Shatei Kyokufuri Yumi-Ojisan

I'm so tired of the overused sword and magic protagonists. I'm really glad to see a bowman as the main character, even though he will be highly restricted. It should make for a great reading adventure. Jawbrie from Tiger Translations is one of my favorite translators. I sure hope he keeps this project. :)

Honestly, this is just a generic VRMMO novel where the protagonist does something obvious that, in reality, a lot of people would try, but for some reason, no one else in the story ever thinks of it. As a result, he gets handed everything by the game, everyone is impressed, and everyone claps—yada-yada. The game mechanics seem as generic as they come, but at least the main character has a chill personality, which is something. However, I’m not going to read far enough to see if the same can be said about the supporting cast.

, it seems like an uninspired bundle of tropes. It’s not that it uses a lot of them, but rather that it looks like it is only that and nothing else. Would not recommend.

Sure, here's the rewritten content:

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Well, this is my first or second VRMMO novel, so you might call me a VR newbie. I don't particularly enjoy this genre, but as a novice, I found this novel quite enjoyable so far.

What bothers me, though, is the childishness of some of the dialogue or interactions between the main character (MC) and other characters. The MC refers to himself as an "old man," but some of his inner thoughts sound more like those of a 10-year-old, which can break the immersion.

For example, there's a scene where a tsundere character sends him a friend request. She explains it in her typical messy way, and these are his thoughts:

*"Hmm... I don't understand.  
But it sounded nice enough.  
And so I would react accordingly."*

This might seem exaggerated, but after a few instances, it starts to become bothersome.

, you just have to turn off your brain in certain places to get through it. On the positive side, I appreciate how the characters don't take the game too seriously—it remains just a game—and I like that approach.

In summary, I recommend this to beginners in the genre.

Certainly! Here’s the rewritten content:

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Generic.

It follows the same line of progression as other VRMMO stories. It isn’t making waves and, frankly, it pretty much copies tropes that have been done to death.

**Trope 1: MC picks an ability or skill that's seen as useless but is actually overpowered.**

This is also a very popular isekai trope, which isn’t a surprise because VRMMO stories often feel like isekai stories where the author didn’t fully commit.

**Trope 2: The character just gets handed stuff.**

While this is somewhat acceptable in isekai stories, it’s particularly frustrating in VRMMOs. It was pretty dumb when I saw it in that shield girl story, and it’s still pretty dumb here. The author tries to justify this by saying full set armor is a reward for beating a hidden boss, but that’s lazy writing. At least in isekai, you can claim it’s a gift from an important in-world character. However, having it be a drop from a monster is just peak laziness. Anyone who has ever played a game knows that getting the specific item drop you want is extremely rare, but getting a drop that specifically benefits you or a full set of armor? Yeah, sure.

**Trope 3: Specific to VRMMOs, the MC becomes super famous on a forum board.**

You see this in pretty much every VRMMO story, so it’s not surprising to see it here. The author uses it to drop foreshadowing or to hype up the MC. While this isn’t inherently bad, it’s uncreative. The dialogue is bland, but it’s just a plot device, so whatever.

**Trope 4: Bows are useless.**

Same as Trope 1, but I’ve seen this in a bunch of light novels, not just VRMMO stories. To be frank, it’s ridiculous. Bows and arrows are one of the oldest weapons invented, dating back to the Stone Age and used worldwide. How can anyone make a story where people think it’s useless or dumb? A guy literally went into World War II with a bow and arrow and kicked ass. England required its citizens to own and train with bows for centuries. Why do light novel writers use this trope? Where is it coming from? It boggles my mind!

**Trope 5: This ties in with the "having stuff handed to him" and "bows are useless" tropes. "It's hard to use so people don’t bother with it" is just... What?**

OK, yeah, hitting a moving target takes training, and in real life, it would probably take you a couple of weeks to get good enough to use it in a real setting, but the same is true for swords. Knights trained from a young age to master swordplay. So, why is it that the MC can use bows just fine? This isn’t really explained, and even if it were, it would probably not be a good excuse anyway.

**Trope 6: The game takes your real body’s physique into account, but this somehow stops being the case at some point when it’s convenient.**

It doesn’t seem to affect other people either. Did fat neets stop existing in the future? Do only fit people who would normally have a social life play this game? Who knows?

Just to name a few tropes that stuck out to me.

The translation is fine, aside from a few mistakes or awkward wordings. Given that this is a fairly generic story that isn’t too offensive, I can understand why it might be chosen over a possibly more interesting one where people could get mad at you for messing up. At the very least, it’s not machine-translated.

The inner monologue of the MC has much to be desired. Reading it feels like I’m reading the mind of a child. Every action and thought is stated or narrated in excruciating detail. It’s not even like reading a book; it’s more like reading an action log in a video game debugger.

> Character tried to pick up stick.
>
> Stick was picked up.
>
> Stick was put into inventory.

Mind you, it’s not that bad, but it’s not much better. It’s a chore to read and takes me out of the story. Not that there’s much story to begin with.

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The story follows a fairly standard plot. The main character (MC) is right not to change his equipment before the tournament begins. Like any athlete, archers rely on gear tailored to their specific needs, and with the tournament starting soon, the MC wouldn't have enough time to adapt to new equipment.

I'm also disappointed by the poor world-building in the story. For starters, how can readers believe the MC can one-shot every other player in the tournament without knowing how health is measured in the game—whether it's through an HP bar or based on the physical condition of the body? Additionally, how can readers believe the MC can use his skills effectively if the MP usage isn't clearly explained? Lastly, the vague descriptions make it hard for readers to understand the geography of the game.

Honestly, I quite enjoy this type of straightforward story, but it would have been much more engaging if the in-game environment and mechanics were detailed more thoroughly.

Yet another easy-mode VRMMO with a protagonist who gets everything handed to him on a silver platter without trying. Everything in the spoiler shouldn't come as a surprise if you've read more than one VRMMO novel before:

As usual, he picks a weapon that no one else uses because it's too hard to master, and, surprise surprise, it's super easy for him. Any stat he neglects will be covered by equipment or skills he conveniently acquires just when he needs them. He'll stumble upon secret quests that are tailor-made for him and areas that are perfect for him to hunt in, all by sheer luck. Don't forget the forum threads that will rave about how overpowered the protagonist is. Of course, he'll mostly play solo even though he's a DPS class, because why would you want to have a group in an MMO?

Worst of all, he's just a boring uncle and doesn't engage much with the characters who seem interesting.