Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Recovery of an MMO Junkie
|
Goto page Previous Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23822 |
|
|||||
|
@ Megiddo - there is no need to defend the show against your absurd judgmental weirdness. There isn't a single poster who agrees with your bizarre take that Moriko is a "terrible" person because she - a person with no dependents or spouse - has decided to withdraw from reality. A person with a decent character would actually feel some sort of sympathy or empathy for her, not scorn. Your judgment of her, in my view, is a direct result of you not having a normal, functional outlook. It certainly isn't grounded in anything we've seen in the show. Witness the fact that you are the only person who took her at face value her assertion that she was an "elite NEET" and was somehow looking down on other NEETs. It's a shame you have to bring your own baggage to discussion of this show.
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
meiam
Posts: 3442 |
|
|||||
Aren't you just proving my point there? So FF14 has crysta, so you go money -> crysta -> item. Similarly Tera has EMP, so you go money -> EMP -> item. But this game would work money -> web money ->G -> item, which is really roundabout since you end up with a web money which has literally no use whatsoever and could be cut out. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11403 |
|
|||||
And I will point out yet again that "Recovery of an MMO Junkie" appears in English in the OP. Your reaction to her is really weird. It's not like she's mooching off your taxes or something. She's not responsible for anyone but herself, and she seems to have that covered, even if it's not to your standards. I've never been fired, but like Moriko, have several times in my life quit jobs with nothing new lined up. I've never been on public assistance of any kind, but I own my home, and my mortgage is my only debt. I once spent 6 months living in my car, traveling around the country, and it was the best time of my life. Before 9/11 made the TSA go insane, I used to travel a lot on my own dime. Being constantly employed doesn't make you a good person, nor does occasionally choosing unemployment make you a bad one. As long as you're self-sufficient and not hurting anyone, which apparently describes Moriko, do as you like during either situation.
At 11:30 at night. Which means that besides whatever other work was keeping her there that's another half hour tacked on, and she'll be sleeping under her desk again, if at all. Assuming she got paid at least some overtime, even if she was pressured to not report it all, given her lack of social life she's probably got a pretty decent nest egg. As I said in the discussion thread, the coincidences in this all ring absolutely true to me, having experienced them myself or known others who have, many times back in my old text rpg days on AOL. At the time AOL had millions of subscribers including other countries, probably thousands of text rpers (not counting cybersex chatrooms), and of those mobs maybe 2-400 unique players in the rp rooms I hung out in (not all at once, so I'm totally guessing). And yet, I kept running into people who lived in the same city, or that I actually knew irl. Players with multiple accounts to make different characters compounded the phenomenon of unknowingly playing with people you already knew. I said all that to point out that the MMORPG user base in Japan is obviously much, much smaller. From what I understand, unless it's also on a console or phone, not many people will be into it (have we seen any of the players in this not playing on a PC?). And MMOs aren't a very large subset of the Japanese gaming population, .hack and SAO notwithstanding. So the coincidences of playing unawares with people they know irl, and that they've played other MMOs with them, aren't as far-fetched as you might think. But your ability to accept this will vary, and unless you've experienced such coincidences yourself, I can see why it would be hard to swallow. 
|
||||||
|
||||||
Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
|
|||||
You are correct there. I was the only person who didn't do mental gymnastics to try and cover up the character's actual words. I'm the only one that took what Morimori said at face value. Now, I get it. She's a girl and you want to believe the best about her which is why the mental gymnastics happen. Let's take the gender-flip of this setup shall we? Our main protagonist Morio has been a salaryman for 10 years and decided that he no longer wanted to work because it was too hard. So he holed up inside his house and played an online RPG all day long playing roleplaying as a cute girl. Tell me, what do you think about Morio? Do you believe him to be an upstanding character with a sense of responsibility and wherewithal to be admired? Welcome to the NHK made fun of the exact scenario that the setup for this anime is romanticizing. A shut-in loses themself in an online game and forms a close bond with a player character of the opposite sex. I'm just not sure why I should be rooting for the main character in this show. It's not a healthy life and it's not something to be supported. If the show would portray Morimori as actually thinking about her future and realizing that her current hiatus is only temporary and that she needs to be thinking about what she wants to do next with her life then I could easily get behind this show a lot more since I would view Morimori's character in a better light. |
||||||
|
||||||
Dardre
 Posts: 166 |
|
|||||
It's simple. It's a specific kind of gift card, able to be used in multiple games. She just chooses the FdM themed one because that's what she'll use it for. We simply don't know enough about the game's monetization to know conclusively how it functions. I'm going by the way "he" reacts, and the fact that "he" specifically mentions points, not "G". |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11403 |
|
|||||
|
@ Megiddo: No, NHK is not the exact same setup. Satou was mooching off his family and panicked when they cut him off. Moriko is not in that situation. Satou was actively delusional in his social anxiety, Moriko is not. Iirc, Satou had never held a job, Moriko has, and was pretty good at it and well-respected at work. Satou was suffering from crippling social anxiety, while Moriko is merely shy with some self-esteem issues. She's not holed up because she can't bear to leave the apartment as Satou was. And if Moriko was Morio and Yuta was Yuko, all else being equal, I'd still be enjoying this. What matters is what Morkio is doing/going through, not her gender.
