Author: Christina Kane Published: June 4th, 2018
Chapters: 13* | Type: Four-Panel Manga | Language: Japanese & English
Fresh out of high school, Aoba gets a dream job at the gaming company that put out her favorite game of all time.
Story
Baby-faced Aoba gets a break that probably most of her classmates didn’t get after graduation; a dream job designing and modelling characters at a hot gaming company that just happened to produced Aoba’s all-time favorite game! And as an extra bonus, the character designer that just happened to have been the designer of Aoba’s favorite game also works there as well. Of course sometimes meeting your hero can be awkward as Aoba’s first meeting with Yagami is when Yagami stays overnight and is wearing only her shirt and undies. On the bright side, Yagami teaches Aoba a few things about character design and modelling programs and takes her under her wing pretty much. If anyone caught both anime seasons of this, the events of the first season sets up the framework for this volume (though I do plan to get Vol 2 next!). We see Aoba struggling in her first new days as she adjusts to her coworkers and picks up some skills, how things are run at the company and even checking in with her girlfriend, who attends a local college.
I’m a fan of both seasons of the anime, so seeing that the manga was available was a treat for me. Sure the designs are cutesy, but it takes its subject matter seriously and lovingly. Especially if you’re into gaming and coding.
Characters
In addition to our wide-eyed protagonist and Yagami, there’s Rin, the motherly art director of the group, or ‘team’ that Aoba will be working on; her co-workers Hajime (action freak who actually works with the motion team. They’re the ones who animate the action in games.), Yun (fashionable) and most of all, Hifumi, who’s so shy and awkward around people that she resorts to using private messaging to communicate with Aoba at first! Then there’s also Nene, Aoba’s friend, who goes to a local college. Keep an eye on her; she’ll be more important in future volumes.
Themes
It’s a four panel manga that’s a workplace comedy. Also, some moe elements… I mean, one can’t help but relate somewhat to Aoba’s awkwardness, especially at the end of this volume where we see her in her interview. Not to mention that she looks like she’s a middle schooler (and yes there are jokes about that).
Art/Writing
The art really isn’t anything that hasn’t been done before: Cute girls doing cute things basically. But, Tokuno did his research obviously and it shows here. It’s not sexualized too unlike other manga of this kind so fans of all ages can enjoy this. Since this is all four panel, there’s really not a certain amount of chapters in this.
Quality/Conclusion
Rank: 7.5 (The art’s nothing special but it’s a good light read)
I read this on my Kindle so I can’t really go into book terms like how the binding held up or any weird printing errors, but the digital quality overall was all right. There’s some nice color pages at the beginning that introduce the cast and the beginnings of when Aoba arrives for her first day of work.
I enjoyed both seasons of the anime and highly recommend you to catch this series on Crunchyroll though the first season is available on BR/DVD from Funimation. It’s a nice binge for an afternoon when you just want something lighthearted and sweet to watch on a nice afternoon when one has nothing to do. Also, inspired me to look up coding!
Source: Article Image: New Game! Wikia
- Original Title: ?????? (Nyu Gemu)
- Author: Shotaro Tokuno
- Release Date: 2013 – Present
- Additional Details*: 12 chapters + an Extra
- License: Seven Seas Entertainment