Reviews for Let's Play

Let’s Play: Quest-darake no My Life seems to be off to a rocky start this Fall 2025 season. Despite having no user reviews on MAL yet, it’s already sitting at a 6.17—surprisingly low (on MAL) for a brand-new IP. Curious about the negativity, I gave it the classic three-episode trial to see what all the fuss was about. From what I’ve seen, much of the criticism appears to focus on the show’s visuals and animation. The webtoon it’s based on is apparently well-regarded, so expectations were likely high. But as someone coming in blind, I actually found it… pretty decent. The first thing that stood out tome was the color palette—soft, flat, and somewhat lo-fi. The character designs follow suit: simple, but in a way that feels intentional rather than lazy. The backgrounds, with their pastel tones, complement the rest of the visual direction nicely. Sure, it’s not bursting with dynamic animation or flashy effects, but nothing about it is unwatchable. In fact, the subdued aesthetic feels refreshingly different from the usual glossy, overproduced rom-com fare.

The story, while still unfolding, shows promise. The premise is interesting enough to keep me watching, and both the opening and ending sequences deserve special mention—not only for their songs but also for their well-crafted visuals.

Overall, Lets Play feels like a project made with genuine heart and a clear artistic vision. If you’re new to the series and aren’t burdened by webtoon expectations, I’d say it’s absolutely worth giving a chance. After three episodes, it’s already shaping up to be a modest but heartfelt entry in this season’s lineup.

With a current average score of around 6.72 on MyAnimeList, Let’s Play feels noticeably underrated. The series offers a character-focused story that places strong emphasis on personal growth and emotional development, which may not appeal to everyone, but works very well within its genre. One of the strongest aspects of the anime is the main character’s progression. The story carefully portrays her transition from a shy and insecure personality into someone more confident and self-aware. This development feels gradual and believable, rather than rushed, making it one of the most rewarding parts of the series. The emotional payoff toward the end is another highlight. The final episodesdeliver strong emotional weight and clearly suggest that the story is far from complete. Ending the season at this point feels intentional, and it leaves clear room for continuation, making the lack of a confirmed second season especially noticeable.

While the anime may not be flawless, its strengths in character writing and emotional impact outweigh its weaknesses. For viewers who appreciate character growth and emotionally driven storytelling, Let’s Play is worth more than its current score, which is why it earns a 9 here. 🌸✨

After finishing this, I honestly found myself wondering what it was that initially drew me to the story. Let’s Play is adapted from an American webcomic, so hearing it would receive an anime adaptation came as a genuine surprise. The original comic went on a long hiatus due to concerns about its content not being appropriate for the platform on which it was published. Even so, I was pleased when it returned, as I had enjoyed it quite a bit when I first started reading. Unfortunately, that enjoyment did not carry over to the anime. The premise itself is not particularly novel. The protagonist is an adultwoman who is extremely shy and anxious, yet highly talented as a video game developer. Her favorite video game streamer ends up moving into her apartment complex, but her excitement quickly turns to devastation when he plays her game and leaves a harsh review, effectively derailing her career. While serviceable, this setup is something we have seen many times before.

One of the anime’s main issues is its uneven pacing. Certain elements differ from the original source, and it is clear that some developments were rushed in order to fit the story into a 12-episode format. This ultimately backfires, as the narrative progresses in an unnatural way, offering little time to understand character dynamics or emotionally invest in relationships before moving on. Interestingly, one of my biggest frustrations with the original comic was how far it strayed from its initial premise and how stagnant it became, losing the essence of what first made it compelling. In that respect, the anime fares slightly better, as it remains more focused on the core conflict (likely because there simply wasn’t time to animate those later arcs).

The characters, however, suffer greatly from this compression. From what I recall, the author originally intended to give each character meaningful development, but none of that truly comes across here. There are many characters, and several of them display an oddly intense, protective affection toward Sam that is difficult to understand based on what is shown on screen. Sam herself lacks distinct qualities that would justify this level of devotion, yet she is consistently treated as the group’s pampered center. As a result, it becomes difficult to like or empathize with most of the cast, especially since many of them behave almost identically toward her and are given little depth of their own.

The art style was perhaps the hardest aspect to adjust to. In the comic, the characters look appropriately mature, whereas the anime design makes nearly all of them appear like teenagers. Viewers unfamiliar with the original designs may not find this distracting, but for those who are, it is difficult to ignore. The animation itself is serviceable but unremarkable, leaving me wondering how much more engaging the series could have been with stronger production values.

