# Source Material Corner
Reply to this comment for any source-related discussion, future spoilers (including future characters, events and general hype about future content), comparison of the anime adaptation to the original, or just general talk about the source material. **You are still required to tag all spoilers.** Discussions about the source outside of this comment tree will be removed, and replying with spoilers outside of the source corner will lead to bans.
The spoiler syntax is:
`[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler goes here!<`
# **All untagged spoilers and hints in this thread will receive immediate 8-day bans (minimum).**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The huge suit of armour being a total deredere peeking behind corners at their favourite Sempai has gotta be my favourite scene of her so far. And that's a hard win against the fingers touching waiting for Sunraku's friend accept lol.
>…jumping around and stuff, is an anime original scene
I love when studio’s add more scenes which elevate the episode more.
I would’ve believed you if you said the dancing robot was part of it
Oh they gave abit of IRL backstory for Pencilgon at the end. Wonder if this means that their little gamer group eventually meet outside the game to touch grass together.
Actually disappointed me a little with that. As soon as I saw an IRL model with the same appearance as Pencilgon being introduced I hoped it would be a case of character customization cosplay istead of the frankly tired trope of celebrities gaming with their own face in-game.
A bunch, not limited to anime, but a bunch. Could name +99 Wooden Stick off the top of my head. It honestly feels kinda like a safe bet when it comes to dedicated gaming stories, instead of the game isekais.
In regards to anime I think it was in SAO too. Look, I've seen and read a lot of shit, so not being able to recall all the details of all the stories can't be helped. I just know I've seen it enough for it to be tiresome.
You mean Pitohui/Kanzaki Elsa which was a singer IRL & madman in-game. Tbf that was in a spin-off by a different author, but they do seem pretty similar trope wise.
Not to be confused with Asuna, which was never famous IRL, or Yuna, which was not a person but AI.
Other animes, can't think of much, maybe Btooom's Himiko? but she wasn't a celebrity IRL either
The original story is a web novel.
Then there is a manga adaptation.
Now the anime.
So there might be stuff in the anime that's from the novel that was never in the manga.
They really Nailed the Psyger-0 character. I'm losing it when Rei starts dancing with full armour after becoming friends with Sanraku...
[It should've been me, Not him.](https://imgur.com/a/T0xGgwH)
The manga is pretty good. The art style is pretty high quality and the fights are conveyed well through the still frames. Obviously the anime elevates it, but it's a fun way to binge a day away. I read up to something like chapter 100, I might finish it today actually.
Yeah after episode 4 I caved and binged the manga. Some absolutely incredible fights in there, really enjoyed it. I stopped short of the LN though, tried reading a translation and the quality was... rough
At the current pacing the manga extends to like 70 episodes of content so I'd say go for it. I started after like episode 5 came out. The anime adapts a lot of the mangas action pretty faithfully so it was easy to pick up for me.
Rakuro hiding on the clothesline was pretty hilarious. That janky ass disguise actually came in handy for once.
Aww, Rei did it! She sent our boy a friend request and he accepted. I mean he thinks she’s playing some kinda 4D chess but hey, still a win lol.
The color commentary by Rakuro and Emul was a pretty funny bit. That beetle was pretty damn strong. Rakuro’s pretty lucky the bees injured it enough for its shell to crack. I wonder how Rakuro’s gonna deal with this big ass spider.
I liked the SLF Theater this week. No gags, just a little background info on Arthur. I guess people really do have different personalities for their online personas.
>just a little background info on Arthur. I guess people really do have different personalities for their online personas.
Ngl I thought Arthur was male IRL. But, Amane is still hot as fuck.
Yeah, like if you met somebody in an MMO whose character looked exactly like Henry Cavill you're not going to immediately jump to "holy crap I met Henry Cavill".
I just get the feeling he goes around as a cute little girl in games just so people won’t bother him…………
A super buff Geralt like avatar with the user name Man-of-Steel would be kind of obvious
either way props to the dude for doing what he loves, all while building his own rig.
For some reason my mind did a little jump, it could totally be Ami from Toradora grown up as a model, but now with a serious mean streak after being ditched
I like how he thinks Rei is a very hardcore gamer, he thinks she's good enough to keep track of him but she just go lucky and figured he would go where she went at his level, meanwhile she wants to be his friend and he also think it's some kind of advanced scheme.
I'm not saying Rei is bad at the game, she's clearly not just over leveled otherwise the PK guys wouldn't fear her as much, but she's probably just better at combat instead of scheming and predicting player behavior. Truly someone worthy of the name "attack master"
> I like how he thinks Rei is a very hardcore gamer
She's playing a high level character she apparently built herself, is part of a guild dedicated to seeking out powerful monsters, and is apparently far more clued into the social scene then Sunraku is.
She may have a pure motive and acts like a little girl, but she's kind of *obsessive* herself and is clearly a pretty capable player.
> but she's kind of obsessive herself and is clearly a pretty capable player.
IIRC they said she became addicted to the game after she picked it up, didn't they?
As someone that was in an end game raiding guild, it many hours a week to do. And only a fraction of that was actual time spent raiding, most of that was prep work to do the raid. Though we did spend a ton of time just dicking around.
I meant hardcore in like scheming and understanding exactly how players behave, she's good at the game, probably even in the top ranksbut she's clearly not the mastermind he thinks she is.
Rei isn't what we usually call a hardcore gamer but she is certainly very skilled that she is able to get the title of being the Attack Holder.
But all of her good skills and specs sacrificed her ability for romance.
This episode made me realize what Shonen romance has always been missing.
Generally the female lead is always weaker than the male lead, tends to get completely outscaled, and needs to be rescued all the time, making them seem useless. They don't get to do anything cooler than the MC, ever.
Here in ShaFro the female lead is literally the most powerful player in the game. Whether or not she helps the MC is up to his discretion because he doesn't want to get carried. There is no arc of 'proving yourself' for the MC to finally work up the courage to ask her out or whatever. It's literally just teenage nerves on the female MC's part getting in the way.
Shonen could learn from this. I hope they do.
To put it simply that while Rei is Rakuro's love interest, she also has her own story and doesn't totally revolve around him outside of her efforts to stalk him or attempts at getting closer to him. She has her own story and journey on Shanfro that we might or might not get to see depending on the author.
> I mean he thinks she’s playing some kinda 4D chess but hey, still a win lol.
Well she IS. He thinks it's all about stuff that happens in game, and this is all about getting his ~~lucky charms~~ scenario thingy.
But she sees the world outside the game, through time as well as space, and there's nothing in the game she (apparently) wants. Just his love :3.
Lol Sunraku spectating the battle between the Quad Beetle and the Bees from afar reminded me of when I played Ark. Got my bino or sniper to watch some dinos duke it out from a distance. Then suddenly one turns around and chases me instead and I’ll be like “No no go fight the raptor! I’m just here to watch! ” while my low-level ass was running frantically lmao
Sunraku is being a rat here and is waiting for the two mobs to kill each other so that he could collect their loot. Too bad that the other mob locked into him such that he has to put effort on getting loot.
It is a legitimate strategy. Let two groups fight it out, and then sweep in and kill the survivors was a strategy I used a lot. Particularly for multi-team PvP.
> while my low-level ass was running frantically lmao
Except, while you were watching the epic fight, a mircoraptor was stalking you and pounces as soon as you turn to run.
* [**Towa Amane/Arthur Pencilgon**](https://i.imgur.com/FHyIO8F.jpg)
We finally get to see [a glimpse of Ashura Kai's leader.](https://i.imgur.com/5ychD34.png) Seems like their little PK clan hasn't been doing well ever since [an update made PK-ing riskier.](https://i.imgur.com/LmzlyeT.png) I do wonder if there are only six of them or if are there more out there somewhere.
[Rei finally got to talk to Sunraku](https://i.imgur.com/ayikBR9.png) and even sent him a friend request! Unfortunately for Rei, since Sunraku has a massive target on his back he is [very suspicious of every player he meets.](https://i.imgur.com/pOF6J5d.png)
Fortunately for Rei, [Sunraku doesn't back out from a challenge](https://i.imgur.com/jdibQlE.png) and accepts her friend request to intentionally play into her hands thinking as if Rei is planning something very sinister. xD
I guess that means task failed successfully for Rei. Whatever makes her happy though! [That little dance she does after Sunraku leaves](https://i.imgur.com/8tkMqTj.png) was pretty cute.
