Review of BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense.
When trying to review anything, it's important to identify two things within your analysis; what is the media trying to accomplish and how close does it get to that goal? Not every anime is shooting to be the Citizen Kane of the medium or the next Fullmetal Alchemist, and that's okay. When I look at BOFURI, I see an anime about a goofy girl having fun playing an MMO with her friends and making the viewers wish they could be part of that world. This goal is accomplished in it's own colorful and ridiculous way. -Story- BOFURI is the story of Kaede Honjō, an airhead girlgetting introduced to a new MMO by her veteran friend. She enters NewWorld Online as Maple, equipped with little MMO know-how and an aversion to pain. Naturally, she dumps all her distributable stat points into defense so she can take on the game and not feel a thing. It's clear Maple doesn't always know what she's doing, but her unconventional playstyle turns the MMO world upside down with her "so crazy it might work" combinations and "ideas so stupid no one else will do them" strategies. The rest of the series follows Maple ditz-ing through typical MMO fare -- meeting new friends, forming a guild, and taking on in-game events together all while the game developers try to catch-up with their new OP player.
While not bringing much new to the genre, there is an undeniable charm to watching Maple and the rest Maple Tree guild. Their enjoyment is clear and contagious. BOFURI makes me want NewWorld Online adventures of my own, and inspired deep dives into the world of Final Fantasy 14 and Maplestory 2. It will leave you with a clean, happy feeling-- the perfect remedy for a bad day.
-Art and Sound-
Unfortunately, most of my criticisms rest in this category. While the art direction is far from bad (everything is bright and full of color, character designs match/convey their roles well, and you get to see a range of gear and equipment in use by our heroes) it suffers from the same issue as the story. Nothing strikes me as visually unique or continually memorable. The locales, monsters, even some characters look like they could be dragged and dropped into any fantasy anime and not miss a beat. There have been times I've seen fanart from other series and thought for sure it was Maple and the gang until much closer inspection.
Sound works a little better, as they can get away with some fun things in the setting. Most of the time, even when a little off-putting, it enhances the immersion of being in the early days of MMO that's still being worked on.
-Characters-
Maple and her friends are the kind of people you wish you could meet in an online game. Throughout the series they all are very friendly and helpful towards one another, and that builds to a strong sense of trust and comradery by the end. However, just like a friend you meet in an MMO, you don't get to learn much about these characters outside of their role in the Maple Tree guild, and are stuck two-dimensional over all 12 episodes. Even Maple, the main character, gets little development aside from unbelievable power growth. Her mistakes and struggles often turn around into boons within a few minutes.
Even so, the characters are all so welcoming to newbie Maple and the viewer as we enter the world with her, it's hard to get too upset about it. Just like a friend in an online video game, it doesn't really matter if they are "developing" as a person. You just want to have fun together.
That's the biggest thing that holds BOFURI together -- it's so much fun from episode to episode. It may not be the smartest, best animated, or original story out there, but sometimes that's not what you need. BOFURI achieves it's goal of making you want to be there, of making you want to play NewWorld Online, and have adventures with Maple and the Maple Tree Guild. Whenever I've needed to unwind in the past year, I've come back to the world of their game, feeling as welcomed there as I did when I left.