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Future Diary #1
Future Diary, Volume 01
High school 2nd year, Amano Yukiteru, is a boy who has problem making friends. He thinks of himself as a bystander and will always write down everything he sees in a cell phone diary. Tormented by solitude, Yukiteru began to imagine things like a friend called Deus Ex Machina who is apparently the Lord of Time & Space. Seeing Yukiteru's miserable state, Deus gives him a new ability. His diary will now record events that will happen in the near future. Yukiteru is then forced to participate in a game which the winner will become Deus's successor.
210 pages, Paperback
First published July 21, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
April 4, 2020
It reminded me of The Hunger Games. An amazing read.
November 30, 2012
This is a review of the series, I've read up to volume 8 or so.
Yuki is a slacker who keeps a diary on his cell phone. One day he is selected by a godlike being called Deus to take part in a game. In this game everyone has a diary, and that diary can predict the future in some way. It's pretty cool, except for one thing.
All the diary holders must fight to the death. Last man standing becomes God.
But Yuki isn't alone. A pretty, cheerful girl named Yuno Gasai who has a crush on him. She will help him fight. He may have other allies in the shadows too. But Yuno has an incredibly dark secret that will be revealed in time...
First the flaws. Yuki whines a lot and is passive. The plot lurches around like it's a drunken man. Some of the other characters are stupid or unrealistic-the power ranger guy for one. It's long, too. It has a lot of the flaws of most manga series, and without one little thing it probably would have fallen into obscurity.
That thing is Yuno.
See that pretty girl on the cover? That's her. She loves Yuki. LOVES him. Her Diary keeps track of his life in ten minute intervals. She is completly fearless when protecting him. Wouldn't it seem awesome to fight for the chance to be a God with such a pretty girl at your side?
Then you start to notice how odd she is. It takes a couple of books, but Yuno isn't quite right. Something is off. And then you pick up on the real story of the series.
What if you were a scared boy who was lost in a game where people were trying to kill you? What if your only hope, and the beautiful girl you were starting to love might be a serial killer? What if she would do anything for you-kill anyone, anytime, with no reflection or scruples. What if your only hope to find the time to grow strong enough to survive was to trust her?
What if, in the end, you had to kill her too?
This is chilling enough, but then the series starts to really reveal Yuno Gasai; who she is, what she has done, and her motivations piece by piece. Those motivations are terrifying. While this is a fairly violent manga, the real horror is in her worldview and what has happened to her and by her. You get inside her head, and then the twists come. If you stay with the series long enough, the biggest twist is really worth it, and a genuine surprise. But Yuno, not Yuki is what drives this series and why it's so awesome. That pure, burning love for Yuki and only Yuki, and her madness makes for a character that unlike Light Yagami is impossible to parody. No evil, no megalomania, just obsession.
My favorite scene was a little moment that I can describe without spoilers. Yuki finds out something terrifying about Yuno, and he flees her, running at full speed to the safety of his house. He collapses to his knees just inside the doorway, trying desperately to make some sense of what he has learned. Then, not even a panel later, you hear "Good night, Yuki." In terror he turns, and Yuno is just staring at him through the opened mail slot in the door. All you can see are her wide, blank eyes. She ran after him, all the way to his house. It's rare that a manga can chill me rather than disgust me, but man, that scene did.
So definitely pick this up. It's a strong seinen manga with an unforgettable character. It hits guys I think a little more, as it's a deconstruction of the idea of the beautiful girl at your side. You are the girl instead-you are the passive member of a relationship and you need to get strong quick or you will die. Very strong manga.
Yuki is a slacker who keeps a diary on his cell phone. One day he is selected by a godlike being called Deus to take part in a game. In this game everyone has a diary, and that diary can predict the future in some way. It's pretty cool, except for one thing.
All the diary holders must fight to the death. Last man standing becomes God.
But Yuki isn't alone. A pretty, cheerful girl named Yuno Gasai who has a crush on him. She will help him fight. He may have other allies in the shadows too. But Yuno has an incredibly dark secret that will be revealed in time...
First the flaws. Yuki whines a lot and is passive. The plot lurches around like it's a drunken man. Some of the other characters are stupid or unrealistic-the power ranger guy for one. It's long, too. It has a lot of the flaws of most manga series, and without one little thing it probably would have fallen into obscurity.
That thing is Yuno.
See that pretty girl on the cover? That's her. She loves Yuki. LOVES him. Her Diary keeps track of his life in ten minute intervals. She is completly fearless when protecting him. Wouldn't it seem awesome to fight for the chance to be a God with such a pretty girl at your side?
Then you start to notice how odd she is. It takes a couple of books, but Yuno isn't quite right. Something is off. And then you pick up on the real story of the series.
What if you were a scared boy who was lost in a game where people were trying to kill you? What if your only hope, and the beautiful girl you were starting to love might be a serial killer? What if she would do anything for you-kill anyone, anytime, with no reflection or scruples. What if your only hope to find the time to grow strong enough to survive was to trust her?
What if, in the end, you had to kill her too?
This is chilling enough, but then the series starts to really reveal Yuno Gasai; who she is, what she has done, and her motivations piece by piece. Those motivations are terrifying. While this is a fairly violent manga, the real horror is in her worldview and what has happened to her and by her. You get inside her head, and then the twists come. If you stay with the series long enough, the biggest twist is really worth it, and a genuine surprise. But Yuno, not Yuki is what drives this series and why it's so awesome. That pure, burning love for Yuki and only Yuki, and her madness makes for a character that unlike Light Yagami is impossible to parody. No evil, no megalomania, just obsession.
My favorite scene was a little moment that I can describe without spoilers. Yuki finds out something terrifying about Yuno, and he flees her, running at full speed to the safety of his house. He collapses to his knees just inside the doorway, trying desperately to make some sense of what he has learned. Then, not even a panel later, you hear "Good night, Yuki." In terror he turns, and Yuno is just staring at him through the opened mail slot in the door. All you can see are her wide, blank eyes. She ran after him, all the way to his house. It's rare that a manga can chill me rather than disgust me, but man, that scene did.
So definitely pick this up. It's a strong seinen manga with an unforgettable character. It hits guys I think a little more, as it's a deconstruction of the idea of the beautiful girl at your side. You are the girl instead-you are the passive member of a relationship and you need to get strong quick or you will die. Very strong manga.
November 3, 2016
As a person who has watched the anime i know that the female leading protagonist is an obsessive, psychotic, deadly bitch. I don't even need another reason to read this xD I aslo know that he character development is on point. I will enjoy it probably as much as the anime <3
Small note* The OST "Battle Theme" from the series is pretty amazing xD
Small note* The OST "Battle Theme" from the series is pretty amazing xD
April 23, 2017
First review
It was a good start. I didn't like the artwork but the story was engaging and full of action! Excited to see what happens next.
Yuki was a crybaby, Yuno was crazy stalker... Well it is good to see new things.) Their relationship was interesting to read about.
Final review
Now I have a perfect reason to write my review of how bad this manga was:
1. Let's begin with the plot. Which begins really simple, and then gets messy and stupid. I haven't read a lot of manga, but I already know this is one of the worsts. The idea was great at first: diaries that predict future! I got my hopes and expectations high, believing one of a hell psychologically and mind-bending great adventure it would be. I was wrong. There were more than a future diaries: there was actually a "god" who can DIE and need to have a successor. Well, it goes against my believes about "gods" in general. Gods shouldn't die and if he can, he shouldn't need a human being for his throne. Maybe a chosen one, but all the diary owners were stupids who can't turn the world into a better place. ALSO, gods shouldn't choose successors in a killing game. Then this "god" is a horrible one. Additionally, this also gets boring, repetitive. All around there were plot holes! I can't even count them.
