BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense Full Season Review

“I’m just playing the game normally, you know.”

BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense falls into a category of anime that I have dubbed “Cotton Candy Anime.” It’s fun, sweet, and offers essentially nothing of substance. While it is easy to recognize the influence that series such as SAO and Reincarnated as a Slime have had on BOFURI, it’s moderately awkward to compare them directly. BOFURI has no pretensions regarding what it is. The show promises to offer a fun time watching a stupidly broken character make friends and steamroll over everyone else, and that’s exactly what it offers. Aspiring to do a single thing and doing it well is certainly a legitimate approach, but there is a notable downside contained within it. As a method, it’s limiting, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many viewers didn’t recall much about this series in a year. In a way, it reminds me a little of a series from 10 years ago called Okami-san and Her Seven Companions. I consider Okami-san to be a slightly remarkable series, because I know I found it enjoyable, but I have absolutely no recollection of what happened in it. It was a piece of enjoyable fluff that served its purpose and left no lasting impact, and that is how I would characterize BOFURI as well.

BOFURI follows the type of gamer that in real life would make every other gamer facepalm… and actually I suppose that is the case in the series as well. Our main character is Kaede Honjo, who is primarily referred to by her in game moniker, Maple. I had to look her real name up since it’s used so rarely in the series. Her friend Sally (real name: Risa Shiramine) convinces her to try out a new VRMMO called NewWorld Online, but is unable to help her set up a character. As a result, and as the title implies, Maple decides to pour all of her points into defense, a decision that proves to have ridiculous consequences. As the series continues, Maple is joined by a variety of characters, most of whom have something of a quirky approach to how they play the game.

The aspect of BOFURI that works best for me is the impact that Maple has on the world around her. Watching the game developers freak out as she acquires broken skill after broken skill is pretty funny and it’s equally amusing to see chat rooms start referring to her as the “final boss.” However, it’s a joke that can only work for so long, and we don’t actually see the developers do much to nerf Maple. This also means that any attempt to add a sense of stakes to the proceedings falls flat, as Maple barrels through every scenario she encounters like a juggernaut. It’s often fun to see how Maple’s peculiar build negatively impacts her, but those downsides quickly start falling by the wayside as she progresses. It was fun watching Sally have to carry the low-agility Maple early on, but in very little time she has herself a flying mount. It was fun watching the low-strength Maple have to literally bite at enemies as she had the lowest possible strength in the game, but soon she can summon monstrosities to do her bidding and she gains access to high-power mechanized armaments. There is a sense that, as the show makes her more and more traditionally overpowered, it risks losing some of its charm. The show can still fall back on the charming characters, but they aren’t well-developed enough to shoulder all of the narrative’s weight. Still, despite all of these issues, it’s a fun and optimistic show that I can recommend to anyone looking to have a good time.

BOFURI’s visuals aren’t groundbreakingly good, but I still find myself stunned by how it turned out. Such a statement is admittedly one part praise for the series and one part a put-down of Silver Link. When I hear that Silver Link is working on a light novel adaptation that is centered around a fictional MMO, I start having PTSD flashbacks to Death March in a Fully Unfurled Canopy. As I was writing this review, I began looking over Silver Link’s previous works, and two things occurred. The first was that I got lost in a thousand yard stare while I attempted to remember whether I actually reviewed Two Car or if it had just been a fever dream like I suspected. The second thing that occurred was that I reached a revelation. BOFURI is one of Silver Link’s best shows. I’ve only viewed a scattered sampling of their work, but the effort, money and talent that was employed in creating this show appears to exceed any production the studio’s been involved in since Watamote. I’d like to believe this is part of an upward trend, but the evidence for that is still limited. After all, it was only last year that they produced The Ones Within. I’d completely forgotten about that dreck. Getting back on track, Silver Link didn’t turn in a half-baked product this time. BOFURI isn’t going to match the production of the big shonen titles, or seasonal favorites like Eizouken or Chihayafuru, but it does prove to be above average when compared with many of its spiritual brethren like Reincarnated as a Slime or DanMachi. Overall, it’s a solid effort for the studio, and I hope the recently announced second season continues to maintain this level of quality, even though I’ll probably skip it myself.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• There is one plot element introduced in this series that absolutely bugs the hell out of me. It’s revealed that large scale in-game events use some form of compressed-time engine, where the players experience roughly a week’s worth of time in 2 hours. That level of technology seems like it would revolutionize the world, but none of the scenes of the real world look any different from ours. Think about it, though! Cram schools could license that technology to provide a week of studying and teaching in a span of hours! Researchers could compile papers and edit publications in no time flat! You could learn a language in less than a day! The range of practical applications is so huge that it seems bizarre that it’s seemingly used solely for an online game.
• I do appreciate that, particularly when compared to other light novel adaptations, BOFURI doesn’t fall into the familiar trap of supplying heavy fanservice. (Again, I’m thinking of Reincarnated as a Slime and DanMachi.) Frankly, I can’t think of anything that I would consider objectionable for a younger viewer.
• I’m not going to rule out the possibility of returning to this series for the second season, but it’s pretty unlikely. I had fun, but nothing about the world or characters themselves is likely to draw me back in.