Log Horizon

What started off as what seemed to be a bland-version of Sword Art Online turned out to be one of the hidden gems of anime shows. Log Horizon starts off slow with the usual setup of a "no-faults" main character, but with a slight difference. That difference is how the main character, Shiroe, strategically approaches each situation that makes Log Horizon an exciting show to watch. Shiroe isn’t the typical shounen main character that powers up throughout the story and then overpowers his enemies. Rather, he’s the guy in the background, the “villain in glasses” who controls the flow and direction of battle. Overall, Log ... Horizon is a genuinely fun show without all the pitfalls that we've come to expect from a shounen-type series.

The story begins by introducing a set of typical MMORPG rules/restrictions that many viewers are familiar with. But what's not so familiar are the way these rules are manipulated, opening paths to feats that were previously impossible. When one thinks of rules and boundaries, one would assume that it would limit whatever it governs. Ironically, these strict rules expand Log Horizon's story from a generic show to a well thought-out strategic adventure. It's an extremely appealing story given the relatability to many of its viewers. Having played games like World of Warcraft, I and many other viewers understand how the core mechanics of questing, leveling, raiding and more work. That’s why when other possibilities that greatly affect these game mechanics are discovered, Log Horizon truly becomes special. It also feels completely plausible. It is NOT a “power of friendship defeating the boss that was previously kicking your ass.” It’s fundamentally sound and really becomes an intriguing show.

Although some may disagree, I really thought that one of the show’s biggest strength is how the characters all have defined, unique roles. Where Shiroe is the leader in the shadows, Crusty is the leader in the spotlight. Where Akatsuki is loyal, quiet and small, Naotsugu is the loud, pervy and funny big guy. And you also have... Rundelhaus, who's in a category of his own when it comes to goofiness. These kinds of distinctions allow Log Horizon to have all kinds of interactions between characters and the possibilities become endless. To me, the characters are one of the biggest strengths of the show.

The story is what makes Log Horizon quite different from a typical shounen show. It has heavy political/economical themes that tie well into one of the show’s biggest points: building a world. In fact, there are a few episodes where the dialogue gets quite heavy and may not be everyone’s cup of tea. With that being said, I genuinely enjoyed the dialogue and found the story to be engaging. Log Horizon also executes its' story quite well. I found the pacing and structure of the arcs to be satisfactory and enjoyable.

Art is decent, it's not UFOtable amazing, but not terrible either. It's consistently pretty decent and not "inconsistent" like some other shows. Nothing else to be said here.

Sound is decent as well, the opening and ending songs are quite good but take time to get used to. The background music, while not bad, is overused. You'll know what I mean when you get halfway through the season.

With all that being said, Log Horizon is not a perfect show. For example, why does no one care about what's happening to their bodies in the real world? You'll find yourself asking this question as you watch the show. It's almost as if the topic of what's going on in the real world is completely forgotten. Also, some people may find that the interactions between the characters become quite repetitive, especially with Henrietta, who has a loli fetish for Akatsuki. Her interactions with Akatsuki are always of the same manner and it gets boring very quickly. It seems that Akatsuki's character is reduced to mere loli humor later in the show.

On a side note, I really feel that it's important to point out that Log Horizon is not a combat-heavy show. That in itself already distinguishes itself from other shounen shows. But what's really important is how the show focuses on actual strategy and manipulating the rules within the game world that the characters live in. If Log Horizon's story didn't have these elements, I really believe that Log Horizon would not be an exciting show to watch, it would just be another okay show.

Log Horizon is not your typical show. It has firm grounded roots of realism in a world of fantasy that is genuinely exciting to watch. From diverse characters, to bending the rules in a world most of us are accustomed to, Log Horizon is a good show and is worth your time. With that being said, it is by no means a perfect show. It's a rather simple show in terms of concepts, as well as having plot holes in the overall story. But Log Horizon more than makes up for it in terms of its pure enjoyability (isn't that why we watch anime in the first place?) and execution of its story.

Log Horizon. The basic premise, as is evident in the synopsis, centres around a group of players who by some - as of yet - unexplained phenomenon, got stuck in an online massive multi player role playing game.

I can imagine anyone familiar with Sword Art Online doing a double take at this point, obviously comparing the two anime, itching to see how one holds up against the other. SAO lovers and haters alike will travel down this line of thought. To be honest, I was and is one of the latter. Infact, I went into the series hoping to find all I missed ... in SAO after reading some assuring extracts that put this above Sword Art Online. And it did deliver.

I should mention, however, that this anime is not everyone's cup of tea. If you're not the type to sit down and enjoy a dialogue heavy show such as this, the anime will most certainly come off as dry and boring. To be fair, if you're on the extreme end of dialogue-heavy fanaticism, the end-result won't vary. Log Horizon is the kind of anime that sits on the neutral ground - its dialogue heavy, but the concepts are not overly complex, thought provoking or riddled with worldly wise philosophies.

That is not to say the show is not intelligent, but nonetheless, if you take the word of Log Horizon fans(a.k.a SAO haters) that judge the show as the intellectual's SAO, then you'll end up sorely let down. Because, at the end of the day, Log Horizon is still a kids show that shows no shame in shying away from the more ugly facets of the scenario, and the devious schemes that characters keep praising as something phenomenal are rather elementary.

Not that its a bad thing, the anime itself doesn't go out of its way to show its characters as human super computers or anything. We just get a normal gamer guy with above average intelligence, and one who actually does his homework to get things done. Seeing he's surrounded by other normal people and AI, it might even be a good thing. The situations themselves doesn't call for anything more than some rudimentary marketing and administrative tactics and strategies.

