Kaede was convinced by her friend Risa to play the brand new hit VRMMO, NewWorld Online. But with her essentially being banned from playing games until she gets out of school work and studying hell, Risa can’t join Kaede just yet. So Kaede decides to boot the game up on her own, create her character — Maple — and, in an effort to not get hurt, she puts all of her points into Vitality (VIT). So when she starts the game, literally everyone can walk faster than her. Deciding it was awkward being with the speedy crowd, she heads into the forest to, in her words:
“Try going off the beaten track.”
Well, based on the online fan club she builds up (that she has no idea exists) and the game administrators (eventually) shaking their heads in disbelief, she truly does go off the expected track for this VRMMO!
Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense was one of the more charming anime to air in 2020; a girl who basically became overpowered due to her unorthodox playstyle made for an entertaining experience as players — and even her friends — could only marvel at the skills she learns. Watching it was super fun, and the fun mostly translates in manga form too. We still get to see Maple play NewWorld Online but in her own way, deviating from traditional methods to instead something rather unique.
Ok, maybe just also plain bizarre.
Now, actually focusing on one statline isn’t necessary original. The reason why she did it can be questionable, but it’s all in good fun. So her putting every point into VIT isn’t unique, but what she does after that is where the hilarity ensues. Like who wouldn’t just immediately kill a bunny that’s continuously attacking you despite tanking the hit? Not Maple! You certainly wouldn’t be chilling in a meditative pose while taking monster hits, right? Maple laughs at that question!
The highlight for monster battles in volume 1 of this manga, however, is when she faces a three-headed poisonous dragon. Normally when facing a creature that can poison you and is a higher level, running away or accepting death should be the only option when you lose your shield and your weapon. The good news for Maple is she had grown her poison nullification to lower the damage and brought enough potions to survive long enough to eventually no longer take poison damage during the fight. But what can you do if you can’t fight? You flee right?
Well, how about you eat the dragon and get a unique set of armor instead?!?
So yes, the fun of Bofuri is seeing how Maple continues her quest to not feel any pain by simply doing things the creators never saw coming. Eventually Risa gets permission to play games again and, after finding out how Maple got so strong, resolves to be a character (the character she creates is Sally) that’s not nearly as unorthodox as her but just different to make the two a party of last bosses that are players. And the commentary from the forums and players makes it even more hilarious.
The few criticisms for Bofuri is common. It’s still a work where there’s not a real challenge for the main character, so if the comedic hijinks or playstyle doesn’t mesh, the overpowered nature can be a turn off. Unique to the manga, however, is the art feels a little underwhelming. While the chibi moments that accompany the manga are cute, the overall style feels a little tough to look at — and I mean also with the tone, like there’s a lot of black obscuring a panel. There might’ve been one full page panel where Maple unleashed Hydra that was neat, but I can only say the art is somewhat unappealing, particularly compared to the anime and even some of the light novel art.
But despite the art, Bofuri in manga form is still entertaining and with Maple as the lead, really charming. There’s still plenty more to go with her as she eventually forms a larger party, which means there’ll be more ridiculous things she can do because she went out of the box. I wonder how the admins will handle this unexpected development…?
(Spoilers: They struggle to do so!)