If you happen to be a gamer and a fan of anime, there are probably some video games where you thought, “Man, this would be fantastic as an anime. It already plays like an interactive anime game anyway!” One of those video games for me is Square Enix’s 2007 Nintendo DS game The World Ends With You. Apparently, the anime gods have smiled upon us because it’s actually happening.
Announced during FunimationCon 2020, The World Ends With You will be adapted into an anime for Funimation and will be released sometime in 2021. And if that announcement isn’t enough to get fans of the video game excited, Funimation also released a teaser trailer!
The trailer does show that the anime will be in keeping with the game’s overall style and aesthetic. Hearing a clip of Neku’s Japanese voice actor seems to fit with the personality of the character, though it is very brief. What the trailer doesn’t reveal is whether or not the video game’s phenomenal soundtrack will also be included in the adaptation. I sincerely hope the music from the video game will transfer over for the anime with some new tracks added into the mix. The game’s soundtrack still holds up pretty well, and has plenty of memorable songs that may appeal to those not familiar with the video game, but enjoy a potentially good anime with an immersive world and eclectic cast of characters.
The World Ends With You has always held a special place in my heart, and was one of the earlier video games I played and beat back when I was just starting out as a gamer. It has everything you could ever want from a video game, from fun gameplay to one of the best story lines you’ll ever experience. Despite my absolute joy at this piece of news, I am mostly cautious about video game to anime adaptations.
Ace Attorney was another video game series that got adapted into an anime, and was one of the other games I played and thought would make a good anime series. Since its release in 2016, I’ve heard mostly mixed reviews about the show and decided to push it further down my must-watch list. Not that I don’t ever plan on watching it, but I wasn’t as eager to get to it, especially when the animated version of Phoenix Wright, Maya, and Miles Edgeworth somehow looked strange and less superior compared to their video game counterparts.
But then you have adaptations like Steins;Gate, which was based on a visual novel game. I’ve never played the visual novel of Steins;Gate, but the anime alone was amazing to watch from start to finish and raised my interest in possibly seeking out the video game one day.
With examples like Ace Attorney and Steins;Gate, The World Ends With You anime can go either way. I’m praying it’s more of the latter than the former.
Are you looking forward to The World Ends With You finally becoming an anime?
simpleek 
I will echo your thoughts on Steins;Gate. What an incredible anime! I think I remember seeing the Tales series having an anime on Funimation a couple years ago. Never dove into it though, so I really don’t know what to expect from an adaptation of a video game. Nice post!
Thanks! I haven’t gotten into the Tales games, but I have heard good things about them. Didn’t know they made that one into an anime though. I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising that more and more video games are being adapted into an anime. Again, I think these adaptations can go either way. Either they’ll be really amazing like Steins;Gate or they might be somewhat mediocre like Ace Attorney. I guess we’ll see which end of the spectrum TWEWY lands on!