Future Diary

Quite a lot has been written about the character Yukiteru "Yuki" Amano being the worst action hero ever, so I am not going to go into that here. Speaking for myself, I have to say that Future Diary was one of the first anime series I watched after a break back in the day. Even though it had a lot of shortcomings, I remember it fondly, especially the character Yuno which I thought is for me the perfection itself. Yuno is perhaps more adorable than most other anime characters, devoted, kind, and sweet, and at the same time, scarier than Kenpachi Zaraki and Hisoka Morow combined. Watching Yuno was immensely appealing and I thought her very agreeable. If I ever got into some serious trouble where my life was on the line, I would be sure about which teammate I would choose and would probably have to call myself "Yuki". I thought Minene was just the perfect girl, and her moments with Masumi Nishijima took my romantic soul by storm. I think this show has it all; characters that move you, an original yet straightforward and understandable narrative, lots of action, entertaining scenes, a nice soundtrack, and decent animation. Sure it has its weaknesses, and I have read about them, although I am judging this subjectively, and I thought this show was just awesome. 9.5/10. (07/06/2015)

Awesome? No, awful. He's the kind of character who should die first – I just can't stand watching that snotty coward! What about his "girlfriend"? Yuno is a nightmare. One of her personalities is a homicidal maniac, and it's definitely not something I admire or want to watch. Her other personality is the typical twit whose so cutesie poo and I'm so shy and here's an obento and anything for you and I'm so lavish and there's no one else for you but me... this character piece is for guys who need to rule the world and want a typical Japanese woman from the last century by their side. If you ask me, I think Yukiteru would fill that role much better... And then there's the part of Yuno that I love – she doesn't slaughter like a crazy person, she doesn't talk in that sugar-coated voice of hers to Yukiteru, but interacts sensibly with other people (not Yukiteru). Unfortunately, there are too few moments like that. The idea is interesting, but it has too many characters for my taste, not to mention characters I just can't stand. I would have liked a "strong" main character. Instead, I got a wimp and a psychopath. And no, I don't like that combination. And that's why I kind of only like two characters from the whole anime, Uryu Minene and the cop who keeps "catching" her. A weak 2 stars. It didn't give me anything, maybe heartburn... Maybe the manga is better, but still my dislike for the characters remains unchanged. (09/01/2012)