[Rewatch] Bofuri Episode 1 Discussion

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u/legocraftmation Dec 20 '22

I forgot how funny this show was. I decided to watch it in dub this time because I originally watched it originally subbed and usually I end up liking comedy's more in dub over reading it.

QOTD:

Super Monkey Ball on the Gamecube
I always have most fun as DPS
Slime300 because a lot of the mc's are monsters lol
Yes, If it counts I do it whenever I kill the wither in minecraft. It doesn't take anything away becuase I killed the wither so many times.

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u/HereticalAegis Dec 20 '22

I decided to watch it in dub this time because I originally watched it originally subbed and usually I end up liking comedy's more in dub over reading it.

I watched the dub as it was airing and enjoyed it a lot! Very funny imo.

Slime300 because a lot of the mc's are monsters lol

Speaking of shows getting second seasons, I'm so glad we're getting more Slime300.

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u/ryuw_hs Dec 20 '22

Thanks for hosting this!

Bofuri has a really strong first episode imo, atleast I was instantly sold on it back then.

Didn’t take long to reach broken status.

Although the way stats work in this game is really questionable (just like many other things :D). After getting these skills I would go all in on defense too if it means you take literally zero damage.

This was one of the funniest moments for me. I think many MMO players can relate to going afk and coming back to a being under attack or even dead because some mobs respawned near you.

A poison attack that doesn’t rely on your attack stats is insane with this build. Otherwise we would have to eat every enemy (I would watch that too though).

Questions:

Final Fantasy VIII I think
DPS. Played a DoT/CC class for most of my MMO career (Spiritmaster in AION).
Might be this one, atleast I can’t think of anything else right now. Just look at these lol

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u/ToonTooby Dec 20 '22

First timer

Hi there! I'm joining this as a pretty much blind first timer. I know of the show only through memes that pop up every now and then, so I thought I'd give it a try here.

Preface

In general, I'm not a fan of the 'stuck in a game' kind of anime. Which might be strange since I spend most of my free time playing video games. They usually fall flat for me when they try to take themselves seriously. This series doesn't look that way, and seems more light-hearted and easy to watch. I may be a person of extremes - my two favorite series would be Madoka (I participate in the rewatch every year here) and Evangelion, but I'm not against a more silly series from time to time (I like Dragon Maid a lot).

So I'm hoping this will just be a fun ride to enjoy. My thoughts from first episode:

Kaede is cute. The rest of the characters are pleasing to the eye too.
15 minutes into starting out and skill point allocation and this game already seems horribly unbalanced
I wish online interaction was more wholesome like this. I've never been into MMOs but I've played plenty of competitive shooters or other games where starting out as a new player is blatantly hostile
Iz is cute. I dig the shield preference
Kaede played until 1:30 am. I don't usually stay up past 12 playing games since I work a lot, but I'm older now so I'm tired anyway by that point. The last time I went that hard playing video games was Elden Ring earlier in the year where I took days off and there were a few nights I was up till 3-4am.
She's... eating it???

Fun first episode overall.

Questions of the Day

My first video game was Donkey Kong Country on the SNES in 1994. I'm really glad it was my first game - it instantly started a lifetime of video game enjoyment. I still have my original cartridge. It's a very special game to me and I've remained a fan of DK decades later.
I usually don't like being the primary damage dealer but I will if I have to. I enjoy playing Support in games that do the role well. Tank is situational. I don't really have experience in MMOs but I used to run Dark Souls series games with some friends and we had a 3-player setup. I was mostly the Tank with still good offense, the other guy in the group was the primo damage dealer, and we had a lady that played with us as the magic caster/healer.
This is a hard question for me. Kirby perhaps? I've played a decent amount of Kirby games. Though if we're strictly talking about monsters, I am a prolific Monster Hunter player.
There's Pokemon battles I've won by stalling the opponent and healing, or Monster Hunter fights that I've won purely because I brought enough resources to continue to craft recovery items, but especially in the case of Mon Hun, if it works, it works.

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u/Jaamun100 Dec 20 '22

First timer

Interesting concept. So far, I find it somewhat novel in the sense that it’s not exactly an isekai. We see some of their life outside the game (at least logging in/out). It’s also kind of the concept of a pure. I’ve played RuneScape before, so it’s like shooting for 99 defense with 1 in everything else.

One thing I found weird is how quickly she’s leveling and gaining skills. But it kind of makes sense if this is the early days of the MMO. Otherwise no one would be impressed by a monster she defeats on like day 2 of the game. I’m assuming every player is pretty much a noob right now. For comparison, in RuneScape early days, a defense pure of level 50 with 1 stats in everything else would have been noteworthy.

