BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense (Season Two)
Maple and Sally continue to explore NewWorld Online as new levels and events are added. They’re also adding new skills and abilities in the most unusual way possible, as you might expect!
BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense (Season Two)
What did you watch?
Back when the first season aired it was just before the beginning of the pandemic where I live, so it’s quite surprising to associate a VRMMO with the unrestricted times from before. Anyhow, I loved the first season and was delighted to see a second season announced at the end of the twelfth episode. I didn’t think I would have to wait this long, but it did happen so there is that to be grateful for. So many shows don’t get that second season they deserve. So, was it worth the wait or should we have left things on the end of season one high?
What happened?
Maple’s guild continued to climb through the levels. They even had to do one without Maple as she had a cold in the real world and couldn’t play. That worked in her favour because she accidentally entered a secret boss area while searching for the actual level boss and gained some new powers and abilities. One of the new levels was a horror-themed level which made it almost impossible for Sally to play. However, there was a skill she really wanted so Maple went with her and gained yet another new skill. She has quite the habit of doing the unexpected.
In the latest level, friendly monsters were added that could be tamed and acquired by the players. Since Maple and Sally already had one each they helped the others get their own. Just in time too, as the next event was about to begin and having a friendly monster was sure to be a big boost to those looking to win. It was a three-day event and only those that survived to the end would get their rewards. Maple was determined that everyone would survive much to the developers’ frustration!
What did you think?
Simply fantastic. This season built on the first season and carried on as if there hadn’t been a break at all. It was a delight to be back with Maple and the other characters. I was glad that everyone got a little more time to shine but they still managed to find time for Maple and Sally to play together. It did a wonderful job of reminiscing about the first season while pushing them further. Of course, the stakes are fairly low-key as it’s BOFURI, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. It probably wasn’t as good as the first season, but it did more than enough to make me want another season.
What was your favourite moment?
There were so many great moments, but I think my favourite was episode 19 which focused on Maple and Sally as they went exploring. Of course, they stumbled upon a secret quest and had to fight three massive bosses which pushed their skills to the limits. It showed how wonderfully rich this world is and how you could easily spend all your time just wandering around doing fun things. When they had completed this quest, they found a secret area full of friendly monsters. There was a pool that enabled Syrup and Oboro to evolve. The entire episode reminded me of the time they spent together back in episodes 2 and 3 when it was just the two of them.
What was your least favourite moment?
Once more, I can’t think of a single moment that I didn’t enjoy or that even felt unnecessary. We got to see more characters and while I don’t necessarily care as much about all of them, I did like the switch in focus as it helped us understand the whole guild that much better. I was delighted that we saw more of Kurumi and Iz. It was more of a balancing act than the first season, but all in all, it was thoroughly enjoyable.
Who was your favourite character?
Maple is a wonderful character who plays the game in a way that few others do. She’s caring and considerate. She wants everyone to succeed. These are admirable traits and are something that the developers couldn’t have anticipated. As a result, she is constantly upsetting their plans and making everyone that much more overpowered. Of course, this seems to gain her more admirers from within the game to the point that the top three guilds are friends rather than rivals. It’s a refreshing approach and something the world needs more of.
Who was your least favourite character?
Right at the end of the season, we saw a number of other players watching Maple and Sally and talking about how they are going to beat them. Now, I’m not sure this is the direction this series should take, but I also think that somehow Maple will win them over and make them allies. There’s always room for more in Maple’s group. I’m also looking forward to them realising just what they are getting into. Sure, they might have a plan and think they’ve found a weakness, but Maple has so many crazy skills to call on that they can’t have anticipated everything. It could get interesting. I just hope it doesn’t change the tone of the series.
Would you like some more?
Just keep them coming. This show could go on and on and I would be there for every single episode. There is no end to the possibilities and while it may get a little repetitive, I can’t see that being an issue given the large cast and the variety of worlds and events. My only concern is that they went through a few too many levels too quickly. It would be nice to see them have to go back and do things across the levels as they did with the friendly monster quests.
What have you learnt?
Before I watched season one if someone had come back from the future and told me that one of my favourite series would be about a gamer girl in a virtual world turning herself into a giant ball of wool and eating monsters from the inside out, I would have thought they were crazy. But it just goes to show that you can’t tar everything with the same brush. Do I suddenly have a new love of Cute Girls Doing Cute Things shows? No. Absolutely not, but I’m not going to instantly dismiss them without giving them a chance. If there’s a chance of finding another show that makes me feel the same way BOFURI does, I’m going to try everything. I’ve certainly seen enough garbage in my preferred genres so it’s worth trying everything.
Other posts in the series
- Anime
- Season One
- Episode 1 – Defense and First Battle
- Episode 2 – Defense and Friends
- Episode 3 – Defense and Reaching Second Level
- Episode 4 – Defense and Second Event
- Episode 5 – Defense and Spoils of War
- Episode 6 – Defense and Reinforcements
- Episode 7 – Defense and Upgrades
- Episode 8 – Defense and Third Event
- Episode 9 – Defense and Fourth Event
- Episode 10 – Defense and Attack
- Episode 11 – Defense and Mighty Foe
- Episode 12 – Defense and Bonds
- Season Two
- Episode 13 – Maxing Defense and Christmas
- Episode 14 – Maxing Defense, Level 5, and Level 6
- Episode 15 – Maxing Defense and the Seventh Event
- Episode 16 – Maxing Defense and Tower Conquest
- Episode 17 – Maxing Defense and Tentacles
- Episode 18 – Maxing Defense and Tame Monsters
- Episode 19 – Maxing Defense and Hunting for Crystals
- Episode 20 – Maxing Defense and the Eighth Event
- Episode 21 – Maxing Defense and Setting Up a Base
- Episode 22 – Maxing Defense and New Teams
- Episode 23 – Maxing Defense and New Parties
- Episode 24 – Maxing Defense and the Big Final Battle
- Bonus Posts
- Season One
- Manga
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Definitely iyashikei series can get formulaic when a sequel happens because this subgenre meant to be the way it is. Bofuri’s second season is enjoyable but it’s not enough to make me feel enthusiastic about next season if it ever happens again. Though the subplots of monster taming & the developers wanting to beat Maple in defeat at least once, the comedy concepts can get old seeing how repetitive it got.
I do enjoy and start appreciating several SoL series that can be part of improving a human’s emotional health.
I guess this means I should be wary of Campfire Cooking in Another World & Otaku Elf, which are two of my fave iyashikei series that currently have the highest rating from me. And yet, I still get enthusiastic in wanting a season renewal for both.
I thought your least favourite moment would be the sudden CGI whole sequence of Maple & Sally fighting against a Library Boss. That really threw me out of focus seeing how it really looks jarring and that it’s an obvious sign of the anime studio getting an unfair tight deadline.
I’m starting to think that these types of shows need to be single season stand alone sort of stories. While I did enjoy this season, it wasn’t as good as the first season and the best moments were probably when it tried to recreate the adventures Maple and Sally had together like in season one.
Oh yeah, the CGI. It felt like a sequence from an idol show when they start performing. I kind of understand why studios do it, but from an artistic point of view, I would never let that happen to something I was working on. It stands out so much against the rest of the show.
It was a fun sequel season and if they made more I would watch them, but I doubt they’ll capture the magic of the first season again.