The music is similarly average... Nothing particularly memorable or worth highlighting. That said, the opening visuals and overall direction are quite well done, and the ending sequence is pleasant enough.

In the end, the series is not bad. It is simply… fine. It is not something I would revisit, nor would I go out of my way to recommend it. That is unfortunate, because it does present some genuinely interesting ideas, particularly its video game themes and the concept of an invisible inner world where emotions and mental health struggles can take control of a person. Those elements hint at a stronger story that never quite comes together in this anime.

If a very well animated Crunchyroll original were written by an AI trained on Twitter game reviewer rants. 4/10 TL:DR; A very lazy fanfic. We've got a stellar cast of names pulled from a hat like "Marshal Law" and "Link" (how dare you make my hero a barrista), classic tropes along the lines of "he's a jerk... well maybe not", "my dad owns the company" and "your opinion is wrong", and story elements in the first few episodes that literally break the importance of the plot, coated in objectively very well done animation and art direction. The Review: The animation and art direction look great (seriously, everyone complainingabout animation not seen the PowerPoint slideshows out there. The OP has more frames than S1 of TBATE), has one of the better OPs of the year, and we've got plenty of people to relate to just in the intro. On its face, it pulled me in. Ultimately, it feels like it was made by someone who observes game culture, but isn't a part of it. Also - there's no such thing as subtext in this; there are literally silhouetted figures with "FEAR" plastered on them, just in case you were wondering what emotion the characters were experiencing.

Let's look at episode one. It starts strong enough - a wide cast of characters in all phases of life, a main character struggling with a passion project, and a decent enough premise (YouTuber rages at an indie game). Then it gets weird. As soon as we dive into the daily life of Protag Sue, we see her struggle in obscurity at her office, where she must make coffee and enter data in her cubicle. She gets coffee spilled on her and decides to walk around in a tank top - something that would absolutely get her called into HR with the top she picked. Her boss calls her in to his office, strips to give her his shirt, and it's just brushed off with no other mention than "why did you give me your shirt if you had extras?" She stands up for a friend who spilled coffee on her, but not against the sexual harassment? Oh, and she's the daughter of the owner of the corporation. This series of events completely contradicts the very message they're supposed to send. What it really says is, "she can get away with anything", "she doesn't need this game to succeed" and "its ok if he's hot"?

In the following episodes, it's what you expect. "Maybe he's not so bad." But the entire time, she wants to tell him that he "played the game wrong." If a piece of media is received incorrectly, there was probably something wrong with how it was presented. The entire premise is based on "you just didn't get it, so your opinion doesn't matter." It's literally a caricature of everything wrong with the gaming industry right now, and not in a fun, ironic way.

This series left a really bad taste in my mouth. I know there will be die-hard fans out there, and they'll exclaim, "You just don't understand"... which is the entire premise of the series.

Will I finish it? Probably. Will it change my life? No. Will I recommend it to trash connoisseurs? After about a dozen other recommendations, maybe.

Toxic Romance Although only the first few episodes are out, curious minds can seek the webtoon for answers regarding how the plot or character development will unfold. This show tries to ensnare stereotypical anime fans with the promise that gamer boyfriends (and girlfriends) are represented. This is hardly the first show to use this tactic, and yet, others have done this so much better. Further points are deducted for the execution of the self-insert reverse harem trope. I have a hard time empathizing with the MC when there are several other - better - options available for her. Knowing how the future story unfolds, it's certain thisshow will leave viewers frustrated, baffled, and concerned by her choices.

The video game and content creation industries that are the backdrop of this drama simply pander to audience fantasies. This show is the inverse of Sword Art Online: instead of a male isekai self-insert power fantasy, it's a female drama self-insert reverse-harem romance. Both trashy. Both popular because of videogame culture being flaunted.

Don't let this review stop you from liking the show, however. Everyone has their own tastes.

Fanfiction exist with more compelling characters and storytelling than this.

I feel compelled to write this review to express my genuine LOVE for this anime and because of its current average rating. (?!!) What justifies the high rating I’m giving it is the absolute enjoyment I feel watching it and how very invested I am in the story, which is based on a web comic. It would be a shame for others not to know of its great qualities. Something I appreciate is the artist’s depiction of mental illness and personal struggles which is unique and so relatable. The feelings and traumas of many characters manifest as personified shadows that follow them in their daily lives -rearing their heads in certain situations and interacting with eachother, sometimes being born, conquered, or even combined to create other complexes. We all “have our demons,” and I really value the artist’s portrayal of this. It makes me feel seen.

