Log Horizon 2nd Season

TL;DR: A disappointing second season that feels like the director & script writers had no idea where Mamare Touno is planning to go with the story of Log Horizon, so just adapted enough to pad out the 25 episode run time & hope that the audience figures out how it all connects together themselves.There are some good episodes & it explores interesting ideas (or brings them up, at least), but ultimately they don't add up to 25 episodes worth of content. Don't bother unless they announce a third season, & even then you'll probably be better off looking for an abridged version on youtube than ... watching all of this.

There are times when one wonders if the scriptwriters for a show & the author of the source material being adapted ever talk to each other. When series, particularly longer series, feel like they're becoming increasingly unfocused as the source material begins to run out, you'd think that the script writer & author would work together to at least come up with a framework for where the story is going so the adaptation knows what to focus on without deviating too much from where the author plans to go with their story. Sadly, it seems in Log Horizon 2's case, either nobody knows where things are going, or nobody is communicating it. (note this review assumes you've seen LH1)

Remember how LH1 ended with a climactic battle against the goblin king's forces whilst also revealing a new, human threat in the form of Nureha, guild leader of Plant Hwyaden who seems as powerful a mage as Shiroe? Well it seems the author or script writers forgot, because none of that really matters in LH2. Instead, LH2 focuses on three events that all feel like they're setting the ground for something big, but they don't know what. First is a mysterious player killer in Akihabara, somehow able to get around the zone's rules against combat between players. Following on from that (although both events occur at the same time) Shiroe seeks to deal with the financial problems the round table are facing by leading an epic raid on an El Dorado mine where all the world's gold is alleged to come from. These things concluded, the characters finally get around preparing for the prospect of war by...sending the younger guild members on a fetch quest so they can make magic bags.

All these stories continue Log Horizons rather enjoyable combining of a fantasy adventure setting with MMO rules, & the interesting ways they come together. The first story arc occurs against a backdrop the sudden & destabalising event of all the flavour text for the games many items suddenly becoming real, resulting in, among other things, Crusty being sucked into apparent oblivion by his weapon. Other issues not raised in LH1 are explored, including the idea of mortality & what it's actually like for the adventurers to die & how different people are responding to their being trapped in this new world. We meet characters that we wouldn't expect, such as a Chinese farmbot & Shiroe's alt character Roe2, who also seem to have come to life. Friction between the People of the Land & adventurers continues & we also, finally, start getting a hint at why the players of Elder Tale were sucked into the game in the first place.

Unfortunately, LH2 tends to skip over the more interesting parts while doing very little to try & tie everything together. In LH1 you had a real sense of progression between the different story arcs. Things started with everyone just getting used to functioning in this new world, which led to the Akihabara adventurers trying to better organise themselves, which led to their becoming diplomatically involved with the nearby PotL kingdoms & so on. There's no such sense of one thing building into another in LH2. Each story just kind of happens & ends with no real apparent impact. We're told it's impactful, sure. But the point is we don't see it in the same way you could in LH1.

It doesn't help that LH2 is full of what can only be thought of as filler episodes. LH2 is adapting two less novels than LH1 did (3 & 5 respectively), & it really feels like they're trying to spread less content over the same number of episodes. One particularly egregious example comes in the El Dorado raid, which involves returning Silver Sword guild leader William giving an episode long speech that boils down to "I'm a sad loser irl, but in Elder Tale I feel important." The raid itself is actually quite enjoyable, as it's fun watching Shiroe & the adventurers reacting to a raid zone that has been designed specifically to be unbeatable. The ending is a massive anticlimax, though.

LH2 also has an annoying tendency to introduce interesting ideas only to ignore them. The aforementioned Chinese bot character just sorta shows up for a bit before wandering off. Kanami, the tits & fists former leader of the mythical Tea Party shows up completely at random, first in a story one of Plant Hwyaden's leaders is telling another which gets cut off with a convenient "I don't know what happened after this" just as his story (which is the most interesting thing to happen in LH2 up to this point) was in danger of running into two episodes.

Adventurer mortality, & how adventurers see images of their real life in the time between dying & resurrecting, is touched on on a couple of occasions, most notably in the form of the Odyssey Knights; adventurers who seek out death so they can briefly glimpse their past lives before returning. Unfortunately, all the Odyssey knights are really used for is to let Touya give a boyscout speech about the importance of living. What the characters actually have to say about the subject is equally disappointing, the writing not being nearly up to expressing the complexities of the ideas being discussed.

Conversely, LH2 is happy to waste a lot of time on things I have no interest in. The magic bag fetch quest takes up something like eight episodes, almost all of which is spent just watching the kids of Log Horizon wander about being happy as Izuma learns to be more confident in her musicianship. We apparently only have five minutes for the round table to discuss ideas like how to deal with adventurers who can't cope with being trapped in Elder Tale, but there's time for an entire valentine's day episode. Considering the apparent impending war that was teased at the end of LH1, everything in LH2 just feels like it's trying to fill time & hopes you don't notice that for most of the season nothing really happens to progress the story.

Speaking of romance, LH continues having some of the most awful relationship writing in anime. Nyanta, everyone's favourite middle aged furvert, continues to groom little red moeblob Serara, which the other characters seem to find hilarious & sweet but I find disturbing & painful to watch. That oh so funny not-love triangle between a NEET (Shiroe) a shutin (Atatsuki) & an under-aged girl (Minori) continues to rear its ugly head as well. Oh & in case you thought the flirting between Naotsugu & Marie was too normal, worry not; for now there is Tetora, an idol who takes a liking to Naotsugu. This is apparently hilarious because Tetora is actually a guy but Naotsugu is the only character who doesn't realise. I guess it had to be made weirder because the relationship between Rudy & Isuzu has greater prominence in LH2 & there can only be room for one "normal" relationship.

Planet Hwyaden is a group that LH2 also completely fails to integrate into the story. Remember how Nureha seemed like she was going to become the antagonist of LH2? Well somewhere between that & the start of LH2 it seems something important got lost, because she is now the boot-licking bitch of some elf member of the guild, literally eating dirt off the floor. It strikes me that it would be quite an important piece of information to let us know how she went from one state to the other, but LH2 doesn't seem to think so.

Indeed quite what Planet Hwyaden are supposed to be doing in LH2 isn't clear. At first they seem to be built up as an example of how adventurers have responded to the challenge of organising themselves in different ways, taking a more authoritarian approach to governing than the more mercantile oligarchy, round table of guilds in Akihabara. But as the season continues & the supposed showdown between the two recedes into memory, it feels like they just become a stand in for whenever the show needs a bad guy. That is until the final arc pretty much completely abandons the idea of war between adventurers in favour of a new enemy, at which point one wonders why Plant Hwyaden were introduced at all.

Beyond that, I feel compelled to voice one personal gripe I have with LH, that being the continued degradation of Atatsuki as a character. It seems so long ago now that she started out in LH as a shy but pretty badass ninja. One of the things I didn't like about LH1 was how her development through the season felt like she was more & more being pushed into the role of the longing lover watching from the shadows. LH2 continues this with gusto, to the point that Shiroe can unironically say "you're starting to become quite the ninja" like it's not a massive insult. Between her & Nureha it's almost like the writers find the idea of powerful women as important characters too hard to comprehend.