The story is in any case, fairly well executed and implemented; you won't find the characters doing utterly pointless actions or going on completely fruitless endeavours. Although, like they say, don't judge a book by its cover, because first arc of Log Horizon can mislead you on the show's main focus. Without spoiling too much, they first go on a rescue mission and the short arc serves as an exposition of sorts to give us a gist of the combat and gameplay mechanics, which while not a central theme, does get some focus later on in the series. Even so, combat is not heavy in Log Horizon. When there is action, it mostly relies on tactics and strategy. There is no one-man show where the mc's love overrides the game mechanics or anything. But, if you forget the two arcs where action is important - Log Horizon is about economics and politics at its core.

One significant factor that differentiates Log Horizon from its thematic predecessors like SAO and .hack series is that death in the game does not equate to death in real life. That is, the players can respawn infinitely. It is not without consequence though, as there is something even more terrible than death that await the players who carelessly let their HP bars easily chip away to zero. Oops, I said too much. Maybe you should go watch the anime, because I won't be dropping any more spoilers.

Now, onto the sound. The OST at first didn't at all sit well with me. It was sharply contrasting to the shows feel and theme. However, slowly but surely, I ended up loving it and started humming along. I can't honestly speak in-depth about the back-ground score...But they were certainly mood building, though I have my doubts about whether they went overboard with it. Some of the mood-building has gone to water and left me with a facepalm because the epic moments were made epic only because of the soundtracks. Without those, I wouldn't have batted an eye at the game winning strategies the characters employed and would have wrote them off as common sense. Meanwhile, the ending has already found a place in my favorites. Never skipped it, infact, I'm listening to it as I'm typing.

The art was quite mediocre. Nothing to speak of. Its not too bad and its not too good. I felt that it didn't quite feel like a game for most part. But you really can't complain, for all we know, they may not even be stuck in a game per se. The character designs were pretty generic and all of anime's usual motifs are used. I particularly liked the mc's design.

Characters of Log Horizon are not unique or spectacular in any sense. But they get their job done, and the mc is a wits above fists guy for once, and he's good at it. There is also the charismatic guy who gets all the praise, but luckily, we see him as a side character for the better part of the show. Not really surprising given Log Horizon takes a radically different route than most mainstream shounen shows by focusing on the action behind the scenes far more than the frontline adventures.

I have noticed the characters getting blamed for reacting too calmly towards their predicament and this is one of those criticisms I don't understand. If you came across such a criticism, take my word - that is baseless. Completely baseless.

One character I was thoroughly disappointed with was the loli assassin, Akatsuki. I actually had high hopes for her. But much to my dismay, her potential as a character was left untapped in terms of both execution and elucidation. I certainly won't condemn her character for development as she seemed to be wallowing in sadness because of her inability to be of sufficient use, and even more her because of her being unable to empathize with the mc towards the end. She still has a lot of potential for development, especially in the light of next season coming shortly. No, my problem is with her lack of chemistry with the mc. The same slap-stick jokes with the show's resident pervert can get old really easily, and the whole cosplay facade she uses to interact with Shiroe doesn't help either. Heck, Shiroe himself thinks her antics are nothing more than cosplaying when her personal monologues shows that she is invested in Shiroe on a more than superficial level. If there was some backstory for such an introverted personality, then I could have let it slip. But sadly, nothing of that sort came up. I'm hoping that the next season will take some time to flesh out her character, seeing she's the main female lead.

Rest of the characters were great for the duration of the show and we can hope that they will play more important roles in the upcoming sequel. Some of the secondary cast got a lot more development than the main cast, both a positive and negative point in my books.

Another weakness in its character department comes from overuse of certain gags. Shiroe adjusting his glasses when thinking making everyone go 'Ooohh the villain in glasses', Henrietta's obsession with dressing up lolis, Naotsugu's openly showing perverted tendencies only to get interrupted halfway by wrathful Akatsuki etc being only some of the examples. While this is not uncommon or ineffective, too much of these can be frustrating.

As I mentioned at the beginning, this anime is not for everyone. For those who like dialogue heavy anime that is not dark or depressing, with some light slapstick comedy thrown in for good measure - this is exactly what you're looking for.

As a last note, I must warn anyone who has been pushed onto taking up this anime by SAO haters - Granted, its different from SAO and does decidedly better than SAO on the story department, particularly the pacing. But its not the masterpiece that many of them paint it to be. Log Horizon is a little above the average shounen, however, its still an anime with flaws that cannot be overlooked. My own overall score is a result of the kind of entertainment I derived and not at all reflecting of the show's quality from an objective standpoint.

There are certain degrees to which MMROPG series are adapted these days. While not an original concept, Log Horizon has been unanimously compared to another popular series known as Sword Art Online. It’s almost unavoidable considering both series are based off a light novel and relates to character in an MMORPG setting – an open world based off a video game. But really, that’s all there is to it and the similarities ends there. Log Horizon isn’t a rip off of SAO, .//hack franchise, or anything else relating to the MMOROPG theme. It’s a show that shines in its own way that makes its point ... in the horizons.

Log Horizon is an anime adapted series based off the light novel of the same name written by Mamare Touno. The setting takes place in a virtual world known as ‘Elder Tale’. Log Horizon follows the story of a young man known as Shiroe who has earned a reputation in the community. His nickname “Shiroe the Strategist” fits his title exactly as such because of his analytical skills and abilities of intellect. Together with his companions, they take on this world that blurs between the lines of fiction and reality.

As a MMORPG series, Log Horizon adapts many of its concepts relating to the fantasy realm. Nothing in Elder Tale is real but they have their own mechanics. These include but is not limited to various classes players can adapt their roles in, monster categories, economic/politic aesthetics, and world concepts. In fact, the world that Log Horizon is based on is colored with all sorts of fantasy attributes; goblins, murlocs, gryphons to just name a few. More importantly is the fact that the world itself also has its own rules such as penalties, death/respawns, pking, etc. On many chances, Log Horizon follows a suit of narrative through which mechanics are explained thoroughly to give viewers insights. These narratives often goes over background information and how exactly certain notions function. Log Horizon presents this flawlessly because it both tell and shows its mechanics firsthand. It brings out its best when the show follows the concepts of actual MMORPG mechanics. As a former MMORPG player, I am pleased to see this such concepts being explored. More so, Log Horizon also focuses on world building with its construction of its fictional universe. It aims to inform, presents it, and delivers.

