For me, this show had a lot of promise early on; the premise reminded me of Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu from oh goodness eight years ago. However, half way through the show it seemed to direction. Rather than focusing on the uniqueness of the characters' situation, it decided to focus instead on the gaming aspect; thus reducing the rest of the show to a standard school-based slice-of-life with a bit of MMO fantasy. Despite this, it is still an interesting watch. If you like romcoms or are looking for a show to make fun of MMO mechanics, definitely try this show out.
Animation:
The animation quality in Netoge is fairly average overall. Background and scenery range from simplistic, computer-assisted images of school grounds to more detailed renderings of the fantasy world. The fantasy world is drawn slightly differently to help the viewer acclimate; there's stronger saturation in the colors and character outlines are drawn in a distinctive dark-blue color. Character drawing is a bit on the plain side; the flat character shading sometimes clashes with the more detailed, computer-generated backgrounds. All the characters are readily identifiable and, humorously, appear similar in the fantasy MMO world. Ako is particularly easy to spot with her ridiculously large blue eyes. The characters also have unique smiles that remind me of those in Denpa Onna.
There is a fair amount of action in this show, mostly the character's imaginations of the actual battle scenes in the MMO. There isn't any blood though there are many MMO character deaths and a few humorous group wipes. This isn't primarily an action show though so the choreography is only average and, other than showing a few fun MMO mechanics, the actual battles aren't too exciting. There is a moderate amount of ecchi in this show, ranging from bouncing body parts to multiple bath scenes. It's reasonably tame compared to true ecchi-based shows.
Sound:
The OP is a moderate-paced song with a decent melody; it reminds me a lot of the instrumentation used by ClariS. The ED is a playful song sung by one of our VAs; melodically it isn't as strong though. The BGM is distinctive for having a fittingly electronic feel, though it also has bits of your more traditional string instrumentation. Two or three playful tunes become familiar by the end of the show. Overall, the BGM is better than your average show but nothing too spectacular.
The VA cast is a mix of veterans and up and coming talent. All of the VAs give fitting personalities to their respective roles though Inori Minase probably had the most challenging character to voice, not to mention the random pig references.
Story:
I always have a soft spot for shows that play into philosophical questions, even if they don't outright explore them in depth. In Netoge, we get to explore perspectives about identity and how our online and offline selves relate to one another. In particular, our protagonist has an online (married) relationship with another character. He then happens to meet the person playing that character in real life. How is he supposed to interact? Should he assume the persona that he was playing as online? Can he even do so after seeing how cute she is in person?
Aside from the improbability of an entire guild being at the same school and the unlikely nature of immediately becoming an ace PVP shooter in an online FPS with no prior experience, the show is a pretty well grounded and well rounded. The initial main plot revolves around getting Ako to start realizing the difference between the online and offline worlds, but honestly it doesn't make much progress. It's probably more accurate to treat this as more of a slice of life with occasional rounds in the fantasy world. The overall plot fits somewhat into roughly defined arcs that don't necessarily build to a climax, though there are occasional cliffhangers.
In addition to the nice plot elements, the show is also pretty entertaining in the comedic department. Expect a lot of laughs as characters occasionally behave in absurd ways, and expect some additional bonus laughs if you've played MMOs.
Character:
This show also impresses in terms of character personality. All of the main characters are pretty interesting and differentiated from your run of the mill cookie-cutter mold. Ako (healer) is a dynamic girl who somehow switches between anti-social mode and super-clingy girlfriend/wife mode. Kyou (ranged DPS) is a confident student council president (despite never seeming to have any actual duties) who happens to come from a rich family; her online persona literally represents the group of MMO players willing to dish out serious cash to make the freemium model work for the rest of us. Akane (melee DPS) is a hot-headed tsundere who secretly loves playing online games, her attempts to keep it a secret are pretty humorous. Finally, even our protagonist (tank) stands out from the typical nice guys- he can take care of business when it matters.
This is one of those shows where relationships are defined early in the show and then remain relatively stagnant thereafter. Though there aren't any truly dynamic characters, there is a good deal of nice character interactions. Expect romcom elements including third wheels and jealousy mixed in with the other story elements. There are a fair number of supporting characters but the show does a great job of maintaining focus on the main cast.
Value:
This is a pretty solid romcom with a decent mix of action and story as well. It intersects quite a few different genres but successfully does so without becoming an angry fruit salad. Though I would have liked more focus on relationships rather than MMO grinding - think I've seen enough of that for a lifetime already - it was nonetheless an entertaining and occasionally thought-provoking show. It's not at the level of something like Nisekoi but definitely above average overall. What are you waiting for? Game er... watch on!
