a watered down version of those two games. The story would have worked better if they'd stuck to one game plot or done something completely original. The anime also has some uncomfortable moments surrounding its usage of the character, Trick. Which is kind of a weird choice both because he is needlessly gross and since, in the game, he's part of a group of four and the other three never appear in the anime. It would be a bit like Marvel having the Human Torch appear in a big comic event where the rest of the Fantastic Four are neither seen nor mentioned.

To the series' credit, it does maintain its light-hearted aesthetic fairly well and there are a lot of good comedic moments. I will also give it credit for doing a decent job of tying the two game plots together and it mostly deals with the events that it lifts from those games decently enough, in spite of the more limited time frame. While they were much stronger in the games they aren't at all badly done here.

Characters:

The character portrayals are actually really faithful to the games. Neptune, Noire, Blanc, Vert, Nepgear, Uni, Rom, Ram, Compa, IF, Plutia, Peashy and the villains are all recognisable as themselves, even though you spend less time with them. I do respect that they left out some of the side characters instead of trying to cram all of them into the series just for the sake of having them. There are also a lot of well done character moments. I do like the idea of the younger sisters being ready friends while their elder sisters have to move past old hostilities. Even though it could have been handled better.

That isn't to say that the characters are done perfectly, however. There are some moments that just don't make sense, like Uni blaming Nepgear when their sisters are in trouble. In the actual game it made sense. In the anime the justification for it is really flimsy. There's also a plot point about Nepgear, Uni, Rom and Ram being unable to transform into their HDD forms yet and having to overcome their own inner struggles first. With Nepgear, we see her actual struggle and the way she overcomes it. It actually works pretty well. The other three just start transforming with no real explanation because... they discovered the true meaning of yuri, I guess.

Art:

The only real problem with the art is that it gets really fan-servicey at times. To be fair, that's also a problem that persists in the games and the art here doesn't look that different. I will also give both the anime and games credit for having the good sense to keep the fan-service scenes limited to the older characters. The anime looks very similar to the games' cut scene animations with the same vibrant, colourful style and character designs. I have to give it credit there. It mimics the game's style very well. I will give the anime credit for having really well done action sequences, too.

Sound:

Tanaka Rie, Imai Asami, Asumi Kana, Satou Rin, Horie Yui, Kitamura Eri, Ishihara Kaori and Ogura Yui all return as their respective Goddess and Goddess candidate roles and they all do really well. Really, the series has no weak performances. The actors from the games return to voice their respective characters and the result is some really strong acting. The music is really good as well. It largely has the upbeat style that you expect from Neptunia. I will say that the music for more serious moments isn't as good. It isn't bad, but it is kind of standard.

Ho-yay:

There's quite a bit of underlying yuri in the series, but the two biggest examples are Compa & IF and Vert & Nepgear. Especially Vert and Nepgear. Compa and IF come across as a married couple in this, or at the very least like two people who have had a long romantic relationship. Vert and Nepgear really get homo-erotic. There's a scene where Vert brings an archway covered with lilies to Planeptune so that she can cuddle up with Nepgear on a bench underneath it. She also tries to get Nepgear to refer to her as sister, used in the yuri sense obviously. When Neptune sees it she gets annoyed because they've apparently been doing this every day lately. Vert also refers to Neptune as her sister in law. Yeah, Vert and Nepgear raise their Lily rank right past five and into Red territory. Although I'm sure Red would be happy to see her "wifeys" getting along if she was in this. But they decided to save her character for the spin-off anime Choujigen Game Neptune: Red's Grand Adventure, coming Spring 2016. I say that in jest, but I would really love to see that as a real thing.

Final Thoughts:

This is one of those anime series based on a video game that's definitively for fans of the games. If you aren't familiar with the Neptunia franchise then the pacing is going to seem even more ridiculously hectic and you probably aren't going to have much investment. If you are a fan of the franchise you're going to figure out exactly what to expect from the plot very quickly but, to its credit, it does have its share of good moments and it features strong art in the exact vein of the games and superb performances. If you are a fan of the games, you'll probably like it fine for those aspects in spite of the predictable narrative. For myself, I give it a 6/10. Next week, let's look at a really bizarre adaptation.

