TWEWY had to undertake the difficult task of translating a long video game into a one-season anime. And it wasn’t just any video game, it was one with a complicated story and a lot of well-written, deep characters. On top of all that, it’s a video game whose fans know the story frontwards and backward, and have had 14 years to think about every element of it. That’s a huge task — and TWEWY The Animation was up for it. From the start, the episodes are fast-moving. There’s plenty of cool fights in every episode, and the in-game days breeze by.

The best part is, this isn’t done at the expense of the story. TWEWY is still mostly easy to follow, and the characters still have enough time for us to get to know them. Of course, it will never be as deep as the game, but the plus side is that the anime never had a chance to get boring or repetitive. It’s always something new and exciting, which is what anime fans want to see in an action anime!

One of the things that drew otaku to TWEWY as a video game was the art style. The game always looked like a really cool anime, with bright colours, cool fashion, and character design, and a stylised version of Shibuya for its setting. All of these things helped make the transition from game to anime for TWEWY really smooth. It looks just like the game — and looks different than other anime from this season. The art style is unique, not relying on realism at all but instead looking more like pop art or graffiti (perfect for the atmosphere of the story). It makes TWEWY eye-catching the way the original game was, and anime need something special to set themselves apart each season. For TWEWY, that special thing is definitely its style.

Another thing that kept TWEWY really gripping for us was the number of plot twists. There’s always another big reveal, a character who isn’t who you thought they were, or a hidden motive coming to light. Characters die when you don’t expect them. People aren’t who they appear to be. Everyone’s backstory is only revealed over time. These sorts of storytelling elements keep you guessing and wanting to see more, wondering what will happen next (and probably guessing wrong). Sadly a lot of these twists are lost on people who played the game before, but for newcomers to the series, TWEWY has a lot of surprises to keep you curious.

One of the best things about TWEWY The Animation is that it made TWEWY accessible to people that never had the chance to play the game in 2007, or had forgotten many of its details. With a release date of July 27th, 2021, the sequel game Neo: The World Ends with You is coming to us very, very soon. TWEWY The Animation had made that game more appealing to people even if they never played the original by giving them all the details and background information they need to enjoy the sequel. It’s also rekindled interest in old fans of the series, reminding them of everything they loved about the original.