Shangri-La Frontier: Kusoge Hunter, Kamige ni Idoman to su

Wasting time watching a new series just to find out it's terrible is the worst, so when Shangri-La Frontier popped up as an option I very nearly skipped it. No one talks about this show. There's no buzz or hype that I've seen whatsoever, and given how much mediocre anime there is out there at a glance this seemed more of the same. It isn't. It's actually quite good. I'd go so far as to say it's the best 'full-dive' online game anime I've ever seen, easily on par / surpassing bigger titles such as Log Horizon, Overlord, SAO, and Accel World.

The creators are obviously mmo gamers themselves. You can see this in showcased mechanics, message board behavior from the community, or hilarious moments set-up for maximum, social awkwardness. While you don't need to be a gamer to enjoy it (they provide charming, pop-up explanations for the uninitiated), it's made for people who are. Story itself is well told. Pacing in particular. A surprising amount of attention given to specific events makes you excited for what comes next. They could have cut out entire episodes for the sake of time or additional work involved but didn't. It's deliberate considering the context, and far better for it. Clearly there's real vision for the overall story being told and no shortcuts are being taken here.

SLF isn't an isekai. There are no life-threatening stakes involved, no one is trapped, and there are zero irl concerns worth mentioning of any kind. This is also a comedy first and foremost. It's deliberately dumb at certain points, and funny in the best way. SLF knows exactly what it is and pulls it off perfectly.

I really enjoyed this show. If any of the above sounds appealing, you will, too.

As always you just can't trust critics. This show is amazing. It's got reallyGood characters a great story the fight scenes look very well done.

This anime is going to be one you don't want to miss out on. It's going to have 24 episodes as well which is a huge plus. 12 episodes are fine but when you double it, yessssssir. I'm not really sure what else to say because I don't want to ruin it with spoilers but just do yourself a favor and watch it I'd be surprised If you don't give it a personal rating of 8/ 10 For me it's. 10/10 I'm huge into anime and also video games so these ones just hit different for me.

Go watch it.

Do know why have positive reviews to be honest, its a pretty average and mediocre anime with above average animation, there is no real danger like solo leveling, there is no drama not complicated stuff, nor romance, not funny stuff it just a very ok anime virtual reality game with a vey forgettable plot and characters, anime fans need to be more demanding and ask for better stuff, this is not good, and they are giving good reviews only because of the pressure other otakus are putting in webs like my animelist, and that's just sad af to be honest, that's not good and we need to do better than that ok.

Right from the first episode, this anime hooked me with its vibrant energy and tight pacing, delivering an experience that felt fresh, even while playing on familiar tropes. Visually stunning, with crisp, fluid animation and vibrant color schemes. Action scenes are choreographed with precision, while emotional scenes are rendered with a soft touch that enhances the emotional stakes.

It's world building is phenomenal. One of a kind anime. The show excels in action and spectacle but struggles to deliver emotionally impactful moments. The stakes within the game are high, but the emotional stakes in the real world feel somewhat superficial. The connection between the characters' in-game and real-world experiences could be explored more deeply to make their struggles feel more grounded and relatable.

This feels like it was written by someone who actually plays games or at least did their research. The MC is a guy who hunts and exploits glitches and unlike a lot of the protags I see for this kind of thing he isn't a sad friendless loser, which is a nice change of pace. He actually has friends he chats with across games who each have their own weird approaches and playstyles. I liked the understanding the writer has that games are communal. The people who are breaking this game have a history of doing the same kind of thing across other games.

They're good at games because they test each other in competition and swap ideas. The protagonist wasn't born special, he's someone with a long standing hobby of playing unfair games and using solid meta understanding or exploits to get through them.

The world of the game itself is interesting, and actually sounds like something I would enjoy playing. It leaves the game's main story a mystery and then drops hints at it instead of front loading the viewer with infodumps over explaining everything like a lot of anime do. I think the show is building a mystery on the real life side on why the game works the way it does, and I'm interested in seeing how that pans out.