It’s a well-known fact that Bofuri is a show that has quickly become something I’m rather fond of. It’s actually one of my go-to comfort shows when I’m having a bad day and we finally get to see what happens in season 2. The story continues as Maple and the rest of the Maple Tree guild continue their adventures playing in the video game world of New World Online as more levels, power-ups, and obstacles are added to the game to test our favorite characters.

So first things first I’ll talk about the story because it’s essentially the same as season one. The focus is on Maple’s unusual style of playing the game as she only prioritizes stats in her defense and with her random luck develops new and unusual powers that make for the most random chaotic scenes as she battles new monsters. The show keeps its same charming atmosphere but while the story is the same how that story is executed is quite different in season 2. Season 1 was focused almost entirely on Maple and her best friend Sally as they explored the world of the game and made new friends but by the start of season 2 we have a wide cast of characters and we get to see more of them here.

The spotlight not only gives every member of the Maple Tree guild plenty of time to shine but it also highlights the key members of the rival guilds Order of the Holy Sword and the Flame Emperors. We get to see them a lot more and in many cases, we get to know them a lot better for it. Plus the story does a great job of pairing up different characters to create a whole array of new character dynamics. We’ve well established how the characters interact with each other in their own guilds but we get to see a lot of teamwork from the guilds with one another resulting in characters interacting with each other for the first time. By seeing these characters in new environments we got to see more of their skills and personality fleshed out and it made for a fun experience seeing how they react to new and challenging situations. Now with that being said the story focused a lot on the world and the wonders within it in season 1 but to make room for all the characterization we saw a lot less of that. I was a little apprehensive at first as I love the world of the game but after seeing what they were building towards I was quickly on board with the change. The show managed to keep it’s same charming atmosphere while completely changing how the story is told.

Speaking of which the story also changes since the game introduced new competitions. Not only was it interesting to see how the characters adapted to the new rules but it was clear that these games were not dependent on being better than the other guilds. So while season one was focused on who was better which established Maple as a top player this season focused on games that required these characters to cooperate which further enabled the wide array of new character dynamics that we see all throughout the season. I thought that was a smart move since we already have an idea of where Maple stands in the power ranking of all the players so this made for a refreshing new idea.

The power-ups were very different in season w as well as all of our favorite characters developed new and incredible powers or even upgrades to the ones they already had. It was a lot of fun seeing characters show off their new and exciting abilities and just like season one it kept the same randomness we all know and love from Maple. Maple continues to find the most random situations to get into and not only finds the most random way to win but then gets even more random powers which means she then in turn had even more unusual powers and combinations of powers to show and the cycle continues. It never gets old because in each instance Maple is either forced to do something different because of how the monster is or is compelled to do something different to try out a new power. I remember one scene where Maple is firing a random array of attacks resulting in completely calamity and Sally just says “she’s gone full Maple.” I think that’s about the best way to describe it as it’s so unpredicable Maple is literally the only way to describe Maple. It’s a formula that keeps the same pattern but does it differently each time and it never grows old.

I will say that I had one and only one complaint about this season and that was the admins of the game. These characters provided quirky commentary in season 1 but in season 2 they introduced a new admin and it just felt like after that all of these characters became completely annoyed with every victory that our beloved characters had. The feelings of shock and awe that made them entertaining in season one were replaced with what seemed like frustration and annoyance. This made them really just unentertaining to watch. Their presence still added value as it showed why we get these crazy overpowered monsters towards the end of the season and once we do find out more of their reasoning I was less annoyed by them, but the fact is it doesn’t change the fact that their scenes for most of the season were just not ones I personally enjoyed. This is a minor problem though as they didn’t appear all that often.

With that being said I loved the results of their conversations which created very new situations for our characters. The admins were actively finding ways to challenge our players and that was a smart move story wise. This created new ways of hindering the players or making things more difficult. Some of which worked while others failed miserably; however, they were all new and exciting in their own way. We got introduced to cool new concepts like enviromental damage and monsters that tampered with the players own skills. I just loved the level of shock and awe these surprises caused for Maple and the rest of the players.

Overall season 2 takes the same story and completely changes how that story is told while adding new power-ups and creating a wide array of new scenarios. The show maintains the same randomness that we’ve come to know and love from Maple in the series while also sharing the spotlight with the wide cast of characters we were introduced to in season 1. It was once again the same charming and relaxing show I’ve come to know and love but reinvents the formula to give us a new way of providing that entertainment. So if you enjoyed season one of Bofuri then you will absolutely enjoy season 2.