2. Characters that I don't care about. This happened for the first time in manga that I was shocked:I didn't connect to the characters! They get stupid and cliche backgrounds, tragic pasts with abuses and rapes which became disgusting. I didn't shed a tear when they all died. The only noticeable ones were Yuno, Yukiteru and Minene, Akise which again, despite being noticeable among others, were unsympathetic ones. Yuno were a great psycho killer, I admit. She was a driving force to this story. Minene was a terrorist who then given tragic childhood, some good sides to, but still I can't connect. Akise was a great detective with actual ambition, which I liked. Yukiteru, the main character was boring to read about. I don't even care about him being a crybaby, pathetic and without ambition. He is 14 years old still. However, if you are gonna write a story, make the main character with AMBITION, with something to do. And one thing more, I don't like killer characaters. Yes, it is a survival game, but killing civilians, innocents, killing themso EASILY made me hate them even more.
3. The art: okay, the art was average. I am not talking about drawing here. I am talking about fanservice. There were nude characters, sex scene between 14 YEAR OLD KIDS! And a MOTHER who is content with it. What? Also romance between Yukki and Yuno was too early! I didn't feel the subtle sweetness of child romance. Not working...
But why I read it till the end? Not because I am a masochist. Because, I wondered about Yuno's identity all along. She was a mad murderer and I wondered what made her like this. She got some crazy plot twists too, which was plus.
So, I round up the stars I gave to other volumes and this manga got 3.3 stars . I adress to people who wants to read this: save yourselves!
It was a good start. I didn't like the artwork but the story was engaging and full of action! Excited to see what happens next.
Yuki was a crybaby, Yuno was crazy stalker... Well it is good to see new things.) Their relationship was interesting to read about.
Final review
Now I have a perfect reason to write my review of how bad this manga was:
1. Let's begin with the plot. Which begins really simple, and then gets messy and stupid. I haven't read a lot of manga, but I already know this is one of the worsts. The idea was great at first: diaries that predict future! I got my hopes and expectations high, believing one of a hell psychologically and mind-bending great adventure it would be. I was wrong. There were more than a future diaries: there was actually a "god" who can DIE and need to have a successor. Well, it goes against my believes about "gods" in general. Gods shouldn't die and if he can, he shouldn't need a human being for his throne. Maybe a chosen one, but all the diary owners were stupids who can't turn the world into a better place. ALSO, gods shouldn't choose successors in a killing game. Then this "god" is a horrible one. Additionally, this also gets boring, repetitive. All around there were plot holes! I can't even count them.
2. Characters that I don't care about. This happened for the first time in manga that I was shocked:I didn't connect to the characters! They get stupid and cliche backgrounds, tragic pasts with abuses and rapes which became disgusting. I didn't shed a tear when they all died. The only noticeable ones were Yuno, Yukiteru and Minene, Akise which again, despite being noticeable among others, were unsympathetic ones. Yuno were a great psycho killer, I admit. She was a driving force to this story. Minene was a terrorist who then given tragic childhood, some good sides to, but still I can't connect. Akise was a great detective with actual ambition, which I liked. Yukiteru, the main character was boring to read about. I don't even care about him being a crybaby, pathetic and without ambition. He is 14 years old still. However, if you are gonna write a story, make the main character with AMBITION, with something to do. And one thing more, I don't like killer characaters. Yes, it is a survival game, but killing civilians, innocents, killing themso EASILY made me hate them even more.
3. The art: okay, the art was average. I am not talking about drawing here. I am talking about fanservice. There were nude characters, sex scene between 14 YEAR OLD KIDS! And a MOTHER who is content with it. What? Also romance between Yukki and Yuno was too early! I didn't feel the subtle sweetness of child romance. Not working...
But why I read it till the end? Not because I am a masochist. Because, I wondered about Yuno's identity all along. She was a mad murderer and I wondered what made her like this. She got some crazy plot twists too, which was plus.
So, I round up the stars I gave to other volumes and this manga got 3.3 stars . I adress to people who wants to read this: save yourselves!
September 19, 2019
1 star because NOPE.
Wow. I barely remember why I wanted to read this, but I regret it a lot. This one was problematic and crap I cannot imagine. Also I finished the whole manga series, not only the first volume.
Plot
I liked the idea of the plot, but in my opinion it was poorly executed. "12 people entering in a survival game to become the next God of the world trying to detect their enemies by diaries that predicts the future" sounds like a pretty awesome idea and has some Hunger Game vibes, so why not?
The ending was the biggest bullshit ever. I won't say more about it, because spoiler. I hated the ending. It was awful. There was so much fuckery going on I just wanted to end it in a normal way, man.
Characters
So. I might have an unpopular opinion, but I actually kinda liked the MC Yukiteru. He is a character that does not want anyone to die. He is relatable in a way, because
His flaw is that he is weak and naive. He starts crying at everything bad happening, which is - realistic - unlike every other diary holder, who is ready to kill everyone even some of them are legit children. At first he thinks that Yuno is the biggest creep and I also liked that. At a certain point he made some character growth I guess? Well, I hated that too.
First things first, I could not take Yuno (MC) seriously at any point of the story. She is the other MC's love interest and also his stalker. Her whole life was Yukiteru and if a random girl dared to speak to him, she would try to kill her. Also she is VERY good in killing, which is rather alarming. She had no personality besides being a psychopath girl that was in love with a random boy. Barely, understood in first place why she feel in love with him. (I am aware that there was an explanation, but I did not understand it! )
Have I anything left to say? Probably not. It was a bad manga.
I kinda not understand why people like manga.
Wow. I barely remember why I wanted to read this, but I regret it a lot. This one was problematic and crap I cannot imagine. Also I finished the whole manga series, not only the first volume.
Plot
I liked the idea of the plot, but in my opinion it was poorly executed. "12 people entering in a survival game to become the next God of the world trying to detect their enemies by diaries that predicts the future" sounds like a pretty awesome idea and has some Hunger Game vibes, so why not?
The ending was the biggest bullshit ever. I won't say more about it, because spoiler. I hated the ending. It was awful. There was so much fuckery going on I just wanted to end it in a normal way, man.
Characters
So. I might have an unpopular opinion, but I actually kinda liked the MC Yukiteru. He is a character that does not want anyone to die. He is relatable in a way, because
His flaw is that he is weak and naive. He starts crying at everything bad happening, which is - realistic - unlike every other diary holder, who is ready to kill everyone even some of them are legit children. At first he thinks that Yuno is the biggest creep and I also liked that. At a certain point he made some character growth I guess? Well, I hated that too.
First things first, I could not take Yuno (MC) seriously at any point of the story. She is the other MC's love interest and also his stalker. Her whole life was Yukiteru and if a random girl dared to speak to him, she would try to kill her. Also she is VERY good in killing, which is rather alarming. She had no personality besides being a psychopath girl that was in love with a random boy. Barely, understood in first place why she feel in love with him. (I am aware that there was an explanation, but I did not understand it! )
Have I anything left to say? Probably not. It was a bad manga.
I kinda not understand why people like manga.
August 13, 2022
As usual, this review is an overview that covers the entire manga series.
Mirai Nikki (未来日記) or Future Diary (the direct translation of the Japanese title), is quite a thrilling manga series. It made for an excellent anime series, too, with its unique plot and strong story translating effortlessly from page to screen. It has interesting characters and surprisingly complex, hard-to-predict story.
The manga is dark and features a lot of mature content, but it has enough unrealistic manga elements to keep it from being a super real, hard-hitting level of dark--the emotions, gore, violence, are tempered by the cartoonish nature of things, if that makes sense. The story is a contemporary and is overall realistic in setting, but it has a level of fantasy/sci-fi to it because of the presence of Deus, a god of space and time, and the future-predicting "diaries" he bequeaths 12 people on Earth.
