'BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense' Is Exactly the Quirky and Delightful Anime That Its Lengthy Title Suggests

Surprisingly, there was no new isekai that premiered this most recent anime season – a first in a while.  If there was, it was so obscure that I haven’t even caught a whiff of it (I doubt there was one, since isekai shows are usually among the most popular anime of a season).  However, there were two new anime shows that debuted in winter 2020 that center on fantasy VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games).  And such shows basically function like most present isekai shows – which is, “adventuring in a fantasy world” – but minus the “getting stuck in this new world permanently/indefinitely” aspect.  Between those two pseudo-isekai shows, I decided to follow the better one – or, at least, the more popular one – which is BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense or just simply Bofuri.

Bofuri follows a school girl (it’s unclear if she’s in middle school or high school) named Kaede Honjō who, at the behest of her gamer best friend, decides to play her very first VRMMORPG, which is a new game called NewWorld Online.  In this virtual game world, she named her avatar Maple, and because she doesn’t wish to feel pain, she decides to solely focus on defense.  Thus, she opts for a shield-wielding job class, and she puts all her initial stat points on vitality.  From then, she would put every stat point she gains from leveling up into her vitality.  This unorthodox move is just the first of several unorthodox moves that Maple begins doing while playing this game, and each of these moves – on top of her absurd luck for completing rare, special, high-rewarding quests which she constantly stumbles upon by accident – increasingly turns her into one of the most powerful and most popular players in NewWorld Online.

Although this anime is once again another power fantasy arc involving an overpowered protagonist, it still feels fresh and delightful because it revolves around a character like Maple.  First of all, she’s a girl.  Power fantasy storylines usually involve male protagonists.  Having a girl for a change instantly gives it a sense of originality.  Second, not only is she a girl, she’s a moe girl.  Thus, she’s utterly adorable, and her cluelessness, carefreeness, kind-heartedness, and other characteristics amplify that feeling of “cuteness” she evokes.  Thirdly, and most importantly, her development into an OP character unfolds in a comedic manner.

Being a novice, Maple isn’t really adept as she makes her way through this game.  And though she isn’t necessarily stupid, she isn’t the intellectual type either.  She doesn’t concern herself with the strategic aspects of the game; she’s just focused on having fun with her friends.  Her personality isn’t that of one who tends to dominate, yet dominate she somehow does.  That’s why there’s great hilarity to be had whenever she lucks her way into another upgrade, which is further made funnier by the ensuing astonishment of the people around her.

Another good thing about Bofuri is that it’s a simple show.  It’s just basically about kids enjoying a futuristic game.  There are no complications.  There’s no sophisticated twist.  There are no nefarious things going on outside the in-game, make-believe scenarios.  It’s just a virtual MMORPG being played as it is.  That would also mean that there are no weighty stakes, and thus, it doesn’t have much depth and substance.  If this had been any other show, this would have been bad thing.  But for an unassuming, breezy anime like Bofuri, it’s acceptable.  By being just pure fluff and having no meat, it’s an easy anime to digest.  Sitting through every episode is effortless.  It’s the kind of show that’s pleasurable due to its laid-back simplicity.

Moreover, NewWorld Online is a genuinely intriguing fictional game.  It has enchanting worldbuilding, and mostly well-thought-out systems.  The various character skills and modes – particularly Maple’s – are pretty cool.  NewWorld Online is the kind of game you would be interested of playing if it was real.

Overall, in my opinion, BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense has no valid failings.  Now, by that, I don’t mean that it’s great and immaculate and always makes sense.  No, no, no.  What I mean is that, for the kind of show that it is, it has delivered everything that’s required of it to be effectively fun.