mferry - 2017-01-20 04:50:39

Netoge no Yome was Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta? Is a weird show. It’s set in the real world, following a guild of gamer as they play. Yet there are also cuts into the game, with actions having a weird over the top role playing feeling that can only come from being a show about video games. The titular romance too, is strange. While the show tries to show it as cute or ditsy, it honestly comes off as very, very unhealthy, for either person involved. Honestly, that seems to be this shows largest flaw, it’s awkward duality that speaks not to a grand idea, but rather a fundamental misunderstanding of what it was trying to achieve. I can not recommend watching it, but if you are bored, have played an mmo in the past, don’t mind being pandered to and insulted intelligence wise, and find this show out of the blue, it might be worth watching an episode or two, just for laughs.

To understand this show, you need to know the characters. This will be a spoiler for most of the first episode, but if you are reading a review, it will be okay.

The Cast
===

The main character is generic. You could replace him with anyone, and it would be functionally identical. He is shown as a generally nice guy, and the tank in game, but honestly, he is the most forgettable part of a rather forgettable show. His only real quick is an attempt to completely separate the experiences he has online with his real life experiences, but that is quickly thrown to the wayside for being more generic. His character develops decently against the main female lead, but that isn’t saying much.

The main girl is Ako, his in game “wife”. There is a lot I can say about her, and very little of it is good. She is unable to distinguish the separation between online and in game, and while it is played for laughs in the show, it is legitimately creepy how low functioning she is. She borders on Yandere at times, and the relationship she shares with our main character seems unhealthy and almost consequential. I had to take a few breaks while watching just to think about how terrible their relationship really was, as it was being encouraged by the rest of the cast.

The second girl is the stereotypical Tsundere of the group, Swine. Yes her name is pig, and yes they make jokes about it. I actually don’t have much to say about her - she warms up quickly to the main character without staying aggressive towards him for no reason, and she develops okay. Only thing is that I feel her and the main character would have a healthier relationship without Ako, but that is not the story, so that doesn’t happen.

Lastly in the main cast, finishing up his main harem is the student council president, who is older and also rich. Her solution to any problem in the game is to throw money at it, and once again, while this is played for laughs, it is legitimately disturbing how much she spends. If any of you have friends who buy too many keys in CS:GO or loot boxes in Overwatch, you will understand and be horrified at her behavior as well.

The Game
===

The game is bad. That’s it. It’s generic, pandering, and rather disruptive, as “in game” has a different art style, and they switched character designs for all of the girls to the viewer without really mentioning it in game again. Also, while some of the plots in the show rely on the fact that something happened in the game it really doesn’t reflect that, with mmo mechanics and tropes being used for a quick escape out of a plot hole.

The story
===

If you have seen a harem show, you know the story here. If not, the flowchart is as follows

Meet girl -> character arc -> problem solved -> Girl added to harem -> Repeat.

Should you watch it?

I would say no. As mentioned above, the show isn’t really for anyone, and while you can do worse - a LOT worse than this, the question is should you watch it, and the answer to that is unless you really want to, no you should not.

lukas.harber - 2017-01-11 08:25:14

fan service 9/10
Original characters 4/10
character development 7/10
LOLS 6/10
normies 10/10
Conclusion= its meh

botsford.zora - 2016-08-05 09:14:13

This shows has an interesting premise and also a relatively promising beginning, unfortunately it doesn't do anything with it. The comedy isn't very good, escpecially compared to the recently broadcasted series eg: Konosuba. The ecchi is pretty lacklustre as well as getting thrown at you without any decent framing. Lastly having an autistic girl clamping to you for 12 episodes is hardly romantic either and only serves the viewer romantic fantasies.

dstreich - 2016-08-01 02:05:19

This isn't a good show by any metric. Mediocre character designs and animation. Forgettable plot and music. Maybe a chuckle an episode, which for a comedy isn't very good. But I saw potential. This could have been the next Oreimo in that, it could have been a social commentary on otaku culture and the dangers of obsessing over something. Instead, it was just bland otaku pandering. There's not really that much to say about this anime. Just that, if you were ever into MMOs, you can now live out that fantasy of meeting a girl in game who is an actual girl and then...doing fucking nothing for 12 entire episodes. I'll save you the trouble. It doesn't even end on a kiss. It ends on an almost kiss that gets interrupted before their lips can meet. Which is stupid, but for the faggots who like this show, they can't have their goddess soiled by another non existent 2D image's touch, now can they?

Ehh, I'm being too harsh. It's not terrible, but the best I can call it is amusing. Unless you're heartless and if you have a basic understanding of MMO culture, you'll get a couple laughs, it will make you smile, but it won't leave a big impression. It's just not all that interesting.

cgoyette - 2016-07-10 03:46:04

How do i make a review that's long enough to describe a basic as hell, cliché harem-like bullshit hormone festival? Simple. I don't; I try to avoid anime like these, and now I am sad that I wasted too  much time that I gave up as much as less than 1% of a fuck about it. Anime is dead.