Filthy Casual for Life

SERIES SUMMARY

In the online game “Planet,” there is a powerful team of four players.

This team goes by the name “The Akabane Family,” and its members are a pseudo-family that only exists in the game.

Although they aren’t aware of it, these four players are actually a broken family in real life.

A shut-in older brother. A high-achieving younger brother. A father who is not respected by his own children. A mother who neglects her own household.

They do not know the warmth of family. They also don’t know that the warmth of their online family is only a passing feeling.

And most of all, they don’t know they are a real family.

Centered on the deeds of the Akabane Family in the online game “Planet,” the story features battles against monsters, clashes with other guilds, and the machinations surrounding “Black Bird,” the final objective of the game.

The tale takes a major turn as it entangles the real world and this real family.

Netflix

Episode 1: LOG IN

We begin the episode in the game Planet. Two players are battling a team of pirates to take down a red dragon. They are quickly approaching Twilight Hill, the home of the game’s four notorious players. One wants to give up to avoid provoking the Akabane Family that lives in Twilight Hill. As they near the house, Ichi of the Akabane Family exits the home, kills the red dragon easily, and collects the drops the two players were seeking.

One of the players angrily demands the drops. The other player reminds him that Ichi is a well-known player killer and they shouldn’t provoke him. Ichi scares the other players with a sword to the neck but then exclaims that he is refraining from player killing. Ichi then invites the two players to the home where the “boss” mediates all disputes that take place on the hill.

The two players follow Ichi not knowing to to expect. When they enter the home, they see a mom-like figure cooking dinner. Coming down the stairs is a boy named AAAAA who calls Ichi “big brother.” The three Akabane members interact like a normal family. The other two players are in shock, but receive a bigger shock when Shiro, the boss of the family, arrives.

Ichi tells Shiro about the predicament over the materials dropped by the red dragon. As the two other players quiver in their boots, Shiro decides that Ichi should give the materials to the weaker players because the loot system is flawed. Shiro ends up being very kind and has May, the mother-like figure, teleport them to town. Afterwards, Ichi is pouting. Shiro pats him on the head and praises him for killing a red dragon in one swing. Ichi gets teased by AAAAA for being pleased. May then serves their dinner. While they’re eating, one of the lightbulbs begin to flicker. All three men get up to change the bulb. They seem like the perfect family.

The happy family vibe quickly disappears as the episode returns Ichi to his real life. He’s alone in messy room complaining about real life and how shitty everything is. He tries to stand up, but his body is weak from lack of exercise. He manages to stand up and open the door expecting food to be waiting, and has to go downstairs to get his meal himself. He runs into his younger brother who is a straight-A student. Then he runs into his father who he calls a piece of shit. We learn Ichi’s real name is Taichiro. Their lightbulb begins to flicker. The dad begins to change the lightbulb when Taichiro stops him to do it for him. He tells his dad to take care of himself and calls him am old man. His father immediately gets pissed and yells. Taichiro breaks the bulb and runs back to his room to log into the game.

Ichi returns to his happy place in the game ready to kick ass, however, May, sensing his anger, asks him to garden with her. As they’re gardening, they receive a declaration of war from the pirates. That is when May tells Ichi and AAAAA that Shiro was hospitalized. Ichi loses his temper as he asks May questions about Shiro’s condition. AAAAA has to calm him down.

The pirates bomb May’s garden causing Ichi to activate an ultimate attack and blows the pirates out of the sky.

Back in real life, Taichiro’s younger brother lets him know that his father is in the hospital.

Meanwhile, in Planet, the pirates are discussing the end game content. The one that holds Twilight Hill will have the upper-hand in defeating the Black Bird that comes with a 300 million yen bounty. We are also introduced to the existence of another powerful guild called Grenada.

Back in real life, Taichiro, his younger brother, and his father all log into Planet at the same time.

THOUGHTS

What an interesting anime! There does seem to be more virtual reality MMORPG anime the past couple of seasons. So far, I find this one the most interesting. All four players are escaping reality for their own reasons, but their guild rule is to not pry into the private lives of each other. The end of the episode was not as much of a shock to me as it was intended. The synopsis gives this detail away. The moments leading up to the end of the episode made it clear to me that the Akabane family is the best versions of Taichiro’s real life family. I am excited to see where this goes. I am most interested in the attack of the Akabane family and how the real world and game world will collide as they try to protect their game image.