×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
(A) Playthrough of a Certain Dude's VRMMO Life (TV).


Goto page 1, 2  Next

Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Series Discussion
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Tony K.
Subscriber
Moderator


Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 11436
Location: Frisco, TX
PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2023 1:10 pm Reply with quote


(A) Playthrough of a Certain Dude's VRMMO Life (TV)

Source: Light Novel (ongoing @ 27 volumes, written by Shiina Howahowa, illustrated by Yamaada)

Demographic: Shounen

Animation Studio: Maho Film

Genres: action, adventure, comedy, fantasy, slice of life

Themes: demi-humans, fairies, gaming, magical creatures, MMORPG, monsters, virtual world

Plot Summary: A new type of VRMMO called "One More Free Life Online" is out. 38-year-old Taichi Tanaka logs in as a young boy avatar called "Earth." In a world where the player is free to do as they wish, he decides to master a skill that's been deemed to be useless.

He makes potions that are too much of a hassle to make, cooks food that is excessively too good, and uses bizarre original weapons to hunt monsters... An adventure about an ordinary middle-aged man leisurely enjoying his VRMMO sandbox game.

Air Date & Platform:
Season 01: October 2, 2023 (Monday)
Available on: Crunchyroll

Season 02: Pending
Available on: Crunchyroll

Episode Count / Runtime:
Season 01: 12 episodes
Season 02: Pending

Total 12 episodes
----------------------------------

Sounds like a variation of Campfire Cooking, where the MC is just too OP in something very unconventional, but it works out for him, anyway. I believe this the third main role of the Fall season for Kaitou Ishikawa, along with Shield Hero and Kingdoms of Ruin. He's pretty awesome, though! Am curious to see if this can live up to Campfire.


Last edited by Tony K. on Thu Apr 11, 2024 4:33 pm; edited 3 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 1544
PostPosted: Mon Oct 02, 2023 4:11 pm Reply with quote
This anime wasn’t as fast paced and energetic as its Fall season fraternal twin, Shangri-la Frontier, but it had its own laid back charm. I enjoyed watching our MC min-maxing his game build…or maybe I should say max-mining since he was using exclusively unpopular gaming choices. All of the supporting characters get pretty superficial treatment, but that’s not inappropriate since he’s just trying to do his own thing with the few hours he can set aside to game each day. I respect that he's hoping to avoid any drama or the typical obsessive game traps that can wind up eating more time than a person can spend. I like that the MC is just a simple dude - albeit introverted - looking for some quiet relaxation time. And I like that the anime seems to have similar modest goals but is achieving them in its own quiet, laid back, semi slice of life fashion. Not a bad anime to watch after a work day.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 4630
Location: Gainesville, FL
PostPosted: Mon Oct 02, 2023 9:08 pm Reply with quote
Not the type of show that should be airing in a packed fall season. I might have watched it this past summer- it at least looks comparable to the Great Cleric show... although I didn't actually watch that one.

Most honest title of all time though.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 2600
PostPosted: Tue Oct 03, 2023 3:18 am Reply with quote
I like the contrast between this one and Shangri La, one has the most hardcore player you could think of and the other is a just a dude wanting to have fun while having a full time job. That said, he is a bit like Maple in that he is open to trying all kinds of skills and experiment to make them work. As for his fellow players....some are friendly, but a lot are like those you would expect to find in a MMO.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
camseyeview140



Joined: 26 Jan 2021
Posts: 236
PostPosted: Tue Oct 03, 2023 2:32 pm Reply with quote
the premise of a player who just wants to chill in a VRMMO game is a novel idea, but boy howdy does it look cheap, the writing is terrible, the characters are boring, and it's just not all that well done. You can do laid back well, but when it isn't done well, it's boring tripe. This is another one of those anime that just didn't ned to exist. No one was asking for this one. Hell, how many are actually asking for more anime tripe like this?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 1544
PostPosted: Tue Oct 03, 2023 5:40 pm Reply with quote
smurky turkey wrote:
That said, he is a bit like Maple in that he is open to trying all kinds of skills and experiment to make them work.

I hadn't really made that connection, but you're right. Based on the OP, it looks like the next step is going to be combining his wind skills with the arrows.