Series based off of MMORPG often incorporates a large cast of characters. Log Horizon is no stranger to a large cast. Most prominently however are our main protagonists of the guild – Log Horizon. Shiroe, Naotsugu, Akatsuki, Nyanta, Minori, Tohya, and Isuzu makes up this group of players and together stands as a unity to face their world. Even from the first episode, there’s a sudden degree of chemistry between each member that can attract viewers to see how it develops. On a technical level, each character has their own personalities and more importantly, a class and level. This is important as each class has a skill of its own as well as a sub-class that is imperative for a guild to survive. For example, Akatsuki’s class is ‘assassin’ with a sub-class of ‘tracker’. Both of these functions well in stealth missions where infiltration and gathering information is significant to ensure a guild’s success. Log Horizon demonstrates this well on various degrees by testing the limits of these classes for both its advantages and flaws.

The series functions well in terms of storytelling on most parts. Every episode offers something new to the audience with its game mechanics whether it’s combat, politics, or even culinary. While the series does have its concept of survival, it doesn’t just focus on that exclusively. Rather, its formula consists of various degrees of concepts that connects the story as a whole. It focuses on an internal level of struggle and warfare that sets Log Horizon as a unique series. Furthermore, it also engineers the overall theme of the plot and doesn’t go overboard with its comedy, drama, or even romance. Of course, there is also action offered which brings the show to life with its sequences. What makes it more entertaining and attractive is the way characters engage in combat with their skills based off their classes. Even players in a party such as healers play prominent roles and no one is left in the dust. There is also no player that plays the role of an overpowered protagonist or break through impossible circumstances through deus ex machina. The concepts and mechanics are explained beforehand and applies when the time calls for it.

Even though Log Horizon is the main guild that is explored throughout the series, it doesn’t just focus on them. Supporting characters also get their spotlights with their own classes, levels, and secrets. There’s a degree of connection that the audience can relate to. There’s no random fan service or the typical cliche of the accidental bath walk-ins that sets no relations. As a fan of MMORPG games, I appreciate its presentation that focuses supporting characters and not just its core players. Even NPCs (non-playable player) gets its exploration that is intuitive. And as a MMORPG based off setting world, it doesn’t forget to add the idea of PKers – player killers. It’s a common sight to see and offers a threat for players to face beyond just the world and its creatures.

As fantastic as it sounds, Log Horizon is by no means a perfect series. Fantasy wise, the world of Elder Tale adapts itself well but hard to take it at heart. It quirks into silliness with its high dosage of comedy that makes it hard to take the show seriously on occasions. Demonstrated by its cartoonish designs, most of the characters lacks any features of impressive design. Akatsuki is also advertised as a young girl with a cute face but dangerous nature which is ironic since her age contrasts greatly with her appearance. Her devotion to Shiroe, or rather in her words “protecting her lord” can get repetitive and lacks substance. Essentially, Akatsuki suffers from developments and characterization. And from some flashbacks are shown, most of the main characters’ backgrounds are only briefly touched and vaguely touched upon. It leaves viewers in the dark as to how our characters became the players are they are in Log Horizon. Finally, the connection between the players in the game and their real life counterparts is completely omitted leaving viewers in the dark on their origins.

Despite some of these drawbacks, Log Horizon still offers impressive features to take notice of. From minute one, the show focuses on its theme and doesn’t venture far off of it. The world of Elder Tale also presents location that is credible such as the natural mountains, the ruined cities (that resembles past civilization), fresh breathing beaches, and dampening caverns. There’s a sense of reality that the audience might relate to if they have played MMORPG games in the past. It adapts itself based on these themes where Log Horizon and should be endeared.

The artwork of Log Horizon strikes as a make or break situation. By credibility, it works out very well with adapting its fantasy style of Elder Tale. Satelite studios previously were involved with other fantasy series such as Guin Saga, Arata Kangatari, and Fairy Tail. Here, they make the show believable with its artwork designs at the surface level. On other hand, character designs sometimes becomes distracting and hard to take seriously with their designs. Akatsuki is perhaps the character that stands out the most with her appearance as an assassin but nothing else strikes more than her as that. This same applies to Shiroe with his geeky like appearance that acts as the brainiac of the group. They just seems to be there with its blend background. However, Nyanta is one character to take notice of because of its feline features that really defines the fantasy atmosphere to what Log Horizon is.

Soundtrack wise, Log Horizon strikes as an outstanding feature. Beginning with the OP song, the show defines itself with the theme of “Database” that blurs between lines of fiction and reality. Most characters’ voices fits their roles well with some that defines their characters more than others such as Nyanta. The OST also performs at a level that matches scenes whether it strikes as important, emotional, cinematic, or comical. The ED song also reflects a more innocent theme with Akatsuki as its main mascot.

As a former MMORPG player, I appreciate the way Log Horizon presented itself. Rather than just going with a concept of the typical virtual war trope or saving the world, Log Horizon sets its basis on a foundation of mechanics that is presented in an exquisite way. Not only is it accurate to the basis of an MMORPG setting but the characters themselves drives the story with their adequate roles. Log Horizon also likes to focus on various degrees of politics and economics to explore its insight on a more intellectual level. It also adapts world building concepts that becomes a focus to drive the story forward. It explores territory an MMORPG exactly as it should be and doesn’t lose track. On some technical note, it can take some time to get used to the artwork. Comedy can also strike as a hit or miss depending on your preferences. Still, the end game is that Log Horizon is an unique series. It’s not a clone of Sword Art Online or does it leave audience confused. In fact, you’ll likely be forming your own theories as each episode progresses relating to its world and characters. It’s appreciable that Log Horizon can adapts so many concepts into the show as an industrial revolution of success.

