- Mangaka : Yuumikan, KOIN
- Publisher : Yen Press
- Genre : Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
- Published : April 2021
The cool thing about playing role-playing games is that we can assume other personas and be completely detached from the real world. This world is already too crappy, so role-playing games create an interesting escape from it. In addition to that, it gets better when we can also blow some steam by eradicating monsters and focusing on certain jobs. Whatever an individual’s goal is, the most important thing is to enjoy what the game has to offer to the fullest. But sometimes, doing that can land you at the top of the rankings.
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
Considerably a light read, Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense or just Bofuri, as how we will be referring to it throughout this article, follows the story of Kaede as she plays this new hot video game. She isn’t that into it given that she’s coaxed by her friend, Risa. However, it turns out her lack of knowledge and her peculiar game style make her a very interesting player. That’s because she completely neglects every stat other than Vit. But thanks to a series of interesting events, Maple becomes a very interesting character.
1. Unkillable Protagonist
As the title suggests, Maple pours every last bit of her stat to Vit. With added bonuses from equipment and skills, her defense just skyrockets. That said, there are only less than a handful of attacks that can damage her. Yep, that means she can just stand still as her enemies exhaust themselves trying to give her the slightest bit of damage. However, even that isn’t possible. Thanks to Maple’s quirkiness, she manages to acquire two overpowered offense skills, which she then imbues in her equipment. Thanks to that, she can also one-hit enemies without as much as batting an eye.
2. Enjoying the Game to the Fullest
If there’s one thing Maple truly excels at, then that’s having the time of her life. Even though she only reluctantly buys the game due to her friend’s perseverance, she ends up being really into it. But since she knows close to nothing about how gaming usually works, she just does what feels right for her. She doesn’t conform to guides or whatnot, which is also the reason why she managed to get her peculiar build. But as the saying goes, the right way to play a game is to enjoy it. Seeing Maple doing just that also makes us feel quite satisfied.
3. Nobody is Hateful
In games, trolls and bullies ought to come out sooner or later. In Bofuri, however, they just seem not to exist. Everyone here seems pretty likable. Even the seemingly shady people in the forums that are stalking and talking about Maple and Sally turns out to be quite adorable. They even form their own little group and promise to protect Maple from harm, although they’re the ones who probably need the protection. Still, the thought is what counts.
Final Thoughts
At this point, series incorporating virtual reality is a dime a dozen. Still, it always surprises us to find titles that still find an interesting angle to tackle. That said, Bofuri takes out all the toxicity in the gaming community, then just cram all the fun stuff into this adorable light novel. As a bonus, the protagonist is a quirky amateur that does stuff as she sees fit, so hilarity ensues.
Author: Christian Markle
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