Loving Yamada at lv999! Review

 

Highlights

• Anime Romcom about a girl trying to date a gamer boy
• The genre is Shojo and Romance
• This anime is produced by Madhouse Studio

Loving Yamada at lv999! Synopsis

Lovig Yamada at lv999 is a Shojo romantic slice-of-life anime centered on the titular Yamada and the protagonist Kinoshita as their relationship develops and grows over time.  

If Horimiya met up with Gamerz it would be something approaching this anime.  The series isn’t a game changer and it’s not breaking new ground however it is accomplishing what it presumably set out to do.  That being to entertain and provide romantic levity.  

When I was writing this article I noticed that people that were looking for Loving Yamada also were searching for the newest gundam series as well.  I did a review on Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury a little while ago so please click the link and give it a read as well.  Your viewership really helps us as we grow in establishing our blog so thank you in advance.

The plot of Loving Yamada at lv999!

The story follows Akane Kinoshita, a college student who finds comfort in the online game Forest of Savior (FoS) after breaking up with her boyfriend. 

At an offline event for the game, she meets Akito Yamada, a high school student who initially appears unemotional but is still attractive. Coincidentally, Yamada is also a member of the same guild in the game as Akane, which leads her to become closer to other members of the guild, particularly Yamada. 

While the plot is straightforward, this is not necessarily a negative aspect. Simple things can be well-done and just as enjoyable as more complex or groundbreaking stories. 

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Main Characters

Akane Kinoshita 

Akane is a college student and a casual player of FoS, which she started playing for her ex-boyfriend (who ironically cheated on her with a fellow game player). 

She is mature, although sometimes a bit naive. She has a habit of keeping things and letting them pile up, as she treasures the presents she receives so much. In FoS, she uses her real name as a nickname. She belongs to a guild called "Chocolate Rabbit."

Akito Yamada

A member of Akane's guild under the name "Yamada," his avatar is an emotionless Afro-male character. Akito is a 3rd-year high school student who hardly expresses his emotions and thoughts. 

He is locally famous as a pro gamer, a player who gets sponsored to play a game. FoS is his "casual game," while mainly playing FPS games.

I’ve seen critics of the series say that Yamada is too one-dimensional to care about the romantic angle of the anime however I don’t believe that is true.  While he doesn’t express his emotions overtly there are plenty of anime series that have a female lead that is “cold and detached” and people like them just fine.  Yamada is basically a male kuudere so I don’t really see what those critics are talking about as he gets the job done just fine.

Actually, an example of kuudere would be Shiro from No Game, No Life which we previously reviewed.  Leave us a comment and let us know if you agree.

Who produced Loving Yamada at lv999?

The anime is directed by Morio Asaka who has been directing anime series since the mid to late 90s.  His early work includes Cardcaptor Sakura, which was one of my first tv anime series.  The manga was authored by Mashiro who gave creative input on the anime as well during the scriptwriting phase.

Many of his credits include shojo series and romantic themes and so It seems that this series is right in his wheelhouse to direct.  

Loving Yamada at lv999 is produced by Madhouse Studios.

Now, here’s the thing.  I could spend the rest of the article listing all the anime that this studio has produced over the decades.  They are a powerhouse in the industry and have produced classic after classic series.  I’ll list a couple just so that we know what we’re dealing with here.  Ninja Scroll, Wicked City, Paranoia Agent, Death Note, Trigun, No Game No Life, Irregular at Magic Highschool, Death Parade, Parasyte the Maxim, and One Punch Man.  

Everyone, that isn’t even close to all of their properties either!

The studio was founded in 1973 and as I delved deeper into Madhouse Studio's portfolio, I came to appreciate the vast number of franchises they have created that I've enjoyed over the years. 

These were series that I was drawn to before I even paid attention to the studios behind them. Madhouse Studio has certainly proven itself to be a force to be reckoned with in terms of longevity and staying power. I can only imagine the incredible experience it would be to intern there and learn from some of the best in the industry. 

I still have vivid memories of visiting Blockbuster and Hollywood Videos and being captivated by the box art for Ninja Scroll and Wicked City. Admittedly, this was during a time when anime was still referred to as Japanimation and there were only a handful of videos in the entire section at the video store. 

However, I will always associate Ninja Scroll with Akira as the series that first introduced me to anime.

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Review

While I was prepping to write this article I was seeing many people compare this to Horimiya and I don’t think they are wrong.  But Yamada-kun definitely has a slower pace than Horimiya. 

It takes its time almost bordering on pondering.  It could have maybe been tightened up a bit however the times during my viewing that I thought that were few and far between.  While Horimiya had more kinetic comedic timing this series definitely leans more towards the romantic side of the romcom genre rather than comedic.

That being said the series still is a comedy with the manic misunderstandings of the protagonist causing the most problems.  If I’m honest there were sometimes that I just wanted her to stay still for a moment rather than zipping around.  

I think that you could build an argument that Akane Kinoshita creates more problems than she fixes however to be fair that is in part due to her narrative function.  She creates the problems that Yamada can then come along and quietly, stoically, and compassionately fix thus creating space for romance.

Romantic leaning with some comedy for flavor

Yamada-Kun to Lvl999 is a Shojo series that caters primarily to young girls or women, unlike Shonin, which is targeted toward young men. 

This anime falls under the slice-of-life genre and does not feature any supernatural elements. 

What I found appealing about the series was the absence of fan service, unlike many other anime that tend to include gratuitous chest shots or cinematic techniques to simulate the male gaze, which can be distracting and tedious. 

Without relying on such crutches, Yamada-Kun at Lvl999 focuses on character and plot-driven episodes, even if the storyline isn't the strongest.

I would pass on this if you are looking for a fast-paced physical or T&A comedy.  Loving Yamada-kun is a slow-paced drip-paced romance. 

I’d say that the second biggest critique I’ve seen online about this series is its slower-paced approach compared to other properties in the market.  But I think that it's pacing actually can be an asset rather than a detriment.  

Because we’re taking our time we never have to job from one hanging job or cliche to the next.  We can develop Akane Kinoshita as a character a bit, we can make their thinking and perspectives known.  The slow burn allows us to actually process the relationships happening which is the focal point of the series to begin with.  

Personally, I think that people are being too hard on the pacing of this show and maybe people online can learn to take a breath and learn to enjoy things.

As we said before Madhouse Studios has had several critically and commercially successful series.  Another series that did very well was One punch man which we reviewed before.  Please click the link and give it a read I’d love to know your thoughts as well so leave a comment when you are done as well.

Hey!  Please support my blog by becoming a Patreon member HERE. For as little as $1-3 a month you can really help us out if you enjoyed our content.

Verdict

So should you watch Loving Yamada at lv999?  Yes, I think it’s something that I can recommend.  I don’t think that it will go down as the best example of the genre but it’s fun right and it helps to bring you back to a time in your life when you had butterflies in your stomach over romance.  

You can watch Loving Yamada at lv99 on Crunchyroll.com