Akuma no Riddle Review

Akuma no Riddle:
Information:
Other Names: Riddle Story of Devil & 悪魔のリドル
Studio: Diomedéa
Writer: Kiyoko Yoshimura
Director: Keizō Kusakawa
Music: Yoshiaki Fujisawa
Type: Manga Adaptation, TV Series
Length: 12 Episodes, 24 min per episode approx.
Genres:  Action, School, Shoujo Ai
Rating: R- 17+
Air Dates: 4th April 2014 - 20th June 2014
Alternate Recommendations: Danganronpa: Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei The Animation & Mirai Nikki (TV)

Synopsis:

The story is set at Myoujou Academy, a private girls' boarding school. The 10th year's Kurogumi class has 12 assassins with their sights on one target, Haru Ichinose. Tokaku Azuma is a recent transfer student who is also targeting Ichinose, but she gradually develops feelings for Ichinose.

Review:

To start of this review, I will firstly be talking about the setting which I found to be not the most unique thing in the world, you know a battle royale is something I've seen a lot however I did like the idea of an all-female cast with a Shoujo ai (Girls Love) element thrown into the mix, which would have created a nice romance element to the show, but as always the romance is never fleshed out and has no significance in the plot what so ever.

Now for the main plot of the show which I can sum in one word: predictable. Seriously you know what's going to at the end of each episode as within each episode the main characters will take on one assassin at a time, and if the main characters were to die around the 2nd assassin things would go nowhere so you know who will win each fight and doesn't leave much to the animation. But aside from this the best bits within the plot are the assassinations themselves which are really well done with some quite predictable to real interesting and fun traps that are great to watch as they provide some great entertainment as you watch the two main characters figure each one out.

The last thing I would like to talk about story wise is the ending, which can be summed briefly as predictable and is something you'll defiantly see coming.

Now for the real meat that propels this show, which is the characters that for starters have some great designs each being unique and different that you'll never forget anyone within in a short space of time. Another good point about this show is the characters themselves which all stand out on their own having distinct traits and personalities as well as great backstories that deliver great additions to a boring plot, each describing the motivations that each character has within the setting, having a major effect on how immersive the characters can be.

Now for the bad points the development. There is none, barely any characters change throughout the series which isn't so bad considering it's one episode for each assassin, where there's no time for that but in the case of the main characters who should have some development, especially Tokaku Azuma (playing the role of protector) who should have some development, as this is a romance, has barely any while other lead character Haru Ichinose has none at all, leaving a huge amount of disappointment as well as a bad taste.   

Moving away from the bad points the next point to discuss in the art and animation, in which I would love to say that the art, is amazing, having such a unique style brings the show out better, making it feel different from other anime, good job Diomedéa. The animation itself is also great and moves quite nicely with the shows pace, which can mainly be seen during the show's opening that has a great impact on the tone of the show, letting you know what you're in for.

Finally the soundtrack is the last thing I will touch upon, starting with opening which as said above is great creating a great tone for the show. While on the other hand the endings, in which there are a lot of them, range from great to boring depending on your personal taste as each song represents a certain character the way you feel about each song can change depending on what you think of the character. On the other hand while the soundtrack may be good it doesn't stand out much making it very forgetful.

Overall decent show, I recommend watching if you have time.

Final Verdict:

Setting/Story: 6.8

Characters: 7

Art/Animation: 7.6

Soundtrack: 8.1

Final Score: 7.3/10

Ranking System:
10 - Perfect Masterpiece
9.6 - 9.9=  Near Perfect
 9 - 9.5 = Excellent
 7-8.9 = Good
 5-6.9 = Average/Mediocre
 2-4.9 =Bad
 1- 1.9= Unwatchable