Shangri-La Frontier is a new Fall 23 anime that premiered on the first of October. It may not be getting as much attention as other new seasonal shows, but Shangri-La Frontier viewers believe that the show is an MMORPG anime done right.
The MMORPG anime genre is a popular one, and it’s often thought of as a variant of isekai shows. Of course, not all shows in the genre are isekai.
Shangri-La Frontier specifically isn’t, as the main characters don’t get stuck in the virtual world.
Spoiler Warning: There are Shangri-La Frontier anime spoilers in this article.
Shangri-La Frontier: An Intriguing Action Fantasy Anime
This new anime is made by C2C, the studio behind shows such as Otaku Elf and Handyman Saitou in Another World. It’s also based on the manga of the same name that’s serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine.
The series follows Rakuro Hizutome, a high school student who loves playing trash games – games that are filled with bugs and glitches. Because of his interest in these, Rakuro has developed incredible gaming skills.
He gets burned out by these trash games though, and he soon tries out Shangri-La Frontier, the best-selling VR MMO game.
Despite not being a trash game, Rakuro plays it like one as he starts min-maxing and skips tutorials.
Despite his skills, Rakuro soon discovers that his trash game abilities won’t help him get through all the dangers of the game. This is seen in the first episode where Rakuro almost gets beaten by a snake boss.
Based on the second episode, it seems Rakuro has still not learned his lesson about how to tackle the game’s foes. This is because he is about to face a unique and powerful enemy.
ALSO READ: How Many Episodes Will Shangri-La Frontier Have?
Fans Think Shangri-La Frontier Is an MMO Anime Done Right
Shangri-La Frontier may not be talked about that much internationally, but it is undeniably a popular series in Japan. It’s also an acclaimed one as the manga won the Kodansha Manga Award this year.
Based on fan discussions online, many are pleasantly surprised by how good the anime has been so far.
Praise has been specifically given to how the game world has stakes even if they’re not stuck there like in Sword Art Online.
Speaking of Sword Art Online, Shangri-La Frontier has gotten comparisons to that show. It seems that many viewers think Shangri-La Frontier is pulling off its MMO premise better without resorting to being dark and grim.
New episodes of Shangri-La Frontier are released every week on Crunchyroll.
Discover the latest anime news and info by following us on Twitter @epicstreamanime.
READ NEXT: When Will Shangri-La Frontier Be Dubbed in English?
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!