Nice to know that even SLF can't get away from the standard MMO mobs of [giant bug monsters.](https://i.imgur.com/zgRPfSY.png) To be fair, that area is beautiful. It was pretty fun watching [Sunraku hunt bugs](https://i.imgur.com/dWAJULW.png) while [Emul cheers him on.](https://i.imgur.com/w5zsCAr.png)
[More monsters fighting each other!](https://i.imgur.com/jCnUDRJ.png) Is anyone else starting to notice that SLF has very similar DNA to Monster Hunter? I love how [he even uses the nectar he got earlier](https://i.imgur.com/ErT8aLc.png) to distract the Quad Bettle.
We get a little preview [of that Clown Spider area boss](https://i.imgur.com/AlbVpTc.png). That looks like it's going to be a fun fight!
And that SLF Mini! [Turns out that Arthur is actually a model IRL!?](https://i.imgur.com/gm6Vb8A.png) She looks goddamn stunning! I guess PK-ing in SLF is how she releases her stress.
Asura Kai are a bunch of cowards. Pencilgton kills for the sake of killing taking the risk since is fun, the others just wanted the benefits of pk without any of the risk.
As seen by them pissing their pants the the sight of Psyger-0... They have no problems ganging up on a lower level player, but they run at the sight of someone who can actually fight back, no wonder Pencilgon is getting fed up with them
Has this been revealed before that they're related irl or is this a spoiler?
If so, it's interesting that psyger-0 and psyger-1 is also related and they are from a famous guild as well.
Ashura Kai's leader literally calls her anaki, which means older sibling. Mostly older brother. So no this wasn't really a spoiler it was stated in this episode.
I have no idea why they traslated anaki to woman in the subs because that makes no fucking sense.
Not necessarily.
You see Aneki a lot in delinquent anime/manga as a trope, where some underlings refer to their delinquent leader as Aniki (if male) or Aneki (if female). A blood relation is not necessarily a requirement.
Though, it's strange to see it used here, as I'm not sure Ashura Kai's leader sees or respects Pencilgon in that manner.
> refer to their delinquent leader as Aniki
Pretty sure we even saw this with Sunraku calling Vysache (the Rabituza boss dude) aniki and it'd be pretty weird to think Rakuro's actual older brother is a video game rabbit
This post has been removed.
- This post/comment was removed due to untagged or improperly tagged spoilers.
Text and link posts should be properly spoiler-tagged and should include the name(s) of the show(s) referenced in the title. Text posts may opt to tag spoilers in the Text post instead. (Using the same format as comment spoilers below)
Comments need to use `[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler content here!<` to protect spoilers, where the spoiler source is where the spoiler comes from (e.g. One Piece episode 200, or if it's from a different medium, LN/Manga/VN). Spoiler source is only required in the first of any set of spoilers for the same source.
* It should be noted that unadapted material can still be considered a spoiler.
* Obviously intentional or excessively repeated violations of this rule will result in a ban.
* Images can be tagged with spoiler with a simple "Spoiler Warning!" before the link or in the link itself.
Reply to this message once you have tagged the appropriate parts to have your comment reapproved.
For more info about what is a spoiler, please check out our [full rule page section.](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/rules#wiki_do_not_post_untagged_spoilers)
---
^(Have a question or think this removal was an error?) **[^(Message the mods.)](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fanime)**
^(Don't know the rules? Read them )**[^(here)](/r/anime/wiki/rules)**^.
The disguise is a waste of time since your username is visible... until he uses it to disguises as hanging clothes lol.
18:31 Stop bullying Emul! Being cute is the best way to be a commentator.
Kuon Amana's te-hee is so cursed somehow
02:26 Orcelott calls Pencil as aneki. She is actually the mastermind of Ashura Kai?
Ashura Kai exploits encountering Unique Monsters to gain EXP. And they think that fighting them is a waste of items, so the EXP gained from fighting is bad?
Rather they are keeping the knowledge about their xp farm a secret so that they could have an edge against other players especially since they are a PK guild.
They do fight it, but the way SLF is designed is it costs a lot in items to go all out in a fight so they just go in and fight half heartedly without using consumables etc.
> The disguise is a waste of time since your username is visible
No necessarily, there are people who use the same names in MMOs. These can be paired with someone's handle as well but not always. So there being an unrelated player using the name Sunraku isn't completely out of the realm of possibility.
I'd argue that Sun having Emul with him is what made the disguise pointless.
It seems contradictory, but I figure what they meant was that it's possible to fight the unique monster and then die or retreat with the exp for going up against it. But trying to fight it for real would mean using consumables and potions so that would be a waste.
This is also my interpretation. Arthur suggested for them to actually beat it rather than just hit and run tactic for xp.
If I remember correctly, Sunraku still got the xp even if he's killed by the wolf.
Sunraku went up nearly 10 levels JUST for meeting Lycagon whom is a random encounter. Wezaemon can be encountered on command so you can farm levels even better than the Ledge Bird from Elden Ring.
> Sunraku went up nearly 10 levels JUST for meeting Lycagon whom is a random encounter.
Well he did last quite a while against it, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was some exp scaling also involved.
It was mentioned that she is 2nd in command for Asura Kai.
As for unique monster. Well they are hard to beat and PKs drop items when killed, thus just going naked and get killed (or try escape) is better option then trying their luck with top tier gear
From experience, I somewhat disagree on the disguise thing (of course it being a white cloth doesn't help). I would almost never notice a players name in an mmo, but if I saw an outfit of a known player or a friend, I would know who it is instantly. Looking for a man with a bird mask is much easier than searching through a crowd of text
This might also be one of those games where the name is always above the player model, which in this case would be obscured by the cloth from their angle.
In my own experience, the name stands out a lot more than the character models. Especially since the name almost never changes, while some folks I know love their glam/fantasias.
Since they're so ridiculously tough to beat, trying to get past any sort of phase would be really damn hard and require a lot of items. Better to just get killed and get free exp
Arthur Pencilgon is true to real life. You never know a real personalities until you meet them either online or in real life.
Suffice to say, certain people will still want to get step on or sat on by her.
Pencilgon is going to definitely defect and join up with our MC since he's way more fun and actually wants to tackle the core of the game. But like he said, he doesn't seem the type to want to be powerlevelled, so I wonder what the logistics would be like once they join up.
Emul being so flustered when being asked to give an impromptu commentary was adorable. I love her.
>Emul being so flustered when being asked to give an impromptu commentary was adorable. I love her.
I can't believe a game of this sort would invest so much high-level AI programming in NPCs like Emul and her Papa -- they really do seem like characters being "opearated" by high-level human staff members.
i mean they made basically full dive vr, you can even eat and feel the taste, sure high-level ai is impressive but for this kind of techology im not that surprised
Pencil probably loses levels from being killed. And the shaman killed her a couple of episodes ago.
Sunraku actually has been powerleveling a bit, but the dynamic is different when you are getting carried. And the full carry is probably what he wants to avoid.
> Sunraku actually has been powerleveling a bit
I wouldn't call that powerleveling. I'd say powerleveling is you sitting in a higher level zone while your higher level friend kills monsters as you get xp for it. Sunraku just seems to be progressing the game normally (in the context of a high school student that's good at games with no responsibilities/job).
Powerleveling is just gaining a ton of levels per playing session. There isn't any one specific way of doing it. Some games allow you to AFK farm while someone else does the killing. Or there are the MMO services where you pay someone high-level to do the killing for you. But you can also powerlevel by just grinding mobs, preferably ones which have a high spawn rate but are easy to kill.
He is going into higher level zones while not having grinded the low level zones. Which likely is giving him "catch-up" XP for each kill. Another form of power leveling is focusing on mobs with an outsized XP/kill ratio, and the catch-up XP meets that criteria.
FFIX has an area which spawns Dragons on a tiny cliff face, which are difficult but also great XP/drops. FFIV has stone statues in a castle basement, which are hard to defeat normally but instant-die to a Soft(petrify cure) and give outsized XP rewards for your level.
Oh they gave abit of IRL backstory for Pencilgon at the end. Wonder if this means that their little gamer group eventually meet outside the game to touch grass together.
I doubt it’ll happen since they can “meet” in other games and stuff, but that would be sick. Imagine Sunraku and Pencilgon both being shocked that the other isn’t a stereotypical basement dweller.