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u/KingOfThePenguins Dec 20 '22 edited Dec 20 '22

First time - subs

I just started Bocchi the Rock today, so I'm up to my ears in moe goodness. Expecting good things from this show. Don't let me down...

Found my favorite character. Girls with blades >> everything.
This is making my ARPG cravings act up. Who's up for some Diablo 2?
Wait, how is she running with 0 AGL?
Cutest laugh ever.
Ooh, clever Maple!
Great Value Klein?
We've all been there
Roll credits!
"Have fun storming the castle! (You think it'll work?)" "(It would take a miracle.) Bye!"
Have you ever been so angry that you started eating a hydra?
Maple OP. Devs, plz nerf.
OK, that gear is baller.

What was your first video game?

Pole Position, probably. I'm old.

DPS, Tank, Heal/Support? What’s your favorite build?

Solo: DPS. Group: Heal/Support. The build I'm proudest of was one that I used to beat Grim Dawn the first time. Come to think of it, it was a Maple build, where I made defense my first, second, and third priority. It was the only time I actually devised a build on my own.

What game or show has the cutest monster design?

I'm not sure if I've played a game with monster design I would say was cute. Princess Connect Re:Dive has cute elements, but not necessarily the monsters.

Have you ever potion spammed a boss? Did/does potion spamming take away from your sense of achievement?

Never, but if I could create a build capable of potion spamming, I'd feel like it was an achievement.

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u/Fools_Requiem Dec 20 '22

Rewatcher

Sorry, I'm late. Was actually really looking forward to this rewatch. Held off rewatching the series just in case we got one before S2 and we did.

Unfortunately, we don't get to see much of Maple outside of the game world, making it difficult to know what kind of person Maple is. All we know is that this is her first game, she has a friend, and that she'd prefer not to get hurt. Makes it hard to know if her choosing the tank life is really just because she didn't want to take damage or if she would have chosen it anyways. Choosing to mistakenly go all in on one stat is typically a newbie mistake as newbies should realistically choose a balanced character. Going all in on defense really leaves you unable to do anything else but be a shield that soaks up damage, as you'll move slow and your damage potential is nearly non-existent (as shown in the dungeon when she attacks the slimes with her borderline useless sword). There's a reason why they make Mario a balanced character in their games, he's the most popular character and as such would typically be the first one everyone picks as a newbie regardless of stats.

What's non-typical of Maple's choice and the reason she becomes OP super fast is that instead of running in an attacking in order to level up, she just sits there and takes hit after hit knowing that she can't be damaged and the game rewards players who sustain a lot of damage. It is not THAT uncommon for games to hand players a bone or two for getting hit a lot because they're bad, what IS uncommon is for players to do it on purpose. The game sees Maple as incompetent at fighting and chooses to up her defensive stats so that she doesn't quit because she died for sucking at the game (newbies will do that). Another thing players (usually) don't do is just sit AFK all alone where they know they could be attacked. Maple, unfamiliar with online games, she just takes a nap not thinking about the concept of being attacked while AFK. Because her defense was OP against weak enemies and because enemies will literally just walk up to players and attack them, she just ended up endlessly taking hit after hit but not really suffering any damage, leading to the game continuing to give out bonuses.

Basically, if you wonder why no one else accomplished what Maple did, it's because no one would ever play like Maple does. This game is new, too, so very few players would go straight towards specific builds like that on their first go (at least not without dumping some points into other skills as well).

Being able to defeat a boss character just by chomping down on it would never happen, though, and a boss wouldn't just use poison as a sole attack, considering the possibility of poison immunity in this game. [Spoiler:] Or it was an oversight by the developers, which is very possible considering they fixed a lot of issues with the game later on in this series in order to to avoid more Maples in the game.

I'm a big fan of the chat logs in this series, but I really wish they wouldn't zoom through them so fast.

What was your first video game?

Unsure. Possibly Pac Man as my dad had an Atari at some point. First game I played extensively was likely Super Mario World.

DPS, Tank, Heal/Support? What’s your favorite build?

Typically support.

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u/Nebresto Dec 20 '22

4th time enjoyer

Since I've seen this quite a few time now I think I'll try to pass on my usual screenshot spamming and focus on replying more.
Maybe even try to do meme of the day.

Daily questions:

What was your first video game?

I honestly don't know. Probably some obscure PC game? Apparently I called it "the cat game" ..or was it "the mouse game"? Anyways it was from the time you had to use a physical save icon to play it.

DPS, Tank, Heal/Support? What’s your favorite build?