One thing the show does have in common with Shangri-la is that they've both got me wondering if there's something sketchy going on with the VR world. That stuff about the NPC's creating a potion recession seemed a little odd.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 2600
PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2023 2:57 am Reply with quote
It depends on how realistic the game is. There are actual rpg games out there in which the numbers of products that can be bought are linked to the number of producers making them. Thus if you buy up enough there is an end/limit to the supply.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 1544
PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2023 4:00 am Reply with quote
Yah, but given how all of the players were taken by surprise, and the game was set to make alchemists disadvantageous at the start, the situation here seems to have been deliberately engineered

But I have limited experience with MMOs. I know a lot about them secondhand from reading a lot of Korean and Chinese web novels, but I had to take a step back from gaming years ago after games like Skyrim nearly took over my life. I just nibbled at the edges of MMOs before realizing I was about to fall down a rabbit hole. That's partly why I can empathize with the MC who just wants to dabble without getting pulled in.

Of course, I suspect that it's not going to be that easy for him.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 2600
PostPosted: Mon Oct 09, 2023 1:38 pm Reply with quote
So, as episode 2 made clear, it was indeed a limit to the inventory and production capabilities of the npc's. Players will have to produce items themselves or face shortages sooner or later.

Otherwise episode 2 gave a fair bit of excitement. Some party combat against a giant bear, some crafting to have better gear including some dangerous boots and a bit of failure. There was also not getting a fairy, I suppose that will have a follow up of some kind.

It is still not one of the best anime of the season, but I like it well enough as the diary of a random dude's VRMMO adventures.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 1544
PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2023 4:17 am Reply with quote
I agree that the show's no trailblazer, and I think its animation, art, music, and even storytelling so far are all pretty basic. The supporting characters don't have much too them, and the main character is pretty low key. But it's a solid show, and it's scratching my isekai itch better than any of the isekai last season did. If the show does have a standout quality for me, it's that it effectively conveys the character's gradual build and the way he's supporting himself with extra curricular crafting skills. He's advancing, but it doesn't feel slow paced (like last season's The Great Cleric) or instant OP, just add water (Pick an isekai at random and there's a good chance it will fit). He's using his brains and his patience, not a cheat.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 2600
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 1:54 pm Reply with quote
I love how he gets involved in all kinds of crazy things while not trying to do anything all that special. Due to his new title Fairy Playah, he is the friend of all fairies, but can't get one himself and the only fix to that is some pvp which all fairies will refuse. I also like the morality system when it comes to the faries. Act like a dick and your fairy will clobber you and then gtfo.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 1544
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2023 4:13 pm Reply with quote
I don't know if the game was set up that way to be morally instructive or if the things that keep happening are a natural (if unforeseen) result of the players ' actions in an environment that is more realistic than most games ... but one of the motifs of this show seems to involve the game taking sharp turns that thwart the players' expectations. It is kind of satisfying seeing the people who like to let their inner @$$holes out because it's "just a game" have to face some consequences.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 2600
PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2023 1:59 pm Reply with quote
Oh boy, getting used and discarded with ease by your (former) fairy like that must indeed make for a bit of a humbling moment. It does make for an interesting event though. Players assumed that the event was all about getting a fairy and using wins to evolve it as much as possible, yet the one whose fairy evolves the most gets the short end of the stick. As for the fairy queen in question, she does seem rather human like and Earth is getting a reward(?) from her.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Edjwald



Joined: 03 Aug 2017
Posts: 1544
PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2023 6:36 pm Reply with quote
Mmmmn, I wish the event had been a little more interesting myself. This whole fairy familiar thing is starting to drag a bit. I kind of wish they'd done another story arc with the new summons in the background to vary the pace and make the fairies seem like a cool, established part of the game instead of yanking the fairies' status around every episode and making them a pivotal plot point before I've had a chance to really care about them one way or another.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 2600
PostPosted: Mon Oct 30, 2023 2:55 pm Reply with quote
That was a fun episode. It had Earth fighting the fairy queen and winning due to staying level headed and using all his abilities to keep the fight short. After his victory he kinda got forcibly married to said queen, which is a prize.... I suppose. He can also use a spell with a crazy long incantation and can go to fairy land whenever he wishes. There was also some more crafting (the new boots are ugly) and a jack ass from the archery guild making a fool of himself.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> General -> Series Discussion All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group