In this article L. Meridian takes a look at the first episode of the anime Future Diary. The manga is written by Sakae Esuno and published, in English, by Tokyopop. The anime comes via the studio Asread with Funimation enjoying the license in the US and Kaze in the UK.
At first glance, Future Diary may look like another supernatural thriller with familiar faces and predictable plots. On the contrary, the mythos of Future Diary is rich with impending horror, mystery, action, drama, science fiction, and enough romance to ensnare even the most shrewd of anime enthusiasts. Each episode is an emotional roller coaster of apathetic intrigue, and the larger scheme of the plot has a surreal authenticity that I might compare to something like Magical Girl, where no one is safe from scrutiny or ruin. A brief look at the first episode may be enough to wet your appetite…
In an otherwise unremarkable suburban town, in a nondescript bedroom like any other, sits our dark haired protagonist tapping absently on his cell phone. Yukiteru Amano, as many antiheros, has no immediately definable traits besides a compulsive need to update his electronic diary with constant observations of even the most routine day to day occurrences. Yuki seems unconcerned with fitting in or socializing, but his loneliness is punctuated by a larger than life ‘imaginary’ friend whom he visits in his sleep, the Deus Ex Machina.
On a particular visit to the Machina and his adorable companion Murmur, Yuki is given the extraordinary gift of future sight. His cell phone becomes a Future Diary which affords him detailed information of the future with the same consistency, patterns and context as if Yuki were writing the entries himself.
The Machinas ominous excuse for this gift is simply “I have an inkling you’ll find prognostication very handy” with a final warning that the very existence of the Diary and the user are bound, so that the destruction of one means death of the other.
Back in his bed, Yuki contemplates the potential of having a cheat sheet for life, oblivious to the implications of his new freedom.
Later at school Yuki learns the hard way how unpredictable a Future Diary can be when he’s anxiously confronted by the prettiest, smartest girl at school, Yuno. She comes on strong, and doesn’t hesitate in telling him his life is in danger and that her Diary of Future Love has the foreknowledge of his timeline exclusively to save him. Overwhelmed and out of ideas, Yuki and Yuno survive a deadly encounter with another Diary user and live to hear the Deus Ex Machinas candid explanations.
In a realm immune to the passage of time, an anonymous gathering between the remaining eleven Diary users and the Machina reveals a more horrifying truth than Yuki imagined. Together the eleven are in a murderous competition to survive each other, and each of their Diaries is as unique and devious as its user. The last man standing will inherit the entirety of the Universe, bearing the mantle of space time, and the divine powers of a God. No biggie.
Our meek around the edges Yuki must learn to work with his Diary and Yuno to stay alive, but her intense and unexplained devotion has him paranoid and mistrustful. Though he has a good heart, he must face insidious challenges to overcome his self doubt and cowardice if he hopes to survive the Machinas gambit and claim his prize.
Rife with timey whimey paradox and all manner of convoluted space/time dilemmas, Future Diary navigates the problematic consequences of precognition in a unique combination of horror, science fiction and romance that manages to be suspenseful and engaging. The inevitable clashing of the Diary users packs an equal amount of action, horror, and a good deal of mystery.
Though Future Diary manages to stir some intense emotions that remain in constant flux, Murmur is there with a friendly smile and humorous disposition at the end of every episode to sooth your fears and explain the most troubling time related paradoxes yet unexplained in each episode. Truly, it’s hard not to become engrossed with this show, no matter what it is you’re looking for.
