is a Japanese

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

series by Rin Kokuyō released as a

webtoon Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones. While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...

on the Comico app. An

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series adaptation directed by Kazuyoshi Yaginuma and animated by

Signal.MD is a Japanese animation studio founded in October 2014 by Production I.G holding company IG Port. Establishment In 2014, IG Port announced it was forming a new animation studio named SIGNAL.MD. Production I.G board member Katsuji Morishita was ...

aired from October to December 2017. In June 2018, Comico ended the manga due to Kokuyō's failing health. Prior to this, ''Recovery of an MMO Junkie'' had been on a hiatus since 2015.

Plot

Moriko Morioka is a 30-year-old successful career woman who decides to quit her taxing corporate job and become an elite

NEET NEET, an acronym for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training", refers to a person who is unemployed and not receiving an education or vocational training. The classification originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s, and its use ha ...

and find a more fulfilling life. She joins an online MMORPG ''Fruits de Mer'' and creates a male character named Hayashi as her avatar. In the game, Hayashi meets another character Lily, a high-level player who helps him learn the game. Hayashi and Lily become close friends and he joins her guild, ''@HomeParty''. Meanwhile, in the real world, Moriko has a chance encounter with a handsome elite company employee, Yuta Sakurai, who may have ties with her online life.

Characters

; : :An unemployed 30-year old single woman and Hayashi's player. She quit her corporate job being disillusioned with the real world and started playing MMORPGs almost nonstop as a way to find meaning in her life. ; : :A 28-year old businessman and Lily's player. He is half-British and is an elite employee at his trading company. Outside of work, he is socially awkward and has a hard time communicating with others. ; : :Yuta's character in ''Fruits de Mer'', a female conductor. ; : :Moriko's character in ''Fruits de Mer'', a male knight. ; : :Yuta's co-worker and Moriko's former co-worker. He and Moriko used to know each other through their working calls, though they never met personally while she was employed. He holds Moriko in high regard as an employee and was upset when she suddenly decided to quit her job leading him to find another job at the trading company Yuta works at. ; : :A college student who works part-time at the convenience store Moriko frequently visits and Kanbe's player. He also plays the MMO game and is aware that Moriko is also a player because she usually purchases electronic money for the game every visit. ; : :Kazuomi's character in ''Fruits de Mer'', a male assassin, and the guild leader. ; : ; : :Himeralda’s married S.O. in real life. ; : :Pokotaro’s married S.O. in real life. ; :Koiwai's character in ''Fruits de Mer'', a muscular female warrior. ; : ; :

Media

Manga

''Recovery of an MMO Junkie'' is written and illustrated by Rin Kokuyō and was serialized on the Comico app from October 2013 to June 2015. Two volumes were published.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation by

was announced by Comico. The series began streaming on the Japanese streaming service GyaO on October 6, 2017, and then beginning its TV broadcast October 9, 2017 on

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, NH ...

and other stations. The opening theme song is by

Megumi Nakajima is a Japanese voice actress and singer, who is affiliated with Stay Luck. Her involvement in the entertainment industry began in 2003 when she participated in an audition held by the talent agency Stardust Promotion, becoming affiliated with the ...

, while the ending theme song is by

Yūka Aisaka is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Chiba Prefecture. She is affiliated with Apte Pro. She is best known for her role as Sophie Neuenmuller in the '' Atelier Sophie series'' and a few other '' Atelier series'', as well as in a Koei Tec ...

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and t ...

simulcasted the series, while

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

began streaming a SimulDub on October 30, 2017. The series ran for 10 episodes with an OVA released alongside the Blu-ray box. Crunchyroll streamed the OVA on December 15, 2017.

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{Signal.MD 2017 anime television series debuts Crunchyroll anime Gender role reversal Japanese webtoons Kadokawa Dwango franchises Media Factory manga Romantic comedy anime and manga Signal.MD Slice of life anime and manga Tokyo MX original programming Webtoons in print