It’s light, funny, and cute easy-watching material - both the sub and the dub are good. I just love the characters so much! They’re so relatable and original! The progression of their personalities and relationships feels organic. The story at times plays out like a virtual game simulation (similar to Wotakoi), which, as a gamer, I love. Shout-out to Link ▽ lol!

The anime is set in the US and, as the original artist is American, there are a lot of great western cultural nuances that aren’t typical to anime which makes it feel fresh, modern and different. I love finally seeing anime characters who hit closer to home and don’t behave like typical Japanese. The webtoon is also HILARIOUS, I highly recommend reading it.

Overall, so refreshing and endearing. It has everything I love.

Oh, and the intro and outro songs are bangers. Don’t pass it up because of the snobby reviewers on MAL. This is definitely worth a watch.

Let's Play is an anime based on an American webtoon series and it shows. The storyline is like that: the daughter of a coding company a) lives alone in a second-rate apartment building with cramped space, no soundproofing, and even rents the place instead of owning it; b) the said girl also works at his dad's company and is belittled by her department head into making coffee for everyone, but is fancied by him, too; c) she also shares a third-rate video game she had made in college in a free platfrorm and can't even log in to that platform due to one badview-tube review despite having uploaded a game that gets reviews there; d) the cause of the trouble, the famous view-tuber (Youtuber) who should make millions if we believe the infromation given in the first episode and who is very nice in person and has a body to die for moves next to her shabby flat; and, e) the idiotic rich girl who never even shows one iota of evidence of being rich is now caught between the loves of the department head and the view-tuber and instead of telling each to leave her alone, she cannot decide on what to do. And, the viewtuber and the middle manager have a shared past! Things develop from there. Ah, also she is insecure, unattractive, suffers from asthma attacks due to her low self-confidence, and yet we are told to believe that, being opposites, she will fall in love with either her stiff-upper-lip boss or her very attractive and easygoing neighbour. This is not material that should be turned into an anime at all. I pity the money and hours of talented animators spent on this.

Also, I saw some people write they felt bad this anime got 6.21 (at the momemt) in here. I checked on IMDB, and its rating there is a more deserving 4.7/10.

My god, so many clichés and such a cringey vibe. This "stereotypes filled - quirky - I'm the protagonist - reverse harem - everything is drama" type of thing, really cannot stand it. Feels like I'm watching European cartoons, awkward jokes, unprecise and simplified references, uninteresting and unsurprising plot, bad pace, very mid character choices, ok production-and that is the highest part of the rating. Don't know if it's close to the webtoon but I don't really care. Trust me, I've seen so many bad animes, but this one just feels so unnatural in almost every scene.. I genuinely think that even "reborn as avending machine" is a better title.

I literally watched over 300 different anime titles and this one is literally the first one I've intentionally dropped - even if I watch the whole season every time as a personal rule, unless I lose interest and just forget them.

This one is the only one that never gave a split second of interest, just made me slightly annoyed.

Obviously everyone can watch whatever, but I really suggest you to do something more rewarding, like kicking a wall or smth.

I think... as with a few anime on here, this one is woefully underrated. Not to say it's perfect, but I'm led to understand that this is because it's based off of a web novel, and people like the web novel better. And, well, are pulling a Marshall Law on it (rating something unfairly and mobbing the score much lower than it should be based on not rating it on its own terms). That's really not fair. It deserves to be judged on its own merits. I've never seen the web novel, so I'll not be taking that into account. This anime isone of the few anime set in the US. Los Angeles, to be precise. And this isn't an anime that tries to take Japanese culture and overlay it on American scenery. This also isn't an anime that parodies American culture to the point where it's unrecognizable and, sometimes, frankly offensive. The locale isn't perfect, but it's far, far better than pretty much any similar anime I've seen so far. They even had one of the signs on a building in Spanish. That's a detail most Japanese people wouldn't pick up on.

So that's pretty impressive.

The story itself also isn't bad. It's not great, but it's not like 99 percent of the gaming anime that have annoying and absurd coincidences - this one is pretty well written. So far it's pretty engaging, the art is pleasant and not badly done at all, the soundtrack is... umm... meh, I'd say, but not awful. There are lots of anime I drop pretty quickly. I'll probably be seeing this one through.

Quite honestly, I never watch anime in dub (see my profile if you want to know why). This anime feels a lot more like the dub is Japanese rather than the other way around. I've seen one other anime that I also felt that way about (Anne Shirley, which I still need to finish) and it's rather a breath of fresh air when that happens.

