Shangri-La Frontier: Kusoge Hunter, Kamige ni Idoman to su

High school student Rakurou Hizutome has a peculiar hobby of playing poorly made games—ones that are unbalanced or are filled with so many bugs that make them borderline unplayable. The few who share his hobby might recognize him by his in-game name, Sunraku. For his next game, Rakurou is recommended Shangri-La Frontier, a popular and well-received virtual reality game as a breather from the terrible games he has been playing recently.

Once he boots up the game, Rakurou decides to sell off most of his starting gear to gain extra money, leaving himself with only a pair of boxers, a bird mask, and some weapons. He is instantly hooked as he meticulously levels up his avatar. However, after encountering some intimidating monsters, he realizes that he may have underestimated the challenge that a mainstream game can offer. As Rakurou progresses, he must draw on all the skills he has perfected from his previous gaming experience. Before long, Sunraku's eccentric playstyle takes Shangri-La Frontier by storm.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hizutome, Rakurou Main

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Emul Supporting

Hidaka, Rina Japanese

Amane, Towa Supporting

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Saiga, Rei Supporting

Waki, Azumi Japanese

Vysache Supporting

Ootsuka, Akio Japanese

Uomi, Kei Supporting

Koichi, Makoto Japanese

Hakamori no Wethermon Supporting

Hayami, Show Japanese

Bilac Supporting

Tomita, Miyu Japanese

Saiga, Momo Supporting

Hanamori, Yumiri Japanese

Elke Supporting

Yasuno, Kiyono Japanese

Shimada, Yousuke Producer

Yamada, Ryousuke Producer

Hayasaka, Kazumasa Producer

Kubooka, Toshiyuki Director

Reviews

Apr 30, 2025

KimuraTheHatoru

Recommended

Honestly when i heard this to be an anime inside of a game i was skeptical... Since getting that right is quite difficult and all. But this anime does the whole game dwelling part pretty flawlessly i'd say.The game mechanics are sown well into the show overall.

The world's quite well built, the story inside that game is intresting ,and the way the MC gets into these unique scenarios simply makes sense in the world's context. After all SLF is sold this well because it's a well made and it appeals to a casual audience,and those casuals would never think the way a degen like MC ... does. Although making him like the only guy who thinks out of the box is.... iffy in the best of circumstances.

And since we are talking about the MC imma adress my only gripe: the characters. The supposed humans in this anime that is. Because god damn the MC is one dimensional to a fault. And the other 2 also feel like generic characters.... Maybe it's just my perception but somehow i doubt it,since we have proof of way better fleshed out characters in the god damn NPCs,who are far more intresting to watch then these fellas.The NPCs in this anime feel more human then the supposed humans in this show. The animation quality is... all over the place,but for the most part it's plenty good. The Weathermon fight was the peak of animation in the show. And i also enjoyed the fact he wasn't a 1 episode clear. It didn't dissapoint.

But by god they could've given the MC a better getup.. This guy has horrendous taste. At least before the whole curse thing happend. I mean he had normal looking characters in the other games he played. Or at least they should've kept that helmet change from the mask permanent . A half-naked barbarian isn't new after all.

It's a pretty good watch, got me hooked up on that game's story just like an actual game would.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jan 5, 2025

HeliusKontos

Mixed Feelings

To be honest I didn't pay much attention while watching this, but it really didn't matter that much..? Whenever I looked back the same things were happening as one to two episodes ago - MC fighting the same monsters or the same boss, doing the same motivational speech to himself as every other time he fights something stronger than him.

The visuals are really good, there are beautiful sceneries and ton of intense fight scenes. Another thing to appreciate is how the MC does lose a fight from time to time, but this positive is quickly mitigated by effectively zero death penalty and every other exclusive ... unique bonus event thrown in to help the MC.

It really just boils down to good fight scenes, there's not much to carry the story and the characters feel one dimensional. This is not for a lack of backstory, it's because they act one dimensional all the time other than when they're given their one or two moments to talk about something deep in a manner against their character.

In conclusion - this is the best anime I have watched while doing something else.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Oct 10, 2025

Elaestu98

Not Recommended

Shangri-La Frontier is an anime similar to Sword Art Online, set in a world of highly advanced virtual reality games.

First, I will start with the positives:

The animation is surprisingly solid.
The C2C studio, which is also responsible for Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy, achieves fluid animation with well-choreographed battles and a brilliant use of colour. The effects in the fights against unique bosses, such as Wethermon, are impressive.

Now it's time to talk about the negatives:

Irregular pace.
... There are episodes where the story gets bogged down in explanations about game mechanics or side missions. While they contribute to worldbuilding, they can feel like narrative grinding.

Lack of emotional weight.
The focus is almost entirely on the game. Relationships outside of VR (for example, with Rei or the other players) are barely developed, which detracts from the impact of the more personal moments.

Genre clichés.
Although it tries to avoid them, the anime still falls into several isekai gamer tropes: the ultra-talented protagonist, enemies who admire him, “boss rush” progression, etc.

Honestly, I'm surprised that this has an 8 in MAL

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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Learn a few interesting tidbits about Shangri-La Frontier, how the story came to be, and of course, how to enter the giveaway! Deadline to enter is September 8, 2024.

by Kineta

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