English Dub Review: Bofuri: I Don’t Want To Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense “Defense and Reaching Second Level”

 

 

Overview (Spoilers Below)

A new day has dawned and our good friend Kaede/Maple has been censored. NWO must’ve taken notice of how well she was faring by only relying on defense. So, they changed the rules to make things more difficult for her and anybody hoping to emulate her ways. Of course, this is all speculation, but Risa/Sally agrees—it was her idea, really.

Instead of going to the game’s second level right away, Sally wants to explore Level 1 a little bit more. After all, since joining the game she’s done nothing but fish and swim around that underground cave. Maple also realizes she hasn’t seen most of the level either. While enjoying desserts at an in-game patisserie, the pair meet Drag and Dread, two players who finished well in the first event—second and fifth place, respectively. They inform the girls of the upcoming second event, and mention their friend Frederica and the mysterious first place-winner, Pain.

The boys also advise them to hit up the northern forest for greater adventures and a potential speed-running ability. The woods are a lot spookier than advertised, and Sally is kind of afraid of g-g-g-g-ghosts! While hiding out in an abandoned shack, the come across a tied up man in the basement. Maxing out her healing ability, Sally sends the man to NWO heaven and the girls obtain that speed-running scroll.

There last stop is a secluded beach where they collect some seemingly worthless costume jewelry. With their curiosity sated, they hit up the dungeon leading to Level 2. There, Maple must learn to fight within her new limitations. Unfortunately, at the boss battle she is knocked unconscious, forcing Sally to step up and destroy the big bad. She is highly effective.

On the other side, they run into Iz who has already set up a craft shop in Level 2. She gives Maple her million-gold white shield designed to amplify her abilities. Maple vows to use it often, saving the now-limited black shield for emergencies. To celebrate, the girls go to a fancy dinner where they eat pieces of the sky and drink the stars. It’s very avant-garde, and they are exceptional friends.

At the site for the second event, we’re introduced to a battle party known as the Flame Emperors and their Fire Wizard leader, Mii. Friendly Kuromu, the other great shield fighter, is also there. The rules of the event are simple, scour the new level in search of medals which can be traded for more valuable medals and specialty skills. Whoever gets the most points, wins. The top ten finishers of the first event already have one medal apiece. Other players can kill them to take their medals.

If that’s not some bullshit—!

 

Our Take

Now that Funimation has cancelled that interspecies brothel show, Bofuri is by far the best new simuldub currently streaming on the platform. This show has a little bit of everything—aside from humanoid sex workers being interviewed by a pair of randy tourists.

But seriously, you’ve got action scenes for the Shonen crowd, and slice of life friendship vignettes for Shojo fans. Gamers will love the verisimilitude of the virtual world—that doesn’t get bogged down in the minutia. And anime fans from all walks are bound to get hooked by these fleshed out characters and intriguing plots. I’ve said as much in previous reviews, but it bears repeating. Watch this show if you’re not already doing so.

I love that we’re already venturing into Level 2 after only a couple episodes. As of late, many new animes are getting shorter episode orders than they have in the past. This is a good thing because it means a lot more manga adaptations will allegedly be given a chance. However, it also means that a green-lit show has a shorter amount of time to “wow” their audience.

Bofuri doesn’t seem content with wowing us with a single world or a handful of characters. They’re doing their best to recreate an actual online game. And while VR isn’t quite at this capacity IRL, designers are always looking toward the future and this is an earnest depiction of what gamers and anime lovers have been imagining for the past decade. Remember Summer Wars? How close are we to living out the actual Summer Wars? Guess what: we’re closer now than we’ve ever been.

Our only hope is Bofuri doesn’t delve into the inauthentic the way Ready Player One did. I never want to see Maple attempt to prove her worth by sitting back and reciting lists of all the pop culture things she believes will make her look all cool and edgy. I don’t know which was worse, the unpolished novel, or Spielberg’s anemic attempt to look all cool and edgy.

Anyway, I digress. By far, the best part of the episode was when Sally had to step up for her unconscious friend. It’s about time we saw Risa’s experience as a gamer outshine Kaede’s hunting and pecking strategy where everything just kind of works out for her by accident. And yet, they have a lot to learn from each other. We’ve got a strict concert musician teaming up with an improvisational jazz musician. What a powerful team they’re going to be once things get serious—and yes, things just got serious.