Loving Yamada at Lv999! (Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi o Suru or My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999) is a romance anime revolving around a popular online video game. Fortunately, much of it happens outside the game because those chibi characters freak me out. Yamada looks cool, but his in-game character looks like it got hit with a stick a few times. Akane’s avatar at least looks cute as a chibi catgirl. But I digress.
Madhouse released a trailer before the April 2023 premiere date to get fans hyped for the anime adaptation.
A promotional home page, an official Twitter page, an Instagram page, and even a TikTok account have all been set up to promote Loving Yamada at Lv999!’s anime adaptation and keep fans updated. Extra content, such as the key art below, can be found there.
Akane’s Endgame Romance
Loving Yamada at Lv999! follows an unlikely romance between a heartbroken girl and a guy more interested in leveling his character in an online game. Akane Kinoshita (voiced by Inori Minase) met her boyfriend in the popular online game Forest of Savior. There, she plays as a catgirl of a player class I have yet to identify. She wields magic and a hammer, so I’m guessing she’s a bard. Her boyfriend cheats on her with another girl in the game and dumps Akane. It’s his loss because she’s a cute catgirl bard.
With her heart broken, Akane starts to defeat mob enemies to vent her anger and sorrow. During this unprovoked attack, she meets Akito Yamada, voiced by Koki Uchiyama, a fellow guildmate with an afro and Noh mask. He wears robes and wields a staff, so I will assume that he’s a barbarian. Or maybe a wizard. Not sure about the latter guess, though. Barbarians can also swing staves, you know.
Akito, the titular Yamada with incredibly high stats, is quiet and has no experience with romance. Yet he’s often looked upon as an idol by girls. Akane is just as captivated and begins her plans to romance him to her side. This will be an uphill battle since he’s focused primarily on Forest of Savior. But he’s not quite a jerk, either.
Seems like Akane needs a new approach. I would suggest she try to appeal to Akito’s more base instincts and try a bit of cosplay, like Baniga-chan here with a lewd outfit and a pose to match. This Baniga-chan 1/6 Figure is available for a discounted pre-order on the J-List shop.
Loving Yamada at Lv999! Origins
Loving Yamada at Lv999! began as a manga series written and illustrated by Mashiro. It started its run on March 7th, 2019, with six volumes out so far. Comic Smart handles the digital publishing, while Media Factory releases physical prints of the series. Mangamo is releasing the series in the West simultaneously with the Japanese run.
Are you excited to see Akane try to romance Akito in anime form? Have you ever tried to pick someone up in an online game? Why would a bard wield a hammer, anyway? Where is her lute? Let us know in the comments below.
