One of my favorite things I used to do on a daily basis growing up is playing a lot of online-focused games. From the creative levels from Little Big Planet 2, the turned planning of competitive Pokemon the heavily social base Playstation Home to the addicting strategy first-person shooter Battlefield 3/4/Bad Company 2. I loved my online games and I still play to this day. (newer titles of course)
Of course, being a video game and anime fan, I had to check out the many animes that focus on online gaming, and the results that the medium offered more and less disappointed me. I’m not going to reveal those disappointing online game-themed anime as not only many of the shows are popular to a point where you may know by now, but I also don’t to upset any of its fans that may like those shows, however, aside from two shows many of these online gaming-themed anime are plagued with these three faults.
Lack of fun.
Awful understanding of video game mechanics.
Poor writing which a certain popular franchise is most guilty of.
Honestly, why is it so hard to make a good/decent online game-themed anime? I get that they will become obvious limitations due to them being two completely mediums that have different standards, but I feel like the writers could have worked around the limitations and barriers to make a worthwhile product that is fun.
Thankfully there were two shows that did all of that on top of them being great show respectively Log Horizon and perhaps the best VRMMORPG-themed anime I’ve encountered, Bofuri. A show that restored my faith in my mostly negative stance on online gaming-focused anime.
Right out of the gate one of the first things that blew me away was the spectacular writing that Bofuri has to offer. It may not be the tightest written show out there, but I admire just how clever, well-thought-out, and charming the script was. It’s also helped that the author of Bofuri is a veteran of MMO games, meaning he knows the basic fundamentals of MMOs game design as well MMORPG player mindset which are the reasons for Bofuri’s success. It’s human and reliable to the core which makes Bofuri a wholesome and exciting experience. Maple’s journey of becoming a respectful player was satisfying as we see her transformation from an inverted player that has no clue of how the game works, to a powerful guild master who’s capable of leading a team on top of being quite an expert in the game.
Another amazing aspect of Bofuri is the excellent worldbuilding. NewWorld Online the game that our characters play feels so alive, there is so much content and things going on that it makes the show feel more immersive. From the skill tree that would define your playstyle and role.
The explorable mysterious locations and dungeons. The game events and the ranking system, I could go on. Bofuri has it all which only enhances the experience.
Bofuri’s biggest story strength is how simple, but well-written it is. Not every series has to be complex or deep to qualify as well written, in fact in instances I’ve seen various series that try too hard to be something bigger than it actually is and end up failing. Bofuri knows what hype of show and tone it wants and it sticks with it. There are no sci-fi plot contrivances, no jarring time skips, and no forced rivalries, It’s simply people coming together to experience the game of their love.
The characters are the best component of Bofuri.
They are nicely written, fun, and memorable.
Maple aka Kaede is quite a fascinating female heroine. She’s a bubbly hair head that is filled with fun and innocence.
As a competitive player in many games, I adore how honest she is as she simply wants to have fun with her during her friend sessions. I totally respect that, and it’s nice to see a character that plays for fun instead of pure glory. She may be overpowered with her broken skills, but she’s the good type of overpowered that doesn’t get old. As I stated before, I adored Maple’s journey from a newbie to a powerful guild leader and it is mainly due to her character growth. As she encounters new locations and more importantly new people, she ultimately starts to find her place in the game.
She even had a life outside of the game which is a nice touch.
Sally aka Risa is Kaede’s best friend and what a best friend she was. Compared to Kaede, she’s a passionate video gamer who’s known to win numerous achievements in the game. She’s also known to be very competitive in video games to the point where she will do anything to achieve victory.
She’s my favorite character in the show mainly because of her pure respect for her best friend as well as her passionate personality that she has. I like how she understands Kaeda’s gaming preferences of playing the game for fun rather than pure glory, I also like how she does not discriminate against anyone for being low/unskilled players. Usually, these types of players would either get critical or triggered whenever a low/unskilled player beats them.
Risa feels a gaming reflection of myself when I’m video games, A powerful skilled player, who’s known to respect their opponents regardless of skill level. Lastly, her personality was such a joy to watch. I tend to like passionate characters and Risa is no different.
The rest of the characters are also pretty good, each character got their time to shine in the spotlight and while some were more memorable than others the characters did a nice job supporting the main cast.
Visually Bofuri is a nice appealing show to look at. Silver Link tends to up and down with the visuals of their shows. I’m glad to report that Bofuri is one of the better-looking show’s that they have done. Outside of the odd CGI work for Maple’s shield mech thing, Bofuri visually feels alive and immersive. The character’s designs mainly from the Maple Tree guild are digestive and nicely detailed. The background scenery is appealing, filled with some nicely drawn locations.
The animation is well-choreographed, smooth, and consistent.
The soundtrack is outstanding. I adored the various, upbeat, wholesome, and adventurous tracks that Bofuri had to offer.
The insert song Good Night by Rico Sasaki is one of the best and happiest insert songs I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s the type of song that makes you happy no matter how sad and angry you are.
Every time that song plays in the show, my mood drastically improves for the better.
Both the opening and ending themes are catchy and heartwarming to listen to.
Bofuri’s English by Funimation and Crunchyroll is excellent and well-produced. Megan Shipman did a fantastic job voicing the wholesome hair head Kaede.
The dub features a lot of strong Funimation talent. You have Caitlin Glass as Iz, Tia Ballard as Kasumi, Brittney Karbowski as Kanade, and the best performance in the dub, Jad Saxton as Risa.
Of course, the Seiyuu talent is top-notch if you prefer the original Japanese option.
In conclusion, Bofuri is a brilliant and fun show. I can’t believe it took 20 years to reach this point, but Bofuri is the true VRMMORPG anime experience. It may not be as multi-layered as Log Horizon, but it makes up for everything else. A glorious blend of fun, style, and substance, Bofuri perfectly achieved my ultimate wish and it didn’t have to try. If you’re looking for a true VRMMORPG experience that respects its characters and setting, then Bofuri is the show for you.
45.5 out of 50 users liked this review