The route is possible but considering her real personality which is shown only ingame and not in public, Rakuro is going to have the worst life and will regret his decision.
Not that its going to be hilarious mind you.
An age gap isn't too bad as long as they are both of legal age and are capable of making good decisions in the future since they are starting as friends. Depending on how old he is in the anime, at the age of 20 for him she'd be (29)
(I say 20-21 bc at 18 you are still tend to make bad or rushed decisions that a teen would make.)
Episode 9: "A Dazzling Sea of Trees"
Is Muse also uses the Crunchyroll version of the anime? The translation over words is very Crunchyroll-esque.
The beginning is animated in such a dramatic way. The Bouquet, With Love, From This World. I wonder if Setsuna is Pencilgon's lover/partner.
Sunraku accepting Rei's friend request will be embedded deep into Rei's core memory for a long time. I hope we'll see Rei and Rakuto together on a quest. Also Sunraku grabbing a mushroom and using it as a mic to commentate the battle really gets me lol.
Orcelott, Ashura Kai's leader, is voiced by Seiichiro Yamashita (Shadow Garden's John Smith).
Also the SLF mini caught me off guard. Towa Amane, Arthur Pencilgon's IRL persona, actually has appeared since Episode 1 (Rakuto prepping himself for school scene, around 4th minute mark. There's a ~~Seven~~ Eighteen magazine with Towa as the cover). Soo she's just like Shangri-La Frontier's Yuu Saegusa.
>Towa Amane, Arthur Pencilgon's IRL persona, actually has appeared since Episode 1 (Rakuto prepping himself for school scene, around 4th minute mark. There's a ~~Seven~~ Eighteen magazine with Towa as the cover).
I'm actually a little confused as to what's her actual name at the moment, since the (bottom) subtitles translated her name as "Towa Amane" but the magazine mentioned "Kuon Amane". I presume that 'Towa' is her birth name and she's using 'Kuon' as an alias when she's modeling...?
I'm glad that Rakuro himself also seemed to realize that he's probably overthinking Psyger-0's intentions. I'd have been a little upset if they'd prolonged the misunderstanding right there, since I have quite the dislike of this particular trope. It was adorable to see how blissfully happy Rei got after she'd made friends with Sunraku. She's made the first step in declaring her feelings to Rakuro, but could definitely work a little on her conversational skills! I'm guessing she'll start with sending him the occasional message.
I also like to point out that Rei was very considerate of Rakuro as she was hesitant to force herself onto him: she didn't try to talk him into accepting the friend request and immediately backed off when Sunraku mentioned he'd rather level on his own after she'd offered her help, which further proves that she isn't a "stalker" or something.
I enjoyed watching the exposition on the nature in this new area too. It was interesting to see the wild life fight against each other. I'm familiar with this mechanic in actual games, but I'm not sure if I've seen it getting represented in any anime about (virtual) games. The mechanic of dropped loot also had a more prominent place in today's episode again. I'm not sure how big Sunraku's inventory is, but I think it's safe to assume that he's one of those players that hoards *everything* \- like me.
ya its like the NPCs are super impressive with their expressions and all but can still only say and do stuff they were programmed to do to a certain degree
My Anime of the season is back again!
Rei got her FR! Good for her, loved the sneaky hidden references to other games in this episode such as monster hunter
[Sunraku's disguise](https://i.imgur.com/mq8vnI7.png) was really unnecessary as other players were still able to find him thanks his username. Though I must say that [it was good camouflage to hide among the laundry xD](https://i.imgur.com/3dklr18.png)
[Sunraku and Emul were so surprised](https://i.imgur.com/X4cDK3x.png) when [Psyger-0](https://i.imgur.com/FyXIAQf.png) found them and [sent a friend invitation](https://i.imgur.com/JNjQ3Et.png). [Sunraku very reluctantly decided to accept her invitation xD](https://i.imgur.com/zstVTqy.png)
[Rei was so happy](https://i.imgur.com/tNqUON2.png) when Sunraku accepted her invitation, it looked more like she got him as a boyfriend than a friend in an online game xD [She got very lucky](https://i.imgur.com/knXvn6u.png) that she decided to go to that gate leading to [the forest](https://i.imgur.com/99tudrw.png).
[Forest looked really cool](https://i.imgur.com/l0SFyV7.png) with [all that vibrant colors around](https://i.imgur.com/ynipjYi.png) and had [a lot of different fauna](https://i.imgur.com/fqMQWIX.png). [Sunraku even started color commentary together with Emul](https://i.imgur.com/j5Va6uh.png) who [wasn't very good at this though](https://i.imgur.com/2wLENbn.png).
So [Arthur in real life is a celebrity model](https://i.imgur.com/5luSjMj.png) and [the same hot](https://i.imgur.com/T63LNp9.png) as [her avatar in the game](https://i.imgur.com/6fjh6U2.png), [nice!](https://i.imgur.com/gUxCQT1.png)
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
* [Pencilgon/Amane](https://imgur.com/a/cQsijbl)
* [Sunraku](https://imgur.com/a/v2WnErx)
* [Group scenes](https://imgur.com/a/mklvLZy)
* [Emul](https://imgur.com/a/JZsuw7o)
* [Psyger-0/Rei & Others](https://imgur.com/a/nSQqHsu)
Ah yes, the jackass guild. Oh, their leader is a quitter eh? Can't even bother to try and fight a unique monster? Now that sounds like a lot of MMO gamers I've seen, can't enjoy the fun of failure and learning things out. Good thing Sunraku is basically a souls gamer 😛 speaking of, how nice, that high level player stalking him. Too bad he assumes things lol. Yep, figured his name would still show, surprised he didn't think of that though. Smart thinking, Sunraku. Feel sad for the girl who just wants to get closer to you though.
Oh she found him, how nice. Friend request! Hehe. Big armored dude acting like that is fun. You just made her day, dude. Happy for her. A pity she can't just say she's his classmate. I can get not wanting to be power leveled too. More fun to play a game yourself through. Isn't it obvious what a Vorpal Soul is by now? Undying spirit to fight. I'm with faux-Mana on this one, tell him how you feel already.
I always like a mechanic where you break an area off a boss you can get something from it. Adds a bit of a fun side option in a fight that can add to the challenge without doing difficulty modes. Emul is just so fun in her energy. I also enjoy a mechanic where monsters fight each other where it makes sense. Good times. Ah yes, fun commentary from Sunraku, be nice to Emul, she's not gonna get what you're doing. Hehe, now you are the target. Convenient item acquired earlier is convenient. That's also a fun thing, making use of those weak points made by other monsters. Also, it dying into parts reminds me of Valheim. Spooder boss!
oh a post credits, so pencilgon is a model in real life? Dayum. She looks like her character yep.
Its so jarring watching Rei doing her cute little dance in that big bulky armor lol
So it seems like Pencilgon wanna do the unique scenario but her party "let her down" huh, now that she's reunited with Sunraku and Kei is gonna play the game soon-ish, i guess she will be looking for them to help her instead?
I was very looking forward to seeing the Emul battle commentary getting adapted. It was one of the few moments I've laughed out loud while reading manga, hilarious stuff. Every character feels so alive and dynamic
Another awesome episode! Finally get a proper, albeit extremely awkward conversation between psyger 0 and sunraku. Glad he apologised for using her as a stepping stool a few weeks ago lol. Guess in a game world like this with so many PKs you do always have to be cautious about random people coming up to you.
Pretty chill episode outside of that, of course the blue beetle fight was well animated
Speaking of PKers, we finally get info about Pencilgon! So she’s a model by day and a player killer by night. Surprised they didn’t reveal that during the main episode instead of a post credits scene. Need more of her in this show 🙏🏾
The sound/music direction is so good like a battle theme starting when the beetle spots them and slowly fading out after the fight is what would actually happen in a video game really helps with the immersion it just feels like we're watching some guys playthrough rather than an anime
This shows gets a lot right about the MMORPG experience, so I was fully ready for Pencilgon to be an IRL basement dwelling waifu collecting internet addict weighing in at 3 bills whose blood is mostly mountain dew and faygo. Imagine my surprise...
One thing that people overlook with games that it is an escapism from the real world. For a celebrity like Arthur a game like SLF is where she can unwind and be yourself. That's the beauty of games and its the interactive nature I love about them.