It was perhaps a bit of a surprise to see LH2 come only a year after LH1 with the same number of episodes, given the comparative lack of source material to draw from. In addition to this, it kind of feels like LH2 either lacked the time & resources of LH1's production, or at least it doesn't seem to have been as well managed. Studio Deen don't have a Stirling reputation among anime fans, & while I can't say LH2 looks bad, it does feel a bit lackluster compared to LH1 (at least as I remember it), particularly towards the end where it feels they hadn't accounted for the action scenes that the story called for. Occasionally characters do go noticeably off model during combat or when viewed from an odd angle, which is always fun to spot. But given that LH is not as action focused as a lot of fantasy shows of it's ilk, one can forgive it for the the most part.

LH2, then, is another example of a second season that struggles to maintain the momentum of the first. Stuck trying to stretch less material over the same episode count as LH1, it feels like the writers just grabbed whatever they could out of the books with no real idea of how it all fits together in the grand scheme things. Had they been able to wait another year for more books to be written, or gone with a 13 episode length instead of 25, I think they could have told a more focused, concise story that felt like it was worth picking up after LH1. As it is, unless & until they announce a third season I see no reason for anyone to watch LH2. Even then, you'd be better off just reading the cliffnotes or watching an abridged version than sitting through all 25 episodes.

Having finished the entire second season here are some of my opinions on how this season turned out. I have assumed anyone reading this has watched the first season.

Story: 6 (Fair)

The first half of this season focused in a lot more on the element of MMORPG raiding and immediately the pace of the show slowed down. With each episode covering usually two different scenarios within the world for our beloved characters to face. Overall I would say that if you're a big MMORPG player you'll connect with the characters more but if you're not then it will just leave you confused. By the second ... half we were given with a valentines day filler episode and an enjoyable Kanami episode to give an idea of what's going elsewhere in the world. Then the kids' arc... similar to the last season there was an arc to develop the younger members of Log Horizon and that was done pretty well. But here it just felt like they didn't grow much but rather helped reinforce their own ideals and morals in addition to giving very little back story to their lives in the real world. Overall it didn't add much to the story, however the inclusion of a certain character and introduction of another certainly helped but left me clueless as to their purpose of being there. However after that arc the story seemed to pick up but then felt drawn out with the addition of what felt like filler episodes. And then the final two episodes..... Oddly these felt like some of the more enjoyable and entertaining episodes of the entire season with elements left over that pointed towards a direction the story would take. This was what annoyed me the most since I enjoyed them so much I wanted a third season.

Looking back the same plot threads which were started were left unfinished (mainly because the anime has caught up to the source material therefore a third season is a long way off). The story followed a very heavily focused ''raid'' element and a few filler episodes. Overall enjoyable but with the filler episodes and poor pacing I give it a 6.

Art: 7 (Good)

I would give the art style a 7 because obviously there was a change in studio and possibly budget was an issue. In the end I got used to the changes. Animation was again not great but better in some places than others, the finale seemed to be where they did a better job at least.

Sound: 7.5 (Very Good/Good)

The OST for Log Horizon didn't change and since I enjoyed the first season OST as well, I didn't really have any gripes with it for the second season. Voice actors didn't change and the new seiyuu I felt fit their roles.

Character: 7 (Good)

There were quite a few introductions to new characters we had never really met aside from cameos and then some from the weird jungle of the anime rainforest. I enjoyed the new characters and they were extremely entertaining but the development of the characters were rather disappointing compared to last season. We're still left with a question of, 'What are they trying to do within the world.' We also got a little taste as to who the ''villains'' of Elder Tale are but their inclusion to the story was very minor.

Enjoyment: 9 (Great)

Even with the flaws of this season I still enjoyed it and being an MMOPG gamer I think it helped. I know many who would find this season to be a huge disappointment compared to the first season but considering what I suspect as being budget changes and a new studio I can see why. Comedic elements were still entertaining for me and the action and characters were still enjoyable.

Overall: 8 (Very Good)

With the inclusion of my own enjoyment I gave it an 8. A third season doesn't look likely to be soon because the LNs have now been caught up. I felt that maybe there wasn't enough material from the LNs to make a second season. Let's just hope they receive a better budget and have more material to work with for a third season.

This is my first review I have done and any constructive criticism on how to better write my reviews would be welcomed.

I've watched the entirety of both seasons of Log Horizon and found the first season very enjoyable. It wasn't without its faults, but I felt that it made much much better use of its premise than Sword Art Online had, and avoided many of the character pitfalls that plagued SAO. However, I have to say that season 2 was a MASSIVE disappointment.

Story 6/10

There are several story arcs throughout the 2nd season of Log Horizon, but the lasting impression that they left was minimal. The story arcs for the vast majority of the season feel like they carry no importance at all but even worse, they ... progress at a snail-like pace. Episode after episode of filler were shoved through the season while the main story arcs seemed to be shelved for many episodes without mention before being returned to.

However, the season does tackle one of the problems that I thought was glaringly missing from the first season: the attempt to return home. However, this particularly story arc feels rushed because it's so short in comparison to all the filler episodes that came before it.

Another part of the story I had a massive problem with was when the show handed itself off entirely to the kids. This is my opinion, and some people may disagree, but I believe that the children in the show should be complementary characters at most. However, one story arc followed the children going on a quest by themselves for several episodes without any lookback at the others.

Art 7/10

I thought the first season of Log Horizon didn't look like anything special but I thought it was still very solid artwork. Some of the monsters looked really good and the action was great. While all that still remains for the most part, for some reason, many of the faces look very different. Nyanta, Serara, and several others look quite different from season 1 or even the first half of season 2. It may not be enough to be a deterrent, but it is quite noticeable.

Other than some characters looking off, the action was pretty solid, and the raid bosses looked great. Some of the copy & paste for the hordes of creeps looked meh but that's understandable.

Sound 8/10

Not really much to say here. Music is fine and voicework is fine as well.

Character 7/10

This is another part where I feel that season 2 falls short of season 1. It not only introduces many new characters, but also tries to retain every single character from season 1. This results in them really struggling to develop some of the characters meaningfully. One of the new characters, Tetra, doesn't really seem to have any characteristic besides obnoxiousness.

Also, of the villains, only one gets really significant screen time and explanations as to her motives. The motives of the other antagonists are left unexplained and it just seems like the show is struggling because it has too many characters.

Enjoyment 5/10

This was a personal thing, but I really loved Log Horizon season 1. I felt that it was everything SAO could and should have been. However, this 2nd season took a massive dip in quality. There were just too many story arcs that were unimportant and so many filler episodes just left me bored and uninterested. Also, there were way too many characters being introduced without proper development.

Overall 5/10

Very very disappointing. There were some bright spots and the very early parts of the 2nd season really lived up to the 1st season's quality, but then it takes a massive dip and becomes a boring snoozefest of endless filler episodes.

(This has been adapted from my reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

Something that Log Horizon 2nd Season does that is somewhat strange is bring us into another world. Not just a new world in the sense that the anime represents such a fiction, but a world within another. The people of Elder Tales experience this world and discover what anyone would: that perhaps their place among it isn't right. This feeling of not belonging is something that is found not only within our own lives but within the anime as well. Indeed, in more ways than one.