And there were a few laugh out loud moments. Not many, but even more than zero is pretty cool.

A few things I really don't like though.

One is that while they take great pains to address American culture on its own terms, they don't entirely succeed. A few Japanese-inspired interpretations of American culture are obvious. For example, I'm not sure I would sit on a park bench in the middle of downtown LA (or even Santa Monica) eating my lunch (this is a common trope in Japan, though they at least didn't have her eating a bentou). That's just asking for trouble, especially as a young woman. (And don't take that the wrong way. It's just plain dangerous there). Another thing is, you never see her commuting to work. I think it just never occurred to the Japanese producer that she'd be driving. That's not a huge issue, except her boss drives her home, and it's a very long drive. (they did a really good job with the scenery, though... but still.) There are a few misunderstandings of American work culture, though they get it somewhat right - more than I'd expect.

These are, admittedly, little things. But the art and story are good enough that these little errors are enough to take you out of the story.

I also find the FMC kind of annoying. This is another anime where the FMC is socially anxious and at some points I was like "just spit it out, girl!". The MMC is not exactly a great specimen of manhood either, but I think we're about to find out why.

So, all told, this is an underrated (and underscored), well done anime that accomplishes what it wants to accomplish well, but not perfectly. I score it a 7, which is my default score, and much closer to what I think it deserves to be ranked than the frankly unfair score it currently has.

Recommended... but who knows what the future holds.

Elephant in the Room: The Art Style is atrocious, it's so abhorrently low quality that you believe you're constantly watching at 480p if it weren't for some sharp lines, that's how much quality this lacks, it makes me question genuinely what happened in the studio to have this be created because I've never seen an anime look this ass, the colouring and contrasts are awfully misaligned as well and it made me genuinely question a lot of times if this was AI-Generated (you'll get it when you see it). Though surprisingly sometimes for scenes they show for comedic effect vfx that are unfittingly gooddespite there not being any fantasy, meaning they can somehow animate characters in their head doing black flashes from jjk but nothing else. (Not to say also there's good animation also because it's horrendously stiff as well, no shock since one of the producers Slow Curve was also behind TBATE)

Apparently this is a Webtoon and that is well-received, I don't know anything about that so I cannot rate it on its accuracy but I only hear they didn't do justice on that front, so it could be potentially worth checking out if you can feel a gem underneath this presentation.

You get the troubled "starting plot" of the show, which interludes to the MCs upcoming dynamic the show will center itself around. But it will tell you the not so good things the MC has happen and PARTIALLY the show will explore the cause and effect of these things seriously affecting her career life, but with how constantly strange these random things and the 'skits' that happen in the show its hard to take anything seriously because it doesn't feel like the show wants you to take it seriously with how it was directed. And frankly, it gets quickly out of repetition so extremely boring with how stagnant a lot of minutes also are. It's lacking of any taste which is pretty bad when you're tackling a modern setting where there's not a lot that happens anyways, which make so many things just come as random weird events when going into this anime. Everything is slapped onto your face without any real desire for you to think or reflect about, you see a diverse cast of characters but they're just so disappointingly extremely flat, dry and generally just so "Friend A" and "Friend B" coded with how the most they're being used is just as narrative "listening" devices for the story to explain to you what's the current topic.

The MC, and Popular Streamer Guy are just front and center of these initial episodes, and everything spinning around their dynamic is what the show tells you, but it takes no time to flesh any of that out or make much of it if not to only remind you that it is the main plot of the show. The humour in this is too childish for me, some people also didn't like how it tries to appease and act trendy like with the vibe it going such as with its incredibly cringey description btw, maybe it gets better, but the show is not my taste and I don't think it would be your taste either which is why I don't really recommend it if you care about what you're getting from the show.

Let’s Play is a story that orbits around the character, Sam, and her day-to-day adventures of hanging with her friends and gaming/game development. I was certain this story was going to be a fun new Romance with a splash of Reverse Harem...but boy...was I incredibly misinformed by the cover art for this and the summary. The romance in this story is minimal at best, and there is hardly one solid love interest, much less more than that. Upon completing this story, I had to sit with myself and think over: what is this story trying to tell us about Sam? What does it want us totake away as viewers?

Is it about following your dreams? Is it about following your heart? Is it about learning to love yourself despite your flaws? While all of those themes are shown in fragments throughout this anime, nothing is ever properly fleshed out or examined. There is no singular theme at the heart of this tale.

