is a Japanese
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series by Osora, serialized online via ''
pixiv Comic'' website since 2014. It has been collected in ten ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes by
Media Factory
, formerly is a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing.
History
It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd. Media Factory was possi ...
. An
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series adaptation by
Silver Link
is a Japanese animation studio. It was founded by ex-Frontline animation producer Hayato Kaneko in December 2007 and is based in Tokyo.
History
After the company's establishment in 2007, Shin Oonuma, who was previously a director alongside S ...
aired from July 7 to September 22, 2019.
Synopsis
A series of strange disappearances have been occurring throughout Japan, and despite the police's efforts, no leads have been found apart from the fact that all of the victims were youths. Akatsuki Iride, a friendly and amicable teenage boy, is a popular uploader of "Let's Play" videos, one of his latest uploads consisting of an F2P game called "The Ones Within - Genome". Although online rumors claim that the game causes anyone who clears it to disappear, Akatsuki is wholly unaware until the rumors prove true. He is summoned to a completely different world, and meets other teenagers like him: Karin Sarayashiki, Kaikoku Onigasaki, Himiko Inaba, Anya Kudou, Yuzu Roromori, Zakuro Oshigiri and Makino Aikawa. The eight teenagers are welcomed into what is known as the 13th Avenue, headed over by a strange man with an alpaca mask calling himself "Paca", and are informed of their task: to work together in clearing stages of the game and retrieving the "chromosome", a keycard-like token of completion, to subsequently reach 100 million viewers in this livestream where death and injury can all occur. Resistance is not tolerated; those who do are imprisoned in what is known as the "White Room" to wait alone for the rest in the Avenue to complete the game. Henceforth begins their trials in clearing this game, but what lies in wait for them is not only dangerous obstacles, with each member having a hidden past and dark secrets of their own.
Characters
;
:
: A friendly and optimistic
let's player specializing in
escape game
Escape the room, also known as room escape or escape game, is a subgenre of point-and-click adventure game which requires a player to escape from imprisonment by exploiting their surroundings. The room usually consists of a locked door, objects ...
s and the main protagonist of the story. He was raised by his aunt as her son after the former went delusional from the original Akatsuki's death as a child. Before being adopted, his original name was Akira. Despite his positive demeanour he possesses a uniquely perceptive and honest side, which allows him to befriend almost anyone. Prior to the series, he had met Yuzu online and planned to collaborate with her on a game broadcast.
:His identity as the owner of the island where the game takes place is later revealed in the story, as his adoptive father had passed it to him via inheritance after death, although this is kept a secret.
;
:
: A beautiful and popular horror-game streamer hailed as the #1 Female Game Streamer People Want to be Stepped on by online, known as "the Cursed Princess". Despite coming across as initially aggressive and confrontational, she is actually easily scared despite being an avid player of horror games, and can be sensitive and caring to her friends. She becomes Yuzu's best female friend.
:As a child, Karin had an older brother who ran away after their parents placed too much expectation and responsibility on him, leaving to pursue his own dreams. This led to their parents putting all these expectations on Karin instead, which made her resent her brother and despise reality.
;
:
: A
Sengoku
The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615.
The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Various s ...
-period and
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
-style game uploader. Characterised as a laid-back and calm person, he is extremely capable when the need arises and has high responsive abilities, making him the most cut-out for unexpected situations. As the heir to the Onigasaki clan his grandfather placed extreme pressure and expectations on him, treating him like a doll and causing him to disown his family, running away from homes and turning to games to relieve his emotions. He almost always wears Japanese-style clothing and fights with an olden-style umbrella and a
katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...
.
;
:
: A fighter-game uploader, which suits his often angry, distrustful and violent attitude. This attitude partially stems from the deaths of his parents and a sleep disorder which gives him regular periods of
insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...
, causing him to have to take sleeping pills most of the time and take up game streaming to get rid of boredom during the night. He eventually befriends Akatsuki, but quarrels a lot with Zakuro throughout the series.
:Anya was the youngest of three brothers until his oldest brother Kenya died after falling asleep from their family's sleep disorder on his motorcycle. Not long after, Anya was also diagnosed with the same disorder, leading to the second brother Shinya to aspire to become a doctor and develop a cure. Anya keeps his brother's motorcycle helmet around his neck as a memento.
;
:
:A stealth-type game uploader, characterised by his masked mouth and ability to conceal his presence well even in real life. He is often stoic, but harbours a shy side especially around women, which makes him a target of Yuzu's teasing. He entered the game in order to find his younger twin sister Sakura after she disappeared under similar circumstances. He has trouble working with Anya and keeps a dagger in his jacket for self-defense.
;
:
: A timid and kind nurturing-simulation game streamer who often helps out with domestic chores during emergencies. She carries
flash grenade
A stun grenade, also known as a flash grenade, flashbang, thunderflash, or sound bomb, is a less-lethal explosive device used to temporarily disorient an enemy's senses. Upon detonation, they produce a blinding flash of light and an extremely lou ...
s around for self-defense. Her older brother was put up for adoption by her parents and later went missing long enough to be declared legally deceased. Her parents claimed they did this to protect her which lead her to believe that she had indirectly killed him.
