Game Adaptation by Domerica
Streaming on Crunchyroll

Premise

A collection of wacky characters must determine which one of them is infected by the Gnosia virus, lest their spaceship self-destruct to contain the infection. The amnesiac Yuri is one of them, and repeatedly wakes up to a shifting set of crew members and possible infected each time they die.

Iro’s verdict: Cautiously Interested

I had some basic knowledge on the Gnosia video game and its concepts prior to watching this and it managed to make me more interested than less, so we’re already off to a good start compared to most game adaptations. The art is, uh, distinctive, let’s say, and the time loop format in a cramped environment means that they can put their seemingly piddly budget where it counts: the character acting (or, as the show would seemingly prefer: SQ’s boobs and butt). More intriguing is the presence of GLORIO favorite Jukki Hanada on scenario/scripts, which at least creates the possibility space of an interesting adaptation. It’s earned at least another two episodes.

Zigg’s verdict: Common Gnowledge

Unlike Iro I don’t have any experience or knowledge of the videogame Gnosia is based on – in fact I didn’t even know it was adapted from a game until shortly before watching. However, I do have a love for a good surreal death game setup, a la movies like Cube or games such as the Zero Escape series, and Gnosia seems to have an engaging, though somewhat convoluted, setup to play with. I like that this first episode immediately focuses in on the psychological and character-driven aspects of the premise, using some good scenes of one-on-one interplay to crank the tension higher and give us a quick overview of our major players. The hinted at time-loop mechanic is also very intriguing, though that’s a lot of high-concept ideas to balance on top of one another – let’s hope the story doesn’t get swallowed by trying to do too much. The visual design is extremely extra, for want of a better word, but the actual direction is pretty good, and it’s a unique look if nothing else. I’m pretty in on this one and am excited to see where they go with it.