Her love interests are barely that, her passion for game design is sorely underdeveloped, and though she acknowledges in the beginning that she does need to work on her confidence, there is no actual character development in these twelve episodes that shows that she’s learned to appreciate and love herself better despite even receiving help from outside sources.

I really love characters who take the initiative to change themselves. When they see their potential, they do whatever they can to grow. However, Sam is extremely reactive instead of proactive. She doesn’t do anything for herself, even when she’s given all the tools to be successful. Because of this, she’s never matures - making her rather frustrating as far as characters go.

Surprisingly, for me, the side characters were more enjoyable than she was. Very seldom do I like a whole cast of friends/family, but I actually did thoroughly enjoy everyone else in this story aside from her.

Other than the flaws that I mentioned, I will say that I did overall enjoy my experience watching it. And do recommend giving it a chance, but just know going into it that is not really a romance anime despite being advertised as such.

As someone who has read the webtoon from start to finish and enjoyed it very much, this felt very rushed. The animations were good, the plot stayed mostly the same but I felt the storyline was rushed the same way horimiya felt rushed. I will say that overall it stayed true to the Webtoon from what I remember. In my opinion, Link and Marshall's voice actors were not what I expected and it threw me off a little. The intro had introduced a lot of the characters by name but those characters had too little screen time for them to be name dropped in theintro sequence. I felt like a few things were missing and I can't quite put my finger on what it is.

Overall I would say it is enjoyable but I would like to see them make another season, expand on the other characters, and personally i would like to see more of the "emotions".

There's only one episode left, so I feel like I can leave a fairly accurate review. It's a cute show, but it's also not standout. I really like the webcomic, I have for years, so I was curious how the anime would turn out. I can't remember where I saw this written, perhaps in another review, but it definitely feels like the dub of an English show rather than the original. I love the actors in it, and they did a good job. I think the way they adapted the comic for a show was successful even if it's not fully accurate to the comic. The biggesthinderance is definitely the fact that it doesn't feel quite right. I mentioned how it feels like a dub, but even the art feels more like a non-Japanese studio attempting to copy Japanese art styles. I'm not trying to rag on the art, it's very nice and pleasant to watch, I'm just attempting to describe how it feels off.

If you enjoyed the webcomic, I think you will enjoy this show as a fun adaptation. I do wonder if it would be any better in English? I don't normally say that about anime. Who knows if it will get a second season, and it'll be okay either way IMO.

Yıllarca webtoonunu okuduğum ve hayran olduğum için onunla da kıyaslayacağım biraz. Orijinalinde hikayesi yetişkinlerin günlük hayatta karşılaştıkları zorlukları, duyguları ve ilişkilerini oldukça gerçekçi şekilde ele almıştı. Animesinde çizimler karakterleri fazla genç ve sıradan göstermiş. Hikaye de daha iyi uyarlanabilirdi (seslendirmen kadrosuna bayıldım bu arada). Animesi beklentimi hiç karşılamadı ve sıradan harem animesi gibi hissettirdi. İzlenmeyecek kadar kötü değil yine de. Since I read the webtoon for years and was a big fan, I’ll be comparing it to that as well. In the original, the story portrayed the everyday struggles, emotions, and relationships of adults in a very realistic way. In the anime, the character designs madethem look too young and ordinary. The story could have been adapted better, too (though I loved the voice cast). The anime didn’t meet my expectations at all and felt like a typical harem anime. It’s not bad enough to be unwatchable, though.

I’ll keep this short — the animation is very subpar. I expected a lot better. I like the style they’re attempting, but the execution just isn’t there. I haven’t read the source material so I can’t comment on the accuracy of the story. The opening and closing songs are nice, though. I find them very chill. Love the female vocalist on the closing song actually — does anyone know who it is? I heard it’s HIKKA but I could be wrong. All in all, an average anime with below average graphics, but nice opening and closing songs. Hoping the animation gets better.

This isn't anime. Okay, technically it is, but it's based on a Western source. Which sums up everything that's wrong with this story. The characters are very unsympathetic, stereotypical, and each must have their own issues. A terribly harsh boss who means well. And has never heard of the phrase "professional boundaries." A handsome guy who plays sports and is very protective, a beautiful model, etc. After a very bad start, the plot improves a little, but not by much. Many situations are too coincidental, or rather, they are artificially created by the author to happen. A coincidental meeting in a dog park, a coincidence that twocharacters knew each other in the distant past. At the same time, the pace of the narrative suffers greatly towards the end, and the plot of one episode is stretched into three.