This is not Sword Art Online period.

I've decided to write a review because I severely misjudged this anime by assuming it was a cheaply made SAO knock off.

Although it has the same premise of players being stuck in a virtual world, Log Horizon approaches the theme in a different direction by mainly focusing on the impact and development the players have on the virtual world of Elder Tale. The author's approach on the subject of assimilation, which I personally felt SAO lacked, left me thoroughly satisfied with political and historical based struggles of settlement, such as laws, and cultural integration between Adventurers (Players) and ... People of the Land (NPC's).

Being a fan and enjoying both series, I will confidently state that I honestly enjoyed Log Horizon more than Sword Art Online as a more unique and thoroughly written and well developed storyline.

A review for Log Horizon, a show that for a long time has been my favourites, and is currently the only show I've ever fully rewatched. The 2nd season is a different story for me, but this is the first one, and this is the Log Horizon I love.
This review includes spoilers from only the early episodes, so I can freely explain the plot of the story.

Story: Plot 4/5, Development 5/5, Total 9/10

In the first episode Shiroe, a gamer that has been playing Elder Tale for soon 8 years finds out he is locked inside his game world. He goes on to find his friend ... Naotsugu and meets up with an assassin called Akatsuki. In hope of finding out more about this world he now lives in, he goes north on a quest to find Serara, a girl from his friend's Marielle's guild.

The great thing about the plot is that it is unique, and also not that straight-forward compared to Sword Art Online. What I mean is that you can't see the end of the series in the first episode, and I think that is a great aspect in series. I find motivation to watch the series when I don't know what'll happen and thats why I think the plot of this series is great.

Now on to the development - the story goes all different ways. On Shiroe's journey(and in the arcs that don't include Shiroe) you will see all aspects of the Elder Tale community and how it's changed. Shiroe is a man of action, and though there aren't fights all the time Shiroe is always fighting. Some might consider the end of the season weak, but I think it's a great introduction to the second season.

Art: Animation 2/5, Design 4/5, Total 6/10

The art of Log Horizon is cheap, and the battle scenes are weak(That's probably why we don't see a lot of them). How ever, some fights are still in battle and though the fights dont bring out a lot of visuals they add to the enjoyment in many different ways. The design is very nice and the Elder Tale world is bright and pretty. Later in the show the art suffers, maybe something like a degradation in production work(maybe because of a small budget?) and the things we liked dissapear.

Sound: Voices 3/4, OP/ED 0/2, OST 4/4, Total 7/10

The voices in the show are mostly on-point, though there were some misfits and I notice the voices are sometimes over-done and sound a bit stupid, though were few of these flaws.

The opening for this series is a good song, though it's a minus that I can't say "The Openings" since there only is one, and you only like it for a while, since in the beginning you think it's too repetetive and in the end of the show you get tired of it. I dislike Loli(a lot) and though I like some J-pop songs this one didn't cut it for me.

For the OST, this is the best part. It's the main OST, the one where you know Shiroe, our MC is going to f*** s*** up, a happy one, and a couple of neutral ones. Some are done by orchestra's and your ears recieve a great massage in every episode. I absolutely loved the OST for this show.

Character: 4/5 Design, 5/5 Development, Total 9/10

Some of the characters in Log Horizon might seem like clichè anime characters to some, but they all have their play in the anime and they all add greatly to a nice community of Log Horizon where all the small chit chats add to the enjoyment. Now for the main characters;
Shiroe - Our main protagonist, a university student in his middle twenties, also the strategist of the Legendary "Debauchery Tea Party". He is friendly but people call him "The Villain in Glasses" because of his drastic choices and amazing plans.
Akatsuki - A loli ninja that includes roleplay in Elder Tale even after the day they all moved into Log Horizon, making Shiroe her master.
Naotsugu - A pervert Guardian that used to be a part of Shiroe's party, being on all the big raids. He also knows Shiroe in real life.
Nyanta - Also a roleplayer after the Apocalypse, the half-cat man is referred to as "Chief" by Shiroe, Naotsugu and others that used to be a part of the Debauchery Tea Party. Little of his backstory is revealed, though something hints to that he teached Shiroe the game when he was starting out.

Now onto the development of the characters, where Log Horizon really outdoes itself. We have development arc's that greatly tell us about the supporting characters and the main characters, we are introduced to traits that we didn't know the characters had and you won't say "That character is normal, just like me" just like you would compare yourself to Kirito of SAO, who only does what is ethically correct. The characters develop and move further as they find out more about this world of Elder Tale, especially Shiroe, as a lot of the story is based on his choices.

Enjoyment: 10/10

Though the production is not of the highest quality, I loved this show and I had to rewatch it, since there was so much fuel driving me. All the lovely characters, the story engaging you to go further, episode by episode and the amazing OST of course.

Overall: 8/10

I'm putting an 8/10 here since I feel this show deserves it, but I have a 9/10 on my list because Log Horizon really has a soft spot for me. Sorry if the review was a bit one-sided.

I'd like to put some recommendations at the bottom; If you've only watched shounen and want to try something new, try "Haikyuu!", a sports anime about volleyball. If you want to watch another great shounen anime, I'd gladly recommend "Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakaritsu", you can read up on the story on another review because it's a bit hard for me to explain.

Hope you liked the review!

Hello buddies, why don’t we have a little chit chat over Log Horizon.