TL:DR I watched this having never played the games but was on the fence about starting them. I am now playing the games. Its basically like the dead pool of anime with an insane amount of references to anime and video games. This is how a short anime that acts as an advertisement for your light novel/manga/game series should be. It is self contained story that had a beginning AND an end! Giving you a feel for the world and characters of the Neptunia universe. The voice actors for the games seem to be largely the same as for the anime which is a nice touch. Iwould recommend this even if you had no intention of playing the games

This is my first review, so please don't get at me if it's horrid. Yet, this anime of made off from one of my favorite video games and off the manga and deserves a review from me as a fan of it. I'll try not to add spoilers and such and I'll try not to rant about how this anime shouldn't have even been made into such a confusing fan serviced mess. Story: 2 | 3 Now, this anime tries to combine three games all together which does not work at all. I understand this anime if basically for the fans of the games/manga, based offsome of the lines that the anime stated; 'Oh, this is a fanboy episode' or stating that there was an 'anime' only character and that she was bland compared to the franchise based characters. It did 'somewhat' go through with the game's story yet it had so many different filler episodes that left the story cluttered for me personally.

The person I watched this with was totally unknown to the games/manga and they were totally lost with what even was going on with what this anime was suppose to be about. So I wouldn't recommend anyone who hasn't played the games or read the manga not watch this or else you would end up with a bunch of questions. I just wish the anime gave more of a background to what the goddesses are as CPU's or at least give the newbies more of an understanding as to what is going on with Gamindustri and how it works than just assume only the fans will be watching it.

Art & Sound: 6

Now, the art style for the anime was almost the only thing pleasant. They got the looks right. Yet, they tried censoring out as much as possible, giving Uni a one piece suit for her CPU outfit instead of the two piece. And yet they made the famous fan-serviced beach episode more skin like it was nothing? I just found it a bit absurd yet each to their own. The visuals were rather good through the fighting scene, I was pleased with the animation quality.

As for the sound, it was alright nothing special. The openings didn't really appeal to me but the songs were a good fit for the anime. Along with 5pb.'s singing, the sound left a good impression this was for the anime of Hyperdeminsion Neptunia.

Characters: 3

The character development of the characters were rather lacking to me. It literally focuses on Neptune, Nepgear, and some of Noire. Blanc, Vert, and everyone else basically gets pushed to the side and only show off their top traits. There are plenty of different types of characters though; tsundere, yandere, lolli, etc. Yet...they focused on the airhead (Neptune), the tsundere (Noire), and the popularly loved shy girl (Nepgear). As a Blanc fan, I was utterly disappointed not to see her more as the violent, foul mouthed yandere she is.

A main hit point is that the antagonists that are against the goddess' are not really doing much, like even resorting to using eggplants to defeat them...yes, eggplants. I felt that just made the antagonists into just dumb scum that are weak and are easily defeated, unlike how they really are as fellow game players know.

This part of the review is the one that disappointed me the most since the anime had so much potential and yet they focused on the popular girls of most of the fans. Fan service for the lost, here.

Enjoyment: 4

My enjoyment was actually great in the beginning, I was excited to see how the beloved video games would be turned into an anime. Yet as the episodes--actually felt more like fillers--continued, I started to get more upset with what they have done. Some episodes were not needed and that killed my enjoyment. It was rather tough to finish this to the end and even do the ova, knowing that the anime continued to get worse later on story wise.

Final Thoughts/Overall: 5

My overall thoughts were that this anime was poorly done for the fans and fan service. As a huge fan, I was not happy. Maybe because I'm a girl or that the anime was more attracted to the male fans, but I just felt this anime did not need to be made. It crushes the franchise a bit with how badly done this was made. Anyone new to this would be very confused until the end and would just lead them to think everything about Hyperdimension Neptunia is like this mess. If you are a fan and you are expecting something fantastic, I'd consider you do not because the anime lacks in a bunch of things. It's nothing like the games; not that funny, the character's personalities don't shine as much, and it just felt...off.