Another problem is the considerable predictability of the plot and the conclusion itself, which is not difficult to guess how most things will end. At the same time, the plot contains a number of illogicalities, with the last episode being the icing on the cake.

The animation is interesting and whether you like it or not will depend on your personal preference. The voice acting is okay.

As I wrote at the beginning, the Western model is evident from a mile away. The theme of gaming and streaming is only used here because it is popular. The whole thing tries to be terribly modern and cool. We all have problems, and we can only solve them if we try hard and love each other. Unfortunately, it fails in practically everything.

This anime isn't a romance. Only one relationship is really explored in any detail and it doesn't go anywhere, which is fine, but frustrating if you, like me, were excited for romance. Each character is so unbearably straightforward, it really irks me. In the intro you see a large and diverse set of characters, but many of them have no impact on the story at all. I know it's only 12 episodes long, and was probably produced to drive interest in the web novel, but the viewer is never offered even a glimpse into so many characters. Not like I expect them to be superfleshed out, they're all caricatures of whatever "flaw" they have. Depression, anxiety, ptsd. And not once is the focus actually on improving mental health. The message is try harder, or rest more. Not bad advice for a lot of people, but it really misses the mark for me.

Beginning disclosure that I have been reading Webtoons for years, and one of the first ones I read on the platform was Let’s Play. I’m very familiar with the source material and as such may include spoilers that come from both the Webtoon itself and the animated adaptation. The first thing I want to touch on is the transformation of the art style from the comic to the anime. I’ve seen a lot of criticisms about how the art style doesn’t feel reminiscent of the comic and while I agree I also don’t take a huge issue with it. The characters look good in their animatedforms, and certain things translate pretty well like Sam’s glasses, Charles’ messy hair, and Monica’s bold and over the top style. While it would have been really neat to see the art style from the comic carefully moved into a different medium, I think the characters all still look like versions of themselves.

In terms of the story and the material that was adapted I mostly liked how the story was structured as it was very similar to the comic. Though there were a few deviations that I didn’t really understand. Information was changed or moved up in the timeline, and there’s also the possible removal of a character. Unless she’ll show up later, but the portion of the story where Marshall is hospitalized is really important because it ends up being a catalyst for many things (his relationship with his family, the desire to pursue his dreams, deepening his relationship with Sam, and changing his relationship with Monica). Not all of that seemed present in the animated version and it’s a shame.

Marshall’s hospitalization is also how some of the characters meet or become aware of one another. So without that, I’m curious to see what will happen moving forward (assuming that there will be more seasons of this).

Aside from that, it felt strange that the animated version had Sam keep her creation of Ruminate a secret from Marshall when in the comics it’s one of the first things that is said. Though I do actually kind of like the tension that comes from her having to speak to Marshall about it, and feeling guilty that he doesn’t know. Also without that initial confrontation, it's easier to buy that Sam has anxiety. So I didn't mind all of the changes that were made for this adaptation.

That being said, a lot of the subtle moments that set up Sam’s relationships with the other characters are changed drastically. This can be seen most obviously in Sam’s interactions with Link and Monica. Especially Monica as her entire relationship with Sam is much different. In the comic Monica serves as a mentor and older sister type figure for Sam. She helps her accept that it’s okay to want to feel desired by other people, and your outward appearance can help boost your confidence. We get a little of that in the show, but not in the same way. Sam and Link’s relationship feels a bit different since Link is interested in her from the get go in the comic, and has to be told by Dee that Sam hasn’t engaged much in relationships. Their dynamic and the dissolution of their relationship feels more organic in the comic, and was missing some context in the show.

Angela suffers from this as well. Without the explanation of her past with Sam, it's difficult to see why she would be so overprotective of her friend. Maybe this is something that will be included in a possible season two. But I do think it would've been nice for new viewers to have that context in season one.

Besides all of the changes with the story and character interactions, there was one more thing that bothered me. Charles.

I feel like his character ended up getting really watered down. In the comic version of Let’s Play Charles is defined heavily by his past trauma and the relationships he keeps with others. In the animated version his character motivations are a lot less clear, as are his flaws. He ends up feeling very princely which is not at all who he is. I mean he has a good heart, but Charles is messy. He’s messy and painfully human which is why I always liked his character. He keeps things interesting, but he also shows a lot of growth or at least it seems like he was going to before the comic went on hiatus.