Log Horizon is an adaptation of a manga written by the fabulous Touno Mamare. Maybe you already knew him as the creator of Maoyuu Mao Yuusha, which by the way really is something.
The anime adaptation is directed by Ishihira Shinji who works on Fairy Tail’s adaptation, and some Full Metal ’O’ God Alchemist (Brotherhood version of course).

Now that the bases are set, let’s start the review.

Story: 9

The main lines are pretty simple.
Due to the arrival of a new expansion pack, a bunch of players are transported into a game ... named “Elder Tale”. In this mess, we are following the daily life of Shiroe and his friends through various situations and challenges.

Actually these lines could remind you of SAO (Sword Art Online). Buuuut (you should have expected it :D), the story is way more developed. In fact, where SAO was just barely trying to add some depth to the story, Log Horizon is perfectly managing to create plots in plots through other plots.
Each episode of Log Horizon adds to the plot, which is mainly about the players adjusting to their new world.

There is something you may keep in mind, this anime is made by Touno Mamare and this is what is really making the difference. If you’ve seen “Maoyuu Mao Yuusha” it’s really really similar. We don’t have pretty much action but it’s still intense.
This is also reminding me of “Spice & Wolf” (Ookami to Koushinryou) in many ways because it’s not based on pure action but it’s still considered.


Art/Sound: 8

The work made on the anime is pretty incredible.
Let’s start with the music here. Opening and ending are both quite good, and the background music is a bit repetitive in the second part of the anime.
The animations are fluid, but nothing transcendental.
In a general manner Art is pretty good but could have it improved a bit. They could have made it more like MMY but whatever.
The thing that made my marked it 8 is the work made on the UI they used in the game. When I’m thinking about augmented reality games I imagine it like that and I don’t feel like they are making fun of my gamer side :)

Character: 10

The character building is pretty impressive too. All the character have a real personality, even if we found the stereotype of all anime (loli, tsundere,..) each character of this anime is important. Even secondary and supporting characters are important. Each of them gives a little plus to the anime.
Moreover Shiroe (the main character) got a really interesting chara design, his personality and action are evolving in an interesting manner.


Enjoyment: 10
I feel like I could watch it again and again and I’m eager for the second season which is pretty rare for me.
Some moments are really delightful, other tears you in half.
I really love anime that make me laugh or make me shed tears. And Log Horizon is one of them.
I discovered it by serendipity and after watching I feel like watching “Spice & Wolf” which is one of my favorite anime.



Overall: 9,25

I don’t feel like marking it 9 because I really enjoyed watching Log Horizon and I’m really eager for the 2nd season.
You should watch it if:
-You’ve enjoyed watching SAO
-You’ve enjoyed Spice & Wolf and Maoyou Mao Yuusha
-You want a SAO like with a real half season :DDD

You shouldn’t watch if:
-You want only action and to put your brain away
-You can’t stand waiting for a 2nd season to come out
-You are an alien

Thanks for reading my 1st review and have a good time watching anime :)

Let's speak about Log Horizon: an anime that tells about, for the most part, the adventures of the characters trapped in a virtual world; definitely very pleasant for those who appreciate the genre, but with some underlying defects that can not be ignored ... But let's start, analyzing, specifically, every aspect.

STORY 5/10: Unfortunately the story is not the strong point of this anime. In fact, in my opinion, it is a bit abstract and lacking in depth, because this does not seem to have a definite starting point and evolves with a certain repetitiveness and carelessness. It's, essentially, a story based on how the characters ... manage to build a society, to deal with the uncomfortable situation of being trapped in the game; but, indeed, it doesn't give space to something fundamental, or rather to some normal questions that any sane person, in that situation, would pose: '' How can we get back to the real world? Is there a way to do so or not? ''.
Perhaps because, knowing that they probably will not be able to get back to normalcy, they make their best efforts, almost exclusively to make their lives in the virtual word work; But this thing is not specified in the anime and it may just be a mere reflection of mine, and therefore can not be attributed as a strong point of the story.

ART 8/10: As for the drawings in general, they are very well made and cared for. The environments are very colorful and bright, almost enticing the viewer to dive in; the graphics of the characters are really well done and linear, and even the animations are well cured and sliding.

SOUND 7/10: Very interesting regarding the sound level: the openings and endings are beautiful; pleasant are also the various OSTs present in the anime, and finally they also made a not bad dubbing.

CHARACTERS: 7/10: In this anime there is a wide range of characters who are more or less useful, but with the almost total lacking of villains, that kind of annoyed me. Let's start from the main protagonist Shiroe, also known by several nicknames because of his personality, he is definitely the cornerstone of the anime, in fact, thanks to his skills as careful strategist, he will manage to put aside the rivalry between the various guilds and create a good basic society. To help him in this endeavor there will be Akatsuki, a ninja that will strongly bind to him, and Naotsugu, his longtime friend. Then there will also be many other secondary characters, such as Nyanta, a catman who will have some merits in the culinary field, Marielle, head of one of the guilds, Henrietta, her second (my favorite), and many others that will contribute to make the watching of the anime sliding and enjoyable.

ENJOYMENT 7/10: I didn't mind this anime, because there have been many moments of hilarity and madness, which made me laugh a lot; for example the way how Shiroe used to get annoyed because of his nicknames, or when Akatsuki was teased by Henrietta etc etc ...

In conclusion, in my opinion, it is a partially successful anime, apart for the story which is vacuous and baseless. I strongly hope that these flaws will be resolved in the second season, because I think that this anime has a lot of potential and it would be a shame to make it vain because of a dull story.
If I were to recommend someone to see whether or not this anime, I would say so, because it is very fun and enjoyable, and it is perhaps this what makes me close one eye on the defect of the story.

**The character development part of the review is not good.**

Yet another MMORPG anime.

People always compare LH with Sword Art Online. For me, I cannot find even the slightest similarity between them. They are two completely different show with distinct objectives and focus. I have not started season two as for the time this review was written thus tis purely based on my impression on the first season. All constructive criticisms are welcomed via PM or comment. They will be greatly appreciated.