STORY

Log Horizon 2 begins pretty much where the first season left ... off. There are still problems to be solved within the world they inhabit, with the "Villain in Glasses" doing everything he can to alleviate their worries.

This second season of Log Horizon moves away from the political subterfuge that the first season capitalized on for a somewhat simple reason: this is the continuation. The anime already has its setting, the characters, and a wide set of rules in place and therefore opted to focus on an actual narrative as opposed to using the politics as a vehicle for everything that was going on. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. And this is because Log Horizon 2 refuses to do anything with any of the outcomes or plot lines that it follows and establishes. For example, it brings up the idea of item effects becoming true -- a rather neat development. But why this is the case or ways in which this affects what is happening around them are left unexplained. A more prominent example is the civil war that occurs between the People of the Land and the Adventurers. It sounds like an interesting route to take, but is never looked at seriously and even discarded by season's end. This rational can be found with nearly all of what Log Horizon 2 has to offer -- the "Geniuses," the Odyssey Knights, Roe 2, Kanami's events, training the People of the Land, death on the moon, etc. -- and only serves to make the plot seem incoherent in execution.

In order to have some kind of order, Log Horizon 2 splits itself up into essentially four different arcs: the Akatsuki arc, the Money arc, the Kids arc, and the Moth arc. Furthermore, each is categorized into two (given) themes: the first two are about "rising once more" while the last two are about "running with friends." And for the most part, this kind of separation works in the show's favor. Akatsuki's arc showcases her struggle, her need to prove her worth not only to the people around her, not only to Shiroe, but also to herself. She gets beaten, learns from her mistakes, and even perishes at one point. But that doesn't deter her resolve; rather, it bolsters her fortitude and allows her to rise to a new level both in body and in spirit. The Money arc, in a similar fashion, follows Shiroe, Williams, and Williams' guild as they fought over and over, never giving up or in. They band together to beat the impossible, which acts as a nice segue into the anime's second half and second motif; the notion of camaraderie. The Kids arc demonstrates the need to understand and nurture relationships between both the people you love and those you may not even know. And the Moth arc clearly depicts the idea that one almost never has to deal with everything on his or her own. That is, there are people around you who are able and willing to provide the support you need; you just need to ask.

Log Horizon 2 also manages to maintain a thematic presence between its respective arcs, too. And it's what was talked about in the introduction; not feeling like you belong. There are those times when it is difficult to understand the situation you are in or finding yourself questioning your own mindset, so you begin pondering what exactly the issue is. Log Horizon 2 does this for each of its partitions: Akatsuki wonders why she cannot be by Shiroe's side, Williams talks of finding solace in the gaming world, the kids witness a group of people who despise their position, and inkling feelings of wanting to return home loom large over many Adventurers. This kind of development is natural, especially in regards to that last point; literally being in a foreign land can cause any number of mixed emotions. But what each segment teaches is that it isn't so much worrying about belonging, but how you manage such a predicament in the first place. Which is what the previous themes aimed at doing; rising to the challenge and relying on the people around you. By following these two routes, belonging stops being an issue and starts being an afterthought. It doesn't happen instantaneously -- the Adventurers prove that finding one's place is a difficult process -- but when you do find that peace of mind, great happenings almost always await.

ANIMATION

Unfortunately for Log Horizon 2, the art and animation is severely lacking.

The art for the show, despite the world being so open and free, is filled with rather boring locales. Muddy caves, plain cities, and leafy forests are normally seen, but nothing is extraordinary. The real detriment, though, is the show's often distracting lack of quality. There are numerous occasions where characters are either malformed or given disproportionate features, causing their designs to be lacking in detail and attention.

The world within the anime lends itself well to interesting character designs, and therefore that is what's given here. Shiroe's signature white cloak, Akatsuki's ninja outfit, and Tetra's idol attire are easy examples of fun designs that fit the show's mood and provide the audience with the sense that these people really are just playing a video game.

Actual animation, though, is mostly below average. Many of the fights are given still frames or reduced actions that do not come off as appealing. And since a lot of what goes on within the show is dialogue between the characters, where only mouth movements are found, it only helps to accentuate the lack of animation during the battles that occur.

CHARACTERS

Log Horizon 2 is an anime with a large cast, almost too large for its own good. It isn't able to adequately peer at every character individually and instead sets its sights on two. One makes sense and the other is interesting: Akatsuki and Isuzu, respectively.

Akatsuki is a servant first and ninja second. As such, when she is left behind by her master, Shiroe, she feels conflicted. She cannot seem to understand why she has been delegated to such a role; that her place at Shiroe's side is almost unneeded. She feels completely weak, and when she is defeated in Akihabara it only helps to reaffirm this type of thinking. Yet, it's exactly what she required: within the dream-like world she meets up with the person she calls master. While there she learns that it isn't because she is weak that she was kept from fighting alongside him and the others, but because she is so strong, that only she could take up the task given to her, that Shiroe wanted her to remain at home. Upon reviving, she trains her heart out, and with the aide of those around her, she excels to new heights. She earns a special "Teaching," protects the town, and most of all, is confident now more than ever in the abilities that she always had.

During the second half of Log Horizon 2, during the Kids arc, the show actually chooses Isuzu of all people to really focus on. Her class as a Bard isn't just coincidence; her characterization reveals that, in the real world, not only was her father a renowned musician but she had taken up the guitar as well to follow in his wake. But she laments of her father's lost fame and of her own inadequacies as a guitarist. She feels that what she has to offer isn't worth much of anything, especially if the person she always looked up to, someone better than her, was always pushed to the side. But as Rudy, her close friend, describes to her, it isn't about being good or bad at whatever you do that counts. As long as you try, that you give it everything you have without any regrets, is what truly matters. For his people are not capable of creating the tunes she can; she is to them as her father is to her. Meaning what she can do is not only worthwhile but unique, more so than she ever thought possible. And with this newfound vigor, she does what she can for the people around her, supporting them in the way that only she is capable of doing.

What both Akatsuki and Isuzu demonstrate, besides their respective developments, is something that many of the characters experience throughout the entirety of the season. And that is the notion of self-esteem. Having the confidence to do what needs to be done -- to get up when fallen, to rely on your friends, to do what is right -- doesn't always come naturally. For many people, it's a difficult feeling that isn't inherent and must instead be "taught" to those that don't have a lot of it to begin with. This occurs with the former two ladies. But there are also those who lose it after having acquired it -- Shiroe experiences such a dilemma near the end where he doesn't fully believe in the path he has chosen. Touya holds his ground against the suicidal knights, Nureha stands up for herself, and Demiqas swallows his pride to help the very man who humiliated him. Having the confidence to perform certain deeds can be difficult to obtain, but once it is found, and as the characters of the anime portray, it brings with it its own brand of goodness.

SOUND

The OP for Log Horizon 2 remains the same, which is a wise decision. It's catchy, it's fun, and it's the database; it is literally Log Horizon's signature sound. The ED is fine, utilizing cute singing, a simple beat, and dainty piano playing. It can be quite catchy itself, especially with the ending "la's" that are used.

The rest of the soundtrack remains more or less the same from the first season as well. It contains uplifting battle tones with hard guitar, drums, and choirs -- the "Main Theme" is both the best track for this example and the best track that the show has to offer. It also uses mysterious tunes during explanatory moments, slow guitar playing during sadder ones, and flutes during the nonchalant times. It's a nice OST that captures the mood of the anime quite well.

