Welcome to a new series!
Well maybe. We’ll see how long it lasts. I think I have enough ideas, but well…it could all just stop one day, couldn’t it? But I have plans! And…and…comm…well no, but I have PLANS! And these plans have lead to Accidental Anime!
Just what is Accidental Anime? And why is it issue 1? I’m thinking I’ll just dive into anime that I’ve discovered or finally got around to watching. Maybe it’s all a clever ruse to yarn about VIVY again. Or it could be a way to say a competition is coming, as I may give away copies of an anime I accidentally discovered this year. That anime?
Bofuri: I Don’t Want To Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense.
That is 100% its full title, but I typically just call it Bofuri. Bofuri tells the story of Maple, a new player to the VRMMORPG game New World Online. They don’t want to get hurt, so what do they do? Well, like the title says, they max out their defense. Doing so ends up turning the game in their favour, as their singular mission to avoid damage turns them into legend.
Bofuri is animated by Silver Link, who I should apparently know from their work on Wise Man’s Grandchild. I do not! So I looked into it and immediately got Mushoku Tensei vibes (possibly a future issue!). That means it appeared to be another isekai story, which is hugely popular in Japan. While I saw similarities in animation style and humour, the isekai formula didn’t handover to Bofuri. Maple can come and go from New World Online as she likes, which provides some nice crossover between how her real life is impacted by her virtual one. Which is why her friend Sally is also along for the ride.
I suspect Sally joins in to help explain the power-scaling which begins to take place within Bofuri. Maple scales QUICKLY. By episode 2, she’s already becoming legend and changing the game itself. Sally, as a long-time gamer and the person who recommended Maple to play New World, becomes our insider to explain the nonsense Maple causes. Whether it’s outwardly explaining what’s happened, or doing it herself, she helps us and Maple grow from there. As they both become fierce competitors in the world, they gather a group of similar players drawn to Maple and her accidental rise to power.
And she only continues to grow more powerful.
Whether it’s Maples naivety, or the insane things she does because of it, it makes Bofuri an easy watch. I was simply browsing AnimeLab (soon to be Funimation!) and spotted Bofuri and thought “this could be fun”. And fun it was, as I ended up bingeing the series within a day. While only 12 episodes long, it was an entertaining romp with a fantastic and exciting start. The humor and cute world, along with the classic Shonen elements twisted slightly in Maple’s favour, mean I can’t recommend it enough.
So if you have time, and have AnimeLab or Funimation then jump into Bofuri! The worst that can happen is Maple wipes you out.
