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“I never thought moe is the only thing I needed to enjoy a power fantasy isekai show,” was the opening to my first draft of reviewing Bofuri, brushing it off as only a cool twist in the isekai genre. However, after seeing what this series has to offer in episode 3, I can’t help but scrap the whole thing and restart—this show is one you should not miss this season!

Watching this show is like seeing your friend who has no clue in video games destroying other players. But you can’t even be salty this time around, since Kaede just a moe girl with no clue what’s going on. Along the way, her real-life friend Lisa joins her in the adventure to eventual domination, and in the meantime spends time with friendly rivals. This is a ‘cute girls do isekai things’ show and considering anything other than moe as this show’s highlight would be missing the point.

Speaking of moe, these fluffy characters paired with isekai are a match made in heaven. Their backgrounds, as high school girls fit well with how they are in-game. Filthy casuals. But we have been watching try-hards do isekai since the dawn of time, and this is a welcoming change. Instead of seeing world-strongest wannabes dominating the game, we see how the protagonists’ airheaded actions just so happen to correspond to strength in-game, which is hilarious. Add on the fact that they interact both in the real world and in-game adds to the show’s authenticity.

And that’s what the show is going for, authenticity. People see Maple as this newcomer who did great for herself in events, great. Instead of others playing her off as a cheater and dramatising the whole thing, she is respected and recognised in the public eye. Her instant rise to fame then eventually got to the developers, where they then nerfed her build and increased the difficulty of obtaining it. Instead of anime logic, this show runs with—well, common sense!

But this isn’t even the best Bofuri has to offer. Though not perfectly consistent, the stunning animation, vivid facial expressions and buttery smooth fight scenes are top-notch for a seasonal anime. The attention to detail as well. Things like the game menu and notifications are hyperrealistic, so much so it makes me want to play the game. And I hate playing RPGs. My only complaint would be the CG used in episode 2, which it’s good CG, mind you, but CG is CG and CG sucks.

The music is quite ordinary when compared to the animation. The OP EDs are fine, with their sequences showing the side characters as any other show would. What are the highlights are the SFXs, which are carefully designed that, again, make me feel like they belong in a game.

This show is brilliant. In a sea of seasonal anime flooded with isekais, Bofuri carved itself a unique identity that stands head and shoulders above the rest. It’s unfortunate that the clickbaity title had given a bad name to this show. I have a few friends passing on this just because of the title. With no major flaws, Bofuri deserves an 8 and the highest praise I have ever given to any isekai.