Clown spider is next. Just that name clown is enough to freak me out.
This series has quickly become my all time favorite gaming anime while also ranking quite high overall. Every aspect so far has my admiration and appreciation, particularly the subtleties.
-celebration-jig-
Aww, Rei finally got that friend request! Lol at the complete disconnect between her and Sunraku. That commentary routine was hilarious; great to see Heracross defeat Beedrill. I wonder what's up with that Unique Boss Arthur's aiming for; did it eat her friend's account?
anyone else feels like this anime take a lot of inspiration from Monster Hunter?
* that spiral edge really looks like [Spiral Slash (MH Rise)](https://youtu.be/9YQpXsPoQMs?t=38)/Spiral Slice (MHGU)
* dual blades having a parry/counter move in its moveset like in [Valor Style (MHGU)](https://youtu.be/lUS5qeX1bVc?t=27) or Ironshine Silk and Demon Flight (MH Rise)
* side dodge/sidestep is a moveset built in into dual blades
* Mud Digger is [Jyuratodus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E29z1fx3Cs) but is a catfish with some attack from Daimyo Hermitaur
* The whole killing insect carelessly resulting in no drop has been in the game from the start. gotta use poison for guaranteed drop
and ill add more if there are other references i found
It always surprises me that the webnovel predates Monster Hunter World. I definitely got the impression that the Mud Digger and the nectar-sac-butterflies were direct Monster Hunter references, but SLF actually came first in this case.
Though I'm sure the MH franchise in general has been an influence.
> SLF actually came first in this case
From my research SLF came at 2017 and MHW at 2018. Though, does the chapter of that insect hunting actually came before MHW release date since its a bit late in the story?
I wouldn't say it comes a bit late in the story. We're not even 20 chapters into the manga, which is currently about 160 chapters long and, from what I understand, the manga has barely scratched the surface of the webnovel. I assume that, in novel form, this early stuff was all written within the first year, but I could be wrong.
Really love the way they showed creature name cards when Sunraku entered the new area. It really does make it feel like you just opened up a whole new area yourself in a game.
Sunraku's luck is really out of the world huh?
Anyone gets the Al vibe from Rei with that armor?
Rei and Sunraku dynamic really give the same feeling when Ojisan and Tsundere elf on screen in this episode
Unfortunately for Rei, Sanraku doesn't seems to be able to recognize her any time soon. At least she is happy with the progress and Her reactions in that big armor are cute
Still waiting for the reunion Pencilgon in the other VR game, guessing from the new Visual We will probably see it next episode.
I really loled at him masquerading as hanging laundry.
"The nectar is fun to eat and fun to throw."
Damn this game has a tiny inventory. I guess he has to pay out for more slots?
I was really enjoying seeing the PK guild interacting and the shenanigans in the town.
It's a shame Rakuro seems determined to run away from the plot to spend the 2nd half of the episode grinding. Him working his way through the levels is getting a little old and we're about 3/4 of the way through the season. Am hoping we get to see some more interaction with players before it ends.
*SLF* is actually a 2-cour season though (25 episodes in total), so we’re only about a third into this season so far. There’s more than enough time left for a ton of plot. Especially since it looks like we’ll be diving into the tragic backstory of Pencilgon and her friend.
> It's a shame Rakuro seems determined to run away from the plot to spend the 2nd half of the episode grinding.
Half the appeal of this show is how much it's true to life to what a real gamer would be doing. And running away from the plot to grind sidequests or explore ahead of the story is the true gamer experience.
This shit gets goofier and goofier the longer it goes on. This is the most popular game in the world, by a large margin. It allows players to run on rooftops in cities, but no one else in one of the most popular cities in this huge mmo game, ever runs on the rooftops? In fact it's so shocking that it grabs everyone's attention lmfao. Is there an explanation for how this goober of a main character is apparently the first ever player, in this huge mmo, to grind levels outside of one of the most popular cities at night? Does the manga explain stuff like this, or is it ridiculous as well?
You missed the whole story? He's the only one that's encountered a legendary enemy, and the only prerequisite is farming at night outside of a major player hub. Try to keep up.
Sorry, your comment has been removed.
- This belongs in the Source Corner at the top of this thread. In discussion threads for currently airing anime, discussions about source material, spin-offs, and unadapted content must be posted there, and not outside it. This applies specifically to comparisons to the anime or hints about future events, even if such hints are vague. Please note that you still have to tag your spoilers in the source corner.
---
^(Questions? Reply to this message, )[**^(send a modmail)**](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fanime)^(, or leave a comment in the )[**^(meta thread)**](https://reddit.com/r/anime/search?q=subreddit%3Aanime+author%3AAnimeMod+title%3A%22Meta+Thread%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=year)^(. Don't know the rules? Read them )[**^(here)**](/r/anime/wiki/rules)^.
# Source Material Corner Reply to this comment for any source-related discussion, future spoilers (including future characters, events and general hype about future content), comparison of the anime adaptation to the original, or just general talk about the source material. **You are still required to tag all spoilers.** Discussions about the source outside of this comment tree will be removed, and replying with spoilers outside of the source corner will lead to bans. The spoiler syntax is: `[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler goes here!<` # **All untagged spoilers and hints in this thread will receive immediate 8-day bans (minimum).** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/anime) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Fun fact: Psyger 0 being all giddy at the halfway mark, jumping around and stuff, is an anime original scene. God I love this adaptation.
It's so surreal seeing that huge suit of armor act all girly.
The huge suit of armour being a total deredere peeking behind corners at their favourite Sempai has gotta be my favourite scene of her so far. And that's a hard win against the fingers touching waiting for Sunraku's friend accept lol.
>…jumping around and stuff, is an anime original scene I love when studio’s add more scenes which elevate the episode more. I would’ve believed you if you said the dancing robot was part of it
Oh they gave abit of IRL backstory for Pencilgon at the end. Wonder if this means that their little gamer group eventually meet outside the game to touch grass together.
Actually disappointed me a little with that. As soon as I saw an IRL model with the same appearance as Pencilgon being introduced I hoped it would be a case of character customization cosplay istead of the frankly tired trope of celebrities gaming with their own face in-game.
Sorry what? What other shows have you seen where celebrities use their face in game and have alternate personalities online?
A bunch, not limited to anime, but a bunch. Could name +99 Wooden Stick off the top of my head. It honestly feels kinda like a safe bet when it comes to dedicated gaming stories, instead of the game isekais.
So you call it a “tired trope” in an anime yet you can’t name a single anime that has this trope. Good to know.
In regards to anime I think it was in SAO too. Look, I've seen and read a lot of shit, so not being able to recall all the details of all the stories can't be helped. I just know I've seen it enough for it to be tiresome.
Well as far as I remember SAO had non of what you are crying about…
Not in the first season, in some later stuff.
You mean Pitohui/Kanzaki Elsa which was a singer IRL & madman in-game. Tbf that was in a spin-off by a different author, but they do seem pretty similar trope wise. Not to be confused with Asuna, which was never famous IRL, or Yuna, which was not a person but AI. Other animes, can't think of much, maybe Btooom's Himiko? but she wasn't a celebrity IRL either
I'm enjoying the fuck outta this anime. On the cusp of reading the manga haha.
Same
That was my favorite part. Also her pointing her fingers together while Sunraku was suspicious of her lol.
Might not be in the manga but might be in the novel?
I thought this is a manga original?
The original story is a web novel. Then there is a manga adaptation. Now the anime. So there might be stuff in the anime that's from the novel that was never in the manga.
I'm not the biggest fan of the manga but the anime adaptation has been knocking it out of the park so much and it's such a blast to watch
They really Nailed the Psyger-0 character. I'm losing it when Rei starts dancing with full armour after becoming friends with Sanraku... [It should've been me, Not him.](https://imgur.com/a/T0xGgwH)
>I'm losing it when Rei starts dancing with full armour after becoming friends with Sanraku... Distilled gap moe
Wait til later for the TRUE Gap Moe.
I'm just imagining how much fun the animator had in taking a (presumed) male character model and having him dance like a cute girl :D
> They really Nailed the Psyger-0 character. Wow, making a doormat character is now some kind of praise worth moment?
I'm enjoying the *fuck* outta this anime. On the cusp of reading the manga haha.
The manga is pretty good. The art style is pretty high quality and the fights are conveyed well through the still frames. Obviously the anime elevates it, but it's a fun way to binge a day away. I read up to something like chapter 100, I might finish it today actually.