It has fantastic plot development and exciting, engaging narrative that always keep you on your toes.
The premise is that the world as we know it is about to come to an end because the god of time and space that oversees the world, Deus Ex Machina (ha, what a name), is dying.
He needs to find someone to take his place, so he sets up a "game" wherein 12 individuals from the dying world are gifted items referred to as "future diaries" and are tasked with discovering and eliminating (i.e killing) the other players, leaving the sole survivor to become the next god of time and space.
Each diary (which can take the form of any object capable of recording data entries, like a tape recorder or sketch book, though a early-mid 2000s flip-style Japanese cellphone is the most commonly seen object to become a diary in the series) is capable of predicting the future, but only in a specific and limited way (always influenced by each player's unique circumstances and personality) that provides each one with both unique advantages and disadvantages, thus forcing the 12 players to be resourceful in utilizing their diaries' strengths while compensating for their weaknesses as they seek out their competition and try to survive so they may become a god.
This is where our protagonist comes into the picture.
His name is Yukiteru (雪輝), but he's often called Yuki (ユッキー) for short by most everyone in the series (in Japanese his nickname is written with katakana using the character ッ which doubles up the consonant of the character that comes after it and ー which lengthens the vowel it comes after, so it should be romanized as "Yukkii" with two K's and two I's), so that's how I'll refer to him in this review.
Yuki is a 14 year old student (I believe he's second or third year of middle school, so like an eight or ninth grader) who's not especially remarkable or notable in any way.
He's pretty normal, kind of reclusive, rather cowardly, and has a on-the-sidelines way of existing. In fact, he doesn't really have friends or do much besides people watch and write a personal diary using his flip phone (which is something Japanese phones of the mid 2000s could do--people even wrote and shared novels this way), which is how he ends up befriending Deus, the god of space and time, whom he believes is little more than an imaginary friend that his lonely mind has conjured up until the game begins and he's dubbed "the first" of the 12 players and is seemingly Deus's favorite to win.
Also, Yuki is randomly good at throwing darts and carries them around with him just because, I guess. Weird flex, but okay, whatever.
As a result of his uninvolved observer way of living, the diary that Yuki is bestowed with is his own flip phone, the "random diary", which shows him the various daily entries he's written in the future, which document his surroundings and the things he's witnessed throughout the day.
While it proves to be a diary with the distinctly powerful advantage of being able to tell Yuki a wide variety of information about his surroundings (unlike some other diaries that are far more limited in the very type of information they can convey) that gives him an edge over most other players, its fatal flaw for Yuki is that his entries never tell him anything about himself since, as a bystander and observer, his diaries are merely notes of the world around him, rather than commentary on himself, so his state of being (sick, hurt, dead, alive, etc.) at any moment is a factor he can't accurately account for and effectively seek to prevent.
By his own admittance and with the evidence presented by his qualities and merits, Yuki doesn't have much chance at survival in the game. He's just a normal, cowardly teenage boy. He has no particular experiences or skills that would lend him to being someone capable of protecting himself against eleven other people, most of whom are adults, who are seeking to find and kill him, let alone find and eliminate them himself.
In fact, a great example of Yuki's failings is he accidentally gives away that he owns a future diary by using it to improve his grades by cheating in class, which alerts his teacher, the third player of the game and a serial killer, to his existence, which effectively lands a target on his back. He narrowly survives because Yuno, a popular female classmate of his, miraculously comes to his aid and helps him eliminate the third player, revealing herself to be the second player in the game and saying that she's going to protect him from the other nine players still in the game.
Yuno, the second diary holder/player and female lead character, is a classmate of Yuki's who just so happens to be madly (and I put emphasis on "madly"), in love with him.
She's a deranged character who is perfectly at ease with, and is quite capable of, extreme acts of violence, especially when done, in her mind, for Yuki and her perceived relationship with him--be it protecting his life, keeping him close to her, eliminating obstacles to their relationship, or actively winning his affection/attention, all in the pursuit of maintaining a future predicted in her diary that simply reads "happy ending." She is more than willing, able, and happy to do anything to achieve her end, no matter the cost.
She's a perfect example of the yandere archetype.
Outwardly, she seems sweet and is well liked by everyone, often manifesting as a very popular girl who is never suspected as being anything but nearly perfect, but beneath the surface, there's a disturbed personality that takes romance and devotion to unhealthy, violent extremes that often end up being in direct conflict with what they claim to feel for the person they're in love with, often achieving the very result through their scheming and violence that they wanted to avoid by acting in the first place--i.e. losing or being rejected by their love interest.
This unhealthy, intense obsession of Yuno's is why her future diary, the "stalker diary", only shows her multiple detailed entries related to Yuki, who she, prior to the game, was stalking incessantly while Yuki remained blithely unaware.
Although Yuki is rightfully terrified of Yuno's intense feelings towards him--seeing as she not only incessantly stalks him, but she's perfectly at ease with extreme acts of violence--it isn't long before Yuki realizes that he needs Yuno's help to survive, as her diary protects his diary's blind-spot and her ability/willingness to fight/kill supplements his inability/unwillingness to.
He ends up pretending to date and be in love with her, playing along with her in the hopes of keeping her devoted to his protection--though he swings between balking or recommitting to the act depending on what's happening in the story--in order to survive, which he adamantly wants to do after his brush with death makes him realize that he's made himself nothing more than an irrelevant side character in his own life's story and has, as a result, not truly lived yet.
Initially, Yuki doesn't want to participate in the game and doesn't seek to kill the other players--he has no interest in godhood and can't stomach the idea of killing others, instead hiding behind Yuno, who is more than happy to do whatever it takes to protect him. He chastises her methods while reaping the benefits, which is a testament to Yuki's cowardice and hypocrisy early in the series: he won't dirty his hands, but he'll benefit from Yuno doing so while still feeling like he has the moral high ground as he admonishes her for her actions.
Despite this initial objective, however, circumstances--like the world ending and the death of the people around him and the constant danger the other diary holders put him (and everyone around him) in--force him to change his mind about wanting to become a god and this choice is both actively helped and encouraged by Yuno, who is supportive of the idea despite the fact that, in order for Yuki to become a god, she too must die.
Yuki, operating under the assumption that godhood would give him the power to bring everyone back to life after he's won the game and kept the world from dying alongside Deus, quickly changes his attitude about both actively pursing the other diary holders and committing acts of murder, since he believes he'll be able to undo all the death later, and becomes able to facilitate, if not participate in, the murder of those who pose a threat to him, opting to help and encourage Yuno to fight and murder any threat in their way indiscriminately.
He even becomes more affectionate towards Yuno and seems to grow genuine feelings for her, acting more like she's truly his girlfriend and not someone he's terrified of and manipulating (though it's probably mostly trauma bonding, if we're being honest) because the assurance that godhood can fix everything bolsters his confidence, easing away most of his cowardice and eliminating his internal conflicts about the ethics of what he's doing.
While that alone seems like a pretty decent tale, this isn't just a simple story about Yuki becoming a god and having a problematic romance with a cute, albeit highly deranged, girl along the way.
There's a far greater layer of complexity woven into this surrounding the game, space and time, other universes, Yuno herself, the nature of the game, why Deus implemented it in the first place, and the actions of another higher being outside the confines of the world as we know it.
I'd love to talk about it more in depth, but part of the thrill of this series is finding out all this, so I don't want to even put any spoilers under a warning section. Needless to say, this story is a lot more complex than it might look from the outside and will probably appeal to sci-fi lovers just as much as those who like psychological and horror media.
It also wraps up with a worthwhile ending, which was honestly unexpected but nonetheless welcome!