This anime is best experienced with alcohol. Ah Neptunia, Compa's Otaku Bait Cash Cow Franchise. For those of you unaware, Neptunia is basically game consoles as girls. And that's basically it. Really, just like the games, there really is nothing to this anime. There is no plot to this. Most of the anime is just fanservice that's just there to pander to the audience, and aside from that there's nothing special about this. Fight scenes are so-so, VA is passable (Compa's is terrible as usual), "serious" scenes are cringe-worthy and some of the jokes are just unfunny. So, is this anime worth watching? If you took a lookat my "Favorite Anime" list on my profile, you'd see this anime listed right smack dab in the middle of it. Yes, go watch this anime. I highly recommend it. Now this isn't me being sarcastic, there's just something about this anime that I enjoy to it.

It's not easy to describe. Maybe it's how cheerful and lighthearted the general atmosphere is; Maybe it's the appeal of seeing Iris Heart going S over everyone; Maybe it's Vert's Gainaxing; Maybe it's fun to see the cast transform. I dunno, this anime does all the major things poorly but does all the little things so well. I don't care why no males aside from one guy seem to exist in the universe, I don't care how the logistics of the universe works. Just turn off your brain and enjoy what is quite possibly the best "So Bad, It's Good" anime I've seen in years.

A definite guilty pleasure of mine.

3/10 (Biased score : 8/10)

Also Rei is just a great character.

Choujigen Game Neptune: The Animation, or as I call it Hyperdimension Neptunia, sets in a place called Gamindustri, or in English, Games Industry. The game and the anime adaptation is meant to be a parody of the game console wars that took place many years ago and still today. While Hyperdimension is meant to be comedy, parody, sci-fi series, it does has it moments of seriousness and tense moments. With saying that, it slightly falls flat due a fair and mediocre story line. Story: 6.5/10 When I watched the first episode, I honestly did not understand what the main plot was. It was only through reading whatthe game/anime is, I realise that it is based of the console wars. It took me a bit longer it was based on the competition with the Wii (Lowee), Leanbox (Xbox), Lastation (Playstation) and Planeptune (Sega Neptune). While some people may pick this up really easily, I personally did not realise this until sometime later.

With that in mind, the story of Hyperdimension is fair. There are moments that are funny, but also have gags that are not so. I particularly liked how Neptune blatantly states one of the episodes is a fanservice episode. While I do not mind at times, flat comedy, some many be put off the bland comedy. Furthermore, the story is not exciting and does not make me cringe for the next episode. Despite this, it does have some dramatic moments and for me personally, almost a tear jerking moment at episode 10. Overall, the story line is decent but not excellent.

Art: 9/10

I am super biased in this area. The sole reason I decided to pick up this is the cute art design. Each of the characters look really cute and appealing and it is pleasing to watch. While the colours may be a bit vibrant for some and the animated fight scenes a bit lackluster, the moe and cuteness factor wins for me. However, if you are a kind of person who does not care about this, the art many not be good as I say.

Sound 7/10

The OP and ED songs are catchy. Not the best but still nice to listen. That is if you like really poppy girly music. The VA are nicely voiced but some may be annoyed with Neptune's voice as it can be irritating at times. The OST is decent but not particularly memorable. The OST in the action scene do bring out the intense moments. Overall solid effort in terms of sound.

Character: 7/10

For a comedy, parody, sci-fi genre, the characters are not going to be development as much as a drama anime. Nevertheless, the characters are decent but a bit cliché. During the first half of the series, it mostly focuses on the sisters development as they grow and learn to trust in their own abilities. Later on it builds up Neptune's relationships with certain characters. Characters are mostly likable with some minor characters annoying me at times. Nevertheless, characters are made fairly solid.

Enjoyment: 8/10

I personally enjoyed Hyperdimension a lot. It does not take itself very seriously and is mostly funny at times. While it does have its dull moments, it mostly picks itself back up with some humorous moments or intense fight scenes. However, if you are kinda of person who can be easily bored, it may not be as enjoyable.