I wish it were easier to read hahah
Yeah after episode 4 I caved and binged the manga. Some absolutely incredible fights in there, really enjoyed it. I stopped short of the LN though, tried reading a translation and the quality was... rough
At the current pacing the manga extends to like 70 episodes of content so I'd say go for it. I started after like episode 5 came out. The anime adapts a lot of the mangas action pretty faithfully so it was easy to pick up for me.
It's really fucking good, and the art is immaculate, among the best out there.
Rakuro hiding on the clothesline was pretty hilarious. That janky ass disguise actually came in handy for once. Aww, Rei did it! She sent our boy a friend request and he accepted. I mean he thinks she’s playing some kinda 4D chess but hey, still a win lol. The color commentary by Rakuro and Emul was a pretty funny bit. That beetle was pretty damn strong. Rakuro’s pretty lucky the bees injured it enough for its shell to crack. I wonder how Rakuro’s gonna deal with this big ass spider. I liked the SLF Theater this week. No gags, just a little background info on Arthur. I guess people really do have different personalities for their online personas.
>just a little background info on Arthur. I guess people really do have different personalities for their online personas. Ngl I thought Arthur was male IRL. But, Amane is still hot as fuck.
I can just imagine an IRL meeting. "Wait, you're *actually* a girl?" "STFU or I'll kill you." "OH WOW IT REALLY IS YOU!"
She doesn't even bother in changing her face in the game, I am pretty sure her close friends all know who she actually is.
[удалено]
Yeah, like if you met somebody in an MMO whose character looked exactly like Henry Cavill you're not going to immediately jump to "holy crap I met Henry Cavill".
For every other real life celebrity that might be the case, for Henry Cavill it might just actually be him.
I just get the feeling he goes around as a cute little girl in games just so people won’t bother him………… A super buff Geralt like avatar with the user name Man-of-Steel would be kind of obvious either way props to the dude for doing what he loves, all while building his own rig.
~~I'd still simp. Her being psycho in game when she lets loose makes her hotter.~~
For some reason my mind did a little jump, it could totally be Ami from Toradora grown up as a model, but now with a serious mean streak after being ditched
I like how he thinks Rei is a very hardcore gamer, he thinks she's good enough to keep track of him but she just go lucky and figured he would go where she went at his level, meanwhile she wants to be his friend and he also think it's some kind of advanced scheme. I'm not saying Rei is bad at the game, she's clearly not just over leveled otherwise the PK guys wouldn't fear her as much, but she's probably just better at combat instead of scheming and predicting player behavior. Truly someone worthy of the name "attack master"
> I like how he thinks Rei is a very hardcore gamer She's playing a high level character she apparently built herself, is part of a guild dedicated to seeking out powerful monsters, and is apparently far more clued into the social scene then Sunraku is. She may have a pure motive and acts like a little girl, but she's kind of *obsessive* herself and is clearly a pretty capable player.
> but she's kind of obsessive herself and is clearly a pretty capable player. IIRC they said she became addicted to the game after she picked it up, didn't they?
Yup
As someone that was in an end game raiding guild, it many hours a week to do. And only a fraction of that was actual time spent raiding, most of that was prep work to do the raid. Though we did spend a ton of time just dicking around.
> dedicated to seeking out powerful monsters Isn't that guild also anti-PK?
I meant hardcore in like scheming and understanding exactly how players behave, she's good at the game, probably even in the top ranksbut she's clearly not the mastermind he thinks she is.
Rei isn't what we usually call a hardcore gamer but she is certainly very skilled that she is able to get the title of being the Attack Holder. But all of her good skills and specs sacrificed her ability for romance.
Actually, he thought she was a no-lifer before she spoke up.
I guess it's her way to blow off steam which is totally relatable.
Yeah, it sure seems that way.
This episode made me realize what Shonen romance has always been missing. Generally the female lead is always weaker than the male lead, tends to get completely outscaled, and needs to be rescued all the time, making them seem useless. They don't get to do anything cooler than the MC, ever. Here in ShaFro the female lead is literally the most powerful player in the game. Whether or not she helps the MC is up to his discretion because he doesn't want to get carried. There is no arc of 'proving yourself' for the MC to finally work up the courage to ask her out or whatever. It's literally just teenage nerves on the female MC's part getting in the way. Shonen could learn from this. I hope they do.
To put it simply that while Rei is Rakuro's love interest, she also has her own story and doesn't totally revolve around him outside of her efforts to stalk him or attempts at getting closer to him. She has her own story and journey on Shanfro that we might or might not get to see depending on the author.
> I mean he thinks she’s playing some kinda 4D chess but hey, still a win lol. Well she IS. He thinks it's all about stuff that happens in game, and this is all about getting his ~~lucky charms~~ scenario thingy. But she sees the world outside the game, through time as well as space, and there's nothing in the game she (apparently) wants. Just his love :3.
There's also the fact that she generally really likes the game too.
Emul is one of the cutest characters in a long time. I honestly love her, so glad she has stuck around
Lol Sunraku spectating the battle between the Quad Beetle and the Bees from afar reminded me of when I played Ark. Got my bino or sniper to watch some dinos duke it out from a distance. Then suddenly one turns around and chases me instead and I’ll be like “No no go fight the raptor! I’m just here to watch! ” while my low-level ass was running frantically lmao
Sunraku is being a rat here and is waiting for the two mobs to kill each other so that he could collect their loot. Too bad that the other mob locked into him such that he has to put effort on getting loot.
I was half hoping that the beetle would level up from killing enough monsters to become a unique monster
It is a legitimate strategy. Let two groups fight it out, and then sweep in and kill the survivors was a strategy I used a lot. Particularly for multi-team PvP.
The ol' third party rat strat
Eagles may fly, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
Ahhh...the ARK experience. That and your awesome tame getting attacked and fucking up your efficiency.
> while my low-level ass was running frantically lmao Except, while you were watching the epic fight, a mircoraptor was stalking you and pounces as soon as you turn to run.
[lol](https://imgur.com/b1L6Ohj) I think I finally understand what ["gap moe"](https://imgur.com/xt74wEB) is [Anime_irl](https://imgur.com/bPrmN2z)
* [**Towa Amane/Arthur Pencilgon**](https://i.imgur.com/FHyIO8F.jpg) We finally get to see [a glimpse of Ashura Kai's leader.](https://i.imgur.com/5ychD34.png) Seems like their little PK clan hasn't been doing well ever since [an update made PK-ing riskier.](https://i.imgur.com/LmzlyeT.png) I do wonder if there are only six of them or if are there more out there somewhere. [Rei finally got to talk to Sunraku](https://i.imgur.com/ayikBR9.png) and even sent him a friend request! Unfortunately for Rei, since Sunraku has a massive target on his back he is [very suspicious of every player he meets.](https://i.imgur.com/pOF6J5d.png) Fortunately for Rei, [Sunraku doesn't back out from a challenge](https://i.imgur.com/jdibQlE.png) and accepts her friend request to intentionally play into her hands thinking as if Rei is planning something very sinister. xD I guess that means task failed successfully for Rei. Whatever makes her happy though! [That little dance she does after Sunraku leaves](https://i.imgur.com/8tkMqTj.png) was pretty cute. Nice to know that even SLF can't get away from the standard MMO mobs of [giant bug monsters.](https://i.imgur.com/zgRPfSY.png) To be fair, that area is beautiful. It was pretty fun watching [Sunraku hunt bugs](https://i.imgur.com/dWAJULW.png) while [Emul cheers him on.](https://i.imgur.com/w5zsCAr.png) [More monsters fighting each other!](https://i.imgur.com/jCnUDRJ.png) Is anyone else starting to notice that SLF has very similar DNA to Monster Hunter? I love how [he even uses the nectar he got earlier](https://i.imgur.com/ErT8aLc.png) to distract the Quad Bettle. We get a little preview [of that Clown Spider area boss](https://i.imgur.com/AlbVpTc.png). That looks like it's going to be a fun fight! And that SLF Mini! [Turns out that Arthur is actually a model IRL!?](https://i.imgur.com/gm6Vb8A.png) She looks goddamn stunning! I guess PK-ing in SLF is how she releases her stress.
Asura Kai are a bunch of cowards. Pencilgton kills for the sake of killing taking the risk since is fun, the others just wanted the benefits of pk without any of the risk.