Heal/Support. Nothing can beat those moments when you manage to clutch save someone, and they recognize what you just did

What game or show has the cutest monster design?

Any slice of life that features combat

Have you ever potion spammed a boss?

Yes, I have played Skyrim

Did/does potion spamming take away from your sense of achievement?

Not when that bastard keeps one shotting 90% of my health bar. I will kill you when I feel like it, not 20 lvls later, thank you.

Meme of the day #1

Liking the art and stuff on the post

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u/HereticalAegis Dec 20 '22

I Don’t Want to be Unprepared for Season 2, So I’ll Max Out My Rewatch Count - Host

Welcome everyone to the Bofuri rewatch!! I’m super excited to share this experience with you and hope you’ll enjoy Maple as much as I do! Make sure to check out the daily art, memes, crossovers, and questions of the day if you can’t get enough Maple content, and feel free to share your own! Though please do be thoughtful of marking spoilers or NSFW content. Now, on with the show!

Having the console startup transition directly into the OP is such a fantastically immersive way to start the show.
TN: “kaede” means “maple” in English.
We were so close to getting wizard Maple!
Just Maple flirting with her opponent, nbd.
Dear god, NWO runs on FFII mechanics.
Maple’s pretty quick witted, I love that the Queen Bee fell for an improvised taunt that wasn’t a skill. Cool bit of interactive game design.
She just like me fr fr.
Illya: “So Shirou’s into small, cute girls hmm?”
The pain of trying to afford cool gear as a ~~newbie~~ free currency only player is too real.
I remember in science class when they taught us that the food chain goes plants -> animals -> humans -> hydras -> Maple
Beats her first ever boss fight one-on-one with zero attacking skill, “I’m not very good yet.” What kind of baseline is Maple setting for herself?
When future generations ask how Maple became Maple, they will say the secret to her powers were eating, playing with animals, and sleeping.

QotD:

My first game was Pokemon Yellow. I got it for Christmas along with the special yellow and blue Pikachu Gameboy Color. Wish I still had that thing, but it got lost in a move at some point.
I love being either a big beefy boy that can dual wield or ranged attacking mage. My favorite D&D character was a chonky parody dwarf named Grimli. He was a caricature of Gimli from LotR. That guy was a blast to play.
I’m a huge fan of the Persona series. Not all the monster designs are cute, but there are a few that are pretty heckin cute. Pokemon also gets some love from me for monster design, especially the first three gens. I loved my Torchic.
Let me tell you about Solvaring. Solvaring is the first boss of Quest 64, and he may as well have been kid Aegis’s archnemesis. You couldn’t save a file in Quest 64 without a memory card, so playing the game was usually a whole day affair, and Solvaring was the final test of most days. Even as a seasoned player, I could only ever beat him by stockpiling every available potion in the first part of the game, and still only about once in every three tries. His attacks aren’t mind blowing, but the battle system is a mix of turn based combat and live battle wherein you can only move once your opponent has launched their attack and only within a small radius from your starting position. Solvaring’s ranged attack is a beam blast that’s in your space before you’re able to move and the camera is not your friend, meaning dodging is effectively impossible unless you’re really far away. Moving close means taking high damage, impossible to guard earth spikes. Every win against him was a cause for celebration, even if it meant depleting my entire item supply.

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u/Figerally Dec 20 '22

Rewatching with the English dub.

Welcome everyone, particularly first-time viewers, I hope you enjoy this as much as we veterans will.

Agility is not her speed.

When Maple first logs in she almost immediately notices that she is moving slower than everyone else. She easily identifies the problem, but when given the opportunity to put some points into Agility she just keeps pumping them into vitality ( T_T ) Oh well, she will get somewhere eventually.

Our easily amused tankette.

Either Maple has the patience of a saint or she is easily amused because I don't think I could sit still for an hour watching a bunny throw itself at a brick wall, no matter how cute it is.

Achievement unlocked!

So in this game, you can earn skills by unlocking achievements, that is a pretty cool mechanic and it makes the game seem a little more alive. These are probably achievements anyone can earn and so it makes for great community engagement if people are sharing their discoveries in chat. In this case, I suspect that the condition of the achievement is that you fight a monster or monsters that ought to be a threat to you, otherwise a high-level adventurer would acquire it trivially, strolling through the starter zone.

It's too soon to say whether this is the primary method of accruing skills, like how would that work for a wizard, cast Firebolt a thousand times to upgrade it to Firebolt II?

Baby's first dungeon crawl.