Despite the amount of horrific things in this manga, it never tries to romanticize things and it presents the darkness of human nature and people's behaviors in a worthwhile way. Not necessarily excusing them, but often trying to look further than the surface for why people do what they do, how circumstance can push people to do things they wouldn't normally.
For example, it examines why a police officer who has lived his life dedicated to the pursuit of justice can compromise his strong ethics and how small circumstantial differences can cause the same person in different timelines to become two very different versions of themselves.
It all makes for a really interesting and engrossing reading experience. A lot of theorists really love deconstructing this manga and creating more detailed explanations for all the things that happen in the story because there's so much material to work off of.
There are ample trigger warnings for this series: blood, violence, gore, mentions of rape/sexual assault, toxic relationships, mentions of nazism, depictions of mental illness/insanity, swearing, lots of ambiguous or uncomfortable rationalizations of morality, etc.
This is definitely not a series for the faint of heart, but if you can handle the darkness and feel like you can follow a more complex plot line, it's a thrilling read! It's not one of my usual genres, but I absolutely loved this series. Just thinking about it makes me want to go re-watch the anime right now!
In fact, this is a series that's so engaging story-wise that the art is an afterthought for me. I do like it, even if its not especially elegant or anything, but the author really knew how to make the story come first and the art support it without overshadowing it and allowing the art to help with the storytelling. Part of me wishes some of the more cartoonish elements, like the one diary owner that's drawn to look like a big, plump Strawberry Shortcake when everyone else is normal, hadn't been included, but it's just one of things. It couldn't be perfect, right?
Overall, an excellent manga! I can't recommend it enough.
Mirai Nikki (未来日記) or Future Diary (the direct translation of the Japanese title), is quite a thrilling manga series. It made for an excellent anime series, too, with its unique plot and strong story translating effortlessly from page to screen. It has interesting characters and surprisingly complex, hard-to-predict story.
The manga is dark and features a lot of mature content, but it has enough unrealistic manga elements to keep it from being a super real, hard-hitting level of dark--the emotions, gore, violence, are tempered by the cartoonish nature of things, if that makes sense. The story is a contemporary and is overall realistic in setting, but it has a level of fantasy/sci-fi to it because of the presence of Deus, a god of space and time, and the future-predicting "diaries" he bequeaths 12 people on Earth.
It has fantastic plot development and exciting, engaging narrative that always keep you on your toes.
The premise is that the world as we know it is about to come to an end because the god of time and space that oversees the world, Deus Ex Machina (ha, what a name), is dying.
He needs to find someone to take his place, so he sets up a "game" wherein 12 individuals from the dying world are gifted items referred to as "future diaries" and are tasked with discovering and eliminating (i.e killing) the other players, leaving the sole survivor to become the next god of time and space.
Each diary (which can take the form of any object capable of recording data entries, like a tape recorder or sketch book, though a early-mid 2000s flip-style Japanese cellphone is the most commonly seen object to become a diary in the series) is capable of predicting the future, but only in a specific and limited way (always influenced by each player's unique circumstances and personality) that provides each one with both unique advantages and disadvantages, thus forcing the 12 players to be resourceful in utilizing their diaries' strengths while compensating for their weaknesses as they seek out their competition and try to survive so they may become a god.
This is where our protagonist comes into the picture.
His name is Yukiteru (雪輝), but he's often called Yuki (ユッキー) for short by most everyone in the series (in Japanese his nickname is written with katakana using the character ッ which doubles up the consonant of the character that comes after it and ー which lengthens the vowel it comes after, so it should be romanized as "Yukkii" with two K's and two I's), so that's how I'll refer to him in this review.
Yuki is a 14 year old student (I believe he's second or third year of middle school, so like an eight or ninth grader) who's not especially remarkable or notable in any way.
He's pretty normal, kind of reclusive, rather cowardly, and has a on-the-sidelines way of existing. In fact, he doesn't really have friends or do much besides people watch and write a personal diary using his flip phone (which is something Japanese phones of the mid 2000s could do--people even wrote and shared novels this way), which is how he ends up befriending Deus, the god of space and time, whom he believes is little more than an imaginary friend that his lonely mind has conjured up until the game begins and he's dubbed "the first" of the 12 players and is seemingly Deus's favorite to win.
Also, Yuki is randomly good at throwing darts and carries them around with him just because, I guess. Weird flex, but okay, whatever.
As a result of his uninvolved observer way of living, the diary that Yuki is bestowed with is his own flip phone, the "random diary", which shows him the various daily entries he's written in the future, which document his surroundings and the things he's witnessed throughout the day.
While it proves to be a diary with the distinctly powerful advantage of being able to tell Yuki a wide variety of information about his surroundings (unlike some other diaries that are far more limited in the very type of information they can convey) that gives him an edge over most other players, its fatal flaw for Yuki is that his entries never tell him anything about himself since, as a bystander and observer, his diaries are merely notes of the world around him, rather than commentary on himself, so his state of being (sick, hurt, dead, alive, etc.) at any moment is a factor he can't accurately account for and effectively seek to prevent.
By his own admittance and with the evidence presented by his qualities and merits, Yuki doesn't have much chance at survival in the game. He's just a normal, cowardly teenage boy. He has no particular experiences or skills that would lend him to being someone capable of protecting himself against eleven other people, most of whom are adults, who are seeking to find and kill him, let alone find and eliminate them himself.
In fact, a great example of Yuki's failings is he accidentally gives away that he owns a future diary by using it to improve his grades by cheating in class, which alerts his teacher, the third player of the game and a serial killer, to his existence, which effectively lands a target on his back. He narrowly survives because Yuno, a popular female classmate of his, miraculously comes to his aid and helps him eliminate the third player, revealing herself to be the second player in the game and saying that she's going to protect him from the other nine players still in the game.
Yuno, the second diary holder/player and female lead character, is a classmate of Yuki's who just so happens to be madly (and I put emphasis on "madly"), in love with him.
She's a deranged character who is perfectly at ease with, and is quite capable of, extreme acts of violence, especially when done, in her mind, for Yuki and her perceived relationship with him--be it protecting his life, keeping him close to her, eliminating obstacles to their relationship, or actively winning his affection/attention, all in the pursuit of maintaining a future predicted in her diary that simply reads "happy ending." She is more than willing, able, and happy to do anything to achieve her end, no matter the cost.
She's a perfect example of the yandere archetype.
Outwardly, she seems sweet and is well liked by everyone, often manifesting as a very popular girl who is never suspected as being anything but nearly perfect, but beneath the surface, there's a disturbed personality that takes romance and devotion to unhealthy, violent extremes that often end up being in direct conflict with what they claim to feel for the person they're in love with, often achieving the very result through their scheming and violence that they wanted to avoid by acting in the first place--i.e. losing or being rejected by their love interest.
This unhealthy, intense obsession of Yuno's is why her future diary, the "stalker diary", only shows her multiple detailed entries related to Yuki, who she, prior to the game, was stalking incessantly while Yuki remained blithely unaware.
Although Yuki is rightfully terrified of Yuno's intense feelings towards him--seeing as she not only incessantly stalks him, but she's perfectly at ease with extreme acts of violence--it isn't long before Yuki realizes that he needs Yuno's help to survive, as her diary protects his diary's blind-spot and her ability/willingness to fight/kill supplements his inability/unwillingness to.
He ends up pretending to date and be in love with her, playing along with her in the hopes of keeping her devoted to his protection--though he swings between balking or recommitting to the act depending on what's happening in the story--in order to survive, which he adamantly wants to do after his brush with death makes him realize that he's made himself nothing more than an irrelevant side character in his own life's story and has, as a result, not truly lived yet.
