Review of Recovery of an MMO Junkie
Animes that focus on online gaming usually aren't too good, but this one is clearly the black sheep of that genre. I'm not gonna waste too much time, so I'll head into the review. Rabb2t's honest anime review (without ever looking over what I write) time begins! Story: The story of Net-juu no Susume (just gonna call it MMO Junkie) starts out with our main character, Moriko, who starts off as a socially inept NEET who uses the internet to escape reality. At first, the anime starts off showing how awkward she is, while focusing more on the fact that she is playing a game. However, afterher fateful encounter with Sakurai, Moriko is faced with the problem of telling her guildmates what happens in the real world, while attempting to still stay in character. Eventually, these events pile up more and more, developing the plot in a way that works well with the anime. But not long after, the entire game element switches main roles with a new element: a relationship. All of this is done well, with no room for holes anywhere.
Art: The art in this anime is kinda like what we're all used to, but there's a slight different in faces that help contrast feelings a bit better than other animes. MMO Junkie's art is pretty normal, but I do like the fact that the artists drew different styles for the 2 different games that Moriko plays.
Sound: Let me just say that Moriko's VA is amazing at this role, showing the awkwardness of her character fully. Sakurai's voice actor sounds more laid back, being the more mellow character he is. The guildmembers also are done nicely, with some having me wish I could hear them more.
Character: Here's the big section I know you're all going to love! Anyways, character. At the start of this anime, Moriko is the definition of a NEET, being socially awkward at all times. She uses her character, Hayashi, in order to escape this reality. Hayashi is the literal opposite of Moriko, which is a concept that is seen throughout MMO Junkie. Moriko then reveals the extent to her insecurity and lack of self-confidence. This lack of self-confidence is always there whenever Moriko goes online, but guildmate Lily is always there to help. Speaking of Lily, she's (?) also one of my favourite characters. Starting out as a helpful person in Fruits De Mer, Lily develops into a character that Hayashi can be around to talk to. But this relationship slowly turns into one that transcends into the real world, when the person behind Lily turns out to know Moriko in real life. The relationship between these 2 seems to strain in the middle of the anime, but is resolved in a satisfying way. Dramatic irony helped in building the suspense in this anime, and it kept me on the edge waiting for when they would find out who was who. The last thing I want to talk about before this review becomes 50% character is the fact that opposites are a recurring theme in this show. Not only is Hayashi the literal opposite of Moriko, but the roles between Moriko and Sakurai change too. In the first MMO that the 2 play, Moriko starts out as a busy worker, only being on on the weekends. Sakurai is a student in this time who can be on any day. Fast forward to the present, and this is now opposite. I just like how that worked.
Enjoyment: If it wasn't obvious enough, I enjoyed this anime a whole lot. Not only did it make me stay at the edge of my seat waiting for that reveal of character, but it made me react similarly to a high school girl at prom. That one moment was the best part of the show for me, making it 10 times more enjoyable than it already was.
Overall: This anime was one of the best animes that has come out this season, in my opinion. It starts off simple, eventually branching out until it became an anime different from when it began. I don't know if I'm a sucker for romance being built into a plot, but I probably am seeing as how I reacted to the development of that relationship between Hayashi and Lily. Anyways, I hope you liked my ramble.
Go watch Net-juu no Susume!