STORY (Concept 3.5/5, Development 4/5) Rounded down

The series starts off with a terribly explained situation: random players get trapped in a fantasy universe. ... great. massive cliche. In the world of Elder tale, they have absolutely no objective whatsoever and finding a reason to live is extremely challenging. The protagonists along with his companion begin their journey to, uh, no where.

Instead of trying their butt off to get back to the reality, they seem to be okay with their dire situation. This lead to a problem since we tend to forget it is a "game", rather than a normal fantasy universe. Yes, things such as game mechanics and the "death's penalty" introduced later in the series do remind us of what is going on, but on a grand scheme of things, it becomes rather confusing and pointless.

Rather than action-packed fights and emotional rollercoaster, LH decides to take a intellectual route. The establishment of government and the negotiations with other factions are some interesting plot lines that involves multiple characters and they give people reasons to continue watching this show. Although some of the lines are kind of bad paced (princess arc) and misleading (round table), the curiosity (if you have any) will probably make you wonder what will happen to these characters. Some of the stories are somewhat smart, but none of them really clearly communicate the moral message to the audience which makes the entire series feels like a popcorn show.

At the end of the show... it feels like a harem anime but I guess I'll let it slide since the majority of the story is considerable interesting.



CHARACTERS (Design 5/5, Development 4/5)

Log Horizon does not really follow the general formula of adventure-type stories. The typical Adventure consists of a idiotic protagonist and bunch of followers to help him out. In LH however, the characters play their unique role without a sense of "everybody helps one dude" feeling. The character designs not complete copycat, but they look pretty familiar.

Notable Characters include Shiroe the mastermind, Akatsuki the bodyguard/lover, Naotsugu the tank and Nyanta is awesome cat.

As a fan of Lelouch and Light Yagami, I can see the shadows of his predecessors in Shiroe's personality. He is clever, but not to the point where the world trembles beneath him. There isn't really too much of development as I can recall (there is, but they are definitely not notable enough to be noticed or cared), but throughout the series we learn about him gradually. I feel like his mind isn't all that clear in the beginning and at the end I do learn more about him as a complete person. Perhaps that counts as development?

Ironic enough I don't feel like any other "main characters" have developed at all. Akatsuki changed her opinion toward Shiroe slightly, Naotsugu stays as an dumb tank and Nyanta keeps his image as the big daddy despite how awesome a daddy he is.

The three little kids have their cliche development and that's pretty much it. reminds me of third Hokage's son's team in Naruto.
The romance between the princess and Krusty was a very interesting touch. I almost felt like he is the hidden protagonist of the show.

All in all, the design is quite unique and interesting and the development are scattered all over the place. I personally like that. All of the characters get a little bit of love.



GRAPHIC (Art 5/5, Animation 2.5/5) Rounded up

The art in the show is considerably unique. Not all characters have the same face (shout out to SAO) and they are quite comfortable to look at. The armors and clothes have different designs on different persons, each guild has its signature color and style. The background is very beautiful. The art focuses on landscape and the 16th century architecture. Each city has its unique building style and the background. You may not like it, but the effort is there for sure.

The fan service in the show is very minimal. (Hurray!)

Ah... The animation. The animation is shit. It is just so bad. It was made in 2013, and there shouldn't be any excuse to use simple flashy light to represent most if not all super abilities. The skill control menu panels are quite cool but when you compare them with SAO's... uh... not the most exciting animation and action.



SOUND (OP/ED 1.5/3, OST 3/3, Voice 2/4) Rounded down

DATABASE DATABASE DATABASE. This is one of the openings that I will absolutely skip no matter what happens. I wouldn't even consider listening to it just for the sake of appreciation. No, the opening is a very poorly written song that has no connection to the theme of the anime. I can only think of a person who loves repetitive noise booster who would enjoy the song. The ending is very cute. And that's pretty much it.

The OST however is top tier. The majority of the songs are made of various instruments you can find in a traditional orchestra blended with some electronic addons. The heavy metal feelings and the occasional vocals makes great combo. They give a nice sense of glory. I would say the OST is what carries this production without letting it completely overshadowed on the back of SAO. (Yes, the LH OST is better than SAO's in MY opinion. it is just more engaging and stylish.)

The dub is plainly average. Every character sound too unemotional and the lack of personal identification fails to give the show a fair atmosphere. That said they are not hard to listen to, it's just not good enough. The Japanese original is actually much better. I personally would recommend sub over dub, but if you hate reading, the dub won't do too much harm on your overall experience.



ENJOYMENT (9/10)

Despite the problems I pointed out previously, I find some of the elements especially enjoyable. The big cast of character and the unique way of narrative (we don't know what people are actually thinking) along with the glorious OST is beyond my expectation. The story isn't that good, but it is still considered semi-intellectual which I enjoy, very.



OVERALL (7.5/10) Rounded up

Animation aside, Log Horizon is a very well made SHOUNEN anime. Tho not brilliant in any particular aspect, the plot is very intriguing. Instead of randomly coming up with ideas one after another, the story built upon each other. With that in mind, I kindly overrate this a little bit since I believe it simply isn't fair for the creators since too many shounen shows are full of fillers and misleading plot/characters. This is definitely one of the shows that is worth checking out and I would say it deserves much more attention/credit than what it is got.

If you don't find this review helpful, please give me some feed back so I can improve my content and give higher quality contribution to the community, thank you! :D

Peace.

At the peak of my disgust of all of RPG Anime things, here comes the Log horizon. Unfortunately not saving the day just making it a bit better but that suffices for now. Let me clear up some things first before I will get to the review itself.

