Introduction
After an enthusiastic invitation from her friend, Kaede Honjou reluctantly agrees to try New World Online: a very popular VRMMO played by thousands of people across Japan. Naming her in-game character Maple, she sets out on her journey. As a complete novice to such games, she allocates all of her stat points into vitality, desiring to not get hurt. With not a single point in any other stat, Maple has extraordinarily high defense, but she can't move quickly or hit hard.
This does not end badly for her, however. Due to her high defense, Maple acquires overpowered skills such as Total Defense, Poison Immunity, and Devour. These skills, along with the incredibly powerful items she obtains, allow her to obliterate most enemies in a single hit. After only a few days of playing the game, Maple claims third place in a server-wide event, gaining a reputation as a player who is both unkillable and absurdly powerful.
Despite her overpowered character, Kaede has much to learn. As she progresses through the game, she meets new friends and acquaintances, helping her complete new levels and events. Through all of her adventures, she may even pick up some other crazy skills that exceed all expectations.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
uchu_no_otaku
I actually like the idea of this story being centered around a game. It has that simple MMORPG feeling where you can just log in, build your character, explore the world, fight monsters, and slowly become stronger. But what really made it funny for me is the MC going all in on defense 😂 Like bro really said, “I dont want to get hurt, so Im just gonna put EVERYTHING into defense.”
And somehow that completely breaks the game lol. The build was supposed to be a joke at first, but it turns into this ridiculous overpowered character because of all the skills she gets from stacking defense. Watching the game basically struggle to deal with her build was actually pretty entertaining.
Tho after a while, I started finding it kinda boring. The action was just meh for me, and the story didnt reall…
Read at the sourceBahonkadonkas
After the first episode, I was ready to roast it for being another generic nothing burger isekai/vr game whatever you call this trope. However I ended up thinking it's quite nice.
It's not amazing. It's also not bad. It's just quite nice. It's very happy and cute and no one is mean. I thought that would make it bad, but it's just a little feel good show about cute happy girls having a fun time playing a game! It's not trying to be more than that, it's not trying to be a serious show where the mcs save the world. This show knows what it is, there's no stakes, there's no danger, it's just "how can these girls find an exploit in this game that absolutely breaks it's intended play style while making it funny" It reminds me of the fun of playing a new game, knowing nothing, and everything is s…
Read at the sourceShirogari
Bofuri feels like it was written by someone whose only experience with video games is watching Sword Art Online and thinking that Kirito's unique double wielding skill was the coolest thing ever.
I decided to watch this anime because the title sounded interesting, maxing out defence seemed like a fun concept. I was therefore very confused and disappointed when this turned out to only be a relevant concept for the first few episodes. Instead of stats almost all of the power of characters in this game is determined by personalised armour or (unique) skills that they scrounge up under various rocks or unlock after being the first to do a random side quest. What's annoying about this system is that it rewards poor decision making and taking random actions over actually playing the game well.…
Read at the sourceplebrepel
[JP, subtitles are available from several different groups with primary difference being translations of panels and chats. No matter which release you go with it is easy to miss critical plot-important details contained on those panels. This thread: https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1819624 || has the fully translated panels from episodes 1-5. If the plot becomes absurdly unbelievable to you or the panels are obviously not fully translated you should especially have a look at it.
The quality of the dialogue inconsistent. Sometimes words get replaced with unrelated ones like 'sayonara' reading as 'good night'. This breaks some puns/references that you will catch no matter who you are if you pay attention.]
This anime received a lot of care into visual effects. The story is ok.
The eve…
Read at the sourcepaidlowered
Not much character development. Story is a little shallow (it's an online game tho so it makes sense)
Anyways, character design is AMAZING and it's always fun seeing the new events and how they roll out. I really like this and also syrup is so cute like omg!!! Anyways it retains similar quality throughout the whole season and is definitely fun to watch. Got hooked on it again and watched six episodes in one day (although while getting off track very frequently)
I think the art style works really well for the story. Level 2 is rather brutalist and I don't like that so much, and level 3 just seems too dark. Fight scenes are really interesting though. There are a bunch of different abilities that the characters have which are generally overpowered but that's kinda the point of the whole sho…
Read at the sourceathenacat
If I could give 8.5, I totally would.
The general plot is a young girl playing a virtual reality game. She puts all of her points into defense. Her quirky attitude leads to some discoveries in the game that help her progress nicely.
There's nothing that particularly stands out about the writing or art, but they are both pretty solid.