Re-watch factor: High

I would personally re-watch it again. While I won't watch it back immediately, I definitely pick it up again when i start running out of animes (that is if I run out).

Is this anime for me?

Depends. If you are person who does not easily get bored, enjoys a comedy, sci-fi, parody anime and can handle a fair to mediocre plot, then sure why not. Hey I don't even mind a second season (depends if it is popular enough).

This is probably one of the most outdated reviews ever for a really unpopular show. But recent events got me into a neptunia phase so I felt like writing this review. Bear in mind that I only re-watched a few episodes before writing this review because I'm lazy and I have not played many of the games. Let's start the review. First off, people have called this anime a not so great adaption to the video games. But what anime based off a video game is? (I can't think of any) Even for anime standards it is not so great. Little to no story, no fleshedout characters, terrible villains e.t.c. And yes, I will agree to those statements. But why am I giving it such a decent score? In the words of Sokka "This is the wacky, time wasting nonsense I've been missing!" (ATLA, Season three, The Fire Emblem Players) And this is exactly what this series is; wacky, time wasting nonsense. Every week I would look forward to watching because of the crazy jokes in this series.

Story-5

I would give this part a lower score for the fact that there is basically no story. But how it set itself up was good. So I will keep it at this score. You can read what the story is at the synopsis and that is really all there is to it. And the four goddesses and their sisters working together to protect the lands and stuff like that after signing the treaty. Now I am making this sound like a random mess of events but it's not. *cough*cough*Pupa*cough*cough*. The episodes progress with each other like any other standard anime but you won't feel like there is a story to their overall actions, and everything will lead up to some pointless climax. Which is true. But the enjoyment will be in their actions.

Art-8

I'll keep this brief since I suck at reviewing art.

The Art

The characters are well drawn, and the scenery looks really nice.

The Animation

Nice bright vibrant colors. Nice animation effects.

Sound-7

Not much to say here. The opening is nice. The ending, not so much. The background music is fine. It blends in very well with the scenes which makes it good, but unnoticeable since it blends in so well.

Character-6

There are a lot of characters. And for a series that focus on the four goddesses, we see more development within their sisters. We do see that the goddesses have a personality develop throughout the series, what they like, dislike and what peeves them off. But for actual character development, the goddesses sisters get the most development. We see their sisters gaining power and unlocking their powers. Even though it was done early on and there will be almost no character development afterwards, I felt like it was done well. Somewhat cliche, but done well.

Enjoyment-9

This is where I felt this anime truly shines. But this is also where it boils down to personal preference. The crazy, random comedy in this show never failed to put a weird grin on my face. But the comedy is also quite stupid and cliched. The characters all had a surprise to them that made me gawk for a few seconds. Again the characters are flat, in more than one way, and are there to fulfill their stereotypes.

Overall-7

I used a less harsh scale to rate this anime, that is why the scores are so high. But if I used my regular scale, this thing would fall flat on it's face, and it would not be that accurate. This anime is a parody series. Never expect much from parody series. The score is much higher because my personal enjoyment weighs a little more than the story, characters e.t.c. Now. I would never recommend this series on a normal basis. But if some person was bored of the action packed, intriguing stories of normal animes, I would totally recommend this. This is literally just wacky, time wasting nonsense. And then the nonsense just boils down to personal preference. I am not recommend this to any of you who are reading this. But, if you are bored of normal animes or maybe just need something to get back in the anime mood, by all means go ahead and watch this. Not trying to recommend it, just trying to point it out as an option.

Eventough I was able to play only the first game from this series, due my lack of time, I got pretty much addicted and really loved it! Reading that it would be adapted, after those 3 years, has left me excited! And here I am, reviewing it right now! {STORY - 2/10} After many years fighting for the Shared Energy, the four godesses, each one representing a different nation (those being related to particular real-life gaming consoles), decided for peace between them, under the Friendship Agreement. This would cease their battles and prevent possible wars in the future. A few main events happen during the anime, butthe focus in here is upon Neptune. She has to learn how to act more like a source of hope to her people, in order to recover her Shared Crystal's stability, which gives power for her to transform into and maintain the HDD form, just like with the three other CPUs with their crystals.