I'm also puzzled that you don't perceive a difference in rooting for someone to find happiness and thinking that that person is currently worthy of being admired (not that she's not in many respects, but they're different things). And I still don't get how you see her as "irresponsible." What responsibilities does she have that she's shirking? Who is being harmed by her "irresponsible" behavior? Btw, I was also rooting for Satou to find happiness. You seem to think he should've been dragged from his home and put in stocks in the village square to show others the error of his ways. Or is it just Moriko? |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Dardre
Posts: 166 |
|
|||||
Okay, if this show bothers you so much? There's the door, feel free to use it. No one is forcing you to watch. And I guess the fact that this is a comedy slipped past you. Your resentment of this fictional character is bizarre. You are not superior to anyone here, nor are you more discerning. You are, however, projecting quite a bit onto a character you actually know very little about. I'm asking you, for everyone's sake, to drop the show and find something more appealing to you. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Megiddo
Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
|
|||||
|
I was rooting for Satou to break out of his hikikomori shell. He was earnestly trying to do just that. That's why he ended up signing the contract with Misaki. He wanted to change his life for the better. He battled his phobias and worked at a small manga cafe. He didn't always do the right thing, but he had a mindset towards improving himself. I will say that I wasn't rooting for Satou in any sort of romantic involvement. I felt his relationship with Misaki was not healthy given how dependent he was on her for the large portion of the show and then of course his senpai was getting married (or just got married? I can't remember). I was cheering on Satou to grow as a character during all his stumbles.
Whereas Morimori, from what I've seen, wants to lose herself in an online game. She has no forward-thinking mindset. I'm sure that she'll get out of her funk due to the serendipitous nature of how her online romantic partner and several of her guild members all live in her direct vicinity, but I want to see her do it on her own. I'll admit to being miffed if Morimori's eventual character development comes as a direct involvement through her time spent online. That's just not a good message to send in my opinion. "Quit your job and spend all day playing computer games. Then you'll meet your Prince Charming and have several completely understanding and supportive people right around you." I just have a hard time cheering that message. I want to cheer for Morimori just like I did for Satou, but I don't see Morimori making any effort to change her life. @Dardre This has actually been a really interesting discussion, and I don't have too many interesting discussions when it comes to anime lately, so I'll be continuing to discuss here. If you do not like discussion then I invite you and anyone else who thinks the same to skip over my posts in the future. Last edited by Megiddo on Mon Oct 23, 2017 12:05 am; edited 1 time in total |
||||||
|
||||||
Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
|
|||||
|
The show isn't framing Moriko as healthy at all, and even Moriko herself is aware of it, which is why she let the other players think she was still a student. Not being mentally healthy doesn't mean she's a bad person, though. She's not stealing her food or cash, she just chooses not to work and indulge in a fantasy world all day. I never got the impression that the show is actively promoting her lifestyle choices. Maybe it should have a disclaimer: "The creators of this show do not claim that quitting your job and playing MMOs all day is a cool thing to do."
If she were planning her future now, in this unhealthy headspace, it wouldn't be realistic at all. The only thing she's motivated to do is play her favorite MMO. She has no support network encouraging her to take the next step. If someone just got out of a really bad relationship, would you expect them to start dating again right away? As for gender, that's why I brought up ReLife before--the main character was male, but his situation was just as sympathetic as Moriko's (and he was living off his parent's money). I don't think anyone said of him spoiler[it was so irresponsible for him to leave the job that drove his work colleague to suicide.] |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Megiddo
Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
|
|||||
|
What did that character do after leaving the job though? I'll have to watch Re:Life to see for myself. Again, I don't fault anyone for leaving a job that is hazardous to them physically and/or emotionally. I am fully on board with that and do not expect people work through suffering conditions. I do, however, expect people to at least have a plan for how they will pay the bills and/or rent. Hell, if Morimori moved back in with her parents I'd consider that a good thing since it shows she's trying to be fiscally responsible and cut her expenses during this rough patch in her life. Does that make sense?
As far as the show not promoting her lifestyle choices, why do you believe that the author chose the title "Recommendation of the Net Life" (that's a direct translation of the original Japanese title)? Do you think that "recommendation" (or "encouragement") isn't a word one would use to promote something? Last edited by Megiddo on Mon Oct 23, 2017 12:24 am; edited 2 times in total |
||||||
|
||||||
DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15493 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
|
|||||
|
I think we do have to put what we are seeing of her now against what she was apparently doing back in her job. She was apparently doing good solid work, putting her energy into it, but sounds like she was often filling in for her superior, staying long at work. She was not giving herself any time to relax, and seems she had a total burnout, and is now living off of what she saved up in that time. And apart from probably not the best diet that could fill some free time and general staying to play video games all the time, she does not seem to actively being self destructive. She cleans her apartment, and seems like she is dolling whatever money she has at a reasonable amount rather than something that seems unreasonable.
