Title: BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense Vol. 5
Author: Jirou Oimoto (Art), Yuumikan (Story), Koin (Character Design)
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 164
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy
Publication Date: November 22, 2022
The Story
Fresh off the heels of one event, we’re headed toward another! However, before we get there, we have a bit of a transition period to get through. The next event is going to be a guild vs guild war and Maple Tree wants to participate; however, they only have six members and need more if they wish to stand a chance. This prompts Maple and Sally to head to the first stratum to find some players.
They come across two girls who happen to be twins… Mai and Yui. Like Maple, they are going with extreme builds by putting all of their stats into strength. Maple has a soft spot for them and offers them guild membership but they feel that they are too low. It’s not a problem for Maple as she and Sally get them to unlock the third stratum and then Maple power levels them and gains them 20 levels each with new, unique skills.
Meanwhile, we catch up with Kanade and where he’s been. He’s been holed up in the second stratum’s library. He’s been working on a technique that stores magic in grimoires to be used later in battle. Seems as if he’s found a way to power up using a whole different method! Meanwhile, Maple hears of a dungeon only reachable while flying. She heads there and discovers something related to a tale she heard in town. Needless to say, Maple is much stronger… again…. After dealing with that dungeon!
With everyone going through their own little training arcs, it’s time for the guild vs guild war to begin…. In the next volume!
Characters
Here, we spent some time with Mai, Yui, and Kanade.
First, our two main characters are really nothing to write home about. They seem pretty young and are easily impressed by Maple and Sally’s skills. Outside of that, they’re just happy-go-lucky girls who seem to just smile in every panel they are in. They are grateful that Maple accepted them into Maple Tree so they are looking for ways to pay everyone back for power-boosting them in levels, skills, and gear. I’m hoping there is more to them in the future because as it stands, they’re pretty one-dimensional characters.
Kanade, on the other hand, has his strategic side to him. Even the admins are paying close attention to his intelligence level and deduction skills. The fact that he’s researching the Akashic Records and turning spells into grimoires shows that he’s a thinker’s fighter. Whether or not he’ll become the guild’s strategist remains to be seen but it seems as if he will be intelligently using his grimoires in battle. We’ll have to see how this pans out!
Final Thoughts
This was a nice volume to fill the gap between events. We didn’t really see Chrome or Kasumi do much but everyone else seems to gain some new powers… even Iz who tackled a crafting dungeon! I can’t really say much about this because if you’ve seen one training arc before a big event before, then you’re not really missing out on much here.
Maple’s new skill seems really powerful but it does come at a pretty high cost. In fact, both of her new skills do so. That’s the world of game balance for you but it does stop her from being completely unstoppable. Giving massive power spikes equally massive risks is the root of MMORPGs. Giving players the ability to make meaningful and careful decisions is the core of most MMO game design philosophies.
One thing I found interesting (and hilarious) was the admins changing their minds on Maple. At first, they seemed to be painted as the main villains of the series but they turned into typical game devs in this volume. By that, I mean that they recognize how Maple is their most-popular player, and every time she does something, they make money as every other player tries to boost their stats to try and match Maple. More and more players are coming to the game which means more money for them… so in the interest of Capitalism, they are deciding to leave Maple alone and just observe her… for now.
Ah, money… nothing trumps it, huh?
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This item was provided for review by Yen Press