As far as voice-acting is concerned, those involved give around average performances. A special shout-out goes to Yukiyo Fujii as Tetora for her cracking voice while speaking.

ENJOYMENT

I found myself not quite enjoying what this one was doing, mostly because it transitioned away from the politics and tried too hard to bring in as many different elements as it could. On top of this, many of the battles weren't very impressive to see despite them garnering so much focus. Furthermore, while the Kids arc was nicely executed, it was still quite boring to watch unfold.

The only characters that I had a fun time watching were Leonardo (the turtle) and Tetora (the idol). The former was just a really cool dude while the latter was always having fun, looking to bring a smile to both me and everyone else in the world. Leonardo hardly got any screen time, unfortunately; he was placed in the same spot as Nyanta -- really cool but underutilized. And Tetora couldn't always be around to bring about the laughs.

Log Horizon 2nd Season attempts to continue what its predecessor started. Unfortunately, due to an awkward story, shoddy animation, and boring segments throughout, this tale seems to still be questioning its own sense of belonging.

SUMMARY

Story: Fine, thematically strong but coherently weak

Animation: Bad, low quality art style, good character designs, below average actual animation

Characters: Good, Akatsuki, Isuzu, and the rest find the confidence to fight

Sound: Good, great OP, good ED, good soundtrack, average VA work

Enjoyment: Bad, lame fights, boring arcs, and only a few likable characters

Final Score: 5/10

Story:

Is Log Horizon 2 filler? Now, let's stop right there. The very fact that I even considered leading off a review with this question doesn't bode well. But, to answer that question: No, Log Horizon 2 is not filler, but it feels like filler. Everything in the show is canon, covering 4 light novels and even going into some material that hasn't been officially released yet. Season 1 adapted 5 LNs, so we're already looking at slightly less source material. Within these 4 LNs + extras of material, Log Horizon 2 decides to adapt 1 of them to only 1 episode, so we're left with ... 3 LNs + extras for 24 episodes.

So it should come to no surprise that the first point of contention is the dreadful pacing of the show. The plot moves extremely slow; there were multiple times that I got bored because I wanted the show to move a bit faster and get to the point. Log Horizon was never a fast paced show to begin with, but there were several episodes (especially in the 3rd arc) where it felt like virtually nothing happened. In fact, I might go so far as to say the first 21.5 episodes of Log Horizon 2 were a waste of time. We get 3 entire arcs during those episodes but we never actually see the results of those arcs. The plot feels contrived to the point of searching for something for the characters to do rather than them actually moving toward an obtainable goal. The last couple episodes sort of introduce an interesting goal, but by then it's too late. However, these episodes are actually good. Had we gotten a whole season of this it would have been much better.

But why don't we get any results? Because those arcs existed for the sake of character development. Log Horizon 2 develops Shiroe, Akatsuki, and the kids a little bit, but it takes way too long to do so. Log Horizon's strong suit was never its characters; it was the world and its MMO aspects that made the show interesting. So the fact that we spend so much time on one of the less interesting parts of Log Horizon hurts the show immensely.

While it spends so much time developing the cast, it also introduces a bunch of interesting ideas to the world. But Log Horizon 2 never goes anywhere with these cool ideas. They're shrugged off in favor of character development. Any expansion of these ideas would have been great.

Now I want to talk about the 3rd arc in particular. We follow the Log Horizon kids (colloquially called the Noob Squad) as they go on a quest. It's so boring and unrelatable that I wanted to drop the show, and I almost never drop shows. The Noob Squad is far and away the worst characters in the cast, and getting a second arc (they had a short one in S1) devoted to them is just too much. The slice of life "comedy" parts of this arc in particular are more cringe worthy than anything else.

Characters:

Again, Log Horizon 2 tries its best to develop its characters. We learn about them a little more and maybe change a little bit, but it doesn't really add anything to the show. Again, Log Horizon's strength was never its characters. Perhaps the biggest fault in terms of the cast is its sheer size. With 41 characters listed on MAL, it's unsurprising that the viewer might forget about some of the minor ones, especially when it comes to stuff like guild affiliation. Now, a large cast is not necessarily a bad thing. Legend of the Galactic Heroes doesn't get bashed for its huge cast. But Log Horizon doesn't always know what to do with all its characters, so many of them fall by the wayside.

Shiroe is still the best character in the show, but his screen time is limited compared to the first season. It's really disappointing because Shiroe was the one who most drove the plot forward in the first season. Plus we only get a fraction of the glasses pushes.

Oh, remember Nyanta? Everyone's favorite cat swashbuckler chef shows up for an episode or two just to remind us he exists. Instead we get Tetra, who serves almost no purpose besides comic relief.

Sound:

Log Horizon 2's OST uses many of the same tracks from the first season, and there's nothing fundamentally wrong with that. The songs are good; they usually fit the mood fine and there's nothing really to complain about there. Log Horizon's OP, Database, also returns for another go. Database is a good song, but I don't think we needed 50 episodes of it. Log Horizon 2's OP also shamelessly spoils some stuff from the series again. The ED isn't bad, but the transition into the ED is awful. There are a few episodes that end on a somber or intense note, and then the super happy ED pops in just before the episode actually ends and destroys the mood. The voice acting is fine. The kids' voices can get annoying though.

Art/Animation:

Log Horizon switches animation studios for its second season, going to the infamous Studio Deen. The first thing you'll notice is that characters look slightly different. It's most noticeable on characters with long hair such as Marielle. The designs are more faithful to the original source material, but I personally found the slight redesigns in the first season to be aesthetically pleasing.

The animation itself is bad to the point of distraction. Characters' faces never quite look right. Tons of shortcuts were taken and it's completely noticeable and frustrating.

Enjoyment:

Now, I could throw all this aside if the show manages to be fun to watch. For me, it wasn't. When my first thought week by week is "Let's get this over with" then that's a terrible sign. The show has a bunch of slice of life moments that are supposed to be funny or heartwarming or something, but they're tiresome and cringe worthy. The action scenes are all right, but they're few and far between and also take a few animation shortcuts that don't make them as fun as they could be. The plot isn't particularly engaging until the very end, but those last few episodes aren't enough to redeem the boredom that's before it. There are a few moments I genuinely enjoyed, but by and large it felt like a drag.

2/10

Yes, this is a harsh score. But if I can't take much of any enjoyment from the show and it doesn't really succeed in any area, it's tough to give it points at all.

If there was one series that can focus down the MMORPG concept to its core, Log Horizon would be the first name to pop into my mind. The franchise based off of the light novel of the same name returns for a second season and remains consistent with exactly the way it was. Only this time, the sequel is operated by a different studio (DEEN rather than Satelight.). Still, some of the core concepts of the series remain and the sequel is by no means a mud puddle to be stepped on.

As a former MMORPG player from a popular online game, I was intrigued ... by the way Log Horizon is designed. The first season focused down on the world building and characters in a very concise way. When it came to mechanics, the show was like a professor on steroids with the info dumping and game concepts. Likewise, the sequel concentrates on world building just as precise as the first season with some other twists and turnabouts. A popular question that may come to mind is if it’s required to watch the first season? My simple answer is: of course. Watching Log Horizon 2 without finishing the first season would be like taking a math test without studying for the formulas. While the consequences aren’t disastrous, the sequel will be a much better experience if you completed the first season.

