And you thought there is never a girl online?

Episode 4

With episode 4, the series seems to be settling into its normal routine: throwing around a (mild) mix of fan service and game antics through the ongoing effort to acclimate Ako to the real world – or at least give lip service to the idea anyway. Is that going to be enough to maintain viewership? Probably, because it delivers on exactly what it promises.

Netoge is still no artistic wonder, and at this point it's only really toying with a sense of depth, though it is still leaving room for development. However, I'm starting to think that depth may not be so critical to the series being good. After all, the standards for a good fan service series and a good game-centered series aren't terribly high: be at least a little clever, have engaging characters, and either overtly or covertly titillate the audience on a regular basis (either with prurient content or game mechanics) and it will do fine. So far this series has all three of those elements.

The actual story told here doesn't amount to a whole lot. It's more numerous little snippets glued together to make an episode that feeds into the next plot arc. Some of the bits include Hideki and Ako reminiscing about their first meeting from very different angles, Hideki explaining his ill-fated first attempt at joining a guild, Kyo getting involved in the classic net game phenomenon of “mystery chests,” Nekohime meeting up with her overprotective former guild, and of course further incidences where Ako lacks a full understanding of the etiquette for keeping the real world and game world separate, while being very possessive of Hideki/Rusian. The most interesting bit features a couple of girls in her class trying to strike up a conversation with her about who they believe is her boyfriend, something which she sees as intrusive. Jokes go up about violating anti-personnel barriers, which imply that Ako loses if the girls get past her barrier and are able to converse with her, but the circumstances underlying that scene aren't a joke at all. In fact, that scene is really the essence of Ako's problem. (It also clarifies that Ako probably wasn't actually being bullied; she just isn't comfortable dealing with people except in game terms.)

The other meaningful scene is a showcase of Akane's terror at her friend Nanako discovering her true hobby, since she has been so diligent at keeping her school persona and game persona separate. Nanako didn't seem to be buying Akane's weak refutation, so joining the game to discover what her friend finds so enticing about it is a predictable reaction. Granted, we don't actually know for certain that the newbie Sette, who Rusian helps out, is actually Nanako, but all of the plot arrows point in that direction. That could have some interesting consequences next episode, especially when the busty Sette starts getting chummy with Rusian at the end, much to Ako's dismay.

And yes, the fan service does seem to be ramping up. Most of it is still just innocuous boob and butt shots, but the one scene where Hideki lets his imagination ever-so-briefly run wild is more explicit, and Master still wears that not-really-made-for-a-woman outfit. Overall, nothing majorly enticing is going on, but neither are there any big mistakes.

Rating: B

And you thought there is never a girl online? is currently streaming on Funimation.