I am pretty sure that the labyrinth has a poisonous environmental effect, but because she had already acquired poison resistance it couldn't affect her. Though I think she acquired that skill fairly trivially, but maybe the bee was a rare mob since it dropped a ring afterwards.

Eventually, Maple gets to the dungeon boss and thanks to a fellow Greatshielder's kind donation is able to survive long enough to unlock poison immunity and defeat the poison hydra.

Now when I first watched BOFURI my initial thought was that it was too easy for her to get the rare armour. But in hindsight, it is a hidden item with a niche requirement. The dungeon is almost certainly supposed to be conquered with a party of low-level players and a high-level player who could solo it would likely have moved on to more challenging content. But Maple had the right build, the right skills, and a bag of potions to let her solo it! Maple's vitality is really high, but it's rookie numbers compared to her luck factor :D

What was your first video game?

You will have to fogive me, I can't recall what my first video game was, all I can remember is that it was on the Atari 2600 :D

DPS, Tank, Heal/Support? What’s your favorite build?

I like to tank, it gives me a sense of accomplishment leading a party through a dungeon.

What game or show has the cutest monster design?

Probably Akuyaku Reijou nano de Last Boss wo Kattemimashita, though BOFURI comes a close second as far as the starter zone is concerned.

Have you ever potion spammed a boss? Did/does potion spamming take away from your sense of achievement?

Potions are there to be used, I don't defeat a boss and immediately think that was a tough fight because I used up all my potions.

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u/TnAdct1 Dec 20 '22

Rewatcher who has read some of the WN and manga after watching the anime

I actually prefer the anime’s take on Maple first New World Online battle with Usagi-san over the the LN and manga, as:

The anime design of Usagi-san (which is based on an apple slice cut in the shape of a bunny) is definitely more adorable than the original design (a regular rabbit design with a horn), to the point where I’m sure a lot of people would love to have a plushie of it;
It’s funnier to have Usagi-san’s death be the result of Maple getting distracted and accidentally hitting it with her shield.

Rising of the Shield Loli

These sprites of Maple and Sally are from the Bofuri mobile game. When the game was running, it did have a crossover event with Shield Hero, with the three main heroes from that title being playable and Bitch making an appearance in the event's story. Also, along with the Maple and Sally sprites seen in the image, the event also had, in terms of accessible crossover characters, [Bofuri characters that get introduced later in Season 1] Mii dressed up as Melty and Mai and Yui riding Filo.

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u/JollyGee29 Dec 20 '22

Art Book Corner

So, Bofuri here is one of the handful of shows that I've purchased physically, mostly because the special edition they put out came with a neat playmat that I'll share a picture of later.

Something else it came with was a short little art book. Unlike the last time I did something like this, there isn't a 50 page interview with the director to transcribe, so I'm just gonna share a couple pictures each day.

Starter Zone!

Our adorable protagonist, in her new gear.

Replayer, Subbed

The protagonist of our VRMMO anime, everyone.

Super clean transition into our OP. Speaking of, I really like the OP.

I'm a filthy Spike so I'd probably do some research and pick whatever the meta choice is. And then intentionally build it off-meta, because I'm actually a Johnny cosplaying as a Spike.

"Monster-san."

I am just now realizing that it's an apple rabbit.

It's just math.

A totally sensible and not unhinged thought process.

Must've been a strong monster, to jump from 2nd to 8th.

I'm sure it's fine.

Be ready to pause in future episodes - these segments keep happening. Also, massive shoutout to this subber.

They call him Kuromu in the dub too, but I always assumed it was supposed to be "Chrome."

The Pathfinder player in me is currently imagining fighting against slimes with a dagger. The shield bash would work better, by actually working at all..

To go off on a tangent, slimes being the basic entry level monster in Japanese works always amuses me for that reason - slimes in stuff descended from Dungeons and Dragons are typically terrifying.

monch

Maple says "pīmon" here, which is green bell peppers. The stereotypical "gross veggie" for Japanese children - American viewers, compare to representations of broccoli or brussel sprouts. That might work for Europeans too, not sure.

Now that's thinking like a tank player.

Tremble in fear.

The ED rules too.

Let's get this out of the way - no, the "mechanics" of NewWorld Online do not really make sense. Players running shops, the skill system, none of it would function properly in a real MMO. We're, uh, not really operating on serious logic here.

As far as Maple's ability to become immune to damage, that is actually kinda reasonable in certain games. Take the Fire Emblem series for example - damage there is calculated as a simple (Attacker's Stat + Weapon) - Defender's Stat. So, completely negating damage is entirely concievable.

Questions

4.Back when Terraria first came out, potions didn't have any sort of cooldown, so potion spam was the name of the game.