One thing I like about this anime is that it feels like a shonen--main character is energetic, good at making friends, and wining compeititons-- but she's a girl. In fact, the cast includes many interesting characters, including many girls. There are a few fanservice moments with one character so far which I don't love, but they don't take over her character development competely. The characters don't have a lot of development, but they do get stronger and m…
Read at the sourceMitsumi_
I finished watching this show today and I have some thoughts. The show is fine. I'll probably watch season 2, and then promptly forget about it.
Story: 5/10
The story was fine. I'll try not to get into spoiler territory, but it didn't really seem to go anywhere over the 12 episodes of season 1. Somehow it felt both rushed and empty at the same time, and I'm not really sure how. The main character becomes basically the strongest person in universe in, like, episode 2, and stays that way until the end of the season. It didn't feel like there were any stakes at all. Other than that, the story was enjoyable. While the majority of it lacked substance, it was light-hearted and fun to watch. This feels like the kind of story that you get stuck into when you're having a bad day and need cheering…
Read at the sourcelycoping
I am going to review this as if it were one of either isekai, fantasy, or gaming, because to me, these three genres kind of mix together. I'm going to do that because of all of the anime in this genre, this might be my favorite.
Kaede joins a new VR game, and immediately decides she's going to only focus on defense, because she doesn't want to get hurt. However, in doing so, she finds her niche in the game and becomes, well, absurd. And absurdly OP.
And I loved the chaos.
Let's start with what I love about this anime. I usually do not really like fantasy, isekai, or gaming anime, because they tend to be cliched, overdone, a little too action packed, or unrealistic. While this anime contains some tropes that would fit all three, it's unique in my experience amongst anime, because:
1) Th…
Read at the sourceAntonyAV
"BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense" is a lighthearted slice of life anime about two girl friends adventuring in a virtual reality world while learning about the game, making friends, winning championships, etc... I won't get into any important part of the story but I'll need to speak a little about the things that happen in this anime to explain why I disliked it.
The world is interesting and the characters are likeable and maybe even relatable... At first glace, it's just that at the same time those characters lack depth and don't go through any kind of development, and the VR world always seems to bend to their imagination making them incredibly powerful, I swear every issue is fixed by Maple's Hydra (A poisonous dragon thing she gets in one of the first areas…
Read at the sourcecunoung
It overstays its welcome and I personally think that Bofuri would have been perfect with 6 episodes rather than 12. While the absurdity of Maple’s strength is the point, the way in which she gains that strength during the first half of season was interesting & thought out with her seemingly using her brain to combine skills & methods to improve on the negatives of only putting points into defence. However during the second half of the season Maple is basically given every op item, skill & ability in the game without issue. This had occurred with the Hydra but the frequency during the second half of the season is rapid & frustrating to the point that the show loses its appeal.
Maple also becomes a background character for a majority of episodes along the way and those who take the limelig…
Read at the sourcePeach_Main
What a weird name for an anime. I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense is a comedy gaming anime that is just okay. It took me a while to figure out why the community gave it the shortened name "Bofuri." They just took three syllables in the romaji and put them together. Thought I should inform you all about that in case any of you were wondering about where it came from.
The story is fairly simple and lives up to the full title. The main character Kaede Honjo was persuaded by her best friend Risa Shiromine to join the Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game called NewWorld Online. Very generic name for a game if you ask me. NewWorld Online takes place in a fantasy-like setting. I just have to ask, what is the story of this game? Why do the players need t…
Read at the sourceslightexag
Our main character Maple decides to join a fantasy role-player VR game after her best friend Sally recommends it. Maple is not a gamer, but gets immersed in this world, using her unconventional non-gamer logic to become super OP in defense and vitality through unique random encounters and an oddball play style. Maple and Sally--a pro-gamer level talent--have fun by dominating the game, competing in server challenges every few weeks, and making friends with other players and their guild opponents.
As a low-stakes VR premise, there is no drama, no adversity, and no plot. Maple doesn't get OP through anything but happenstance through a series of random encounters that have nothing to do with each other. There is nothing organic at all about how the game progresses or its objectives--there i…
Read at the sourceWhoaTeddi
Season 2 Bofuri: I don't want to get hurt, so I'll max out my defense.
This anime follows the adventures of a new player, Maple, as she dives into the virtual reality MMORPG game called "NewWorld Online." It starts off exploring the level 4 map in the game. A quick montage of everybody being boring and Maple being OP. Fluffy fur secrets awaits you from one of the guild master. I personally like her better with the glasses. (I love a Nerd.) I also just want to add that Maple syrup is still the best master pet combo I have heard. (I vow to get a dog, name him bear, So I can proudly say " My name is Teddi, and this is Bear.) Now back to the main course, with a Quick lil win for Sally. Christmas tournaments are coming up, so everyone went off to Grind and level up. Kasumi straight turns into…
Read at the sourceMitiKosta
Funny and recommended anime.
