Entry is a work-in-progress. The entry may also contain spoilers.
About
The Future Diary (未来日記, Mirai Nikki ) is a psychological-thriller and romance manga and anime series. It was written and illustrated by Sekae Esuno in 2006.
Premise
In the world of Future Diary, the God Deus Ex Machina is dying. In order to find a successor he hosts the Survival Game. Twelve contestants must participate in a battle royale, using supernatural devices called Future Diaries, to see who is the last one standing over the course of 90-days, otherwise the world itself will end. The story focuses on Yukiteru Amano and Yuno Gasai as they struggle to survive and win the Survival Game.
History
Manga
Future Diary ran from January 26, 2006 – December 27, 2010. It comprises of 12 volumes. There are also two side story manga titled Future Diary: Mosaic, which focuses on Minene Uryu (9th) and reveals some unexplained plot points from the original series. Future Diary: Paradox focuses on Aru Akise and Mur Mur trying to restore the timeline after Mur Mur ended up killing Yuno on accident before the game even began.
Anime
The anime adaptation of Future Diary began airing on October 10, 2011 and ran for 26 episodes. The adaptation was faithful to the manga, save for a few minor tweaks. Funimation handled the English dubbing.
Redial
Future Diary: Redial is the epilogue to the original series. It further explains what happened in the 3rd universe and how Yuno reunites with Yuki. Redial was bundled as a manga and OVA.
Visual Novel
A visual novel based on the manga Future Diary: The 13th Diary Owner was released for the PlayStation Portable on January 28, 2010 in Japan. A re-release with new graphics, artwork and the voice actors from the anime was released on April 26, 2012.
Live Action
An 11-episode live action drama aired between April 21 and June 30, 2012 on Fuji TV. The series followed an original plot line separate from the manga and anime series.
Reception
The manga series has currently sold over 4 million copies in Japan. Reception to both the manga and anime series have generally been positive. Some criticisms of the series include the lack of development on some characters (3rd and 5th), as well as Yuki being a weak protagonist due to Yuno’s pampering.
Fandom
Due to the wild nature of the characters there have been various cosplays. Yuno, Minene, and Yomotsu (2nd, 9th, and 12th respectively) are favorites among the fandom. Yuno herself has become so iconic that she has become the poster-child of the yandere archetype and has become known as the Yandere Queen.
Related Memes
Yandere Trance
Yandere Trance is an exploitable image of Yuno in her yandere state. It’s variations mostly stem from amateur Japanese artists on pixiv, but they have gained popularity across the internet. These images have made appearances on 4chan’s /a/ board, Tumblr, and deviantART.