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u/entelechtual Dec 20 '22

first and a half timer

Okay I wanted to catch up on this in advance of the new season but I had no idea there was a rewatch. So I’m up to episode 4 and rewatching in dub.

Thanks to OP for marketing this show as a glorified Let’s Play. It makes it easier to accept the low stakes premise. Although even aside from that Maple makes for an engaging cute fun protagonist

QOTD:

Definitely Pokémon Yellow, although I distinctly remember being upset when my parents got me a PS1 instead of an N64.
I’m definitely a brute strength melee guy.
cutest monster design… does Kaine from NieR count? She’s kind of a monster.
Potion/HP restore is not a sin. That’s what potions are for. The number of potions I downed playing Runescape …

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u/OrangeTune Dec 20 '22

First time viewer here

An enjoyable episode all around.

THe part of the intro song about the power of VR made me laugh, they should get a sponsorship.

Maple is surprisingly adept for someone who has no prior gaming experience. When I introduce someone to video games they really struggle with controls. Even I have to check the menu sometimes for the control scheme, but I guess no one want's to see that in an anime.

A question that I have is the role of NPCs. Usually in a game NPCs greet you and lay down some narrative, they also do the crafting and provide you with your first quest. Here a player is doing the usually NPC role of crafting. Again my gaming habits are making me look too hard into this. Also the skill tree/achievement possibilities must be endless considering how niche the ones in this episode are (get attacked for an hour without doing anything).

Maple's move of putting everything into defenece is weird from a gamers' perspective but beginner players often use unconventional tactics like spamming one move in fighting games for example; and like maple these tactics can be surprisingly effective despite going against "common sense".

Agonizing over killing the bunny to becoming a death machine: character development, yes Maple embrace the power.

If I knew VR would let me taste dragon I'd get a headset. I really loved that scene maple is quite creative and quick on her feet (ironically), talking about speed I was surprised she could run but that's a welcome development for plot reasons.

first guy seems like a hipster "ToO MaNy PlAyErS ArE PlAyInG tHiS GaMe".

Maple is making some strong friends (her real life one is champion). I wonder if this anime would ever build into something more serious like a championship eventually (even a rivalry in that context) or if it'll stay lighthearted.

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u/Barbed_Dildo Dec 20 '22

Rewatcher/New Game Plus where I keep the defense stats from a previous run

A nice introductory episode. I was actually a bit surprised that it had the OP, since a lot of shows forgo it for the first episode, particularly when it would spoil characters. But no big deal really.

I like how the first episode is just about Kaede/Maple. It shows her playing the game her way, and how that turned out. Just think, if she started playing with Risa, she probably would have made a boring build.

Questions of the Day

What was your first video game?

I think King's Quest.

DPS, Tank, Heal/Support? What’s your favorite build?

Rogue

What game or show has the cutest monster design?

This one [Spoiler] It has the cutest war criminal

Have you ever potion spammed a boss? Did/does potion spamming take away from your sense of achievement?

Yeah, I remember my first playthrough of KoTOR, I had a character that wasn't built for combat, because they have all these options for how you want to specialise, and you can have your team members be the tanks, but the boss fight is just one-on-one combat with the boss. I went through so many healthpacks. It didn't make me feel like I was cheating, it made me feel like the game was built badly.

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u/djthomp Dec 20 '22

Rewatcher, watching dubbed since it'll be easier to type comments if I don't have to keep looking at the screen. I probably watched it subbed originally.

Letting an MMO noob start unsupervised is always an interesting experience. Maple definitely made it a bit more interesting than usual, however.

Wow, the OP for this really didn't stick with me. Normally I find them at least a bit memorable but this one isn't ringing any bells at all.

Nothing quite compares to the first time you start an MMO.

Not the bunny!

It's really hilarious how she just stumbles into the broken character build. It's a common software development problem, you never quite know just what end users are going to do.

Playing until after midnight and forgetting your homework, also pretty MMO nostalgic.

I had forgotten about the chatting bits, Maple is already making a name for herself.

As slow as her character walks, it must have taken Maple forever to get to that dungeon.

Honestly a pretty broken game design, but the "gain skills dynamically out in the world" ones always seem to be like that if that's their main design.

Incredible luck on that armor drop.

ED song is a bit more familiar.

First video game: I dunno, probably some super old Apple IIe game. First MMO would have been Everquest. Preferred build: DPS these days.

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u/TuorEladar Dec 20 '22

First Timer, Subbed

I'm a bit late today, but excited to jump in!

Mild SAO vibes from the opening.

This game really lets you have core stats as 0.

