Since August 2019, the novel-edition has embarked on a daring adventure: to publish Japanese Light Novels in France. These books intended for a young readership, short (no more than 50,000 words), accompanied by illustrations still remain confidential in France. We have already reviewed one of the previous publications, Ascendance of a bookworm , which you can find here the review. Here we will focus on Infinite Dendrogram, an 8-volume series on the world of video games of which we were able to read the first volume.
Immersion in unknown land
2043, in the near future, the world of virtual reality MMOs is in turmoil. Just released the ultimate game "Infinite Dendrogram". Its creators promised players a total immersion never seen before thanks to the "embryo" system. In a matter of weeks, the game sweeps away everything the competition has ever offered. The gaming experience is unique, players connect en masse, seduced by this game that not only stimulates our senses, works as a global village in constant evolution. And to complete the picture, character creation has no limits while interactions between players and P.N.J are constantly changing the universe. It is this unique experience that the hero of this Light Novel, Rejii Mukodori, decides to confront himself. Recently settled for his studies in Tokyo, he chooses to occupy his free time by joining in this virtual world his brother who was among the first to dive into Infinite Dendogram. What was supposed to be a passing experience quickly becomes a new life where Reiji explores in a world of infinite potential and where the game hides greater stakes.
Infinite Dendrogram: on the side of Ready player One and Tron
It is difficult to propose an original fiction about the M.Mr.O when Ready Player One, Shangri-La Frontier or Sword Art Online already exist. The author Kaidou Sakon, however, builds a virtual universe that despite its influences remain coherent and surprising. He draws a lot of inspiration from Ready Player One (the film and the book) by "upgrading" the notion of extended universe and cultural syncretism. Players bring different styles, atmospheres, from this first volume, which extend the universe of possibilities. The other interesting point concerns the place given to Artificial Intelligence. These are treated almost like human players: they suffer, dream, think, evolve according to the interactions with the players. This gives the P.N.J of the game all their originality with one notable difference: their death is final in the virtual world. A nice reversal of roles that is reminiscent of the classic of the Tron genre. 
Action and dense mythology
This first opus is not stingy in action scenes. The author offers us a series of quests typical of M.Mr.O through which we discover with our hero the functioning of this world. From monsters to cities, Rejii/Ray builds his own legend. A novice player, his actions permeate the web of this world in perpetual construction. But as this one lets the imagination create permanently, the opponents, quests are surprising, unique since drawing on multiple references. By giving to Fr.N.J a life finished, the author builds a particular geography to his work. The P.N.I are the real inhabitants of this world whose daily lives are disrupted by monsters and also by human players. They represent a part of the mythology of these virtual lands and when they disappear, a whole part of history disappears. An observation that did not arouse, changed the attitude of human players until the arrival of Ray. The latter is led to choose between his desire to triumph over the game by discovering its flaws or preserving the interests of the P.N.J.
Infinite Dendrogram : an imperfect style exercise
Writing about the world of M.Mr.O remains a difficult challenge as shown in the novel Ready Player One. The difficulty is further increased when we compare this Light Novel to manga such as Shangri-la Frontier or Sword art online that rely on drawings to give meaning to the text. However, from a graphic point of view, Infinite Dendrogram relies on very effective, beautiful drawings that help the reader to immerse himself in the universe. Also noteworthy is the high quality of the covers. Where the problem lies is in the author's style of writing. He has a lot to say to us and to make us feel, but his Word is a little heavy. The choice to write in the first person is excellent to make us feel the discovery. But the narrator/character lacks the lyricism to make us discover the depth of the world. This is felt in the fight scenes where the author adopts a very technical tone, worthy of a player, but which struggles to feel the epic of the situations. The descriptions remain vague, superficial which hinders the involvement of the reader. We feel the limit of the Light Novel format which seeks to go to the essentials at the risk of producing rather cold and disembodied texts. Infinite Dendrogram nevertheless has assets to appeal to a certain audience: the universe, the virtual system, the point of view on death. Let's bet that in the following volumes, the author will know how to accompany with more lyricism a story that deserves a look. If you are a fan of this kind of story, we advise you to immerse yourself in reading the manga Shangri-La frontier.