Initially, Yuki doesn't want to participate in the game and doesn't seek to kill the other players--he has no interest in godhood and can't stomach the idea of killing others, instead hiding behind Yuno, who is more than happy to do whatever it takes to protect him. He chastises her methods while reaping the benefits, which is a testament to Yuki's cowardice and hypocrisy early in the series: he won't dirty his hands, but he'll benefit from Yuno doing so while still feeling like he has the moral high ground as he admonishes her for her actions.
Despite this initial objective, however, circumstances--like the world ending and the death of the people around him and the constant danger the other diary holders put him (and everyone around him) in--force him to change his mind about wanting to become a god and this choice is both actively helped and encouraged by Yuno, who is supportive of the idea despite the fact that, in order for Yuki to become a god, she too must die.
Yuki, operating under the assumption that godhood would give him the power to bring everyone back to life after he's won the game and kept the world from dying alongside Deus, quickly changes his attitude about both actively pursing the other diary holders and committing acts of murder, since he believes he'll be able to undo all the death later, and becomes able to facilitate, if not participate in, the murder of those who pose a threat to him, opting to help and encourage Yuno to fight and murder any threat in their way indiscriminately.
He even becomes more affectionate towards Yuno and seems to grow genuine feelings for her, acting more like she's truly his girlfriend and not someone he's terrified of and manipulating (though it's probably mostly trauma bonding, if we're being honest) because the assurance that godhood can fix everything bolsters his confidence, easing away most of his cowardice and eliminating his internal conflicts about the ethics of what he's doing.
While that alone seems like a pretty decent tale, this isn't just a simple story about Yuki becoming a god and having a problematic romance with a cute, albeit highly deranged, girl along the way.
There's a far greater layer of complexity woven into this surrounding the game, space and time, other universes, Yuno herself, the nature of the game, why Deus implemented it in the first place, and the actions of another higher being outside the confines of the world as we know it.
I'd love to talk about it more in depth, but part of the thrill of this series is finding out all this, so I don't want to even put any spoilers under a warning section. Needless to say, this story is a lot more complex than it might look from the outside and will probably appeal to sci-fi lovers just as much as those who like psychological and horror media.
It also wraps up with a worthwhile ending, which was honestly unexpected but nonetheless welcome!
Despite the amount of horrific things in this manga, it never tries to romanticize things and it presents the darkness of human nature and people's behaviors in a worthwhile way. Not necessarily excusing them, but often trying to look further than the surface for why people do what they do, how circumstance can push people to do things they wouldn't normally.
For example, it examines why a police officer who has lived his life dedicated to the pursuit of justice can compromise his strong ethics and how small circumstantial differences can cause the same person in different timelines to become two very different versions of themselves.
It all makes for a really interesting and engrossing reading experience. A lot of theorists really love deconstructing this manga and creating more detailed explanations for all the things that happen in the story because there's so much material to work off of.
There are ample trigger warnings for this series: blood, violence, gore, mentions of rape/sexual assault, toxic relationships, mentions of nazism, depictions of mental illness/insanity, swearing, lots of ambiguous or uncomfortable rationalizations of morality, etc.
This is definitely not a series for the faint of heart, but if you can handle the darkness and feel like you can follow a more complex plot line, it's a thrilling read! It's not one of my usual genres, but I absolutely loved this series. Just thinking about it makes me want to go re-watch the anime right now!
In fact, this is a series that's so engaging story-wise that the art is an afterthought for me. I do like it, even if its not especially elegant or anything, but the author really knew how to make the story come first and the art support it without overshadowing it and allowing the art to help with the storytelling. Part of me wishes some of the more cartoonish elements, like the one diary owner that's drawn to look like a big, plump Strawberry Shortcake when everyone else is normal, hadn't been included, but it's just one of things. It couldn't be perfect, right?
Overall, an excellent manga! I can't recommend it enough.
May 3, 2021
Hola, lectores, amantes de la literatura, los cómics y el MANGA. Una nueva reseña ha llegado al blog. Esta es muuuuuuy especial porque es de una historia que me atrapó desde las primeras páginas y la cual me ha encantado totalmente. Hoy les hablaré de Miraki Nikki: El Diario de Futuro.
Recuerdo que en la reseña pasada de Steins;Gate les mencioné que todo lo relacionado con viajes en el tiempo y en general la ciencia ficción, me encanta. Si bien este manga no habla sobre ello específicamente, si sobre la predicción del futuro, un tema bastante relacionado dentro del género.
Mirai Nikki es un manga que quería leer desde hace mucho. Recuerdo haber visto el primer episodio del anime y quedar impresionado por la trama, sin embargo, decidí no continuar mirándolo porque quería leerme primero el manga.
La historia (la cual me ha entretenido más no poder), sigue la vida de Yukiteru, un chico cuyo único pasatiempo es escribir un diario virtual en su celular. Yukiteru no tiene amigos, no se lleva bien con sus compañeros de clase y es una persona solitaria. Lo único que lo mantiene vivo son dos seres que en apariencia ha creado, producto de su imaginación: Deus Ex Machina (el dios del espacio y tiempo) y Muru Muru, la fiel sirviente de este.
En una de sus recurrentes aventuras en su imaginario mundo, Deus Ex Machina le propone a Yukiteru un juego, con la intención de que deje atrás su aburrida vida y comience a disfrutar estar vivo. Yukiteru acepta sin conocer las consecuencias que hacer un trato con un dios trae, incluso si es uno imaginario (como él cree).
Luego de aceptar el juego, Yukiteru contempla que su diario ha comenzado a escribirse a sí mismo. Su diario a pasado a convertirse en un instrumento que predice el futuro y al mismo tiempo en su único boleto de salvación dentro del problema en el que se ha metido. Si su diario es destruido este pierde el juego y dejará de existir, si gana, se convertirá en el próximo dios del espacio y tiempo.
Pero el juego no será fácil: existen 12 jugadores, cada uno con un diario único. Cada diario tiene la habilidad de poder leer el futuro de varias formas de acuerdo al dueño que lo posee. En el primer tomo conocemos cinco diarios: el Diario del Azar, el Diario del Asesino, el Diario del Amor, el Diario del Escape y el Diario de Investigación. Cada uno pertenece a un personaje diferente, a cuáles exactamente, no les diré, dejaré que ustedes lo descubran por sí mismos.
LEER COMPLETO EN MI BLOG: https://www.blogdivergente.com/2021/0...
Recuerdo que en la reseña pasada de Steins;Gate les mencioné que todo lo relacionado con viajes en el tiempo y en general la ciencia ficción, me encanta. Si bien este manga no habla sobre ello específicamente, si sobre la predicción del futuro, un tema bastante relacionado dentro del género.
Mirai Nikki es un manga que quería leer desde hace mucho. Recuerdo haber visto el primer episodio del anime y quedar impresionado por la trama, sin embargo, decidí no continuar mirándolo porque quería leerme primero el manga.
La historia (la cual me ha entretenido más no poder), sigue la vida de Yukiteru, un chico cuyo único pasatiempo es escribir un diario virtual en su celular. Yukiteru no tiene amigos, no se lleva bien con sus compañeros de clase y es una persona solitaria. Lo único que lo mantiene vivo son dos seres que en apariencia ha creado, producto de su imaginación: Deus Ex Machina (el dios del espacio y tiempo) y Muru Muru, la fiel sirviente de este.
En una de sus recurrentes aventuras en su imaginario mundo, Deus Ex Machina le propone a Yukiteru un juego, con la intención de que deje atrás su aburrida vida y comience a disfrutar estar vivo. Yukiteru acepta sin conocer las consecuencias que hacer un trato con un dios trae, incluso si es uno imaginario (como él cree).