{ART - 8/10}

The same style was used and this adaptation became really close to the original game on this matter. Overally gorgeous and amazing, the unique and futuristic theme featured in here is something to be glazed at, for sure. An wide set of distinct outfits and hairstyles are keep us from mistaking characters and the every nation's scenario has its own characteristics, some of them intentionally added as a reference to the most known makers from gaming history.

{SOUND - 9/10}

We shouldn't expect less from it. A fine and matching backgrounding, abusing from lots of different SFX and music, combined with a brand new opening song and two other ending ones take it to the next level! Maybe the strongest point, since effects used on every battles were very well chosen and the original voice casting was used!

{CHARACTERS - 6/10}

I may warn that this is an anime restricted to female characters. Absolutely no male protagonists (not even secondary). However, the outstandely huge variety of girls featured in here really make up for it. I guess that's what makes it so different when compared to other similar animes...

From what I saw, all characters' personalities remained intact, authentical when related to the video game. Neptune, always cheerful, doesn't care for important issues, like other the other CPUs. Maybe she was created to represent conventional gamers, who are unable to worry and try to run awah from everything by playing. Despite that, Neptune can turn into a real mature woman on her HDD form, capable of acting and thinking with more caution, showing a confident and reliable posture.

Noire is more of a tsundere (to-ta-lly). A sharp tongue and the way she always hides her true feelings are some reasons of why she's so incapable of relating to people and even with her little sister. Blanc didn't got much screen time, so making a profile about her is tough. Main points include coldness and an "easy-to-piss" attitude. She ends up being more mad than anything else. Vert is a true otaku, collecting stuff like posters, manga and games. Tender and sweet best describe the way she behaves among others and BL is one of her personal tastes (as many common girls, I believe).

The entire original cast made its appearance, including even Compa (Compile Heart) and IF (Idea Factory), both related to the developers, as well as CPUs' little sisters, who debuted on Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 and even 5pb!

{ENJOYMENT - 7/10}

At first, it was kind of weird to watch an animation based on a game. This is new to me so, like with Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka, I had no idea from what to expect. At the end, it was enjoyable, despite the huge amount of fanservicing (almost the entire anime), which is not much on the video game.

{OVERALL - 6/10}

It's about gaming. Everything relates to consoles or even computing matters, so it's nice to see a personification from the most famous systems nowadays. Also, every nation's scenario relates in some way with the respective device under its name and that just makes it more original. Nothing too special and you'll get a better experience from the games, but watching this is nice to get deeper into Neptunia series!

For those of you who are looking for a good anime with a deep plot, amazing characters, and total mind screwing, turn away because this is the exact opposite of what you’re looking for. Some anime watchers have those days where they just want to get away from the real world and would happily jump into an anime without any second thoughts. Just as a “by the way,” Hyperdimension Neptunia is one of those anime where it seems that males do not exist. If there are, they certainly don’t want to show themselves. The show itself has no real over-arching plot, but that’s the point. Nowlet’s get onto the review. Keep note that due to the formatting this show does, I will be comparing some aspects to the games.

Story (5)- There is only so much you can do trying to put two games into a 12-episode show and when you make everybody friends right from the get-go the conflict between the nations are gone. Even though the first arc was important, I was turned-off by the “fan-service” that is wires acting as tentacles. The second arc isn’t that spectacular either. With my main problems out of the way, let’s get into what I liked about it. The fact that there is no real plot is the main point of the show. To really enjoy this show, you have to just not take it seriously at all. I also found it humorous that goddesses could be little girls as well as do absolutely nothing and get away with it.

Characters (5) - I’ll be frank… I LOVE ALMOST EVERY CHARACTER. None of them are dislikable with the exception of CFW Trick (whom I have nicknamed Lickilicky) and a few others. While the characters are cardboard-cutouts of clichéd personalities, I rather enjoyed them. The four goddesses each represent some trait in people whether they are lazy, hard-working, hot-headed, otaku, etc. The main reason I like them so much is because of the way they act and how each voice actor portrays them (even the English voices for the game is among some of the best I have heard for JRPGs). While the characters are mostly goofy, I found that I also enjoyed the serious sides of the characters towards the end of the series where the “real plot” kicks in.

