This woman is Morioka Moriko, a thirty-old-year shut in.
At first glance Net juu no Susume seems like a mediocre show, and I wouldn’t blame anyone who did think that way. The Mmo aspect is not fleshed out, the plot features a mountain of coincidences, and nothing really seems to stand out. Yet I think this is possibly one of the best shows this season, for the one thing that Net Juu does extremely well.
It’s unwavering focus on our main character
The reason why Moriko is such an endearing character is because unlike other shows that will straight will either shoehorn in a tragic backstory or completely ignore it afterward, we see the aftermath of Moriko’s unemployment through her mental state. From the million apologies that she makes to her despairing image of herself, we can see the toll that her previous job and current unemployment has taken on her simply through how she interacts with others and how she acts alone. It’s these small details like her rubbing the floor with a lint roller whenever she feels happy or nervous that really makes the character feel closer to us. These details sell the viewers on the character.
Things brings me to the second thing that Net Juu does well, crafting a believable adult setting. Unlike the adolescent driven hot headed edgy High School students that you see in 90% of other anime, we finally get to have level headed adults for once. Going off of this the dialogue in this show is done very well. Characters are much more formal when talking with others. It was honestly refreshing to see a social recluse that doesn’t automatically start blaming the world for her own problems.
I do think the best part of this setting is that it allows for this story of an office woman who quit her stressful job to become a NEET. There is far too few anime that are told from the point of view of an adult, even less that comment on the stressful environment of the workforce in Japan. Even though this wasn’t especially fleshed out, I really enjoyed the backstory of Moriko, and I can only hope that future shows will also try to convey similar themes in their stories rather than just focusing on an overdone High School Setting.
While Moriko is fleshed out as a character, the same can’t be said for the other characters. The characters that Moriko plays MMO’s with, while interesting, aren’t very developed and mainly serve as side characters that she interacts with when she is playing. Yuuta himself also feels a little flat, not being given enough screen time for his problems to really stand out.
People who were planning on watching the show for the MMO aspect may be sorely disappointed to know that the MMO world takes a backseat to give more time to romance. Unlike some other people, I don’t think this is a bad thing. The MMO setting of the story mainly serves as a hub for character interaction and a setting made for the main plot, and with ten episodes it would have been nigh impossible to flesh out a real MMO game without hindering the story itself.
I do think that the way the MMO was drawn was very nice. The colors of the MMO world are vibrant, and there are small details here and there that makes it so the world looks interesting. While the mechanics of the MMO are not fleshed out, I think the world was unique enough that it doesn’t bring down the rest of the show at all. On the topic of art, one thing that Net Juu does very well is it uses chibi art design very well. The chibi scenes are all very expressive and are well timed to add to the comedic parts of the show.
Net Juu is a simple show, but unlike many other shows, it knows what it wants to do and it does it extremely well. While there are many small things that I wished it would touch on a little more I think Net Juu no Susume is an enjoyable adult-romance that will make your tiring day a little better. It’s nothing exceptional, but you know what, it will do.
Oh, and Lily is cute af.
