Welcome to another dispatch from anime unleashed! We're focusing on Manga and manhwa you can check out physically and on our comics plus subscription with your library card.
Grab a coffee, tea or soda and get ready to sink into a new world.
Our main character gets a prototype game that looks like a cutting-edge movie where he plays the god of a few npcs. The controls are simple: he can give the characters a daily message in their holy book and spend points to bless them in times of need. Thing is...those NPCs are just so life-like that it almost feels like he's watching actual people struggle in this dire world.
It doesn't hurt that watching these NPCs struggle so hard and give thanks to anything he does for them scratches that itch he needs to get his own life back on track. Some events occurred that left him as a hikikomori for the last decade. Maybe this is just what he needs to sort himself out and re-establish better connections with his family?
Six volumes and you're done. That's it. You get a complete story in just six volumes.
We have physical copies of this series, so grab volume one and get started!
I know what you are thinking, "this title is long and dumb and why should I read this?" I beg you to hold your opinion because, as obvious as the title is, it's better than you would think. The title does the job of telling you everything you're going to get as it says right there on the tin, but the art and character moments elevate everything.
There's not a ton of mystery going on here, but it does a great job of getting you invested in what the rules are for this world. So much of this story just shouldn't work. But if you're like me (you love a good trashy soap), it's got enough to it that you can lean back and just enjoy the ride.
One of my favorite things about this series is to trade screen grabs with my friend and break down questions and commentary about how good or dumb someone is. I love when a story is intriguing enough that I become a mystery science theater co-host.
The first three volumes are available right now, with no wait with comics plus.
The essentials:
The blogging aspect is the smallest and most forgettable part of this story. The bread and butter that separates this from everything else is that he can see others' skills and points and level them up.
If you are familiar with games like Baldur's Gate, Fallout, or Mass Effect, then you are familiar with generating attribute points as you level up. In this world, there is one character (at this time of writing) who is even aware that he and others are generating these points. He can also spend those points at his convenience so that he can dramatically improve himself and others' abilities.
I wish this was touched on more, but his inevitable grind to become amazing is still satisfying to read through. The world is populated with compelling personalities with their own goals that align and differ from our main character, so the setting feels full and lived in.
There are currently 9 volumes of this one with the 10th dropping in September 2025 (and we've already ordered it). We have physical copies so check them out!
Think a teen version of Seinfeld (more innocent obviously), but it's two girls who hang out at a food court every day after school. The conversations are about nothing in particular but also all the small things that make up a life.
I've always been a fan of the idea that any topic can be interesting if you tell it right, and this story is a nice slice of life that doesn't overstay its welcome. There's only one volume out in the states right now, but it can stand on its own (but luckily it won't have to).
Grab volume one and have a great time!
