Netoge no yome is a sweet and light story about a group of friends who go to school together and also play videogames together. At first it looks like another shitty otaku-pandering harem show for people who still do not know how to google actual porn but, like is the case with the better type of harem shows, there is much more going on.
The central focus:
The entire main cast have one thing in common, they place a certain MMO, but the way they deal with their love for this game is very different from character to character and as expected, this is the central focus of this story. All the important characters feel like they have to give up something in order to live their real and in-game life as they want but the show subtly tells us that it does not have to be this way. There is no reason for why you can’t be smart and cool and also enjoy your nights grinding.
The characters:
Tamaki Ako:
She is the most interesting character. Because of a presumably shitty real life she has completely dedicated herself to the mmo. She is at a point where she does not care at all about school or her family or her relationships with other people outside of the videogame. What she gives up is her entire life and a big part of the drama of the show is based around her friends trying to teach her to ‘come back’ in a healthy way. She does not have to give up on reality just because of previous bad experiences. Even when the world forgets you, you should not forget it back… at least not just yet. That is the message the show pushes through Ako’s development.
The interesting part is that unlike they would have you believe, Ako’s friends are also deeply flawed people who are dealing with a similar struggle so in the end they are just a group of friends trying to earnestly help each other get out of the same hole because they are the only ones who truly understand each other.
Segawa Akane:
I consider her ‘negative’ Ako. She enjoys playing the game as much as Ako but unlike her, who tries to pretend real life is the game world, Akane tries to pretend in real life that the game world does not exist. The idea is that she wants to play videogames and also have a healthy social life but she thinks that the only way to achieve this is to hide the part of her personality that just loves playing the game. This really makes her story the saddest. She pretends to be interested in normie shit and also tries to get away from her friends just so that no one will see them together and then associate her with that group of people. Her development and message comes in the form of realizing that she does not have to give up anything about her personality to fit in, she is pretty cool the way she actually is.
Nishimura Hideki:
He is your typical Harem guy but fortunately he has a solid personality and is honestly pretty cool. His problem is that he has had shitty experiences both in real life and in the game world that have severed his relations with women, especially in game. He is also accused by Ako of trying too hard to separate his game life from real life and this is important. He knows that Ako loves him but for some reason he denies himself the pleasure of enjoying a healthy romance simply because in real life he can’t face the fact that someone admires him. His development is all about realizing that love transcends realms and getting the courage for just being a good boyfriend for Ako. The message coming from his development to me sounds a lot like ‘Why limit yourself to only being a cool guy in game when you are just a cool guy in general’. Maybe more than half of us can relate to this, hopefuly.
Goshouin Kyou:
Her bad sides are her obsession with the videogame (to the point of spending a ton of money in it) and her just outright asocial behavior but honestly she is pretty cool. 10/10 would love tenderly.
Yui Saito:
A perfect fit for this story and a role model for the main characters. She is an adult woman who enjoys playing the same game as the main characters but she is also a respectable high school teacher that honestly does a good job of inspiring her students. She has her own problems like everyone but in my opinion she is very close to the ideal this show wants to construct of being a good and respectable human being but also enjoying your hobby without shame.
That is all you need to know about why this show is great but unfortunately this is the anime industry so as expected some bullshit came bundled up with this story…
Ecchi:
Unlike better shows Netoge no yome does not use its ecchi scenes to make any narrative or political points and therefore is, in my opinion, just the usual eye candy for the presumed brainless otaku audience. This show has the thematic of being afraid of romance but it is not like this show tries to comment on sex or sexuality. Honestly all this fan service was out of place and takes a lot of points from this show. If you take this show and remove all the fanservice scenes then you could have a pretty good 9/10, maybe even a 10/10, but unfortunately the studio was not brave enough to trust their narrative to drive the interest for the show and needed to add ass shots and tits everywhere.
Conclusion:
I still respect this show and appreciate everything it tried to say because it did a pretty decent job at pushing its deep narrative. I’ve already seen plenty of anime about otaku or gamers being the coolest human beings in existence with no flaws at all so it really is a breath of fresh air to see something that has a nuanced perspective on this lifestyle and presents characters who act like actual people in these subcultures. That is why Netoge no yome is truly a modern masterpiece.
Because of this I give this show a well-earned 8 out of 10.