To freshen up a bit, Log Horizon takes place in the world of ‘Elder Tale’. The world itself is based on a post-apocalyptic setting where fantasy defies reality. (that’s actually a bit ironic considering the tagline of the show is ‘this is our reality’). But when you add in fantasy and magic, it becomes MMORPG in its most classic style. As you may expect, members of the famous Log Horizon guild returns. Characters you should be familiar with such as Shiroe, Akatsuki, Naotsugu, Nyanta, Tohya, and Minori are just a few to name. The sequel also opens doors to new characters such as the trap Tetra as well as conflicts that may change the story forever. What you should be familiar with Log Horizon should also be the style. In general, the series has a slow pacing. Some episodes will drag and ultimately will take patience to get through. There is also a much less focus on the real life counterparts of the characters as opposed to their online counterparts; do note that a few episodes does offer a glimpse at their past. Nonetheless, Log Horizon is a show more about its world and characters rather than just progressive story movement. It still retains its various political and survival conflicts but doesn’t push that as its main course.

In terms of story, the sequel offers various glimpses at different sides of the series. From a bit of murder mystery to dungeon raids, the series adapts many gimmicks. It also stays true with many of MMORPG’s mechanics such as gold farmers, bots, pkers, and of course death. And in similarity with the first season, the show continuously presents its mechanics in a way that should be straightforward to almost any viewer. Even if you have never experienced the thrills of a MMORPG game, Log Horizon should be like a sample to you for what it should be. Also more noticeable about the series revolves with the political affairs and economics mechanics. After all, the author (Mamare Touno) is also known for writing Maoyuu Maou Yuusha with its focus on a bit of those as part of the gimmick. But what Log Horizon does better here is the balance with its story. Each episode either tells its own story or transits into what it already has set up. It can also shift in many ways to convey various moods. An apex part of the story is during the first half when the series explores the concept death and its aftermath. At a more careful glance, it’s evident that Log Horizon has an exotic way to portray such an event. It adapts emotions with realism despite taking place in the fantasy. It recreates human emotions in a world where nothing is really real. And in retrospect, death in MMORPG is one of the most debatable topics of controversy. In this sequel, it hit the nail in the coffin with that concept.

With a large cast of characters, it shouldn’t be surprise if some gets neglected by characterization. The main purpose of the show isn’t to give every single character their chance to shine but rather a way for them to play a role. It should therefore be clear that some characters’ roles will have a larger impact than others. However, it should be treat that the sequel also focuses on other groups in Log Horizon besides just Shiroe’s party. Unfortunately, Log Horizon’s characterization can suffer a bit when it comes to dynamics. There’s not much change from the first season with character relationships. Most of them still goes without much development. Take the example of Shiroe and Akatsuki. Although they share some special moments in the first half of the show, their relationship doesn’t progress further than being close friends. Similarly, Tohya’s team still retains their adventurous nature but without offering big chances for its members on an individual level in terms of characterization; except perhaps Tohya himself. That’s not a huge issue overall for Log Horizon but may be a backstabber for some who are interested to see the development of certain characters. In retrospect, don’t get your hopes high.

A technical change between the first season and this sequel is the studio. DEEN makes it a mission to adapt this series and although makes some attempts, it’s not overall impressive. Some character designs such as with Akatsuki looks slightly different while faces suffer a bit of disfiguration. It is less noticeable on some parts during this season while obvious at other times. Naturally though, the series retains its fantasy landscape with its fantastic features. DEEN does make a good attempt at that especially during some of the more intense dungeon raids. I think the trend the series follows sometimes with its fantasy elements is to bring out their cleverness. By this, it means that every aspect of the show needs to stay true to its mechanics because MMORPG should be creative and open minded with imaginatively. Precisely, the artwork for this to work needs to be adapted with a precision. By the end of the show, it can be a mixed bag on some parts with its hits and misses.

Soundtrack also plays some key roles in the season. However, one might feel both excited and disappointed by the OP song. If you’re a fan of Database, then this should be no problem. But if you were expecting some new, then news flash: the sequel doesn’t get a new OP song. It’s something you’ll have to deal with this vulnerability when it comes to repetitiveness. Similarly, character voices return with their casting roles. Nothing much is changed although one particular character may rob more attention than meets the eye; or perhaps I should say a trap? But perhaps the most prominent key highlights of this season is the stronger usage of its OST. This is put into moments when the show really stands out at its best to portray a blending line between fiction and reality. The musical and soundtrack trends is effortlessly portrayed to adapt MMORPG. I couldn’t say this with confidence as the first season didn’t truly stand out in that field. But taking a closer look at the sequel, I can do now.

So what to think of Log Horizon 2? Is it better or worse? Well, there’s a lot of ways to put it. If you’re a fan of the first season (either the anime adaptation or novels, then this might be exciting news for you. However, the overall terms of this adaptation doesn’t live up entirely to the hype. Like I mentioned before, Log Horizon is a fantasy show, one that combines MMORPG elements and characters with its storytelling. Each character has a sort of role that connect with the overall story. And while artwork isn’t top notch by expectations, the soundtrack makes it up with its lovingly delivery. Yes, there will be some episodes that will make your face go awe while others will feel like a waste of time. But by this point, it should be clear at what that Log Horizon has more ways to go.

At the point of reading this review for the second season of Log Horizon, I'm going to go ahead and assume that you've already completed the first season of this anime series. Do note too that this review is written with no knowledge of the Light Novels. Some spoilers may be in the following review. You have been warned.

Log Horizon Season 2, like its predecessor, has a storyline that has been re-used many times over in anime, and the setting of the anime is not a unique one, everyone is stuck in a game world due to several circumstances and are left trying to find ... a way out. Unlike other similar anime, however, the adventurers in this story are not desperate to find their way out of the game (at least, not all of them are,) and for the most part, are content with remaining the in the game world and managing their time and the situations faced in the game world itself instead. The story touches upon many interesting concepts in a game world; the politics of a fantasy world, and how one man leads his organisation to maintain peace and prosperity in his "town", and deals with the various issues facing the world. From mysterious effects coming alive to the dissatisfaction of the NPCs native to the Log Horizon world, there are indeed many issues that the show explored briefly which led me to be interested in continuing to watch the series. However, the major flaw within this series also lies in this area, while the concepts touched on were interesting, they were explored way too briefly.

There was way too much uninteresting dialogues or even monologues among the characters about how they felt and what needs to be done, or how they should work together to become stronger, etc etc and the development was drawn out far too much to keep the viewer hooked to the show. Sure, there were some decent fight scenes throughout, but these were kept to a minimum, and most of the episodes were about discussion of feelings, how they feel absolutely worthless in real life and how being a gamer and never giving up gave their life meaning (seriously?) and so on.