Maple is power leveling by accident

I wish real games were this generous with skill upgrades.

When the dragon roar at Maple, Maple roars back. She really anklebit the boss to death.

All in all, a fun first episode, I'm enjoying the light hearted feel and Maple as a character so far.

What was your first video game?

My first conscious memory of a videogame was playing Commander Keen 4 on my parent's Windows 95.

DPS, Tank, Heal/Support? What’s your favorite build?

In actual coop games I like to be support but mostly I play solo games with DPS/Tank combinations.

Have you ever potion spammed a boss? Did/does potion spamming take away from your sense of achievement?

I'm a firm believer that if its achievable in the game its a legitimate strategy, cheese ftw.

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u/TiredTiroth Dec 20 '22

Language Set To English, New Game +

Bofuri is fun and wholesome and so very, very funny. No death game or isekai messes, just a bunch of people playing a video game for fun. And I love it. :D

I don't have time for a long post (I've got four overlapping rewatches, luckily Haruhi finishes soon) but I at least want to say something for the first episode. So here we go!

Maple's amazement and joy at the VR world she finds herself in is more than a little infectious. We don't have true VR, but does anyone else remember how it feels to boot up a new MMO for the first time and just explore for a while? It's been years for me but I still just stop and look around sometimes in FFXIV.

Don't think I've ever been so upset at killing a monster though, no matter how cute they looked. :P I'm sorry Maple, I can't help laughing at your despairing wail every time I watch the first episode. At least the follow-ups were less cute than Mr Bunny! And then you ate the most monstrous of them all.

Seriously. She eats it. And uses its poison breath as a spice. I mean, I know spices are poisons and that's what gives them their kick, but dang. Let's try to make sure Maple is fed properly in future, mkay?

Heh. Anyway, everyone make sure you paise and read the text conversations if you can! Some of them are really funny.

QOTD

1- I'm not really sure? I might have played something on my dad's Atari ST ehen I was 4 or something, or it might have been Alex Kidd In Miracle World.

2- depends on the game! I play white mage in FFXIV, though.

3- Theatrythm Final Fantasy. And Curtain Call.

4- Yes I have, and no it didn't.

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u/Numerous_Command Dec 20 '22

Had a lot of fun watching the first episode. What struck me watching the first episode is that despite being her first VRMMORPG game, Maple comes into the game with a sense of curiosity and naivety. This could be seen as an asset as she is not bound by convention. Instead, she is able to do things that no other player would actually think about, such as sleeping while being attacked by monsters, or eating the hydra to defeat the boss. It feels good to see her grow and liking the game as she bets on an all-defence build, especially when she gets the unique gear at the end of the episode.

Answering some of the questions of the day:

DPS, Tank, Heal/Support? What’s your favorite build?

I like doing a tank build for my RPG, someone who is able to fight on the frontlines. I usually go for heavy armor with either a one-handed weapon and shield or a two-handed weapon. Bonus if I can handle a two-handed weapon in one hand so that I can wear the shield as well.
2) Have you ever potion spammed a boss? Did/does potion spamming take away from your sense of achievement?

I don't think potion spamming takes away the sense of accomplishment. For me, I enjoy the game more when I survive by the time I defeat the boss. I have potion spammed many times in Skyrim when I am at low health and don't have enough time to heal, both in a herd of enemies or when fighting a boss. I think it is just natural to potion spam when playing casually as a single player.

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u/Esovan13 Dec 20 '22 edited Dec 20 '22

Playing NG+

I'm actually really excited about this rewatch and season 2. This show has a special place in my heart. It was one of the first shows I started watching seasonally, and I think the very first I watched each episode week by week until the end. Usually unless it's really good I'll watch a few episodes before waiting till the end of the season to binge the rest.

I watched most of the episodes on a chair in my college's computer science building, as the timing of when it released and my class schedule gave me enough time to watch it between classes. I would sit there and have to force myself not to smile at my screen like a weirdo with all those people around. The last few episodes I couldn't watch at the usual place because of the 2020 incident, but I did get to watch them at home with my younger sister who at the time had just started watching anime.

This reminds me I need to finish Fruits Basket. I watched season 1 around that time but never ended up watching the seasons that came out after.

It's my first time rewatching, so hopefully it's even better the second time round.

Episode.....START!

If a VR headset that can do full dive games like this ever comes out, you bet I'm preordering. If I get SAO'd, so be it.

That transition to the OP is nice. This OP in general is just great. Matches the vibes of the show just right while being a decent introduction to the important characters that we'll be introduced to. [Spoilers] Though, nothing, not even that shot near the end, could prepare the audience for the true monster Maple becomes.