Regardless of some if its shortcomings, this is an easy watch. It’s entertaining at times (even if most of my favorite jokes like Dinah being inbred are missing), and is serviceable as a simple, feel-good show. If a viewer goes in with low expectations, and just wants something cozy to watch then this is a good choice. I feel like most people will probably walk away from it thinking that it was alright, if a bit mediocre. But honestly sometimes it’s nice to watch simple, and to feel immersed in a show that isn’t too serious or doesn’t have too many moving pieces. And arguably this adaptation is perfect for that.

Final opinion: Recommended

Animation: 5/10

Story: 6/10

Characters: 7/10

OST: 5/10

Art direction/creative liberty: 6/10

Overall rating: 6 (I’d do 6.5 if I could)

Notable characters: Monica, Charles, Vikki, Abe, and Angela

Yeah, the title of this anime kinda makes me think of when YouTube was all about videos games and such before the griftosphere and even the political atmosphere took over despite when a handful of games have always been political when it comes to messaging as well as punching Nazis. But I digress. This is based on an American webcomic series of the same title written by Leeanne M. Krenic and I'd never read any of it. Actually, looking into this, the webcomic series will be ten years old later this year. So, basically, this is me getting into this seriesfor the first time. I will say it's just okay and more or less a cult classic in the future. Hell, I remember when this didn't get many reviews until months later, after this was released, it grew legs and gained a following. It's more of a mixed bag for me. Just a heads up, there might be some spoilers within this review. With that said, you have been warned.

The story centers around Samara "Sam" Young, voiced by Kana Hanazawa in Japanese and Lacey Deline in English, who is an aspiring video game designer and creator of her own indie game called Ruminate, a puzzle adventure game. She works as a software developer at her father's family company alongside the manager of Younger Technologies and her boss, Charles Jones, voiced by Yuichi Nakamura in Japanese and Nick Huber in English. During her spare time, Sam hangs out with her friends of guild mates of World of Warquest to become the number one guild of the game. Her friends consist of Angela O'Neill, voiced by Ayane Sakura in Japanese and Monica Rial in English, Vikki Song, voiced by Yoko Hikasa in Japanese and Dani Chambers in English, Olivia Sweet, voiced by Minami Kurisaka in Japanese and Emi Lo in English, her butler, Edgar, voiced by Kenichirou Matsuda in Japanese and Larry Brantley in English, Dallas Hudson, voiced by Hiroshi Watanabe in Japanese and Tristan Bonner in English, and Abe Callhoun, voiced by Kengo Tsuji. (I couldn't find the English voice actor for Abe, unfortunately. If anyone knows, feel free to inform me). Life is good, especially when Sam hangs out at this coffee shop called the Daily Grind where her other friends, Link, Dallas's brother, played by Tomokazu Sugita in Japanese and Monty Thompson in English, and Dee Parker, voiced by Mitsuki Saiga in Japanese and Amber May in English. But one night, as one of her favorite ViewTubers who helped her out throughout her hospital visits named Marshall Law, voiced by Shimba Tsuchiya in Japanese and Brandon Acosta in English, wasn't too happy with how her game is played and gave it a negative review, which leads to his followers review bombing the movie. Boy, that doesn't sound familiar, huh? To make matters worse, Sam's next-door neighbor, who'd just moved in, is actually Marshall Law himself. So not only Sam has to go through a lot between her job, her life, her games, but also getting herself in a love square between Link and Charles, who actually has feelings towards her, as well as Marshall, who butted heads a few times until they started to know each other a little more by not only themselves, but with others who are involved with her life.

This is a romantic comedy that could work, yet it does have its own issues. One of them would have to be the characters. These are interesting characters, including a few more like that lady at the front desk who kinda looks eerily similar to one of the characters from Little Witch Academia. However, not every single character gets too much on development time nor gets time on screen as a whole except to get the plot going. In fairness, Sam is the main protagonist, and we're just watching over what she's going through. It's just interesting to see what everyone else has been through, like with Marshall Law. Charles, who knows Marshall when they were young, explained about what Marshall has been through with his father, who don't get along with one another. There was also the time when we saw Charles for just a brief flashback when he had a wife, and she cheated on her. Makes sense why he wanted to move on and has feelings towards Sam. Then there was a brief moment when we saw Angela, who went through domestic abuse and had trust issues towards men, yet slowly opened up to Link, who's been through a dark corner like she did. Link would help Angela out like Sam had helped him out. What has Link been through? I don't really know, to be honest. If anything, that might've been explained in the webcomics.

