Shirobako because it isn't just some simple slice of life show about cute girls making anime. It was more than that but that's all I'm going to say since I'm writing a review about New Game! and not Shirobako.New Game! still shows you what goes on in the game development studio but they only show you the gist of it. They don't show you what really goes on behind developing games. In other words, New Game! only shows you the simplistic side of what goes on behind developing games. They don't show you the shitty side (time constraints, delays, huge stress in staff and etc) of the game industry and they don't show you how hard it is to even work in the game industry. Actually, there was one scene where some of the characters stayed up all night just to finish a certain task but the show flips it into some lighthearted moment that makes it enjoyable for us to watch. There's no such scenes in this anime that that will make you go "Oh shit, just look at how stressed these characters are" or "This industry is a hellhole to work in".The story, while simplistic, is surprisingly well done. The story of the show is about an 18-year old girl named Suzukaze Aoba, who just graduated high school and joined a game company named "Eagle Jump". It follows Aoba and the staff working on a game called "Fairies Story 3".The premise is a bit unbelievable but I learned to just roll along with it and the story never got dull or boring. It was really fun watching the slice of life moments and at the same time, watching the characters develop a game in a span of 12 episodes. Yes, I was also shocked. There was a story in this show about them developing a game and finishing the game in the final episode. Usually, slice of life shows are setup in a way where they'd introduce a story in the first episode and just forget about it just to focus on cute, moe girls but in New Game!, they made sure not to forget about the story.The comedic aspect of the show was amazing. I pretty much laughed at almost every comedic scenes in the show and none of it fell flat. For example, the scene that I found to be one of the most hilarious is the scene in Ep. 5 where Hajime and Kou were constantly turning up and down the temperature of the AC without either of them being aware of who was doing it. Another example is a favourite joke of mine where, Aoba and Kou were talking about how part-time workers generally get paid the same amount as full-time workers while working less hours and they also get paid more on their overtime. Aoba realizing that full-time workers are just a loophole to keep the wages down had me dying. It may be be funny but there's actually some truth to that.The interactions between the characters were also fun to watch. Like watching Rin and Kou together was just adorable or watching Aoba and Hifumi trying to have a decent conversation was too cute and hilarious. Also, that "first paycheck" conversation between the characters was really interesting to watch and it made me definitely made me feel nostalgic.The pacing of the show was well-done. I never felt bored of the show. Not even for a minute. For a 24 minute episode, each episode felt like 5 minutes. They made sure that the characters have always something interesting to say and that's one of the reasons why I found the show to be enjoyable. I also surprisingly enjoyed New Game!'s fan service. I generally hate fanservice scenes in general but New Game! is an exception. Probably because they're all over 18 and so, I don't feel uncomfortable when they show a glimpse of Hifumi's HOT steaming body xD'!______________________________________________________________[Art/Animation]: (10/10)Ever since Sansha Sanyou (Another slice of life show from Doga Kobo), the studio's visuals have been pretty amazing and New Game! is no exception. The show's visuals are top-notch and the character designs are amazing. Now this is the kind of character designs that I'm looking for in a slice of life show, even though Aoba and Nenechi's character designs looks really young for their age. The show is self-aware of the fact that they look like middle schoolers even though they're 18-19.______________________________________________________________[Sound]: (9/10)What can I say about this show's sountrack? I love it but don't expect anything groundbreaking though. Actually, there's that one soundtrack that really stood out to me and I ended up falling in love with that OST. I don't know the name of the OST but the OST sounds like something that you'd hear when you get this "feeling of accomplishment". If you have the name of the OST, please PLEASE leave a comment on my profile with the name of the OST because I really want to know. Now the OP and ED theme song(s).The OP theme song is "SAKURA Skip" by fourfolium. I straight up loved this song the moment I first heard it. The song, in a whole, was really catchy. Especially the beginning part of the song where the characters were singing in front of their computers.The ED theme song is "Now Loading!!!!" by fourfolium. The ED theme song was decent but when I went ahead and listened to the full song, it sounded much better. I even have the song downloaded on my phone. The Full ED song was much better than the 1 and a half minute version that we got.______________________________________________________________[Characters]: (9/10)New Game! doesn't have a single ounce of male main/side characters. You may see one but they're just forgettable background characters. No guys in a game developing company? Almost no guys plays video games in this universe? Haha.....right..... I'm going to let that one slide since this is just a slice of life show about cute girls doing cute things.Aside from the slice of life on a game development setting, one of the reasons why I really enjoyed this show are the characters. The cast of characters are enjoyable to watch. Their personalities are absolutely lovable and the character interactions and their dynamics are perfect. For example, one of the character dynamics that I enjoyed watching was Aoba and Hifumi. They both have different personalities (Aoba is a sweet, kind, and almost-naive girl and Hifumi is the cute introvert with a steaming hot body) but when they're both having a conversation, it leads to a whole array of cute/sweet/heart-warming/hilarious moments between them.But...The character dynamic that I really enjoyed the most was Kou and Rin. Yea, they've been best friends for a long time but I enjoyed watching the "Yuri undertone" moments between them. They may not be an official couple but when they act like a couple, I just scream like some shipping fanboy. They're just both sp sweet and adorable together.Also, as you may already know, in every slice of life show, there's that one annoying female character with a squeaky voice. That character, folks, is Nene Sakura or "Nenechi". At first, I found her to be really annoying and when she joined the Eagle Jump company, I was like "Oh God". Surprisingly, she turned out to be one of the best characters in the series. She made me laugh, her personality is a bit-childish but still enjoyable to watch and the interactions between her and Umiko (the military enthusiast girl) was spot-on.I know someone's going to ask me this so I'm just going to leave this here. Who's my best girl in the series? Hifumi, hands down, is my best girl. It's mostly her introverted personality that I find cute but when they showed her naked-censored body in one of the "Bathing" episodes, I decided on the spot that she's my best girl in the series.______________________________________________________________[Enjoyment]: (9/10)I just want to say that I really enjoyed this show. This was a show that I'd looked forward to every Monday and now that it's over; I'm, once again, experiencing an "Anime withdrawal symptoms". I'm probably going to go ahead and read the 4-koma manga now that I finished the anime.______________________________________________________________[VERDICT]"New Game!" is a slice-of-life series that I almost discarded because I came in expecting it to be like Shirobako. While it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to be, I still enjoyed the show so much. The premise may be a bit unbelievable but the slice-of-life moments are well done and surprisingly, the show has a story. The story may be overshadowed by the abundance of slice of life scenes but we still kind-of see the progress of them developing a game and finishing it on the last episode. The characters is what takes the cake though. I didn't find any of the characters in the series that was unlikable. They all had unique and likable personalities and their interactions with each other was just perfect and is one of the reasons why I ended up loving this show. If you're a fan of slice of life shows/CGDCT type of shows then this is for you.Now I have one more request for Doga Kobo.. Please, please make Season 2!Pros:+Enjoyable Slice of Life series+Comedic aspect of the show is well done+Amazing Visuals and Animation+Great Soundtrack+Fun cast of characters with enjoyable personalities+Character dynamics are perfect+One of the few series with enjoyable fanserviceCons:-Premise is a bit unbelievable but not a big deal.[OVERALL]: (9/10)