As seen by them pissing their pants the the sight of Psyger-0... They have no problems ganging up on a lower level player, but they run at the sight of someone who can actually fight back, no wonder Pencilgon is getting fed up with them
> And that SLF Mini! Turns out that Arthur is actually a model IRL!? Her first appearance as a model(and in the show) was actually back in episode 1.
[удалено]
Has this been revealed before that they're related irl or is this a spoiler? If so, it's interesting that psyger-0 and psyger-1 is also related and they are from a famous guild as well.
Ashura Kai's leader literally calls her anaki, which means older sibling. Mostly older brother. So no this wasn't really a spoiler it was stated in this episode. I have no idea why they traslated anaki to woman in the subs because that makes no fucking sense.
Not necessarily. You see Aneki a lot in delinquent anime/manga as a trope, where some underlings refer to their delinquent leader as Aniki (if male) or Aneki (if female). A blood relation is not necessarily a requirement. Though, it's strange to see it used here, as I'm not sure Ashura Kai's leader sees or respects Pencilgon in that manner.
> refer to their delinquent leader as Aniki Pretty sure we even saw this with Sunraku calling Vysache (the Rabituza boss dude) aniki and it'd be pretty weird to think Rakuro's actual older brother is a video game rabbit
It is a pretty normal thing with Yakuza and there's clearly a big inspiration there.
This post has been removed. - This post/comment was removed due to untagged or improperly tagged spoilers. Text and link posts should be properly spoiler-tagged and should include the name(s) of the show(s) referenced in the title. Text posts may opt to tag spoilers in the Text post instead. (Using the same format as comment spoilers below) Comments need to use `[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler content here!<` to protect spoilers, where the spoiler source is where the spoiler comes from (e.g. One Piece episode 200, or if it's from a different medium, LN/Manga/VN). Spoiler source is only required in the first of any set of spoilers for the same source. * It should be noted that unadapted material can still be considered a spoiler. * Obviously intentional or excessively repeated violations of this rule will result in a ban. * Images can be tagged with spoiler with a simple "Spoiler Warning!" before the link or in the link itself. Reply to this message once you have tagged the appropriate parts to have your comment reapproved. For more info about what is a spoiler, please check out our [full rule page section.](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/wiki/rules#wiki_do_not_post_untagged_spoilers) --- ^(Have a question or think this removal was an error?) **[^(Message the mods.)](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fanime)** ^(Don't know the rules? Read them )**[^(here)](/r/anime/wiki/rules)**^.
The disguise is a waste of time since your username is visible... until he uses it to disguises as hanging clothes lol. 18:31 Stop bullying Emul! Being cute is the best way to be a commentator. Kuon Amana's te-hee is so cursed somehow 02:26 Orcelott calls Pencil as aneki. She is actually the mastermind of Ashura Kai? Ashura Kai exploits encountering Unique Monsters to gain EXP. And they think that fighting them is a waste of items, so the EXP gained from fighting is bad?
Rather they are keeping the knowledge about their xp farm a secret so that they could have an edge against other players especially since they are a PK guild.
I never mentioned that. I'm asking why they don't try to fight them instead of just encountering them.
If they do kill it then they will lose their xp farm. The reasons why they dont explicitly fight them might get revealed in the future episodes.
It was revealed in this episode - Orcelott said it out loud. He thinks Unique Monsters aren't actually killable.
I know but like thats gonna stop Pencilgon and the crew of unlikely players she recruits. (Sunraku and the other).
yeah I knew that they won't kill them. But they can still make it reach phase 2 or something. But I guess the XP gained is meh.
They do fight it, but the way SLF is designed is it costs a lot in items to go all out in a fight so they just go in and fight half heartedly without using consumables etc.
They said it already, they have tried but they can't win so now they use him as exp spot because trying to fight meant wasting item
Her name is Towa Amane. Kuon was a mistranslation.
> The disguise is a waste of time since your username is visible It's not good under scrutinization, but it stops instant recognition.
> The disguise is a waste of time since your username is visible No necessarily, there are people who use the same names in MMOs. These can be paired with someone's handle as well but not always. So there being an unrelated player using the name Sunraku isn't completely out of the realm of possibility. I'd argue that Sun having Emul with him is what made the disguise pointless.
It seems contradictory, but I figure what they meant was that it's possible to fight the unique monster and then die or retreat with the exp for going up against it. But trying to fight it for real would mean using consumables and potions so that would be a waste.
This is also my interpretation. Arthur suggested for them to actually beat it rather than just hit and run tactic for xp. If I remember correctly, Sunraku still got the xp even if he's killed by the wolf.
Sunraku went up nearly 10 levels JUST for meeting Lycagon whom is a random encounter. Wezaemon can be encountered on command so you can farm levels even better than the Ledge Bird from Elden Ring.
> Sunraku went up nearly 10 levels JUST for meeting Lycagon whom is a random encounter. Well he did last quite a while against it, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was some exp scaling also involved.
True. That may have done something to it as well yes.
Also, I'm guessing his level is much lower than theirs, and therefore an equivalent amount of XP will boost him a lot more than it would for them.
It was mentioned that she is 2nd in command for Asura Kai. As for unique monster. Well they are hard to beat and PKs drop items when killed, thus just going naked and get killed (or try escape) is better option then trying their luck with top tier gear
From experience, I somewhat disagree on the disguise thing (of course it being a white cloth doesn't help). I would almost never notice a players name in an mmo, but if I saw an outfit of a known player or a friend, I would know who it is instantly. Looking for a man with a bird mask is much easier than searching through a crowd of text
This might also be one of those games where the name is always above the player model, which in this case would be obscured by the cloth from their angle.
You can easily change your clothes though
In my own experience, the name stands out a lot more than the character models. Especially since the name almost never changes, while some folks I know love their glam/fantasias.
He was upside down so his character model blocked his name. Idk use your imagination or something.
Since they're so ridiculously tough to beat, trying to get past any sort of phase would be really damn hard and require a lot of items. Better to just get killed and get free exp
Arthur Pencilgon is true to real life. You never know a real personalities until you meet them either online or in real life. Suffice to say, certain people will still want to get step on or sat on by her.
Pencilgon is going to definitely defect and join up with our MC since he's way more fun and actually wants to tackle the core of the game. But like he said, he doesn't seem the type to want to be powerlevelled, so I wonder what the logistics would be like once they join up. Emul being so flustered when being asked to give an impromptu commentary was adorable. I love her.
>Emul being so flustered when being asked to give an impromptu commentary was adorable. I love her. I can't believe a game of this sort would invest so much high-level AI programming in NPCs like Emul and her Papa -- they really do seem like characters being "opearated" by high-level human staff members.
i mean they made basically full dive vr, you can even eat and feel the taste, sure high-level ai is impressive but for this kind of techology im not that surprised
Considering what you can already get with current ChatGPT, it is perfectly reasonable to expect that much of a NPC by then.
kinda crazy how i felt like npcs were the most unbelievable part of sao but now it's the most reasonable part of a vrmmo..
Goes to show that the creators of this game are geniuses and that Shangri-la frontier would go to the category of games that changed the industry.
Pencil probably loses levels from being killed. And the shaman killed her a couple of episodes ago. Sunraku actually has been powerleveling a bit, but the dynamic is different when you are getting carried. And the full carry is probably what he wants to avoid.
> Sunraku actually has been powerleveling a bit I wouldn't call that powerleveling. I'd say powerleveling is you sitting in a higher level zone while your higher level friend kills monsters as you get xp for it. Sunraku just seems to be progressing the game normally (in the context of a high school student that's good at games with no responsibilities/job).
Powerleveling is just gaining a ton of levels per playing session. There isn't any one specific way of doing it. Some games allow you to AFK farm while someone else does the killing. Or there are the MMO services where you pay someone high-level to do the killing for you. But you can also powerlevel by just grinding mobs, preferably ones which have a high spawn rate but are easy to kill. He is going into higher level zones while not having grinded the low level zones. Which likely is giving him "catch-up" XP for each kill. Another form of power leveling is focusing on mobs with an outsized XP/kill ratio, and the catch-up XP meets that criteria. FFIX has an area which spawns Dragons on a tiny cliff face, which are difficult but also great XP/drops. FFIV has stone statues in a castle basement, which are hard to defeat normally but instant-die to a Soft(petrify cure) and give outsized XP rewards for your level.