Now, the story does seem decent at times, especially with the pacing between Sam and Marshall, yet I couldn't help but think that the final episode was rushed with what was going on. I wish I could explain, but that would mean I'd spoil the whole thing. Plus, there are bits of such going on, yet it does have a happy end. What matters was not only Sam dealing with her life situations between her job, her life, and the game she is working on, but with what Marshall is dealing with. Tackling through guilt. I also like it on how Marshall, as well as Charles, are not really bad guys. Sure, they were jerky at times, except they were not awful people. With Marshall, it comes from his persona whenever he streams. It kinda does remind me of what's been going on with certain folks on the internet having an ego and have their fans go and review bomb on things because that's just how manufactured outrage is like nowadays. Thankfully, after hanging out with Sam, Link, and his lover, Monica, he gives Ruminate another chance and becomes more used to it because not everything in video games revolves around rushing in and brute forcing your way through to the end. I think it was kinda nice for him to have a change of heart the more he hands out. There was even a message at the end that broke Marshall, yet it's sweet for why Sam made it and dedicated it. I could make the argument that I'm on team Sam and Marshall when it comes to this being a romantic comedy. There were times that Link shared a connection with Sam, as well as Charles does with Sam after getting her a promotion for work. It's just that there wasn't much development with them, unfortunately.

Now we have the animation, and I will admit that it's serviceable. It's neither terrible nor perfect. OLM Division 1 is responsible for the animation. The voice acting is also serviceable between Japanese and English. I think both sides are fine. If I have to pick a favorite for English, I'd have to go to Nick Huber as Charles. It does have a few good jokes, as well as several homage to past video game culture. Like the Daily Grind is usually a term used for waking up in the morning to go through a game called Life, which is fitting as to how the anime's theme tackles. Sam's dog is named Bowser, and I have to say he is a cute little fella. World of Warquest is obviously World of Warcraft. One of their avatars looks like a Black Mage, or Vivi, from Final Fantasy. There are like a handful of references that you might spot throughout the series.

Again, I think this is a decent watch for what it's worth. It's neither a masterpiece nor a disaster. I think of this being comfort food while watching what a young game developer like Sam is going through while seeing who influenced her to be where she's at. Meanwhile, Marshall, who was kinda of a jerk at the start, evolves into who he is off camera, trying to pay her back yet it isn't that simple unless you learn something that does not involve brute forcing. In the midst of it all, you see them interacting with the whole diverse cast with not so much screen time except progressing the story. I wouldn't be surprised if the graphic novel, which here are various copies outside of the internet (about five volumes as far as I'd looked up) is better when it comes to each character have development of their own. Same for when Sam deals with each of the men in her life like Link, Charles, and Marshall. Take it for what it's worth and see what you think.

I'm gonna give this game of life anime series six cute bundles of Bowser out of ten. 6/10.

Well let's start with I like the character designs. Each character is distinct and unique and I don't have a hard time distinguishing characters from each other. I also love the depiction of unspoken emotions as monsters that are haunting the characters. Although there is an aspect of show rather than tell, that kind of makes this strange. But let me get to my issues with this series real quick. Issue number one it's hard to believe that Sam has such a low view of herself and her abilities despite the fact that she's an entire crew of people constantly telling her how wonderful sheis. She's so good, she's so great, so wonderful at almost everything she tries and yet she still has a low opinion of herself. Maybe future episodes would make that make sense but for me right now it doesn't. Second of all and this is the major issue, Ruminate seems like it's a terrible game to play. Now that's just my opinion as a gamer who likes action gaming and is not into puzzle gaming. I bring this up because the story flows as though there was not a single negative review of ruminate written prior to Marshall Law’s. That's just unrealistic and naive. There's no game in the history of mankind that got 100% positive reviews with hundreds if not thousands of reviews. It would take double the existing reviews to lower Ruminate’s score to below average. Also it's portrayed in the show that there's an open dialogue feature in the game which given the real world setting of the game doesn't make sense. It's hard for me to recommend this series when any romantic comedy about an awkward girl and an oh so hot guy and the harem of guys who thinks she's hot, have done this better. Usually I'm not one to compare so it shows to one another, but in this case I have seen shows do this very concept better and the backdrop of the video game does not help. Also Sam and Marshall aside, the characters are one dimensional. They have a single personality trait that's repeated. Link is protective, Angela is angry and combative. Charles wants Sam, Dee is supportive, Dallas is brash. Monica has depth to her but her career and portrayal makes her seem shallow.

I can forgive the look of the show though.