Luego de aceptar el juego, Yukiteru contempla que su diario ha comenzado a escribirse a sí mismo. Su diario a pasado a convertirse en un instrumento que predice el futuro y al mismo tiempo en su único boleto de salvación dentro del problema en el que se ha metido. Si su diario es destruido este pierde el juego y dejará de existir, si gana, se convertirá en el próximo dios del espacio y tiempo.
Pero el juego no será fácil: existen 12 jugadores, cada uno con un diario único. Cada diario tiene la habilidad de poder leer el futuro de varias formas de acuerdo al dueño que lo posee. En el primer tomo conocemos cinco diarios: el Diario del Azar, el Diario del Asesino, el Diario del Amor, el Diario del Escape y el Diario de Investigación. Cada uno pertenece a un personaje diferente, a cuáles exactamente, no les diré, dejaré que ustedes lo descubran por sí mismos.
LEER COMPLETO EN MI BLOG: https://www.blogdivergente.com/2021/0...
June 21, 2021
This is a review of the entire series!
I debated between giving this 2 or 3 stars, and would lean more toward 2.5. There were a couple of things I really liked about it, but many more things I really didn't like about it.
High schooler Yukiteru Amano is a socially awkward loner who considers himself a bystander. He'd rather mind his own business instead of getting involved with other people, writing every mundane activity of his life in a cellphone diary. Secretly tormented by his solitude, he invents an imagery friend called Deus Ex Machina who claims to be the Lord of Time & Space. Taking pity on the lonesome Yuki, Deus grants his diary the ability to record future events. After learning that 11 other people with unique future diaries show up around Japan, Yuki learns that Deus is not a product of his imagination, and he has been selected to take part in a death game that involves fighting to become the next ruler of causality by outsmarting each other with their new prophetic devices. Luckily for Yuki, one of the death game's participants is his fellow classmate Yuno Gasai, the prettiest girl in his school who happens to love him so much that she would put her life on the line to protect him.
Speaking of Yuno, she's where most of the fun comes from. She's a severely unstable, possessive sociopath that will happily slaughter anyone and anything that get in the way of her selfish romantic fantasies. She's famous for inventing the infamous yandere trope (psycho/killer/stalker love interest) While she can technically be seen as the villain of the series and it's hard to fully sympathize with her because of how violent, impulsive and controlling she is, all of the other characters are so unlikable and bland that I often found myself rooting for her to just rip everyone else in the story to shreds.
Yuki is the main character, but he's such a whiny and idiotic pushover that I couldn't connect with the unhealthy relationship brewing between him and Yuno. I understand it's supposed to be a psychological thriller, but the story seemed to romanticize their relationship rather than portraying it for what it really was: predatory, abusive and horribly toxic. I would've rather had Yuno as the main protagonist and explore her tragic and demented backstory through much more intriguing characters to bounce off of rather than through a relationship with one of the lamest dudes in manga history.
The plot jumps around way too fast. None of the competitors have interesting personalities or motives so I didn't really feel any stakes or tension in the action. The only side character I somewhat liked is (funnily enough) another batshit crazy girl who plays the role of a cosplaying terrorist named Uryuu Minene. The dialogue could get really bad as the characters never reacted to death, betrayal or horrifying situations realistically. There's a point where a character discovers three dead bodies in his girlfriend's house, runs away in fear, then casually remains her partner for the rest of the series like nothing ever happened. There are many more scenes exactly like this where characters don't react and process things in remotely realistic or believable ways.
Some of the twists in the later parts of the series involving time and causality were admittedly cool, but they're introduced in a rushed and convoluted way which makes it feel messy overall. The action was good, there were a few emotional moments and the absolute chaotic nature of Yuno and Uryuu were exciting to watch unfold, but everything else about the characters, story and conflict of the narrative fall apart at the seams.
I debated between giving this 2 or 3 stars, and would lean more toward 2.5. There were a couple of things I really liked about it, but many more things I really didn't like about it.
High schooler Yukiteru Amano is a socially awkward loner who considers himself a bystander. He'd rather mind his own business instead of getting involved with other people, writing every mundane activity of his life in a cellphone diary. Secretly tormented by his solitude, he invents an imagery friend called Deus Ex Machina who claims to be the Lord of Time & Space. Taking pity on the lonesome Yuki, Deus grants his diary the ability to record future events. After learning that 11 other people with unique future diaries show up around Japan, Yuki learns that Deus is not a product of his imagination, and he has been selected to take part in a death game that involves fighting to become the next ruler of causality by outsmarting each other with their new prophetic devices. Luckily for Yuki, one of the death game's participants is his fellow classmate Yuno Gasai, the prettiest girl in his school who happens to love him so much that she would put her life on the line to protect him.
Speaking of Yuno, she's where most of the fun comes from. She's a severely unstable, possessive sociopath that will happily slaughter anyone and anything that get in the way of her selfish romantic fantasies. She's famous for inventing the infamous yandere trope (psycho/killer/stalker love interest) While she can technically be seen as the villain of the series and it's hard to fully sympathize with her because of how violent, impulsive and controlling she is, all of the other characters are so unlikable and bland that I often found myself rooting for her to just rip everyone else in the story to shreds.
Yuki is the main character, but he's such a whiny and idiotic pushover that I couldn't connect with the unhealthy relationship brewing between him and Yuno. I understand it's supposed to be a psychological thriller, but the story seemed to romanticize their relationship rather than portraying it for what it really was: predatory, abusive and horribly toxic. I would've rather had Yuno as the main protagonist and explore her tragic and demented backstory through much more intriguing characters to bounce off of rather than through a relationship with one of the lamest dudes in manga history.
The plot jumps around way too fast. None of the competitors have interesting personalities or motives so I didn't really feel any stakes or tension in the action. The only side character I somewhat liked is (funnily enough) another batshit crazy girl who plays the role of a cosplaying terrorist named Uryuu Minene. The dialogue could get really bad as the characters never reacted to death, betrayal or horrifying situations realistically. There's a point where a character discovers three dead bodies in his girlfriend's house, runs away in fear, then casually remains her partner for the rest of the series like nothing ever happened. There are many more scenes exactly like this where characters don't react and process things in remotely realistic or believable ways.
Some of the twists in the later parts of the series involving time and causality were admittedly cool, but they're introduced in a rushed and convoluted way which makes it feel messy overall. The action was good, there were a few emotional moments and the absolute chaotic nature of Yuno and Uryuu were exciting to watch unfold, but everything else about the characters, story and conflict of the narrative fall apart at the seams.
August 26, 2015
Me sigue gustando más el anime, tiene más color y más acción. Pero me sigue encantando la trama.
March 18, 2015
Future Diary was simply amazing. It has the complete package of the Feels.
If you are a fanboy of psycho girlfriends or a strong female lead, you will certainly like this manga.
If you are a fanboy of psycho girlfriends or a strong female lead, you will certainly like this manga.
December 22, 2022
Absolutely interesting but I feel like I know what will happen at the end.
My guess is that Yuuki will turn out to be the next God and Yuno will be his partner and helper in his divine journey.
My guess is that Yuuki will turn out to be the next God and Yuno will be his partner and helper in his divine journey.
September 2, 2023
Das Buch hinterlässt mich mit einer Mischung aus ‚Was war das denn?‘ und ‚Ich will trotzdem wissen, wie’s weiter geht‘.