Sound (7) – The opening and the ending is extremely cute and fits with the show very well. The rest of the soundtrack is entirely forgettable with the exception of one or two during the whole plot with Eden. Another factor of the sound I enjoyed was the voice actors. The voice actors in Neptunia are amazing! I especially enjoyed Rie Tanaka’s (Neptune/Purple Heart) and Kana Hanazawa’s (Plutia/Iris Heart) performances since they portrayed their characters so well. Everyone is great; there is nothing more I can say about it. Since the game was also voiced in English, I will also quickly say something on it: one of the best game dubs I’ve heard in a long time.

Animation (7) – Animation isn’t my forte, but I found the art style almost identical to Date A Live. If you enjoyed Date A Live’s art style, you will most likely enjoyed Hyperdimension Neptunia’s art style as well.

Enjoyment (6) - When an anime adapts a game in which the game is a parody of the video game industry, it loses a charm that the game has. If there is one thing that the anime makes fun of that the game cannot, it is the making fun of censorship that is not subtle (see episode 8). Since I watched this anime as it was being aired I found it is just great to sit down each week and watch something that was completely stupid and nonsensical. I recommend this to any fan of the game, but I would also tell them not to expect too much from it.

It's too damn short and too damn underwhelming to do the games justice. It strays from the games in a way that should work but it wastes it time not developing any of the characters or the world they live in, basically assuming you already knew who they are and what makes them tick. If the Warcraft movie is any indicator, alienating new audiences who have never played the games is a TERRIBLE idea. Plus the Ultra Dimension mini-arc was terrible and super rushed like they realized "oh shit, we were supposed to give this show an actual plot and now it's nearly too late!". Really goesto show that David Production should stick to adapting manga.

Story: 3/10

Art: 7/10 (about what you would expect of DP)

Sound: 6/10

Character: 4/10

Enjoyment 5/10

Overall: 4/10

Choujigen Game Neptune: The Animation is one of those animes that is based off a game and is solely targeted to those who have played it. So beware new comers who are trying to get into the Choujigen Game Neptune franchise, you will be sorely disappointed. This is definitely by all means a niche target audience, so fan boys and girls raise your hands high for a multitude of cuteness, fan service and the light hearted mundane story line (slice of life) it brings with it. Choujigen Game Neptune begins on a decent note that could have been have either set the tone for the wholeentire series, but rather they chose to make everything as cute and light hearted as possible. When the serious aspect of situations and events occur, it shrubs off as laugheable (not in a good way) and very forgertable, making the situation feel not as serious as it should be.

Story: 6.5 -

Theres a story? Watching cute little girls play games, get attacked by slimes and tentacles, and whining about the most silliest things is not a well delievered story in my opinion. The only credit where it can be siphoned from here is that these girls/characters are all CPU's and control each own their own individual state if you will. The premise of the story is poorly delivered. It's sad to say but, I found it more interesting reading about its "somewhat" intriguing premise and details, rather than watching it.

Animation: 7.5 -

The art and animation in this anime are done nicely, but it also matches with all the other animes to date. There is a touch of battle scenes here and there, which needs more of to improve the animes overall well being.

Characters: 6.5 -

plenty of characters here with all type of personas and character types, some of them can even transform (reminds me of salior moon) into perhaps older, more mature women with over sized weapons (let the fan service begin).

Wow Factor: 6.5 -

In all honesty the only thing that this anime has got going for it and mainly survives on is the complete fan service which provides to its die hard Neptune fans. The fans are greeted with bountiful amounts of Oppais and little girls assuming weird positions with the friendly monsters of the World. Sorry, not amused.

Final Grade: 6.7 / 10

+ Interesting Game Concept

+ Fan service

- Bland

AzurexSky of AniRaters