Throughout the plot, there was also various references to the threat of the Minami town (another player-controlled town) and that of another player-guild, Plant Hwyaden that was positioned to becoming the main antangonist of the story. However, much of that was left largely unexplained, and most of the confrontations between the protaganists and this guild was left to the user's imagination (the reasoning behind them, who they were, what they wanted to achieve, etc ). A war was constantly referred to, but there was no real indication that the war was about to begin anytime soon. Strange phenomenon occurred and a war is approaching is pretty much ubiquitous every episode, but fillers continue to drag the plot along mindlessly, with valentine festivals and stupid quests to make a magic bag, which bored me greatly. I ended up skipping through some of the more unbearable parts (will leave u to discover which). Towards the final two episodes, the plot began to pick up the pace, like the first season, but I knew two episodes could not be enough to give a satisfactory ending. Regardless, the interesting concepts explored were enough to make me want to finish the season (i had time), but it would probably be dropped were i any busier. To conclude, you would probably be better off watching an abridged version (or manually skipping fillers to the interesting parts.)

Art:
Nothing to mention much here, decent art overall.

Sound: Hated the opening song, but some like it , so meh. Ending is cute though. OSTs were normal, nothing worth mentioning.

Characters: Interesting, but too little was done to develop them. Ironically, the one they focused a lot on, the bard and her musical past, was incredibly boring.

Enjoyment: Given that you can endure the drag of the plot, it is fairly enjoyable.

Overall Score: 6/10

I am not biased or anything. I loved log horizon first season. It had decent premise, good character development and everything else was plain awesome. But how can such an anime stoop to such a low level in second season. I mean in second season they spoiled almost everything that the first season upholded. Second season was so focused on shiroe that nothing else mattered. All the girls were swooning over him. The swooning was there also in the first season, but was limited and had so many other elements that made the anime stand out. I mean other characters played a significant role in ... the first season, Whereas in the second season all the other characters were sidelined and Shiroe was a major part of the series.

This anime is a treat for five year old shiroe fan girl, For every one else its plain dreadful. It messed up so bad, I am considering SAO 1st season better than this.

Being a gamer myself, I'd always hoped for a decent MMORPG anime to be produced. Log Horizon S1 made itself clear that it was THE forerunner in the MMORPG genre. While it may not have been perfect, I believed it best and most realistically portrayed the experience of playing a MMORPG game.

However, S2 could not achieved what LH had done in S1. It was packed with filler episodes. It even swept some important characters under the rug.

Story: 5/10
The boss raid arc started strong. It mimicked what one would actually encounter while playing such a game. The teamwork, strategising, and skills used were ... enchanting. It actually made me want to play Log Horizon. However, Silver Sword guildmaster's(William) melodramatic breakdown was a tad too long for my liking - it felt like the producers purposely dragged that scene to fill up screen time. The raid also ended abruptly, and was rather anti-climatic. I thought that shiroe and the others would at least fight the last boss(some white winged angelic thingy) but was disappointed that it ended with just a verbal agreement between Shiroe and Kinjou.

The battle between Nelreth and Akiba was average. It did lead to Akatsuki's character development, but other than that this arc wasn't anything special.

Then came a filler arc - The journey of the 5 young kids of LH. Many viewers disliked it and found it hard to watch. I myself found it neutral, though it wasn't as enjoyable as watching a full raid take place(1st arc). This arc dragged on for too long, emphasizing too much on Isuzu's musical development. They introduced Roe 2, and although she seemed like she would be an amazing character, not much was talked about her apart from the fact that she was a navigator.

The last arc was another raid, but this time it was within the compounds of Akiba. It felt rushed and underdeveloped. More could have been said about the Raid Boss/Genius Monster/Old Man. This arc showed that Shiroe wasn't the all-perfect-planner that we thought he would be, and I appreciated that fact.

PLANT HWYADEN: What the hell happened to this guild??? The last episode of S1 ended with plant hwyaden potentially becoming a threat to the Akiba round table. Then it was swept under the rug for almost the entirety of this season. Thereafter, at the last few episodes, plant hwyaden suddenly wanted to collaborate with Akiba. What??

Art: 6/10
You could tell that LH S2 was animated by a different studio because animation became subpar. Some skills and magic spells looked good but the animation sorely lacked the consistency throughou the show.

Sound: 7/10
Reusing S1's OP made listening to the database chant a bit bothersome. I liked it at first, but after 50 episodes worth of such a chant, it became a bit mundane. I bet every one was hoping for a new OP made by the same band. Hell they should have used the song from Nanatsu No Taizai's second opening. It would have been awesomeeee. OSTs and the ED were average at best.

Character: 7/10
There were characters that were given proper development in this season, namely Akatsuki, Isuzu, Serara, Demikas, Isaac, William, and Shiroe. However, some characters which I thought would be fleshed out weren't, including members of Plant Hwyaden, Roe 2, Nureha, Kanami, and those people that were in the China server.

Overall: 7/10
Some may say that S2 was bad, because there were too many filler episodes. Be that as it may, even with noticeable flaws in this season, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I look forward to season three in hopes that they would answer the many questions that were left unanswered in S2.

What really let this season down I think was the arc that focused on the children in Log Horizon. It was pretty boring and Minori and Serara's fixation on Shiroe and Nyanta is really weird/innapropriate and sort of ruined all of those episodes for me.
Other than that, it was an enjoyable season, although not quite as good as the first.

The second season of Log Horizon brought more enjoyment to me than the last season. Sure, there were episodes that didn't contribute all that much to the storyline, and there is much less character development than I would have liked, but the character struggles are realistic and well placed. Very few times have I seen an anime that is as genuine as this one; most of the characters have something to fight for (which isn't the case for many anime).

The following may contain spoilers!

"it’s natural to want all of humanity to be happy, but that, in the end, is the beginning of sorrow". This ... powerful line illustrates one of the major thoughts brought up throughout the course of the episodes. Unlike the first season, where everybody seems to be content with the new world, season 2 introduces the dissatisfaction from many players about living in the world. The desire to return to the old world is contrasted with the desire to stay with the new friends made in the game world. In terms of new ideas, the second season does a fantastic job of introducing them at well placed intervals. 8/10

The story lags when the low level characters are sent to level up; for whatever reason, there is a focus on them that indicates their importance later on in Log Horizon. However, their importance was not revealed in this season, even with their participation in the final battle. The main story arcs (Akatsuki's teachings, the gold raid, and the radio tower raid) are fun to watch and somewhat advance the plot, but don't give a clear direction for the anime. The final battle leaves much to be desired, as the viewer may be left wondering what the past 25 episodes were even for. Story: 6/10

The art in this season is the same as the art in the first season, and is nothing spectacular (but also not bad). Art: 7/10

The soundtrack to the second season was quite powerful in some parts, and managed to give me chills on some occasions. Better than most anime soundtracks and appropriately timed, sound: 8/10

Character development is lacking. In my opinion, this is the biggest problem with Log Horizon: the character development. Firstly, how can one be attached to the characters if they aren't developed? Secondly, it is hard to see how one can be concerned for the characters when they cannot be killed. The battles are not as intense as say, Sword Art Online simply due to the fact that nobody cares if the characters die. They simply come back as if nothing happened. This is made worse by the fact that the characters are poorly developed, and thus makes the players actually seem like NPCs. Characters: 5/10

I enjoyed the second season of Log Horizon. However, the season is lacking in both story and character, both of which are vital parts of a good anime. My enjoyment peaked when Shiroe acted indecisively during the tower raid and Henriette slapped him; that's exactly what I wanted to do at that point. There was a level of satisfaction that was fulfilled in that moment, and that certainly gave me more reason to give a higher score to this season. Enjoyment: 6/10

Overall, this season is better than the first; however, it still lacks in important areas. If there is a season 3, the story and character development must improve else I may just end up falling asleep in the 10-13 episode range. Glad that Akatsuki did better than the middle school girl with Shiroe. Overall: 6/10

*Some spoilers ahead*

So, after im done with this series, i'd love to watch the 3rd season and waited for it. But some sites said that there'll be no 3rd season because the author will postpone the LN whatsoever and if there'll be a 3rd season, it will be around 2018-2019 which make me sad.

