The anime “Recovery of an MMO Junkie” has captivated us. Those who are into MMORPGs will find themselves in this anime.
Actually, we rarely write about anime on mein-mmo.de. There must be a good reason for that, such as when anime tackles themes that are also interesting for gaming – like recently with Sword Art Online.
But in the current autumn season, an anime has emerged that many long-time MMO fans will quickly take to heart. We are talking about Netojuu no Susume or “Recovery of an MMO Junkie”.
The story of Recovery of an MMO Junkie
The story is about 30-year-old Moriko, who has just quit her job and is settling for a life of unemployment for the time being. Since social interactions are already difficult for her, she fills her free time with her favorite hobby: MMORPGs.
Moriko creates a young male avatar named Hayashi and soon finds herself relying on the help of other players, such as the cute healer Lily. Together, the two embark on several adventures, and a close online friendship develops – despite the anonymity of the characters.
Since Moriko does not want to admit that she is currently unemployed, she constructs a lie and claims to be a student in her early twenties. This way, she can play with her guild for a while “undetected” without having to justify her constant online presence.
But then an incident occurs: While shopping, Moriko encounters the player behind Lily, who soon realizes that Hayashi and Moriko are the same person. Especially when Moriko increasingly seeks online tips for “real life,” the facade begins to crumble. But how does one get close to someone they have only known online without coming across as “creepy”? How far should online friendships go?
An anime everyone can relate to
Recovery of an MMO Junkie stands out primarily due to its mature, well-thought-out, and relatable characters. Rarely have adult gamers been portrayed so aptly that they can identify well with them even in the West.
Additionally, the anime is filled with jokes and references that MMO players will immediately understand. For example, the protagonist converts all her purchases into loot boxes (“For this dress, I could have had 18 loot boxes!”) and often finds herself at the computer at 5:00 AM, even though she initially wanted to go to bed at midnight.
Yes, at its core, Netojuu no Susume is a love story with a good dose of comedy. Due to the great characters, who come across as much more “believable” than many other anime characters, any MMO fan can likely relate to the protagonists.
Cortyn says: Although Netojuu no Susume is not yet complete, it already counts as one of my anime of the year. For the first time, adult gamers are portrayed reasonably and relatable, making identification easy. Moriko’s and “Lily’s” problems, worries, and little quirks are familiar to many, and the thought processes of the characters are wonderfully depicted.
The anime wonderfully shows how easy and at the same time difficult any kind of interpersonal relationship can be online.
Netojuu no Susume has been licensed in Germany by Crunchyroll (Link to Crunchyroll) and is already available with subtitles – at least for the 7 episodes released so far.
But anime is a great nerd hobby that every gamer should at least try …