Usually RPG Anime genre which is at some point certainly very tempting but nonetheless vastly empty, except the fact that the story is happening in virtual environment nothing new nor awesome is going on by all means. Not mentioning all of the wasting of potential for fun-service which is understandable for the simple reason that most of Anime ... consumers are MOE zombies and primal reason of existence of companies is revenue. At the end of the day we don't very often get a quality product.

When I started watching LH I almost quit, guess why? I had enough of "This is not SAO" shows. A week later when I cooled down a bit I gave it a second chance. Now I am really happy that I did so.

I really wanted to evade comparison between SAO and LH. Actually I do not understand why everyone feels the need to compare these two Animes. The only common element here is that real people get stuck in an MMORPG, the result is different. Unfortunately two of them have been confronted so often, that I don't have a choice.

The show started quite slowly with what seemed like typical, hackneyed plot. But later things start to snowball. Problems are getting more serious and world begins to take on dimensions, both growing at a steady pace. The animation is very pleasing for the eye and the music aspect also has a lot of nice "straight out of game" like soundtracks. Action scenes seem to be rather lacking in this kind of genre however the in-show implemented game mechanics explanation is acting like compensation. The imbalance between dialogues {not as important ones} and the action is a con. LH is unfortunately Shounen so we can't evade Cliché and fun service.
Constant rubbing of glasses by our smart-ass heroes was pissing me off. The main character, Shiroe, plays both the protagonist and antagonist role. He is behind everything, playing the game, always having some card in his sleeve {NGNL similarity}. Akatsuki aka. Lolininja is a wasted potential. Then we got a pervy guy Naotsugu and antipole gentleman catman Nyanta {WTF}. Even though this Anime certainly has some problems like slow acceleration from the start and cheesy humor the plot is really good and most importantly the RPG element is very well executed.

The authors of this elaborate work we're aware of the potential and did not make the same mistake as the SAO, which was mostly about {weakly executed} romance and nothing else. LH truly focuses on the breathing online world where the players are imprisoned, the impact of their actions and choices on the world, communication with the NPC, skills and abilities, magic system, events etc. Unlike in SAO. There is no sense of imminent threat. So whatever is happening its still just a game {little memory loss is nothing compared to death imo}

I recommend this show for all the SAO haters out there. Anyway, I am looking forward to the second series.

While Log Horizon may not end up being in the list of favorite shows all too many times, and while majority of its characters won't have a long-lasting impact on the audience, it still manages to be a fun ride with occasional fantastic moments as well as some downfalls which all eventually balance themselves out.

When I first found out about the show, I, as many probably have, instantly thought "Oh look, carbon copy of SAO. *sigh*". Still, as I scrolled through some opinions, a lot of people have said that Log Horizon plays out as SAO should have. I'll leave that to your own decisions ... and instead will focus on Log Horizon as an separate entity in the anime world.

LH follows Shioru, our main protagonist who suddenly finds himself locked in a world of "Elder Tale", massively popular MMORPG with over twenty million people worldwide. He soon forms a party of three, with Akatskui, honorable shinobi who shall always follow her lord and knee the pervert, Naotsugu. Fortunately, that is not where the cast ends and we are soon introduced to heavy array of characters, ranging from veterans to beginners, each given enough time so we can learn something about them. Unfortunately, not all of them are that interesting.

The story of LH works as a cohesive unit, but what really struck me was the world building. It really did feel as if the author invested a lot of time into making a specific world which does resemble that of MMORPGs - oftentimes, before the OP, we're given some information about the world and its rules which serves its purpose of introducing us, or rather helping us dig further in as to what kind of a world Elder Tale forms. Without spoiling too much, the story of LH is somewhat divided into short arcs, each one way or the other connected to the overall plot which comes into focus later on. Each separate entity is enough fun for itself and the mysteries introduced, especially the characters, are enough to keep your attention on. Overall, story was well above decent, albeit nothing too masterful. It did its job and it did it well.

When it comes to production department, I'd call it the weakest part of the anime. Visuals are often stiff, animation often lacks impact and even battles, albeit exciting, aren't as good as in other similar shows. Even though character designs vary, it does feel as if too many characters are similar and/or act in similar fashion which is oftentimes just a sore. Another gripe I have with the show is the sound and all its merits. Some VA did a fine job representing their characters while I wouldn't be so certain when it comes to rest. There are, sometimes, weird pauses during their speeches which don't fit their character. The soundtrack itself was sorely lacking though; there is maybe 1 or 2 memorable themes while others are barely noticeable at best. I do feel that the soundtrack and the sound overall could have been given more time, especially because of the settings. Some spells, for instance, Astral Howl, do have that visual and sound impact while others ... well, don't. They're too generic.

The characters of LH are ... well, some are decent, some are rather good and some are just plain unnecessary. Shirou, our main character, is a good spin on the "all powerful MC". Although anime, or rather characters within anime world, try to sell him as this almighty entity, we soon realize that he's just an above-average intelligent student with enough capacity to work with the information he gets. It's a nice spin and I did like his character overall. The other duo, faithful shinobi and open pervert did their job as a good support and humorous pair. Sometimes they'll get at your nerves, but more so than not they're quite likable. When it comes to the rest of the cast, I'll be honest: it's not that great. Especially the children, or the beginners as they call them. They're oftentimes annoying and given too much space and time which they simply seem to misuse to irritate the viewer even more. While there are some interesting characters, you'll simply feel as if the anime would have been better either without them or with them having less screen time.
Other characters do have somewhat defined personalities, and are sometimes joy to watch (Crusty and princess come to mind), but even then they don't feel developed enough. Overall, though, given the number of characters with names, faces and personalities, I think they did a fine job representing them.