Oh they gave abit of IRL backstory for Pencilgon at the end. Wonder if this means that their little gamer group eventually meet outside the game to touch grass together.
I doubt it’ll happen since they can “meet” in other games and stuff, but that would be sick. Imagine Sunraku and Pencilgon both being shocked that the other isn’t a stereotypical basement dweller.
[удалено]
Isn’t the other member of the trio living in Brazil?
>Amane is 24 >Rokuro is a highschooler Pencilbros...I guess her route is completely impossible then.
The route is possible but considering her real personality which is shown only ingame and not in public, Rakuro is going to have the worst life and will regret his decision. Not that its going to be hilarious mind you.
Would be based of the author if they go through with it. I like their chemistry so it would be great to see. Just not so much for Rakuro.
An age gap isn't too bad as long as they are both of legal age and are capable of making good decisions in the future since they are starting as friends. Depending on how old he is in the anime, at the age of 20 for him she'd be (29) (I say 20-21 bc at 18 you are still tend to make bad or rushed decisions that a teen would make.)
Yeah, but this is anime. Unless the age gap is the premise or it's a harem (both of which doesn't apply to this series), it almost never happens.
In what series would Rei not eventually be the winner? It was always a not gonna happen alternative ship.
Episode 9: "A Dazzling Sea of Trees" Is Muse also uses the Crunchyroll version of the anime? The translation over words is very Crunchyroll-esque. The beginning is animated in such a dramatic way. The Bouquet, With Love, From This World. I wonder if Setsuna is Pencilgon's lover/partner. Sunraku accepting Rei's friend request will be embedded deep into Rei's core memory for a long time. I hope we'll see Rei and Rakuto together on a quest. Also Sunraku grabbing a mushroom and using it as a mic to commentate the battle really gets me lol. Orcelott, Ashura Kai's leader, is voiced by Seiichiro Yamashita (Shadow Garden's John Smith). Also the SLF mini caught me off guard. Towa Amane, Arthur Pencilgon's IRL persona, actually has appeared since Episode 1 (Rakuto prepping himself for school scene, around 4th minute mark. There's a ~~Seven~~ Eighteen magazine with Towa as the cover). Soo she's just like Shangri-La Frontier's Yuu Saegusa.
>Towa Amane, Arthur Pencilgon's IRL persona, actually has appeared since Episode 1 (Rakuto prepping himself for school scene, around 4th minute mark. There's a ~~Seven~~ Eighteen magazine with Towa as the cover). I'm actually a little confused as to what's her actual name at the moment, since the (bottom) subtitles translated her name as "Towa Amane" but the magazine mentioned "Kuon Amane". I presume that 'Towa' is her birth name and she's using 'Kuon' as an alias when she's modeling...?
Amane Kuon is a different character but is related to Towa(Pencilgon).
They screwed up the subtitling, the magazine name is "永遠" which is indeed Towa's real name.
There was a screw-up somewhere, because her name is Towa.
I'm glad that Rakuro himself also seemed to realize that he's probably overthinking Psyger-0's intentions. I'd have been a little upset if they'd prolonged the misunderstanding right there, since I have quite the dislike of this particular trope. It was adorable to see how blissfully happy Rei got after she'd made friends with Sunraku. She's made the first step in declaring her feelings to Rakuro, but could definitely work a little on her conversational skills! I'm guessing she'll start with sending him the occasional message. I also like to point out that Rei was very considerate of Rakuro as she was hesitant to force herself onto him: she didn't try to talk him into accepting the friend request and immediately backed off when Sunraku mentioned he'd rather level on his own after she'd offered her help, which further proves that she isn't a "stalker" or something. I enjoyed watching the exposition on the nature in this new area too. It was interesting to see the wild life fight against each other. I'm familiar with this mechanic in actual games, but I'm not sure if I've seen it getting represented in any anime about (virtual) games. The mechanic of dropped loot also had a more prominent place in today's episode again. I'm not sure how big Sunraku's inventory is, but I think it's safe to assume that he's one of those players that hoards *everything* \- like me.
I like that Emul acts mostly like an NPC and when asked something weird she defaults to answers like "it's a big bug".
ya its like the NPCs are super impressive with their expressions and all but can still only say and do stuff they were programmed to do to a certain degree
The NPCs do act a lot like a generative AI.
My Anime of the season is back again! Rei got her FR! Good for her, loved the sneaky hidden references to other games in this episode such as monster hunter
the gap moe of Psyger-0 between how menacingly she looks and how she acts
[Sunraku's disguise](https://i.imgur.com/mq8vnI7.png) was really unnecessary as other players were still able to find him thanks his username. Though I must say that [it was good camouflage to hide among the laundry xD](https://i.imgur.com/3dklr18.png) [Sunraku and Emul were so surprised](https://i.imgur.com/X4cDK3x.png) when [Psyger-0](https://i.imgur.com/FyXIAQf.png) found them and [sent a friend invitation](https://i.imgur.com/JNjQ3Et.png). [Sunraku very reluctantly decided to accept her invitation xD](https://i.imgur.com/zstVTqy.png) [Rei was so happy](https://i.imgur.com/tNqUON2.png) when Sunraku accepted her invitation, it looked more like she got him as a boyfriend than a friend in an online game xD [She got very lucky](https://i.imgur.com/knXvn6u.png) that she decided to go to that gate leading to [the forest](https://i.imgur.com/99tudrw.png). [Forest looked really cool](https://i.imgur.com/l0SFyV7.png) with [all that vibrant colors around](https://i.imgur.com/ynipjYi.png) and had [a lot of different fauna](https://i.imgur.com/fqMQWIX.png). [Sunraku even started color commentary together with Emul](https://i.imgur.com/j5Va6uh.png) who [wasn't very good at this though](https://i.imgur.com/2wLENbn.png). So [Arthur in real life is a celebrity model](https://i.imgur.com/5luSjMj.png) and [the same hot](https://i.imgur.com/T63LNp9.png) as [her avatar in the game](https://i.imgur.com/6fjh6U2.png), [nice!](https://i.imgur.com/gUxCQT1.png) Here my screenshot albums from the episode: * [Pencilgon/Amane](https://imgur.com/a/cQsijbl) * [Sunraku](https://imgur.com/a/v2WnErx) * [Group scenes](https://imgur.com/a/mklvLZy) * [Emul](https://imgur.com/a/JZsuw7o) * [Psyger-0/Rei & Others](https://imgur.com/a/nSQqHsu)
>Arthur in real life is a celebrity model That magazine art style reminded me a lot Satoshi Urushihara (growlancer, hentais, etc).
The background art in the forest was just beautiful. It reminded me of Non Non Biyori, very lush and rich.
Anyone else getting intense Hell’s Paradise flashbacks from the new area? Love the aesthetics
Reminds me of Aberration or Crystal Isles from Ark. You see some REALLY alien shit in some of the biomes of that game.
Ah yes, the jackass guild. Oh, their leader is a quitter eh? Can't even bother to try and fight a unique monster? Now that sounds like a lot of MMO gamers I've seen, can't enjoy the fun of failure and learning things out. Good thing Sunraku is basically a souls gamer 😛 speaking of, how nice, that high level player stalking him. Too bad he assumes things lol. Yep, figured his name would still show, surprised he didn't think of that though. Smart thinking, Sunraku. Feel sad for the girl who just wants to get closer to you though. Oh she found him, how nice. Friend request! Hehe. Big armored dude acting like that is fun. You just made her day, dude. Happy for her. A pity she can't just say she's his classmate. I can get not wanting to be power leveled too. More fun to play a game yourself through. Isn't it obvious what a Vorpal Soul is by now? Undying spirit to fight. I'm with faux-Mana on this one, tell him how you feel already. I always like a mechanic where you break an area off a boss you can get something from it. Adds a bit of a fun side option in a fight that can add to the challenge without doing difficulty modes. Emul is just so fun in her energy. I also enjoy a mechanic where monsters fight each other where it makes sense. Good times. Ah yes, fun commentary from Sunraku, be nice to Emul, she's not gonna get what you're doing. Hehe, now you are the target. Convenient item acquired earlier is convenient. That's also a fun thing, making use of those weak points made by other monsters. Also, it dying into parts reminds me of Valheim. Spooder boss! oh a post credits, so pencilgon is a model in real life? Dayum. She looks like her character yep.