;
:
: A cheerful puzzle-and-maze-game streamer that enjoys teasing her teammates, especially Karin. She met Akatsuki online before and the two were planning to do a collaboration together before entering the game. Underneath her ditzy and sarcastic personality though, she harbours a genius-like intellect and an unhealthy obsession with Akatsuki.
;
:
: A quiet and handsome love-game streamer who sleeps almost all the time and lets his eyes do most of the talking for him. When he was a child, he was never loved by his parents and fell in love with the girl next door who took care of him for a long time, but his hopes were dashed when the girl, who never knew of his true feelings, got a boyfriend herself. This led him to turn to love games for comfort and shut himself in his own world. Later, Akatsuki helps get him back on his feet and move on. A running gag in the series is how anyone, male or female, who looks into his eyes for five seconds can be charmed by him.
;
:
: The mysterious
game master
A gamemaster (GM; also known as game master, game manager, game moderator, referee, or storyteller) is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer role-playing game. They are ...
of ''The Ones Within - Genome''. He hides his face behind an
alpaca
The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can successfu ...
mask. Despite his jovial and light-hearted personality, he can show a darker and more serious side whenever he faces opposition from any of the players.
;
:
He was the elder brother of both Anya and Shinra. Kenya was going to get chocolate for his brothers but Kenya died in a car crash after falling asleep from their family's sleep disorder on his motorcycle and his younger brother Anya keeps his motorcycle helmet around his neck as a memento.
Media
Manga
Anime
An
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
adaptation was announced via the manga's official Twitter account on May 23, 2018, later revealed to be a television series on September 13, 2018. The series is directed by
Shin Oonuma
is a Japanese anime director, animator, and storyboard artist. Oonuma's first employer in the anime industry was Office AO, but he is best known for his contributions to studios Shaft and Silver Link.
Career
Oonuma's first appearance in anime ...
and animated by
Silver Link
is a Japanese animation studio. It was founded by ex-Frontline animation producer Hayato Kaneko in December 2007 and is based in Tokyo.
History
After the company's establishment in 2007, Shin Oonuma, who was previously a director alongside S ...
, with Kento Shimoyama written the scripts, Mizuki Takahashi designed the characters, and Junichi Satou of
Fhána composed the music at
Lantis.
It aired from July 7 to September 22, 2019 on
AT-X,
Tokyo MX
JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, NH ...
,
KBS,
SUN
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
,
BS11, and
TVA
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a Federal government of the United States, federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, an ...
.
Anya's Japanese voice actor,
Tasuku Hatanaka
is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer.
Biography
He voiced Yuma Tsukumo in the anime series ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal'', Ushio in ''Ushio and Tora'', Ikoma in ''Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress'', Gō Nagakura in ''Battery'', and Fudō Nomura in ' ...
, performed the series' opening theme song "not GAME", while Fhána performed the series' ending theme song .
Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
has licensed the series out Asia for a simuldub, while
Muse Communication
Muse Communication Co., Ltd. (also known simply as Muse) is a Taiwanese distributor and licensor that specializes in the distribution of anime. Based in Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, the company also distributes Asian and European films i ...
holds the rights to the series in Southeast Asia. The series ran for 12 episodes. An
original video animation
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
has been announced, and was bundled with the manga's 10th volume which was released on February 27, 2020.
Reception
The anime adaptation's first episode garnered poor reviews from
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
's staff during the Summer 2019 season previews. James Beckett felt the gimmicky premise lacked meaningful content and only carried "by-the-numbers" storytelling and "purely functional" animation, saying it lacks the "charm, inventiveness, and fun" of the ''
Danganronpa
is a Japanese video game franchise created by Kazutaka Kodaka and developed and owned by Spike Chunsoft (formerly Spike). The series primarily surrounds various groups of apparent high school students who are forced into murdering each other ...
'' franchise; Rebecca Silverman was critical of the show not accentuating the strengths of its premise and being undecided of its genre but was optimistic of its improved growth based on the familiar plot; Theron Martin criticized the premise for having no "entertainment value" and not giving an explanation of its overall world filled with uninteresting characters. The fourth reviewer, Nick Creamer, praised Shin Oonuma's direction for adding "visual diversity" to the episode but criticized the overall bland artwork and unsalvageable story for carrying "archetypal" characters that deliver "simplistic and obnoxious" comedy.
Fellow ANN editor Caitlin Moore reviewed the complete anime series in 2020.
She commended the show's "visual panache" for delivering atmospheric horror in its episodes but felt it wasn't enough for this "poorly-written ''Danganronpa'' imitator" to distract viewers from its "subpar script" having "poor pacing", tonal inconsistencies and unmemorable characters to engage with throughout a story that gives a "non-ending" for its conclusion, concluding that "
never tries to stand on its own merits, which are few and far between. It is, in a word, bad."
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ones Within, The
2019 anime television series debuts
2020 anime OVAs
Anime series based on manga
Funimation
Isekai anime and manga
Japanese webcomics
Kadokawa Dwango franchises
Media Factory manga
Muse Communication
Shōjo manga
Silver Link
Webcomics in print