No Game No Life episode 3 is about Sora and Shiro playing against Clammy Zell to take over Imanity’s kingdom. Sora gets his chance to play against her by calling Clammy out for cheating. This gets her to agree to a game, but she will not play poker this time. At first the game appears to just be chess, but the pieces are supposed to think for themselves. Clammy’s pieces do whatever she asks of them with Shiro has trouble getting the pieces to follow her requests. Sora then takes over by changing the game into a strategy game and encouraging the troops with sex and other enticements. Clammy then starts brainwashing his troops away. Sora then seduces Clammy’s queen who convert to his side.
The No Game No Life game to become king did not make a lot of sense. If there is no supposed to be cheating then why are none of the items for the match checked ahead of time? If they had been then the judge for this would have clearly seen they would not just moved further for one participant than the other. Also the brainwashing somehow is not stopped either. Just because they can think for themselves does not mean that they can change the other pieces. People are observing this, but no one says anything. The reactions that Sora has to these things like suddenly deciding to play like a strategy game do not make sense either.
People have brought up that Sora should not be charismatic since he has not done well with other people in real life. Thing is the situations that could possibly be called charismatic are not really. With the soldiers Sora just offers what soldiers would like to motivate them. They are working for rewards and love of his sister’s cuteness not love of their king. Sora is really good at judging how people will react which would help help with cheating, which is what he is supposed to be good at. I would consider him a better strategist than a charismatic figure at this point.
The whole idea that Clammy Zell would get help from elves to win and have humans live under them is repulsive to many. From what has occurred so far it appears that humanity could be better off if they were more observant. Without even being part of the world long the siblings were able to find someone cheating. Humans appear to have mostly given up though. It is nice that the siblings are trying to accomplish something to prove humanity can compete on the level of the other races.
The biggest quarrel I have with this battle in No Game No Life is that an observant viewer will already know the outcome. The siblings are shown in the opening already wearing crowns, so no matter what they obviously because royalty at some point. Also if that was not enough at the end they show then getting crowns in the preview. This is poor planning, there could have been so much more suspense. Now the viewer does not have as much drive to see the next episode because the outcome is given. While many will want to know how they pull it off, there is no longer doubt. Suspense between episodes is one of the best things a show being aired weekly can create.
