English Dub Review: Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense “Maxing Defense, Level 5, and Level 6”
Overview (Spoilers Below):
Maple’s guildmates must explore Level 5 without her while she recovers from a cold. Right after Maple finally gets a chance to see Level 5, the gang finds out that Level 6 is already on the way, but this time it’s Sally who can’t seem to go in…
Our Take:
Following our sweet Christmas-themed event in Level 4, the Maple Tree guild is ready to tackle the next area of New World Online. Although, the team happens to be one leader short, with Kaede (Maple) having to drop out due to a cold. That’s what happens when you spend so much time playing video games instead of taking care of your body. Because Maple has the most vital skills and an impenetrable defense, this should’ve been a problem for Maple Tree, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The episode’s first half consists of Maple attempting to catch up to her guild members after recovering from her sickness. Along the way, she gained the Pandemonium skill from defeating an oni boss, allowing her to summon an army of monsters and demons. Maple then used it to defeat the actual Level 4 boss with Frederica’s party and helped Yui and Mai fight a lightning monster in Level 5. In short, this is another episode involving Maple getting more vital skills for her to use with her max defense, which is part of the series’ harmless charm. Sure, there’s no significant threat lurking around during the guild’s gaming adventures, but that doesn’t stop Maple or me from having fun playing the game.
The second half then sees Maple Tree heading to Level 6, which happens to be horror-themed. Unfortunately, this puts Sally at a disadvantage. For those unfamiliar with the show’s first season, Sally is seen as a fearless swashbuckler who never backs down from a fight in the game. However, she also has an intense phobia of ghosts, making her freak out whenever she comes near something spooky. Nevertheless, it’s an amusing tidbit from Sally that led to some humorous moments outside her being a badass. On the bright side, though, she did get the “Connection to the Underworld” skill for staying there for a certain amount of time, so we’re calling this a win.
After binge-watching the first season of Bofuri during my spare time, I’m having more of a blast with this episode than last week. The first half of the episode was a fun and charming treat involving Maple surprising the other parties with her new dark skills, which is still one of my favorite parts of the series. However, the second half truly shined with its goofy humor featuring Maple protecting a frightened Sally from the haunted mansion. It showcases a friendship that’s stronger than any boss in the game, with Sally having Maple’s back in specific levels (as long as it doesn’t have any ghosts) and vice versa. Here’s hoping Sally will have an easier time with Level 7 whenever that arrives.
