It's just a VRMMO adventure, but that's what makes it so great.
Shangri-La Frontier Shows That Anime Doesn't Always Need to Have High Stakes
Summary:
Many fans complain when characters aren't in danger in action anime.
Anime doesn't always need to have high stakes, and Shangri-La Frontier proves that.
It actually wouldn't have worked if it had higher stakes.
Shangri-La Frontier's success has been a pleasant surprise for the manga readers. While initially, many people weren't sold on the anime, the opinion has slowly changed — it is arguably one of the most discussed series of the season now. A part of the reason is how great the action in one of the recent episodes was. However, the main thing is how well the anime represents a fun adventure in a VRMMO setting in a very believable way.
Anime watchers often want higher stakes in their anime
Fans often feel like anime characters aren't in enough danger. This sentiment is especially prevalent among older fans, who are used to older anime being more violent on average. The logic behind the sentiment is that fights without any stakes have no weight to them, as the characters won't suffer much — or any — consequences.
This is part of the reason why series that follow characters playing a game often add an element that makes the stakes higher.
The common solution to this is the "if you die in the game, you die in the real life" trope, popularized by Sword Art Online. However, a lot of the time it is rather unbelievable, as such a game probably wouldn't have made it into the stores anyways due to safety concerns.
Characters don't always need to be in mortal peril, and Shangri-La Frontier proves that
High stakes aren't necessarily required in anime. Of course, it is easier to get invested when the characters are in mortal peril, as such a thing has easily seen, tangible consequences.
However, that shouldn't always be the case: for example, sports series can be very fun to watch, and characters definitely aren't about to die there.
Shangri-La Frontier is also like that. In the end, it is an in-game adventure of Sunraku, an eccentric gamer who is set on playing the game in his own way.
There's no need to make the stakes any higher than that: the protagonist is interesting enough by himself to make us root for him, and the rest of the cast is great at supporting him.
If the anime was something closer to Sword Art Online, it wouldn't even work: the whole thing revolves around Sunraku's playstyle being absolutely crazy. This is not something we could've seen in an anime where characters are in actual danger, of course. However, if it's just a game, it's a very believable premise. Avid gamers might actually find themselves relating to Sunraku, whose playstyle is radically different from those of others — playing normally might get boring after a while.
It's just a VRMMO adventure, but that's what makes it so great.
Shangri-La Frontier Shows That Anime Doesn't Always Need to Have High Stakes
Summary:
Many fans complain when characters aren't in danger in action anime.
Anime doesn't always need to have high stakes, and Shangri-La Frontier proves that.
It actually wouldn't have worked if it had higher stakes.
Shangri-La Frontier's success has been a pleasant surprise for the manga readers. While initially, many people weren't sold on the anime, the opinion has slowly changed — it is arguably one of the most discussed series of the season now. A part of the reason is how great the action in one of the recent episodes was. However, the main thing is how well the anime represents a fun adventure in a VRMMO setting in a very believable way.
Anime watchers often want higher stakes in their anime
Fans often feel like anime characters aren't in enough danger. This sentiment is especially prevalent among older fans, who are used to older anime being more violent on average. The logic behind the sentiment is that fights without any stakes have no weight to them, as the characters won't suffer much — or any — consequences.
This is part of the reason why series that follow characters playing a game often add an element that makes the stakes higher.
The common solution to this is the "if you die in the game, you die in the real life" trope, popularized by Sword Art Online. However, a lot of the time it is rather unbelievable, as such a game probably wouldn't have made it into the stores anyways due to safety concerns.
Characters don't always need to be in mortal peril, and Shangri-La Frontier proves that
High stakes aren't necessarily required in anime. Of course, it is easier to get invested when the characters are in mortal peril, as such a thing has easily seen, tangible consequences.
However, that shouldn't always be the case: for example, sports series can be very fun to watch, and characters definitely aren't about to die there.
Shangri-La Frontier is also like that. In the end, it is an in-game adventure of Sunraku, an eccentric gamer who is set on playing the game in his own way.
There's no need to make the stakes any higher than that: the protagonist is interesting enough by himself to make us root for him, and the rest of the cast is great at supporting him.
If the anime was something closer to Sword Art Online, it wouldn't even work: the whole thing revolves around Sunraku's playstyle being absolutely crazy. This is not something we could've seen in an anime where characters are in actual danger, of course. However, if it's just a game, it's a very believable premise. Avid gamers might actually find themselves relating to Sunraku, whose playstyle is radically different from those of others — playing normally might get boring after a while.
