“Now to distribute status points? Everything I've got goes into defense!” - Maple
If you couldn’t tell from the title, Bofuri isn’t an anime that you should take seriously and expect anything crazy from. The characters are hilarious, the atmosphere is light and refreshing, and the storyline centers around a beginner gamer that seems to get herself into the craziest of situations: Maple. This anime doesn’t try to be anything absurd or impress you with some intricate plot or characters, but it's just there to have fun, and that's a good thing. Bofuri is one of those anime that you need if you’re looking to just sit back, relax, turn off your brain, and enjoy a good laugh or two. So why don’t you do just that?! Enjoy all the smiling faces in this anime. Enjoy all the crazy and entertaining things going on. Enjoy how overpowered Maple seems to get every episode. Just have fun and enjoy it all! Leave all the technical scoring to me...Art and Animation: 9.1/10
The quality of animation was a lot better than I was expecting. I admired the character designs when I first saw them, and I was pleased when I saw that the same level of quality was implemented into the anime as well. The beautiful and vibrant colors of New World Online were both beautiful and refreshing. It felt like you were in a VRMMO with all the surrounding diverse environments and creatures. From beautiful sunsets to crystal clear ocean waters, the attention to detail in background shots were pleasing to the eye. I appreciated all of the diverse environments that we were able to enjoy throughout this anime. As for character designs, you had both familiar and new ones all around. New weapons, unique armor, craftable items, all of it was included in an anime about a virtual video game with their designs. The action scenes also had some amazing and over-the-top moments that I truly wasn’t expecting. Fluid movements, beautiful visual effects, and creative dynamics/skills kept this anime interesting the whole way through.Storyline and Character Progression: 8.5/10
I’d be lying if I told you that this anime had an actual storyline or some type of character progression that didn’t involve leveling or gaining more equipment. While this anime does have in-game events that our gamers participate in, there isn’t really anything beyond that. Bofuri is more of an episodic anime that's meant to be enjoyed one episode at a time. No need to bother with character progression either, since any character progression in this anime has to deal with being a higher level or gaining powerful equipment. There isn’t much to say in this department if I'm being honest. The events that took place in this anime were funny to watch, had a bit of suspense, and looked extremely fun to take part in. The sense of exploration, leveling, and new adventures were all there and made me excited to watch Maples journey as a gamer every episode. I’m sure you’ll either laugh or have your mouth wide open at how many crazy things Maple discovers...Soundtrack and Audio: 8.8/10
This was also another element that I truly enjoyed in Bofuri. The soundtrack had complimented the anime well in adding to the environment and ambiance to give a true sense of adventure. It was upbeat, refreshing, and the OP represented the anime quite well. When it came to the sound effects used, they were neither generic nor stale. This was most evident during action scenes when explosions were plenty and spells were being cast left and right. Another strong point that Bofuri had was in its astonishing vocal cast. With a lot of talent in this cast, its only natural that we’d get high-quality voice acting to add to the bubbly personalities of our beloved characters. No complaints at all when it came to this department.As you can tell, Bofuri isn’t meant to be taken seriously at all. It's intended to be laughed at more than anything. From the cute and adorable moments, to the endless and crazy overpowered things Maple seems to get, you’re going to have a lot of enjoyment with this anime. With a grand soundtrack, amazing vocal cast, and animation to add to the immersion, Bofuri is here to help you unwind and just enjoy! So sit back, don’t worry about the big things, and enjoy the absurdly funny and OP adventures of our cute gamer Maple. For the refreshing and great quality animation, fun soundtrack, and hilarious adventures, Bofuri has earned its score of 8.8/10. What are you waiting for? Add this to your plan to watch when you need an anime to make you smile and relax! That's all for now, and as always, I'll see you in the next one <3A special thanks to my Editor: @ZedlinStreaming Platform: Funimation