Roll Credits: I Watched GNOSIA’s Anime - Moving Pictures

I recently 100% GNOSIA with my wife after she came across the game in one of the episodes of our anime & gaming podcasts, the Pal’s Anime Lounge. While the game wasn’t what I expected it to be, as I thought it would be more of a visual novel and less of a mystery board game, I enjoyed it; it took us 32 hours, but we unlocked every achievement and ended up looping over 150 times to get the true ending. Spoiler warning, as I’ll be diving into some details!

Released on the 11th of 2025, about three years after the launch of the game, the GNOSIA anime follows the protagonist as they embark on a similar journey to the player’s. To achieve freedom from the curious life form called the Silver Key, Yuri must unveil information about those around them by looping through different worlds.

One of the highlights of the game was the varied and memorable designs present in the 15 characters we meet throughout the experience. I appreciated how odd and colourful they were, nailing the sci-fi aesthetic!

Naturally, my first worry had been that they wouldn’t be able to replicate the same style, especially in characters like Kukrushka, who are downright stunning. While I was correct and some of them didn’t look as charming as in the game (Comet ended up growing on me, but I couldn’t ever stand Jonas), it wasn’t too bad. I happily traded their appearance for a chance to bond with the characters I had come to know across over 100 loops.

For a more comfortable transition between the two media, there were also some changes added. For example, LeVi can sense if there is Gnosia presence without having to wait for the next day; I felt that modification added an excellent level of tension to the scenes, as we watched intently for the green or red light.

The disturbing addition of characters screaming as they’re cyberised during the transition to the next day cements the unnerving feeling that warping is dangerous. The sound made it so the transition to the next day doesn’t feel bland or empty: it was still effectively nerve-wracking.

In the game, players have to go through special events to progress the story; these offer insights into the characters and work as the visual novel aspect. There were some alterations to them in the anime, and while I appreciated them, I preferred the videogame variations more often than not.

For example, there’s a scene where the protagonist takes Setsu to watch a movie to help them calm down. The way it played out wasn’t as silly in the anime, as the focus on Yuri and Setsu’s relationship was taken more seriously.

In the game, Shigemichi happens to be there too, and after explaining how movies are “supposed” to work, the scene ends with the three holding hands. This detail added a comedic twist to an otherwise standard scene, transforming it into a memorable moment. It would have worked well with Shigemichi’s anime portrayal, which I thought was phenomenal and brought nuance to the character.

While he’s still funny and charming in the game, the voice actor’s efforts to give him silly tones, accompanied by the over-the-top facial expressions, paint a very different picture of him. He comes across as confident and goofy, not just someone who is comedic by happenstance: he does it on purpose to foster connections.

Another situation that I enjoyed more in the videogame is when Gina sacrifices herself to save the humans as a Gnosia. While she still does in the anime, it isn’t set up as something she meditates on and plans; instead, she happens to be on her way to be frozen alongside Otome when they drift into the dangerous zone, prompting her to take action.

While she still sacrifices herself, it feels like a lot of the personality behind the decision is washed away. It’s just a coincidence that she and Otome were on their way to the cryo pods, which happens because she gets them both caught to protect Yuri from her Gnosia partner.

In the game, Gina’s knowledge as a space traffic controller alerts her that the vessel is headed to a hazardous area, so she goes out of her way to fix it ahead of time before revealing her role as a Gnosia and killing herself so they can be safe. This approach creates a bigger impact, especially because it’s done out of principle and morality, tying back much more strongly to her backstory and fears.

All that being said, as much as I like the game’s approach, it can’t compete with what animation offers. Being able to hear the characters’ voices, tone, and facial expressions makes them feel more depthful and layered naturally. Some of the moments that stood out to me weren’t even the focus, such as SQ or Shigemichi interacting with the other crew members by goofing off and being silly in the background; you don’t get that in the videogame.

One downside I didn’t expect is that the cast is too large, which made the spotlight (understandably) lopsided: some characters fade into obscurity in the anime. Stella is a great example, as she stood out in the game but got washed out in the show; even the reveal of her being LeVi didn’t make as much of an impact.

Contrariwise, Raqio and Remnan made much more of an impact. The former is downright insufferable in the game, coming across narcissistic-like and abusive; they get voted out so easily that their supposed intelligence also feels inconsequential. Whether they are Gnosia or crew, they are more of a bother than a character.

In the anime, Raqio is still a moody person, and they always come up with an excuse to cover up their humble intentions. Despite that, we get enough scenes with them that their layers are more noticeable, and their intelligence does present the threat it should in the game.

By the end, I was surprised at how much I liked the character; their contributions and helpful attitude made them feel much more tangibly human and likeable. My wife and I ended up looking forward to their presence as we got to know them, as opposed to our attitude toward them in the game, where they became our scapegoat: just pin it on Raqio to get an easy win.

Although I already empathised with and liked Remnan, seeing his expressions, hearing his panicked voice, and being able to experience the partly visualised memories in the anime made his situation much more heartbreaking. His quiet presence in the background of scenes, where his body language screams anxiety, is an easy reminder of who Manan is… something that is easy to forget or minimise in the game.

However, despite how uneasy and uncomfortable the scenes between Manan and Remnan made me, they paled in comparison to what I feel was the most impactful moment of the anime: when Yuri goes into Sha-Ming’s room. My wife and I grew fond of him as we unravelled his story in the game, and he hadn’t been able to make us feel the same throughout the show… until this scene.

Seeing a female-presenting Yuri trust Sha-Ming and lie down was hard to stomach; the tension was played phenomenally. I felt it encompassed the fragility of being a woman in such a situation without having to resort to raw imagery: it was just the words, the intent, and the protagonist’s guttural reaction. Despite how touching the conclusion of the episode was, I felt weird and uncomfortable for a while afterwards.

It was certainly interesting to get to see the cast in a new light and uncover more scenes with them. The plot holes were still bothersome, but not as much as in the game — or maybe I had enough time to grow used to them.

The animation was great, and the delivery of a lot of the pivotal moments makes it an experience that I think is worth watching, especially if you like tension-filled sci-fi shows. Just don’t think too hard about the plot holes and enjoy the experience; as Yuri (ironically) says to Setsu during the movie scene, “It’s just fiction.”