Hamuo‘s Hell Mode (Hell Mode ~Yarikomi Suki no Game wa Masettei no Isekai de Musou suru~) is inspiring a TV anime adaptation.
Hell Mode started as a web novel and debuted on Shousetsuka ni Narou in 2019. A light novel series, published under the Earth Star Novel label and illustrated by Mo, began in 2020 and has 10 volumes as of September 2024. There is also a manga adaptation from the same publisher that is drawn by Enji Tetta.
J-Novel Club describes the light novels as:
“‘Level up even while offline’?! That’s not a game on ‘easy mode’—that’s just an AFK game!” The online game Yamada Kenichi had been playing religiously is shutting down its servers, leaving him with a void in his heart. He looks for a new game to fill it, but everything he finds is way too easy. The kind of game he likes—the kind punishing enough to make players want to spend thousands of hours on it—just isn’t around anymore. “What’s this? ‘You are invited to a game that will never end.’” Kenichi stumbles upon an untitled game, one promising incomparable challenge with unprecedented potential. Without hesitation, he selects the “Hell Mode” difficulty. Lo and behold, he finds himself reincarnated in another world as a serf! Now called Allen, he sets out to unlock the secrets of his mystery-laden Summoner class; without the convenience of walkthroughs, game guides, or online forums, he must grope his way to the top of his new world!
Source: @hamuo_ham
