Review of BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense.

Itai no wa iya nanode bougyoryoku wo kyokufuri shitai to omoimasu. Translated, it would be "I don't like painful stuff, so I guess I'll want to maximize my defense." That’s a mouthful of a title, but that also makes sense. Unless you’re a masochist, we do prefer things when they are the least painful. The very first thing that came to my thoughts when I came across this title is that the main character would be playing in a non-orthodox way, like being an unstoppable tank which lets her teammates take the kills with her indestructible support. The story of this anime starts with a friend, Risa,inviting the main character, Kaede, into playing a virtual reality MMO—quite a normal way to start a game. As Kaede, “Maple” in-game, starts the game, she allocates all her points to vitality, significantly thinking that it would save her from experiencing as much pain as possible. While this idea has a point, it greatly puts Maple in a disadvantage—she doesn’t have any points in strength and agility, making her slow and weak—making her a pathetic character overall.

That is, if we’re talking about real life games. In this series, Maple becomes, in a gamer’s point, a carry tank, where she soaks all damage as well as dealing the most damage. Unbalanced, right? As of this point, I was ready to put away all common sense and invested myself in just enjoying this anime—which I really did. I loved how the lightly-themed story this anime has. From a newbie to an insanely character because of a mindset that would otherwise not come upon other players’ minds. I also loved how the comedy in this anime was executed, laughing when the situation presented itself.

I love how Maple turned out to be very adorable, especially on scenes where she finds herself in unexpected situations that would give her overpowered skills, throwing the game off-balance, but that doesn’t make the show boring. Her friends and party mates were also worth taking note for, especially for her best friend who recruited her in the game, who will turn out as crazy as Maple is—no, scratch that—with this anime’s ridiculous premise, who knows, everyone else around Maple may become as insane as her. Even if that’s the case, each of the characters are unique in their own perspective, which keeps this show from being bland. I didn’t expect any normal character development, and I wasn’t let down in that regard. It’s very amazing.

The character design is also very cute; I liked how the artists managed to draw such cute characters adapted from a light novel, and I must say that their personalities alongside with their art was well- blended. My favorite character for this series is Frederica, a mage, and I really love how she is designed—makes me want to draw.

If we’re talking about MMOs and anime with similar genres, then of course, there will be lots of skills, magic, explosions, battalions, mobs, bosses—lots of things that would require a greater deal amount of effort in order to draw than other types of stories. I wasn’t let down on that regard either. I love how the scenes of battle were animated, it really lives up to my expectations. I like how the bosses were designed, making them very intimidating if not for the absurd power of the characters that overpower it like it was nothing.

The opening and closing themes of this anime is really amazing as well. To be honest, while writing this review, I was putting both OP and ED on loop—I don’t think I’ll get tired of them for a while. Their melodies and lyrics are so meaningful that they reflect the story and characters within. The OST weren’t just jokes, either. I like how the music were light in theme. The battle music were also outstanding, especially when the characters were in pinch, then applying more epic music when the characters find their resolve and defeat the enemy.

I was very impatient waiting for each episode as time passes, because I really enjoyed the anime since episode one. I had watched Sword Art Online, another game anime, but I liked the premise of this anime better, especially that Maple being overpowered is part of her appeal. Overall, I’d say this anime is a must-watch, especially for those who are into VR and isekais, because it offers a unique storyline where a player does a mistake of allocating points into one stat, but becomes powerful against other players playing with balance. Isn’t that just crazy? Even so, once again—it’s part of this anime’s appeal—and it did a great job in portraying so.

Now that the second season is announced, I am looking forward for it’s continuation! I hope they do another great job in adapting the anime!

So, right after the ending, I tried create a character in one of my RPG games and allotted my points in Agility to see if I can do the same thing, and while I the chances of enemies hitting me became minimal, my lack of Strength and Defense made me feeble. Imagine being influenced by an anime but ending up being like an idiot doing so.

I am sad.