Recovery of an MMO Junkie

Episode 5

A lot of secrets are brought out into the open in this week's episode, but the key is who learns what. Yuta has connected the dots and figured out that Moriko is Hayashi, but he can't quite believe it yet. Meanwhile, Moriko has another chat with Fujimoto at the convenience store, and the two of them realize that they're in the same guild. As Moriko prepares for her drinking date with Koiwai, Yuta realizes that she's going out on the wrong day. He rushes out into the city to find her, but he neglects to think of what he's going to say when they meet.

I like a lot of things about this episode, but its one significant problem is the number of loose ends it leaves hanging in the process of getting Yuta and Moriko to the same location. We aren't given much explanation for how Moriko ends up going out on the wrong day; you'd think that she'd at least remember to confirm the time and place with Koiwai before venturing out of her apartment. I understand her reluctance to bombard the guy with messages, but this feels like too much of a stretch. Koiwai himself remains as flippant as ever about the whole situation, so it's still somewhat unclear what he hopes to get out of it. For all the good work Recovery of an MMO Junkie does in terms of character development, it could stand to be more organized on the plot end of things.

That said, I'm having enough fun with this series that the occasional sloppy detail isn't nearly enough to spoil the party. Since it was already possible to guess that Fujimoto was Kanbe in Fruits de Mer, his big revelation is more about the journey than the destination. I like the way he deals with learning Moriko's in-game identity; he's clearly amused by the situation and happy to crack a few jokes about it, but he also accepts Moriko's choice of character and is willing to keep her secret. This feels like exactly the right response for this series, drawing humor out of the situation without looking down on the characters involved or trying to shoehorn some extra drama into the story. It also sets up a delightfully silly conversation in which Kanbe and Lily argue about women's fashion in front of Hayashi.

That leads us into Moriko's preparations for the date, which include plenty of gaming humor without getting too corny. The names and levels she assigns to each piece of her casual ensemble are a hoot, as are the constant calculations of how much stuff she could buy in the game with the money she's spending on clothes. I also got a kick out of her internal struggle to decide on a hairstyle, especially since she settles on a desperately vague request for “medium” hair. There's something about this whole ordeal that feels relatable, and the despair of an introverted gamer trying to look stylish works regardless of gender. Moriko's plight should strike a chord with anyone who has looked at the price tag on a piece of clothing and wondered, “Oh, what fresh hell is this?”

The episode closes out with Yuta's panicked search for Moriko, which is as close as this series has gotten to building serious dramatic tension. It's not immediately obvious how the scene will play out, partly because of the number of variables in play. We're given time to wonder if Yuta will bail out of the game to look for Moriko, and even when he does head out, it seems possible that he won't find her in time. When their paths finally do cross, we're left hanging with yet another question. Now that Yuta has found Moriko, just what in the world is he going to say to her?

At this point, there's no turning back for Recovery of an MMO Junkie. As real life intrudes more and more into Moriko's online oasis, it's going to be increasingly tough for her to stick with her “elite NEET” lifestyle. If the series has to fudge the occasional plot point in order to keep this train rolling, then so be it. The more we learn about these characters, the more I find myself getting invested in their lives. Bring on the awkward dates and uncomfortable online conversations.

Rating: A-

Recovery of an MMO Junkie is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.