June 26, 2010
Still on that elusive search for a Deathnote read-alike? You can add this series to your short list. If you were to mix up Deathnote and Hunger Games in a pot, you'd come up with Future Diary. Instead of Shinigamis (death gods) wreaking havoc in the human world, the tangled web of is spun by Deus Ex Machina, the god of Time. He targets 12 cell phone diarists and gives them a tech upgrade they never saw coming. Their diaries now tell the future--up to 90 days ahead of time, and each diary has its own special slant which they can put to selfish ends or use in conjunction with someone else's to have twice the insight. Naturally, nothing comes free and this particular app comes with some pretty nasty fine print. The diary-holders are told that their mission now is to battle each other. The last one left standing will inherit Deus's power and become the next god of Time. And by the way...you break (your phone), you die.
The first volume is tense and action-packed from almost the very beginning. Esuno pulls off the rare feat (in a manga) of making the young hero, Yukiteru is portrayed as being a bit naive but still quick-thinking and smart, while Yuno, his romantic interest, is both girly and kick-ass fearless. The art is more a thing of function than of beauty, per se--but it's interesting. Yuki, Yuko and the other characters all have a rounded, youthful look to them like you might expect of characters in a light-hearted shojo school series, and (as another reviewer has already pointed out) the contrast between the visual with what's actually going on just makes the dark parts seem all the more ominous somehow. Can't wait to read more of this series.
Age Appropriateness (vol. 1): 12/13+ for violence. There are tense situations, but although this series lays life and death on the line almost from the beginning, the body count is very low. Yuno and Yuki somehow find time to kiss two or three times (okay-she kisses him) but nothing else happens between them and the whole romantic bit mainly takes a backseat to their relationship as teammates and allies in survival. The closest thing to fan service that I noticed was an oddly gratuitous scene (not even a scene, one cell) where Yuno was changing a shirt, or posed as if she was about to, at a gym locker. You don't even see anything.
The first volume is tense and action-packed from almost the very beginning. Esuno pulls off the rare feat (in a manga) of making the young hero, Yukiteru is portrayed as being a bit naive but still quick-thinking and smart, while Yuno, his romantic interest, is both girly and kick-ass fearless. The art is more a thing of function than of beauty, per se--but it's interesting. Yuki, Yuko and the other characters all have a rounded, youthful look to them like you might expect of characters in a light-hearted shojo school series, and (as another reviewer has already pointed out) the contrast between the visual with what's actually going on just makes the dark parts seem all the more ominous somehow. Can't wait to read more of this series.
Age Appropriateness (vol. 1): 12/13+ for violence. There are tense situations, but although this series lays life and death on the line almost from the beginning, the body count is very low. Yuno and Yuki somehow find time to kiss two or three times (okay-she kisses him) but nothing else happens between them and the whole romantic bit mainly takes a backseat to their relationship as teammates and allies in survival. The closest thing to fan service that I noticed was an oddly gratuitous scene (not even a scene, one cell) where Yuno was changing a shirt, or posed as if she was about to, at a gym locker. You don't even see anything.
August 9, 2015
Real rating: 3.8/10
Manga/GN rating: 5.8/10
Mirai Nikki opens with a flimsy premise that one has to turn off their brain to accept. The lead character has no redeeming qualities to speak of making it a real chore to turn the pages as one is apprehensive of bothering to learn more about this waste of space. The one saving grace in this farcical tale is the bizarre character Yuno, her drifting between what one would deem as sanity and her obvious insanity is the one factor that keeps you reading. She is intriguing to say the least though ultimately she falls flat as the author tries to shoe horn in an ending that would somehow make sense in this convoluted mess of a tale. Only read if you wish to see a bizarre love story with only a single interesting character.
Manga/GN rating: 5.8/10
Mirai Nikki opens with a flimsy premise that one has to turn off their brain to accept. The lead character has no redeeming qualities to speak of making it a real chore to turn the pages as one is apprehensive of bothering to learn more about this waste of space. The one saving grace in this farcical tale is the bizarre character Yuno, her drifting between what one would deem as sanity and her obvious insanity is the one factor that keeps you reading. She is intriguing to say the least though ultimately she falls flat as the author tries to shoe horn in an ending that would somehow make sense in this convoluted mess of a tale. Only read if you wish to see a bizarre love story with only a single interesting character.
December 3, 2019
4.5
Okay, I watched the anime, and it was amazing, so now I’m reading this!
P.s. I will not add every book to my shelf, instead whenever I finish one of the volumes, I’ll edit this review to include that volume. (I feel like it’s cheating adding all of em�� bc they’re so short.)
At volume 4.
The anime is way better with grammar... duh. The manga has pretty weird grammar, but I still love the story!
The manga is way better at explaining what’s going on then the anime though. Like the manga gives more context.
But, tis really good. I’m sure I’ll love it just as much as the anime!
Okay, I watched the anime, and it was amazing, so now I’m reading this!
P.s. I will not add every book to my shelf, instead whenever I finish one of the volumes, I’ll edit this review to include that volume. (I feel like it’s cheating adding all of em�� bc they’re so short.)
At volume 4.
The anime is way better with grammar... duh. The manga has pretty weird grammar, but I still love the story!
The manga is way better at explaining what’s going on then the anime though. Like the manga gives more context.
But, tis really good. I’m sure I’ll love it just as much as the anime!
May 29, 2018
A pretty interesting set up that could become a good psychological thriller, maybe with some romance and coming of age elements. But the story moves way to quickly. This volume already feels like a climax. Instead of developing the two leads it throws in more over the top encounters. The dialogue is pretty bad too. All the characters talk as if they are comfortable in the situation which ruins the feeling of uncertainty.
March 19, 2010
THEY'RE ALL CRAZY! ALL OF THEM!!
October 31, 2021
This manga keeps you on your toes. There are no boring moments, no useless dialogue, a good amount of action and some healthy exaggeration to make the whole package fun. Manga writers seem to have a fetish with survival games. This story features such a theme with diaries and school kids which might not sound like an original idea, but it is well executed with plenty of twists. Here's hoping this pace will last for the rest of the series.
Amano Yukiteru is a regular old loner (young, really) who keeps a regular old diary. Life isn't overly fun with no real friends, so Yuki makes up for it with a god for an imaginary friend named Deus Ex Machina. The latter decides to be more than just imaginary and imbues Yuki's phone with the ability to predict the future. The only catch is he must no break it, lest he dies. That last part is weak AF, but it's fine for now. He soon fins himself part of a game of life and death with others just like him.
Amano Yukiteru is a regular old loner (young, really) who keeps a regular old diary. Life isn't overly fun with no real friends, so Yuki makes up for it with a god for an imaginary friend named Deus Ex Machina. The latter decides to be more than just imaginary and imbues Yuki's phone with the ability to predict the future. The only catch is he must no break it, lest he dies. That last part is weak AF, but it's fine for now. He soon fins himself part of a game of life and death with others just like him.
June 10, 2013
In many ways a very brave series, at least in facade, with the suspense maintained till almost the very end. Comparisons to Death Note are inevitable, but the key difference is that this story concerns characters ill-suited to power over fate by anyone's measure. There's some similarity to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya as well, but again the characters are often case studies in psychological disorders.
In the two main protagonists (of whom, be warned, the male is rather whiny- but at least isn't changed miraculously halfway through) you might take at first to have a rather adorable (or embarrassing) 'against all odds' wish-fulfillment relationship (even at certain points early on choosing to excuse the duplicitous yandere tendencies suggested), but we are soon shown how damaging the mutual dependency is and what weaknesses and emotional burdens it hides (thankfully retaining some mystery regarding the actual circumstances). Then the despairs visit in unrelenting succession while the world teeters on the precipice under the crumbling hand of a dying God intent on seeing a proper heir selected. Here again we have a metaphysical element which sets this series apart from Death Note's more worldly game. The predictions of the future build slowly up to more complicated situations until a rather memorable detective character comes along and connects the opponents.