I mean, I have been the sort of person who has been looking for work for years, where it has been a problem to my diagnosed disability with anxiety and the like which has granted me some pension. Only just recently managed to nail down a volunteer position in an office data entry and got a casual job, filling me with a sense of self worth, which I should be angry at someone who threw away chances at work. But I also understand what the benefit of an escape can be for someone who has been under high stress, and at least some level of self sufficiency within that escape is commendable. I don't think Moriko has entirely given up on life. That she understand enough about budgeting to not put herself into an insane amount of debt without thinking, and could decide to go back to work when she is ready. But even more it is a part of what makes up Moriko's personality, because believe it or not, but not everyone can handle things as easily as other people, and even within anime I think we are just starting to see the sort social issues that people have. The Morikos and Tomokos, who can actually have these sort of internal freak outs and problems with other people. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Megiddo
Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
|
|||||
The show hasn't given even a single instance of Morimori thinking about a budget, so I'm curious why you believe she understands the importance of budgeting. That is something that I want to be true but the show itself has not ever established. There's been plenty of moments where Morimori is buying something (like the MMO point cards) but I don't think she has ever thought about how much she is spending and whether it fits into her budget. Though do correct me if I'm wrong as I could have missed something. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
#876114
Posts: 5 |
|
|||||
It escapes how you could view the show this way. its so obvious its so hinted all over the place. Moriko will eventually end up meeting her online friends in real life. You see it in the ending song and from the very first episode Yuta and Moriko were teased . See the joy, confidence, love, and belongingness Morkio feels when playing with her guildmates could easily ERASE the awkard, anti-social, burn-out depression she is feeling in real life the moment she meets and gets together with those same friends IN the real life. Because duh, having friends ACTUALLY do solve alot of problems. Hence both titles make sense "a recommendation of a wonderful virtual life" because its in the virtual life that she made those friends and "recovery of an mmo junkie" because its in the meeting of those friends that she would be able to cure the depression and burn out that made her a NEET in the first place. This isnt a theory this just how the show is setup. This doesnt promote being a NEET at all because if that was the case then there was no reason for the REAL LIFE parts of the story and it would better go full SAO/LOG/HACK/OVERLORD on all of us just focus on fruitsdemer. And maybe youd tell hey thats absurd how can MMO's actually be good for your health when I play theres only trashtalking, cuss, perverts and toxic people all over the place? Well thats not exactly true sure its more apparent most NA, Russian and south east asian servers.. But go play in japan and youd see a very huge difference. I dont know if its a culture thing but a majority of the players are just so polite and theres so much sense of order. If you dont believe you can see it first hand on Ragnarok online japanese server here in roween anopheles playthrough: https://youtu.be/MniGSVBZLEY.. Then again I didn't even need to play in a japanese server. i played in the philippines most notorious cancer MMO servers and even there I made long lasting friends that helped me cope with rigors of the game called life. Maybe thats why its eady for me to relate to Moriko and see the point of this story.. Sure itd be nice if the show does an indepth explanation how she was able to fund her neet life even it isnt too absurd from someone who works overtime nonstop and is praised by everyone as being very good at her job. Sure itd be nice if there was less coincedences about them meeting each other even tho we dont know how localized the fruitsdemer game is. But as I have said that was never the point. This is just a simple story about a girl who met friends/lover in an mmo. If its not ur cup of tea then thats fine to each their own. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11403 |
|
|||||
No, because there has been not one thing in the show so far to suggest that she doesn't have a plan to pay the bills and rent. I don't know why you're so sure she's poverty stricken and on the verge of being homeless or going on the dole, nor why you're so fixated on this aspect, when by all appearances, she's getting along just fine financially (which is evidence that she does know how to budget). For all we know she made a killing in the stock market. Aside from her gaming activities and hardware, she pretty much has no other expenses to cut. She doesn't buy clothes, she doesn't have a car, she doesn't eat out or go to the movies. What would you have her cut (besides gaming)? I asked you before, but you never answered - what responsibilities does she have that she's irresponsibly shirked?
Well, as #876114 pointed out, maybe the author is saying you can find encouragement by engaging with people online. Conversely, "recovery" and "junkie" aren't normally words used to promote a lifestyle. |
||||||
|
||||||
|
Megiddo
Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
|
|||||
She has no income and does not have a plan to obtain income in the future. Do you believe that it's not a responsibility to provide for oneself if able to do so, or at the very least make an effort to do so? So far Morimori hasn't even so much had one single thought that we know of pertaining to how much money she has saved up or how long she can live her life of NEETdom. However much money you think she has saved up is entirely made in your head and not at all supported by the show itself.
Indeed, if those were the words used by the original creator and how the show is marketed in Japan then that would be a good point. It seems to be an English-only thing though which doesn't really give it much weight. Last edited by Megiddo on Mon Oct 23, 2017 7:26 am; edited 1 time in total |
||||||
|
||||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group