Review of Recovery of an MMO Junkie

Net-juu no Susume is a cute, snappily directed romantic comedy with characters that – rare for this genre – aren't incompetent, can figure things out, and promptly confront and deal with misunderstanding. The story and its central pairing are cohesively laid out in 10 episodes, and Net-juu no Susume does not drag its feet: each episode immediately kicking off with the series opening is symbolic of that. The main protagonist and NEET-by-choice Moriko Morioka is endearing, and while the overall setup of a romance bubbling from a happenstance real-life encounter between two close online friends seems a little out there, the series' characters respond realisticallyto events without devolving into mayhem. It's great to see characters in a rom-com that can be both awkward but also understanding and perceptive. It allows their awkwardness to feel real and meaningful rather than manufactured, and Net-juu no Susume's progression is predicated on its characters processing what's going on and becoming cognizant of their feelings.

The series does decently well switching between the real-world of Moriko Morioka and Yuuta Sakurai, and their MMORPG alter-egos Hayashi and Lily. Since the viewer knows who's who but the characters don't, the world of Fruits de Mer serves as a place to grow romantic tension and plays an important role in the series. It's great fun seeing how the characters deal with their external, IRL problems in-game without knowing who's on the other side. The series does not cheapen the importance of either the real-world and the in-game world, and neither one is used to slow down or detract for what's going on in the other: the characters value their experiences in both realms, and Net-juu no Susume does well in recognizing that. The focus in the series is primarily on the main possible-couple-to-be, and the side characters do not arbitrarily add unnecessary or unrealistic drama for the sake of twisting the plot. Of note, Sakurai's friend Homari Koiwai plays a great role in the series and is a pivotal part of the romantic pairing. The other characters fill mostly atmospheric roles and ultimately aren't very consequential – probably why a Washing Machine is listed as a character on MAL – which does mean that some of them are "just there". Some of the interactions/depictions of these other characters do add some obfuscating detail that detract from the story, but that's probably Net-juu no Susume's only clear weakness.