The story of this anime is 7/10 for me. There's some hidden character as well as the inventions of things become much more in this season. However, the bad thing is -THE ENDING- is not the ending but it is. it might be confusing but thats how the ending is. Its really ... dissapointing to see when the MC and his friend finally find a way to achieve their goal, the season ended and no announcement of the next season.

Art and sound sits pretty well in this anime. I dont really like the opening-ending music but the sound in battle is pretty good and the arc is awesome

The character is 6/10 for me, the reason are:
1.MC Harem with 2 girls
2.The kids always bugging me like how mature they are despite being a middle schoolers
3.Akatsuki, my fav become pretty useless in this season
2nd and 3rd point might be because of It's the story, but the 1st point is really unnecesary and make me cringe everytime

Enjoyment 9/10. I enjoy this anime because its like SAO - REBORN kind of anime but being MUCH better (SAO is bad for me) and its so different than other anime
So, overall i'd give this anime 8/10 point ,but i'd not recomend it to anyone untill season 3 is secured. bcs u know, i hate cliffhanger

I marathon-ed through Log Horizon Season 1 and 2 in two days. Just saying.

I see that many people share my view on the second season as well. It was a poor representation of what was supposed to be a sequel of a top-notch anime. Instead they delivered too many plot holes, endless filler episodes that had little or nothing to do with the main storyline and deprecated the value of the shining star that was season 1.

Don't get me wrong - season 2 had amazing episodes as well. But a few great episodes doesn't come as awesome as the first season. The atrocious thing about ... season 2 is that I had hoped that many of the questions I had from season 1 would be answered to some degree. It appears that I was wrong, and not only I didn't get an answer but it left me with more cliff-hangers and did an open ending. And now I have to wonder if there is season 3 coming. Why should I wonder? From the 50 episodes they made, I feel half are wasted on pointless filler and annoying plot twists.

If this is the end to the anime and season 3 isn't coming, then I have to say that they pissed on the anime and left it to rot in the sun.

First I have to say that I'm from Germany and my english isn't that good, but I try my best to make you understand.
And this is my first review and I'm just telling you my opinion of this anime so let's get started.

Log Horizon many people describe this sequel as bullshit but I don't get why, I guess they didn't think about the anime.
For me Log Horizon 2 is a good sequel, because it continues to the story and it shows you the mainstory at the last episode.
So at the beginning of the 2nd season Shiroe tried to get some more money for the budget ... of the round table and so he did an raid with the guild "Silver Sword" and they had some troubles because they had to fight 3 Raid-bosses at the same time. They lost and didn't get an stragedy to win against them, that was Shiroes 1st dead and so we were able to see what happens if they die. After that the guild leader of Silver Sword hold an speech about him and his relation to the game, to make hopes for everyone so that they'll keep fighting even if it looks that they can't win. Seriously this speech was awesome as fuck, and the whole arc with the 3 raid bosses and the awesome stragedy based fights was awesome as shit.
Then the side arc with Akatsuki in the main-role and the NPC who stole the armor of these guard's who saved the peace in the cities. That wasn't that awesome as the previous arc but it was good as well and they focused on the character dev. of Akatsuki.
Now the arc with the kids of Log Horizon. They're on low levels and they don't have these one magical bag without a limit and so they went on a journey to get these bags.
Another city started to cause some trouble and I still don't know what they tried to do or why they built that huge train for, this arc was just shit and I didn't get anything of it. This arc was a huge plotthole but let me see what this arc got. They told us something about the Odysee Knights and what happened to the other characters of the players, they met the 2nd character of Shiroe who was a woman and controlled by an bot and they're living on the moon. They focused on the character dev. of Suzu and Toya which was pretty interesting.
In the last arc some monsters attacked the city and made the NPC's sleeping, so they tried to find out what happened. This arc was an perfect arc for the ending, because the end of that arc answered so many questions as example :
Who the fuck is this one girl who was shown in the opening of Log Horizon 1 already?
What happened to crusty?
And what is their goal in the main story?
These are just examples what the last arc answered to us.
In all the Anime wasn't as good as season one but it was a very good sequel to the first season. Because of this season we know more about the characters, we finally know what the main story is now. I seriously can't get why people rate this anime so bad but well hope you liked my review. If you watched the prequel just keep going and watch the 2nd season.

I'd honestly give it more than 10 if I could.

I really enjoyed the world build -- even though the anime had a slow pace, the two seasons taking over a full year of in-game-time, the build didn't focus on one main character and gave all the rest of events as given out, just in some dialogue like "this and that happened in suskino". Instead, the world was built from a character's perspective, whether it would be shiroe, tohya or akatsuki, and then it was built as a guild, as a city, as a server, and now as a whole world (and the moon).

Sure, there were ... politics involved, and large scale events, but that's the whole beauty of this world. A new world where people gain power and are no longer just tiny screws in a system, powerless to do anything.

I also really really enjoyed the MMO aspects of the show -- it felt just like watching a game, but better and far more realistic and engaging. It really fired me up to play again (hopefully I'd get isekai-d like this too :3); you could see the author played some traditional MMOs. The raid episodes were really amazing, seeing how all of them worked as a team together, after spending a month walking there together. Everyone were so friendly towards each other, just like game communities.

I also disagree with the widespread idea that the episodes on sia's brother were redundant -- right, they removed screentime from shiroe and the guild, but, they showed us a new side of the world too, the people of the land's point of view and the newely coming heir of the cowen family, who would rule the people of the land under eastel.

The Elder-Tale world is just about the real world, but better in every single aspect -- there are seemingly no diseases, time moves slower (12 times slower, meaning people could live up to 1200 years old!), no bugs (ffs bugs why do you even exist), people could gain power and most are using it for the better good, and of course, dying doesn't mean dying anymore, so people aren't afraid to explore and discover the new world they're in, or fight and stand for their own.

Overall I give the anime about 30/10, for the great world building and igniting me the passion to play MMOs again. Thanks, Mamare Touno, for giving birth to this series :D






Kanami best waifu OwO

I thought this was a fine continuation of Log Horizon, even if not up to standards with the previous season. There was a crew of new interesting characters that they added that weren't hard to keep track at all.Following the story wasn't difficult at all despite the perspectives switching constantly.

The new people all had distinct personalities that differentiated them from the rest, while those that weren't really explored in the first season had their backgrounds and character fleshed out. The story was interesting enough to keep me watching BUT the whole season felt like a way to transition the story rather than real major plot ... development. The whole season had little progress in the actual story, but I believe things will be quicker in season 3 with the setting laid out.

One of log horizon's main attractions was it's setting in an mmo world. It did an adequate job in capturing the feel of MMORPGS with the backdrop feeling very natural, and it's plot smoothly connecting with it, while not forcing it into the environment.

