My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999: A Heartwarming Tale of Gaming and Romance

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

“A Heartwarming Tale of Gaming and Romance”

Have you ever been through a tough breakup? Depending on the person, the duration of the relationship, and a myriad of circumstances surrounding you, such a separation could be devastating. In response, we resort to one or more coping mechanisms or backup plans, which may or may not make the situation worse than it already is. Either way, it is important to have someone to support us during these tough times, be it a family member, friend, or perhaps even a potential new partner. Tread carefully, though, because you are already on thin ice.

“Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru," also known as “My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999” or simply “Loving Yamada at Lv999," is a 13-episode TV anime series that aired from the 2nd of April up until the 25th of June in Spring 2023. It was produced by Aniplex, Movic, Tokyo MX, BS11, Egg Firm, Kadokawa, and COMICSMART, licensed by Aniplex of America, and brought to life by Studio Madhouse.

The main staff behind it included producers Uejima Kazuki, Yoshida Yuuki, Matsueda Kazuya, and Kuroi Hitomi. Featuring the genre of romance alongside the theme of video games, these 23-minute episodes earned a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older. It was released in both Blu-ray and DVD formats as seven volumes from the 28th of June until the 24th of December, 2023.

The anime is based on the web manga of the same title, which started publication on March 7th, 2019 and is still ongoing. It is the work of author and artist Mashiro and is serialized in Ganma! The series was published digitally in English as “Loving Yamada at Lv999” via Mangamo, while the volumes were published as “My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999” via Penguin Random House under the Inklore imprint as of May 2024.

The story focuses on a college student named Akane Kinoshita, who breaks up with her boyfriend when he goes for another girl. Now wrestling with a broken heart and the memories of their irreparable relationship, she loads up the MMO game “Forest of Savior,” which the couple used to play together, and starts beating up mobs to vent.

At the same time, she formulates a plan to get revenge on him via an upcoming in-person event for said game. However, she has a fateful encounter with someone truly unexpected in the process: Akito Yamada, a high school boy who is a gaming legend in the same guild as her.

In her desperation, she ropes the asocial Yamada into her schemes for support, and he even becomes her shoulder to cry on! Afterwards, the drastic differences between Akane and Yamada become more and more apparent the more they spend time together. Strangely enough, they both start noticing the other’s inner and more positive qualities over time. Thus, the two begin gaining more experience with each other both online in-game and in real life, and their weird tentative partnership starts showing signs of heading in truly unexpected directions.

Starting with the Story, it may seem generic and even flat at first, but this is the kind of show that gets significantly better over time. Slowly yet surely, you’ll feel drawn to its unique charm and attitude built into a very expressive atmosphere; this inherent charm is what carries what would have otherwise been a very cliche RomCom and makes it highly entertaining on its own merits.

The tale unfolds as Akane joins a guild, meets Yamada in-game, befriends him, chats with him, and then meets him in real life, with a high possibility of their bond evolving into something far greater.

This is the kind of situation most gamers dream of, but underlying it all is a girl going through a tough breakup and trying to overcome the heartbreak, and a very antisocial Yamada who is very serious and calm. She is drawn to him, but there are many hurdles to pass before they make any actual progress. This isn’t the most original premise out there, but the writing and characters make it work wonderfully.

The first half of the series gives you the impression that Akane is only interested in Yamada because of his good looks, and the romance remains fairly predictable, but the second half delves deeper into these characters and their circumstances.

There’s so much more to these characters than we thought at first, and their bond is certainly not built upon superficial appearances but rather their personalities and actions across the series. This is what makes the couple so satisfying to watch, because their connection is grounded, realistic, and endearing.

This is a Shoujo, though, so expect a few unrealistic scenarios here and there. For example, we are expected to believe that someone as attractive and cool as Yamada never once had a girlfriend, much less talked to girls properly. This level of wish fulfillment is fine in my eyes, because romance stories are not things you should view from a highly logical angle. The comedy is spot-on, the character interactions are treats, the vibe is just right, and the story is overall fun to watch unfold.

The character department is just as strong as the Story, being highly expressive, realistic, and likable. These characters just bounce off each other seamlessly and add so much life to the show’s atmosphere, leaving you eager to see more in a wide variety of situations.

The character chemistry is on point, especially in the case of Yamada and Akane, where they believably bring out new sides in each other. Yamada seems way too dense and serious at first, but he starts to come out of his shell more thanks to having the bouncy Akane around.

The supporting cast is equally impressive and alluring, adding so much to the main pairing and the story overall. The guild the duo belongs to, as well as their guildmates, provide the best example. The Guild Master and Guild members alike are all integral to the story and enhance the mood whenever they’re on screen.

It’s obvious who is going to end up with whom, but the journey to that sweet ending, facilitated by a myriad of colorful characters, is what we’re here for. They serve to spice things up and even add some mystery to the mix, never once coming off as annoying or unnecessary.

Speaking of which, the Guild Master was one of my favorites! This dude just stole the show whenever he was on, and depending on your preferences, you may end up liking him more than Yamada himself.

The art and animation department is superb, as expected of Studio Madhouse. The visuals are consistently beautiful, and the only exceptions are a handful of moments where the screen explodes with bright colors and figures, which are executed perfectly in alignment with what was going on in that moment. The night scenes look exceptionally good, with so much expression in every single frame.

They remain faithful to the manga and somehow made everything even better, which can mostly be attributed to the vivid color palette, refined character designs, and stunning backgrounds. A special point to bring out are the anime-original game scenes; this is a great addition because this show is about an online relationship established around a guild, so it goes without saying that the game itself is pivotal.

By the way, the game in question is a good ol’ fashioned MMORPG that doesn’t even have voice chat. Madhouse went the extra mile to bring the Avatars to life, complete with bouncy voice-acting, and made the game feel very alive. It is not every day that an anime adaptation adds something that improves on the source material, so kudos to the creators!

Moving onto the sounds and music department, it is just as solid as the rest. The opening theme is “Gradation (Gura de ̄ shon)” by KANA-BOON, featuring Yuuho Kitazawa, and the ending theme is “Trick Art” by Ryujin Kiyoshi. The prior is a complete banger of a song, truly one you would remember for some time even after finishing the series, while the latter is also a very upbeat song that keeps the mood going.

The OSTs are a pleasure to listen to; they don’t distract you from the story or characters but greatly enhance the moment. The voice acting is amazing around the board, with special praise to Minase Inori as Akane. She truly brought the bubbly character to life, all while integrating her struggles with great dedication. Uchiyama Kouki was a great choice for Yamada, showing us the kind of character he is from the onset, and the subtle changes as he develops after meeting Akane are captured beautifully. Absolutely no complaints here!

“My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999” is a must-watch for fans of Shoujo and romance. While it has some traditional aspects of the genre, it is simply full of expression and character development, held together by a very believable story. It is very refreshing and features a roster of truly lovable characters that just grow on you, even outside of the main couple. It is nice, relaxing, joyous, and vivid; highly recommended!