Toaru Ossan no VRMMO Katsudouki

Daichi Tanaka is an ordinary man who plays a virtual reality game called 'One More Free Life Online'. In the game he takes the role of a young man named Earth and has chosen to master skills that other players consider fairly useless. Surprisingly he does rather well. It soon becomes clear that rather than this leading to the quiet life he expected he becomes well known and others want to adventure with him.

I thought this was an interesting series; there are plenty of anime series where characters reincarnate into fantasy worlds or are trapped in a game but here we know our protagonist can exit any time he wishes. One might think that lessens the jeopardy but there is still a good level of tension. There is some humour even though it isn't trying to be a comedy series. The characters are fun; especially Earth and certain NPC characters he befriends as he explores this virtual world. I have no idea if more seasons will be made; if there are I expect I'd watch them. Overall a fun adventure series with an interesting difference.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

This is not an anime for you if you enjoyed SAO. This is not an anime for you if you don't appreciate slice of life fantasy series.

If you don't mind a slower-paced fantasy series that faithfully emulates the atmosphere of a real MMO, this is for you. As a fan of the manga since it first came out, I can say that while this anime doesn't quite capture the intensity of the original material, it comes pretty damn close. This is not a high stakes, wild action anime. This anime is about trying new things, discovering the excitement of learning something new in a field you are interested in, and experiencing what a player of the game would feel like.

I understand that most people won't enjoy this, but if you're one of the few who enjoy this kind of anime, you're in for a treat.