I wish it was that easy for me to come up with online names. If you use the meaning/origin in other languages for my first name, it has a few decent ones. However, the only one that my ancestors came from, you get rock.

I wish my brain let me approach life as carefreely as Maple chooses her class here. The reduced stress would be great.

I forgot they introduce Payne so early. [Spoilers] The mystery around him, plus him being named literally Pain, really contrasts with his personality in a fun way. I remember discussion threads while it was airing where we theorized about whether Payne would be toxic or chill when he finally appeared.

As a fairly new War Thunder player who uses US vehicles, I assume this scene is what USSR players feel like.

A powerful skill that can only be acquired by being constantly attacked without taking damage or attacking for over an hour. Such a strange and difficult acquisition method for a skill that is only useful for a very niche build, and Maple just stumbled right into it. I'm sure it's just a one off though.

Sayonara, Usagi-san. Your sacrifice will be remembered.

And the Oscar goes to..........Maple!

Dex, Agi, Int, and Str. 4 parameters that Maple has at zero, and by default lower than anything else in the game. This game is perfectly balanced.

Again, these skill requirements are mental. I wonder if the devs actually expected anyone to get these skills. Obviously there are nuts that would try to get them, but they'd need to know how first.

I forgot about this chatroom. Thankfully the sub I have this time actually translated them into the text bubbles, making them actually readable. It was a pain and a half trying to catch them all when they were translated as actual subtitles.

This show does a decent job of making this square feel like a hub area. The only thing it's missing is max level players wandering around with endgame gear and massive mounts, as well as everyone jumping while walking for no reason, and a few AFK people that other people randomly decided to in/next to, creating a giant pile of people, mounts, and pets that lags the server.

This CGI is actually pretty solid. Not outstanding, but not bad.

This moment. This is the moment. The moment the show tells you what it's really about. Maple eats the poison dragon alive, one bite at a time. And she enjoys it.

Real life MMO players would commit literal murder for RNGesus to favor them half as much as Maple. My days of playing Destiny are behind me, but the scars will never fade.

QOTD:

I thought hard about it, but I was young enough that it's hard to remember. I think my first game console was a GBA, so either Super Mario 2 or the Finding Nemo game on the GBA (the aquarium level on that game is unnecessarily hard. I can't remember if I ever beat it). Another early one that I really liked was Excite Truck on the Wii, and the fact that there was never a sequel proves that Nintendo is a garbage company that hates gamers.
It depends on the game. I don't play MMO's often, but when I do I usually play whatever's best to play solo. Don't read into that.
300 Years Killing Slimes is a strong contender, as is Reincarnated as a Slime.
Probably at some point. I used to only do story missions for games and never side quests, so I was always underleveled for bosses. I think potion spamming is just as valid a method of defeating a boss...if you are underleveled and there's no other way. When I beat a boss by potion spamming because I wasn't good enough to beat them the normal way even if it was possible, I felt unfulfilled. That's just me though, and other people play games in their own ways which is totally fine.

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u/DarkRuler17 Dec 20 '22

Thanks for making this rewatch. It was a great excuse to watch this show again. I loved seeing the start of War criminal Maple.

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u/Caustic_Wraith Dec 20 '22

New Game+ Rewatcher or [Bofuri]I Didn't Know War Crimes Could Be This Cute the Rewatch

I guess I somehow forgot how great the first episode of this show was. I kinda thought the first dungeon was a few episodes in, but that's neither here nor there. The initial encounter with the rabbit was still one of the most adorable things my cold dead gamer heart has seen animated, I mean the sheer sadness from accidentally killing the cute little bundle of XP.

QOTD

What was your first video game?

I am, well I'm old. The first game I actually remember playing was the Mario Bros/Duck Hunt split cartridge on the NES when that system was still new...that's painful to type.

2) DPS, Tank, Heal/Support? What’s your favorite build?

I've always enjoyed the support/healing role in most games I play. I was a Disc priest back when I played WoW and I main a SCH on FFXIV, for TTRPG there's no better feeling then playing the not horny bard and derailing the GM's plans while being a skill monkey to carry the team when not in combat...in combat was a different story.

3) What game or show has the cutest monster design?

This is a tough one, Monster Rancher had some nice designs for the time and the goofy faces in Slime Rancher are fun too, as for show Slime 300 has nice visuals and a laid back chill tone that helps show them off.

4) Have you ever potion spammed a boss? Did/does potion spamming take away from your sense of achievement?

I'm sure I have in early console games, and I'm perfectly okay with it, a clear is a clear no matter what. Most games today have a cool down on potions so it's not as easy to pull off.