The characters can be predictable and look to be stock types at times (though also eccentric), but the suspense created between them through the game feels very real, and this helps character development in occasional bursts rather like in certain light novels. The backstories and deaths manage surprisingly often to devastate though they're told plainly- perhaps exactly because of this bluntness when it comes to losses, betrayals, rape, murder, insanity, etc. The madness of the world doesn't feel contrived for all that the plot piles on in every direction.
The anime looks to be quite faithful, though it leaves off enigmatically at the close.
In the two main protagonists (of whom, be warned, the male is rather whiny- but at least isn't changed miraculously halfway through) you might take at first to have a rather adorable (or embarrassing) 'against all odds' wish-fulfillment relationship (even at certain points early on choosing to excuse the duplicitous yandere tendencies suggested), but we are soon shown how damaging the mutual dependency is and what weaknesses and emotional burdens it hides (thankfully retaining some mystery regarding the actual circumstances). Then the despairs visit in unrelenting succession while the world teeters on the precipice under the crumbling hand of a dying God intent on seeing a proper heir selected. Here again we have a metaphysical element which sets this series apart from Death Note's more worldly game. The predictions of the future build slowly up to more complicated situations until a rather memorable detective character comes along and connects the opponents.
The characters can be predictable and look to be stock types at times (though also eccentric), but the suspense created between them through the game feels very real, and this helps character development in occasional bursts rather like in certain light novels. The backstories and deaths manage surprisingly often to devastate though they're told plainly- perhaps exactly because of this bluntness when it comes to losses, betrayals, rape, murder, insanity, etc. The madness of the world doesn't feel contrived for all that the plot piles on in every direction.
The anime looks to be quite faithful, though it leaves off enigmatically at the close.
April 22, 2015
This series was recommended by my friend who likes to read A LOT so I decided to give it a shot after 1 year.
Future diary ( also know as mirai nikki) is one the most amazing manga that i have read and wouldn't forget for a long time. The series is about a boy called yuki who is weak,powerless and not so intellllgent but can read HIS future though his cellphone known as the future diarys but not his death. At first it seemed to be a great deal but he had to pay the price sooner or later. There were other future diary holders approximately 13 who tried to kill each other because if they don't, they will be the ones that will get killed only with a matter of time. Apparently, this girl named Yuno was obsessed with Yuki and in love enough that she will murder anyone who might harm Yuki and would go insane enough to kill him. The reason why I liked this series was because of the awesome storyline with horror,action,gore,survival and a bit of romance. I also really liked the character development as the series went on. I liked how Yuno kept on calling Yuki ..Yuki..Yuki and giving the reader and Yuki the creeps XD. I enjoyed their and have learnt how to not get killed in a survival horror manga which has noting to do with real life but I have learnt about the character development when each of them are different from there personality's to there future diarys.
Future diary ( also know as mirai nikki) is one the most amazing manga that i have read and wouldn't forget for a long time. The series is about a boy called yuki who is weak,powerless and not so intellllgent but can read HIS future though his cellphone known as the future diarys but not his death. At first it seemed to be a great deal but he had to pay the price sooner or later. There were other future diary holders approximately 13 who tried to kill each other because if they don't, they will be the ones that will get killed only with a matter of time. Apparently, this girl named Yuno was obsessed with Yuki and in love enough that she will murder anyone who might harm Yuki and would go insane enough to kill him. The reason why I liked this series was because of the awesome storyline with horror,action,gore,survival and a bit of romance. I also really liked the character development as the series went on. I liked how Yuno kept on calling Yuki ..Yuki..Yuki and giving the reader and Yuki the creeps XD. I enjoyed their and have learnt how to not get killed in a survival horror manga which has noting to do with real life but I have learnt about the character development when each of them are different from there personality's to there future diarys.
July 15, 2018
Mirai nikki is one of my personal favorites. I love the concept of the future diaries, the variety of characters introduced,the way we learn about each character and their ambition to succeed usually for the sake of fixing their horrible past.
If it weren't for the (monumental) plot holes I would have rated it with 5 stars but it isn't possible because they are too obvious.
Especially the ones concerning Deus ex machina who in addition to being a God is dying and you know decides to designate a successor with a game of death where unstable psychopathic people take part. It isn't the smartest idea but hey it is essential to the plot.
The characters were interesting enough especially yuno which is mainly my favorite. But the other diary holders depending on the development they get aren't too bad either(especially 9th and 4th). In addition, Akise Aru was one of the characters who had a lot of potential and wasn't exploited accordingly to it. But despite that it is still more or less okay.
You'll get a fair amount of fan service in it, which is good or bad depending on your taste and how much you are irritated or not by it.
It is stupid sometimes and has plot holes but for me it is enjoyable and It's the kind of manga/show where the best way to enjoy it is just going with the flow because despite its flaws it's fucking awesome.
If it weren't for the (monumental) plot holes I would have rated it with 5 stars but it isn't possible because they are too obvious.
Especially the ones concerning Deus ex machina who in addition to being a God is dying and you know decides to designate a successor with a game of death where unstable psychopathic people take part. It isn't the smartest idea but hey it is essential to the plot.
The characters were interesting enough especially yuno which is mainly my favorite. But the other diary holders depending on the development they get aren't too bad either(especially 9th and 4th). In addition, Akise Aru was one of the characters who had a lot of potential and wasn't exploited accordingly to it. But despite that it is still more or less okay.
You'll get a fair amount of fan service in it, which is good or bad depending on your taste and how much you are irritated or not by it.
It is stupid sometimes and has plot holes but for me it is enjoyable and It's the kind of manga/show where the best way to enjoy it is just going with the flow because despite its flaws it's fucking awesome.
November 7, 2011
I think this is going to be a really great series and I really don't know why I agreed to read it... published by Tokyopop, this manga series is currently still ongoing in Japan, which means I will never get to read the end of this series. I know once I reach the 10th volume (the last available volume in the US) I'm going to be raging so hard because I won't be able to find out what happens next... I knew this before I started this book and I know it even more now that I actually dig the storyline.
Anyway, enough about my rant, this is a really cool concept and I can't wait to see what happens. Plus also, Yukiteru is adorable, plus I already really love Yuno! I'm really excited about this series!
Anyway, enough about my rant, this is a really cool concept and I can't wait to see what happens. Plus also, Yukiteru is adorable, plus I already really love Yuno! I'm really excited about this series!
August 4, 2009
For those that think mangas are simply glorified comics, they have not actually pick one up and read it. I picked up Future Diary on a whim, and I'm glad I did. It fits into the story line of a survival game where the plays have to kill each other. This time though the players have diaries that tell them the future. So far, it is a interesting concept, since each characters diary has a different perspective of the future and different information, and the characters themselves, fitting into the feel of the story, may not be exactly socially and mentally sane. The story has me hooked though, and I will continue.
July 29, 2018
A mysterious deity empowers a lonely teenager's flip phone with the divine power to predict future events. Somehow this makes a cute girl want to kiss him and a whole lot of evil people want to kill him.
July 6, 2010
4 1/2 stars
I recommend this for Death Note and Hunger Games fans.
I recommend this for Death Note and Hunger Games fans.
February 28, 2016
Well, that was one wild ride. Rtc.
December 11, 2018
I quite enjoyed this. It was a good opener to a series.
*I read this using the BOOK☆WALKER website/app, where you can buy digital versions of manga and light novels.* https://global.bookwalker.jp/
*I read this using the BOOK☆WALKER website/app, where you can buy digital versions of manga and light novels.* https://global.bookwalker.jp/
September 12, 2019
This is quickly on its way to becoming a new fave manga of mine
March 19, 2021
I enjoyed the story and there was a lot of action and it literally started right from the first pages. So the story was great. But the art was not my thing, so just 4 stars.
June 8, 2017
3,5 *
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