The art and sound are up to par with the previous season so take that with what you will.

So all in all, this season was a slight disappointment, but given how high the standards were set, it's still very watchable.

Now his was rather disappointing. After the seeing the first season I had really gotten into it. If had a lot of great plot developments and the scenario's had a feeling of how a chess match unfolds, of course with more intensity though. Everything was not just about adapting to the new life but the adventure of it and the jaw dropping stagnates that Shiroe could weave. That however all kind of feel through in season two. The stories did not have as much weight and momentum to them anymore. The pull that it had in the first season that grabbed your attention became very ... watered down and diluted. It was pretty much a wash in the end in my opinion. I watch it all the way through hoping that it would at least give some decent sense of closure, yet that fell short of the strings of hope I held onto. It's like those blockbuster movies that do so great they decide to make a second. It's never as good as the first and always is a letdown in comparison. They have some good episode I give them that, so some may like to watch it. I suggest that for those of you that liked the first season a lot it would be best to just end with that and keep the memory of how good it was.

While the first season of Log Horizon was good in general,the second one is a mix of moments of brilliance and failures. The show still manages to have a diverse cast of characters and make almost each one of them feel important and it also touches on some deep subjects like people feeling stuck in Elder Tale and wanting to return home to their loved ones or the sentiment of purpose episode 10 being especially noteworthy for any who played an mmorpg.

That being said the show has it's downfalls especially as you get to the end, it starts to shower you with childlike ideals and ... thoughts and the ending is... lacking and generic but it's not actually an ending it feels more like a setup for a third season which I really hope we will one day get.

To sum it up,this show may not the brightest gem of the bunch but it's still a gem and it's really worth your time watching it.

(This is my First review btw )

Story:7

The overall plot wasn't bad and I found it interesting, but it wasn't like it was only one story for the whole season. The plot had a few different struggles that the Characters had to over come that didn't really have a connection. I feel like they could have either made a better/stronger sub plot that links everything that is happening together. Besides that the story was all right and I did Enjoy it.

(if theres a season three maybe a sub plot that links everything will show/be explained)

Art/Animation:9

So I am not really one to care about the art ... too much, but I don't like terrible animation. I thought the animation was smooth and art the was pretty good, but then again, thats not the main thing I care about.

Sound:9
(btw I watched the dub)
I thought the music was done well and overall fit the style of the anime. The voices fit their characters and expressed emotion well.

Character:10

I feel that they did a pretty good job of showing characters and how they developed. New Characters where introduced well and over all i didn't think them to be cliche or boring. The characters each had their own personalities that i enjoyed

Enjoyment:8

I enjoyed Log horizon the second season a lot and would definitely recommend it. It was intriguing and funny too. Besides the plot not being presented as well as it could have, I still liked it a lot.

Please see my review for Season 1 of Log Horizon for a somewhat brief synopsis of my background with MMORPG’s.

As I “finish” more anime, the style in which I intend to review is going to evolve and refine itself. As I will state in all of my reviews, I do not review with the intent of making someone else watch a show. Nor do I review with the expectation that ANYONE will agree with the conclusions and opinions laid out. My reviews are simply my experiences, reactions, feelings and most importantly my own opinions on whatever subject matter is being reviewed. If you read ... this review, and then watch the show and find yourself disagreeing with what I have said, that is because everyone has different opinions. These are simply my own, take that how you will.

I find that many Anime shows are doomed from the beginning. Every show that comes out now is constantly compared to any shows that came before it that are even remotely related. I’ve often heard of the “best” shows being referred to as a Meta, similar to MOBA games in where specific setups or characters are considered the “best” by everyone. If the newly found shows do not succeed in the same areas or ways that other shows before have, then these shows are deemed as failures. Why can’t each show be judged solely as its own entity without needless comparison to other series. I feel as though this is where I have an advantage thus far as I do not have a lot of experience to draw from. However, I intend to do my best to keep an open mind going into each and every new show that I watch. I would like to judge the show as it is, with all of its own components. Not what the show could have been, or should have been. I believe that each show is released in the state that the show creators wanted, if it wasn’t they would have changed it. What’s being portrayed to all of us through these works of art is the artists depictions of whatever story they want to tell. We should judge them as such. How we want a story to turn out, or how other shows have turned out should have no impact on whether or not the show is deemed as good. Disagreeing with an artists story is fine, but telling them their work is a failure because you wanted something different to happen is asinine. Try to look at it from the storytellers perspective, instead of what you want.

For me, Log Horizon’s second season was never going to maintain the same highs as its first. In my eyes, season 1 was everything it could’ve been and more. There was just too much happening and too many details that were vital for a first season to really let the show slow down at any point. However, as a continuation of the series, I find it hard to fathom that anyone who genuinely enjoyed the first season would not enjoy the second. The same complex details of the storyline and the depth of the MMORPG details are still present. While also committing to keeping each character that was already established interesting while introducing new characters as well. We see many of the very young and less mature characters really come into their own in season 2 and discover how capable they truly are. I find myself on the fence in that we don’t get as much character development as we do inside of the game but outside, but I don’t know if that is a good thing or not. I also find that every time I think I know who is pulling the strings behind the scenes or what’s going to happen, I am wrong. The show continually finds ways to surprise me.

The entire world of Elder Tale starts to really shape up by the end of season 2. You can really see what impact and relevance the ‘Adventurers’ are having not only on the world of Elder Tale, but on the minds of the adventurers as well. Throughout the season there are many new twists and turns that, for me, leave me wanting to watch the next episode immediately. I never found myself bored, or losing interest. I was always curious to see where things went or how they turned out.

Season 2 really continued to provide me with the prolonged feelings of nostalgia and enjoyment that season 1 gave. In certain areas of the season, it gave me even more than season 1. At the end of each episode I still found myself longing for a return to my glory days of MMORPG’s. I found myself leaving season 2 with little to really complain about or wish to see differently. However, I think that’s solely because I just refuse to try to see what isn’t there. I enjoyed what I was given by the creators, and whether or not Season 3 is an actuality I will be happy. I would love more Log Horizon as it has quickly become my new favorite Anime.

When you watch a show with expectations of other shows, I really believe it drags down the viewers ability to really take in or enjoy what they are watching. In the same light, going into a show with predefined expectations set by others is also a good way to know you won’t like it beforehand. I do my best to avoid any reviews, spoilers or opinions before embarking into a new show. I don’t want any second-hand knowledge to influence any opinions I have about the show. Diving into the world of Elder tale has been some of the most enjoyable watching of any medium I have experienced in quite some time. I have no doubt that my lack of experience in Anime and my bias towards MMORPG’s play a strong part in that. However, nothing can take away the enjoyment or satisfaction I got from this show.

While it may be counter-intuitive to what I said earlier, in my opinion, if you enjoyed season 1, you should give season 2 a chance. The world is too deprived of good entertainment, and life is too short to be picky about every little thing. I am thankful to have watched this show before watching many other Anime. I can only hope enough people out there will enjoy this as much as I have and the show will be allowed to continue for at least 1 more season.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review. I am always available via message if you find it necessary to tell me how wrong I am or how terrible my taste is, etc. Or if you’d like to discuss the show more, my past with MMO’s or just make a new friend.