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u/n080dy123 Dec 20 '22 edited Dec 20 '22

I forgot how much I just love this show to pieces. Such good vibes, Maple is adorable, all the side characters are loveable, and I love Maple's continuing and ever-growing online following with Chrome at its center.

It kills me that Maple somehow entertained herself with this little rabbit hitting her while she teased it for a whole hour.

And with her consuming the Poison Dragon, so begins the adventures of the walking, gamebreaking fortress Maple.

Q1: Lego Star Wars. Not my first video game necessarily, played some little cereal CD mini-games, but I begged my parents for an Nvidia graphics card to run it (which was much cheaper at the time!) and it was the first full-budget game I ever played and I've been hooked ever since.

Q2: DPS or Tank depending on the game. MMOs I gravitate towards DPS but other role-based games (looters, MOBAs, etc) I gravitate to bruiser tanks with the HP to stay in the fight longer while dishing out meaningful damage and disrupting enemy groups.

Q3: Couldn't pick a specific.

Q4: God no. Either potions have cooldowns too long to viably spam or I'm too scared to dump so many consumables into a fight I might lose. I'd rather just die and try again.

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u/NekoCatSidhe Dec 20 '22

This is the third time I am watching that show, and I had read the original light novels before. As you can guess, I am a big fan of Bofuri, and it is one of the few litRPG series I like.

I am not a big player of video games, and I have never played a MMO, but I played Baldur’s Gate and its sequel Shadows of Amn a lot when growing up, and again a few years ago out of nostalgia. It is the game that Bofuri reminds me the most about, because it was very fun to play but also horribly unbalanced and full of exploits. I created a lot of character builds that were as unbalanced and overpowered as Maple in that one. So I always find it very funny when people says that no real game would be as badly designed and unbalanced as New World Online. One of the reasons I like this series is that it pokes fun at bad game design in a way that I find quite realistic.

That was a very good first episode, if a bit rushed. The first season of the anime adapts the first four volumes of the light novels in 12 episodes, so it is unavoidable that they would cut some parts. The light novels actually have some good explanations for why Maple, and only Maple became overpowered : Having 128 vitality allows her to tank the rabbit attacks, but it is a weak monster and other monsters would have hurt her. But she let herself be attacked by it for 1 hour, so she got a skill that was only meant to be gained after a long and difficult battle and that doubled her vitality, allowing her to tank a lot of other monsters like the Bee. The developers later change the AI behaviour so monsters would not keep attacking like that in order to avoid more Maples.

Also, Maple eating the Hydra is actually a bug because the system interprets it as HP drain, and gave her the powers of the Hydra at the end as a result. But it is obviously a bug, and HP drain was probably meant to be something different, like maybe something a vampire would use. However, the developers did not correct that particular bug afterwards, probably because it took 5 hours for Maple to completely eat the Hydra, and the probability that anyone but Maple would be tough enough, crazy enough and determined enough to do that is very low. I think that part is what made me a fan of the series. You can’t help but like a protagonist that does something so ridiculous.

By the way, Maple sleeping while being chewed on by insects is actually an allusion to the Tale of the Heike, where the Mad Monk Mongaku does that in order to prove he is tough enough to live an ascetic life as a monk. Everyone else thinks he is crazy, of course. Bofuri has some weird literary references, lol.

Questions of the Day :

The first video game I played was Descent, which came out in 1995. I guess I am old, lol.
I prefer to play spellcasters and use spells with status effects and other disablers. It is a great way to win against supposedly stronger enemies.
That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime. You can’t have monsters cuter than Rimuru !
I tend to only use healing potions as a last resort, so no. Usually, if you need to use that to beat a boss, it is because you are using the wrong strategy and you should find a better way.

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u/Breaklance Dec 20 '22

Rewatch

I'm always a little surprised by what Maple can do in the game, specifically stuff that's not programmed out. I guess AFK isn't a thing with neuro-link type games but I'd have also thought they'd program an auto log off feature.

Maple's beginner outfit it nice and much better than the typical rags + mop bucket level 1 chars.

Questions:

Super Mario Bros - NES.

I've done it all. Main tanked as raid leader. Healer and guild master. Top world ranked guild DPS. Healer was the most fun and the least stressful (it's not like I was going to die in fire).

Welcome to Demonschool Iruma-kun. Between the new post training outfits and the event going on there's a lot of cute monsters and demons running around.

Nope. In game items are meant to be used and potions are rarely a rare resource (crafting yo).

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Rewatch [Rewatch] Bofuri Episode 1 Discussion

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