I've watched it twice already.
I remember from a young age in every game I always thought too much about what to put in my stats.
The anime is very funny and pleasant.
The pace of the series is excellent.
The music is good.
The art is great.
I would add a little more backstory to the characters.
The creators of the series really thought deeply about her crazy abilities and every time I was surprised. For all lovers of adventure games on the computer, this is the series I would recommend the most.
A unique story
waiting to see more.
Read at the sourceDrakestalker
BoFuri is studio Silver Link.’s latest addition to the torrent of video game shows that’s flooded the anime medium since the release of Sword Art Online.
The premise is exactly what you’d expect after a cursory reading of the title. Kaede Honjou, a complete noob, decides to start playing the newest VRMMO, New World Online (I’m not buying that the notion that the NWO abbreviation is an accident), at her friend’s insistence. Since her friend would not be able to log in for the following days because she had to study for upcoming exams, it fell to Kaede to play on her own for a few days and figure out the ropes. Once in-game, she creates her character, Maple, and out of fear of getting hurt, stupidly specs all of her stat points into vitality. However, though her build shouldn’t have been ef…
Read at the sourcechancegiven
I think that this is a great anime for those who know what they're getting into! Just reading the title, I think you can expect exactly what happens in this anime. As someone who has enjoyed many video game anime's, and manhwa's, this was a breath of fresh air! I personally don't mind that's she's overpowered, I love it even! She's not some edgelord with dark magic or something, she's just a girl who breaks the game by being silly!
You can't go into this anime expecting some sort of life-changing story, but you can expect to be surprised by the unexpected ways the MC gains new skills. It's always fun not knowing how exactly she'll break it next, and it's always something very amusingly goofy!
I know this point doesn't mean a lot to others, but as a girl, having a female protagonist in t…
Read at the sourceLostCadence
Pure fluff filled with trash tropes (VR video game world, OP MC), but done well and so very wholesome. The MC (a sweet and simple girl) hasn't played an MMO before, and proceeds to break the game by playing super atypically. Feels a bit like litrpg given progression, with more absurdity than usual - less 'progress,' more 'breaking' (going a bit too far sometimes, but mostly very fun). The core of the show is a series of female friendships - not often the focus of what otherwise comes across as some kind of shonen. And every episode ends with her fan club (veteran MMO players) in a chatroom talking about how much they support her.
Read at the sourcenyja-chan
Okay, so this was another anime for my anime club which means I had to finish it. Otherwise I would have dropped it after three episodes.
So, the idea is fun, a character who puts everything in one stat, but the execution is boring. Also it doesn't make sense to me why she is this overpowered. I get the part where she has good defense because that's what she put all of her points in, but she should have no attack power or barely any. They do make her slower which is something.
What I don't get is why this game starts with all your stats on zero, maybe some games have that, but I always assume you have basic stats.
Another thing that bothered me was how fast she got her skills. If she gets immunity for poison this quickly then everyone in the game should have that skill. It's that easy…
Read at the sourceC__C
This is the most 5 out of 10 show I have ever watched and it is so blank that I gave it a 4 so no one need to watch it. This show is inoffensively bad, because there is nothing going on with it, zero substance so there is nothing to be offensive about. This show slaps a bunch of half established generic ideas on the table and then... there is no then none of them got developed.
A character arc that ended before I had a grasp; a tournament arc that ended before I realized; a sudden slice of life arc of course why not; a boss fight out of no where and ended in 10 frames... rinse and repeat... this show so 5 out of 10 it is like the cheapest bad bottle of water so blank and tasteless that makes it bad.
Read at the sourcektjin
If you are looking for a compelling story with good world building. Don't watch this anime.
If you are looking for a relaxing and funny story that you want to watch without really thinking. Watch this anime.
In my opinion, this anime shouldn't be taken seriously. Repetitive situations of MC doing wild things? Yes. No real story building and characterization? Yes. If you care too much about progression and arcs making sense, then you will only get angry at this anime.
For those who do not mind stories existing for the sake of just being entertaining (As in, haha it's the funny!), then this anime will be just fine. It's a light hearted slice of life style of story set in a VRMMORPG that really sticks true to the funny trope of what the title implies. Although plot points are repeated (qu…
Read at the source