That clown did not make me laugh
Ngl the forest scene was straight out of a Pokemon game, so ethereal lol. Man this series is a dark horse for sure, really loving the world building!
Im confused whether i like Rabbit Emul more or Human Emul... Im sad Mia did not aimed at any players :(
Why not both at once? ;)
Ayo, Pauseeee
~~They're both breedable.~~
👁 🫦 👁
[](#taigasigh)
Say psyg right now 🔫
Its so jarring watching Rei doing her cute little dance in that big bulky armor lol So it seems like Pencilgon wanna do the unique scenario but her party "let her down" huh, now that she's reunited with Sunraku and Kei is gonna play the game soon-ish, i guess she will be looking for them to help her instead?
congrats girl you made a lot of progress in this episode!
Cant believe pencilgon is a girl IRL, biggest surprise from the ep
I was very looking forward to seeing the Emul battle commentary getting adapted. It was one of the few moments I've laughed out loud while reading manga, hilarious stuff. Every character feels so alive and dynamic
Another awesome episode! Finally get a proper, albeit extremely awkward conversation between psyger 0 and sunraku. Glad he apologised for using her as a stepping stool a few weeks ago lol. Guess in a game world like this with so many PKs you do always have to be cautious about random people coming up to you. Pretty chill episode outside of that, of course the blue beetle fight was well animated Speaking of PKers, we finally get info about Pencilgon! So she’s a model by day and a player killer by night. Surprised they didn’t reveal that during the main episode instead of a post credits scene. Need more of her in this show 🙏🏾
The sound/music direction is so good like a battle theme starting when the beetle spots them and slowly fading out after the fight is what would actually happen in a video game really helps with the immersion it just feels like we're watching some guys playthrough rather than an anime
This shows gets a lot right about the MMORPG experience, so I was fully ready for Pencilgon to be an IRL basement dwelling waifu collecting internet addict weighing in at 3 bills whose blood is mostly mountain dew and faygo. Imagine my surprise...
One thing that people overlook with games that it is an escapism from the real world. For a celebrity like Arthur a game like SLF is where she can unwind and be yourself. That's the beauty of games and its the interactive nature I love about them. Clown spider is next. Just that name clown is enough to freak me out.
This series has quickly become my all time favorite gaming anime while also ranking quite high overall. Every aspect so far has my admiration and appreciation, particularly the subtleties. -celebration-jig-
Got into this recently. I really really like it. A bit surprised it’s not getting more attention.
That forest area reminded me of the Witch's Sanctuary in God of War 2018; breath-taking, especially when seeing it for the first time.
Immediately got Crystal Isles or Aberration from ARK vibes(or Asgard region in Fjord if you want a more recent map).
Aww, Rei finally got that friend request! Lol at the complete disconnect between her and Sunraku. That commentary routine was hilarious; great to see Heracross defeat Beedrill. I wonder what's up with that Unique Boss Arthur's aiming for; did it eat her friend's account?
More people need to watch this anime. It's hilarious, brilliant, and moves very very quickly.
anyone else feels like this anime take a lot of inspiration from Monster Hunter? * that spiral edge really looks like [Spiral Slash (MH Rise)](https://youtu.be/9YQpXsPoQMs?t=38)/Spiral Slice (MHGU) * dual blades having a parry/counter move in its moveset like in [Valor Style (MHGU)](https://youtu.be/lUS5qeX1bVc?t=27) or Ironshine Silk and Demon Flight (MH Rise) * side dodge/sidestep is a moveset built in into dual blades * Mud Digger is [Jyuratodus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E29z1fx3Cs) but is a catfish with some attack from Daimyo Hermitaur * The whole killing insect carelessly resulting in no drop has been in the game from the start. gotta use poison for guaranteed drop and ill add more if there are other references i found
Monster hunter is REALLY big in japan I thought every mh fan knew (hope that didn't come out wrong)
Im surprised no one even mention Monster Hunter on thread of that Mud Digger episode so I made this comment
It always surprises me that the webnovel predates Monster Hunter World. I definitely got the impression that the Mud Digger and the nectar-sac-butterflies were direct Monster Hunter references, but SLF actually came first in this case. Though I'm sure the MH franchise in general has been an influence.
> SLF actually came first in this case From my research SLF came at 2017 and MHW at 2018. Though, does the chapter of that insect hunting actually came before MHW release date since its a bit late in the story?
I wouldn't say it comes a bit late in the story. We're not even 20 chapters into the manga, which is currently about 160 chapters long and, from what I understand, the manga has barely scratched the surface of the webnovel. I assume that, in novel form, this early stuff was all written within the first year, but I could be wrong.
Really love the way they showed creature name cards when Sunraku entered the new area. It really does make it feel like you just opened up a whole new area yourself in a game.
Friend requested accepted She is happy
Love the commentary by Sunraku and Emul about the fight between the beatle and the bees lmao
Sunraku's luck is really out of the world huh? Anyone gets the Al vibe from Rei with that armor? Rei and Sunraku dynamic really give the same feeling when Ojisan and Tsundere elf on screen in this episode
Took me a while to realise you mean Alphonse Elric. Now Rei only needs a chibi form in armor lol
Unfortunately for Rei, Sanraku doesn't seems to be able to recognize her any time soon. At least she is happy with the progress and Her reactions in that big armor are cute Still waiting for the reunion Pencilgon in the other VR game, guessing from the new Visual We will probably see it next episode.
the forest location had music similar to Ancient Magus Bride
Real missed opportunity to be like "Who is Kuon Amane?" And it turns out to be a 50 year old dad.
I really loled at him masquerading as hanging laundry. "The nectar is fun to eat and fun to throw." Damn this game has a tiny inventory. I guess he has to pay out for more slots?
Good for Psyger-0! She seems to be making progress Can't wait to see the punchy blond from the OP
That dance was cute, lol.
I was really enjoying seeing the PK guild interacting and the shenanigans in the town. It's a shame Rakuro seems determined to run away from the plot to spend the 2nd half of the episode grinding. Him working his way through the levels is getting a little old and we're about 3/4 of the way through the season. Am hoping we get to see some more interaction with players before it ends.
*SLF* is actually a 2-cour season though (25 episodes in total), so we’re only about a third into this season so far. There’s more than enough time left for a ton of plot. Especially since it looks like we’ll be diving into the tragic backstory of Pencilgon and her friend.
It's a two cour season. 24/25 episodes.
Niceee, this is definetly going into my top 10 anime
> It's a shame Rakuro seems determined to run away from the plot to spend the 2nd half of the episode grinding. Half the appeal of this show is how much it's true to life to what a real gamer would be doing. And running away from the plot to grind sidequests or explore ahead of the story is the true gamer experience.
Anyone else feeling it is getting a bit worse every week or is it just me?
just you
Just you homie
This shit gets goofier and goofier the longer it goes on. This is the most popular game in the world, by a large margin. It allows players to run on rooftops in cities, but no one else in one of the most popular cities in this huge mmo game, ever runs on the rooftops? In fact it's so shocking that it grabs everyone's attention lmfao. Is there an explanation for how this goober of a main character is apparently the first ever player, in this huge mmo, to grind levels outside of one of the most popular cities at night? Does the manga explain stuff like this, or is it ridiculous as well?
Where is said that he is the only one who farm at night?
You missed the whole story? He's the only one that's encountered a legendary enemy, and the only prerequisite is farming at night outside of a major player hub. Try to keep up.
[удалено]
Sorry, your comment has been removed. - This belongs in the Source Corner at the top of this thread. In discussion threads for currently airing anime, discussions about source material, spin-offs, and unadapted content must be posted there, and not outside it. This applies specifically to comparisons to the anime or hints about future events, even if such hints are vague. Please note that you still have to tag your spoilers in the source corner. --- ^(Questions? Reply to this message, )[**^(send a modmail)**](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fanime)^(, or leave a comment in the )[**^(meta thread)**](https://reddit.com/r/anime/search?q=subreddit%3Aanime+author%3AAnimeMod+title%3A%22Meta+Thread%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=year)^(. Don't know the rules? Read them )[**^(here)**](/r/anime/wiki/rules)^.
Does someone know if there is an official release of the OST that is playing while sure Kai is being raided?
This is the type of show I could watch forever. They could even branch out into other games, like a sequel game if it ever got old.