I would lie if I said I didn't enjoy Log Horizon. Was it mind-blowing? No, not really. Was it this epic adventure you'll remember forever? Erm ... no. But it was a fun ride that lasted 25 episodes and I am looking forward to the sequel (mostly because I'm interested about one girl from Shirou's flashbacks. She seems fun). Battles were smart and weren't "oh, I'm this massive dude and my powaaah is bigger than yours" but instead they focused on teamwork of parties, which I found quite intriguing. The touch on politics and economics might put some viewers off but I personally enjoyed them and saw them as another layer of depth to an already established world. So yeah. Me like me some LH. (sorry Star Wars fans :()

If you do feel like SAO was lacking something or if you're simply looking for a decent anime, you can't go awry with Log Horizon. It isn't epic, it isn't mind blowing, it won't send you to places that will make you think about your life, but it will provide temporary enjoyment and it won't bore you to death.

TL;DR: recommended.

People trapped in a MMORPG sounds like something we've seen at times especially recently, we have one of the animes that more polarized as the community:Sword Art Online

SAO is a similar premise, but still quite different in their implementation and development and it is not fair to compare one nor to the other.

What makes it different, Log Horizon show some implication from the first chapter, which will be the tonic that makes the whole anime, and its they're stuck in the game, what they gonna do now?

That's what makes it different, the lack of an objective/specific goal that leads them to be more outstanding fight ... to survive, from this point that the narrative focuses on present problems of a society, such as abuse of power, disregard, power forces, commerce, social classes and even in some part the migration.

Log Horizon complex issues is a pretty nice way, and that is the true subject of the picture, not a villain at first glance, human relations become a sort of villain with which our protagonists struggle, plus some moments that are involved in battles that represent fairly realistic as are the MMORPG

The characters are well-drawn, all very good complete its mission within the anime including the one that most stands out is Shiroe strategist, which is one of the best protagonist in a while, in the course of the anime have seen a progress in the character to first costs interact with others to take the risk of being the head of a movement, he understands he has to put aside the passivity, and if you want to improve you have to take initiative, his nickname "the villain with glasses" is that as a strategist knows that there are sometimes you have to push a little more rules on the strings to achieve its mission, which goes beyond normal prototype of the perfect protagonists, which works and gives a perfect theme for anime touch.

The art is pretty well done and consistent, good fluidity and the few fight scenes are technically very good, the character design is pretty good too, in part sound also very acceptable nothing extraordinary but pairs well running scenes, what would be the opening database remarkable feat. Takuma ( 10 Feet ) executed by Man With a Mission.

Log Horizon is a highly recommended for those who enjoy complex topics anime, the anime has a few action scenes or fights, contains elements of comedy that much lighten the atmosphere , in many chapters the protagonists are caught up in conversations so if 're not the type to enjoy that nearly 80 % of the chapter no action is not an anime for you, but you invite him to give it a try , it's really a good option to see and in October it has been revealed will have a second season.

Log Horizon has really impressed me. It is a solid 9/10 and possesses a quiet intelligence and maturity that rivals other flashier shows.

Any anime about being stuck in a computer game is inevitably compared to Sword Art Online. When Log Horizon made its début on the scene, the most common compliment was that it was ‘more realistic’ than SAO. This didn’t strike me as necessarily a good thing. I don’t want to watch a show just to get lectured on proper MMORPG mechanics. As it turned out, Log Horizon does get the mechanics of MMORPGs right, but what makes it truly great is so much ... more.

The problem with SAO was that it was blatant wish-fulfilment. The main protagonist Kirito is a Gary Stu whose only flaw is being so damn good at the game that everyone else is envious of him. Along the way he acquires the trophy wife Asuna (just because a girl can use a sword and is given the label of ‘strong’ does not automatically make her more than a cardboard character) and other female members of his harem. By sheer deus ex machina he is carried along by the plot and saves the day. What makes it worse is that the series never really looks at characters beyond the individual that is Kirito. SAO is less about Sword Art Online, the game that they’re stuck in, and more about Jesus Kirito.

In Log Horizon's later episodes, it is highly unlikely that even a third of the frames in the episode contain Shiroe, the main protagonist. Shiroe himself is no self-absorbed prick with delusions about the extent of his powers. Next to Kirito, Shiroe is like an adult, which only makes sense because Shiroe is also a graduate engineering student. Log Horizon is about the trapped gaming community and the political ability of an individual to influence the direction society takes. Shiroe’s only goal, outlined simply, was to ‘improve the mood’ of Akihabara, and he did so by kickstarting the gaming economy through the creation of goods in demand. His meticulous plan to bring the other dominant powers to cooperate with him is not something that can be compared to some flashy sword swings on the part of Kirito. Next to Log Horizon, SAO is purely solipsistic.

Log Horizon's cast is diverse, and one character in particular deserves mention. Minori is a young girl also trapped in the game, and spends most of the initial episodes basically performing child labour under the auspices of an exploitative guild. After being liberated by Shiroe, the story focuses on her growth as she eventually assumes roles of greater responsibility while facing ethical decisions. In this case, Shiroe ends up playing the role of a mentor and role-model, and it's fascinating to watch Minori through mimicking him, understand his motivations behind his actions. Of note is also Princess Lenessia, a self-described 'lazy and unmotivated' girl who ends up changing the fate of her country, and playing a key role in a powerful political alliance. It's generally hard to manage a cast of nearly twenty consistently appearing characters, but Log Horizon manages to make them absolutely endearing and sympathetic. More than anything, Log Horizon paints an optimistic and comedic picture of human cooperation while skilfully portraying an intriguing world with shadowy politicking in the backdrop.

The one flaw that Log Horizon has is its art and animation. The character designs and backdrops are a bit bland (though charming) at times. Especially because Log Horizon's focus was never on battles - battles being hardly conducive for creating anything constructive - it really isn't that bad not having top notch art. Season two will be airing this fall, and I'm definitely watching.

Log Horizon follows in the same path as Sword Art Online in being focused on a popular MMORPG game where thousands of its players find themselves incapable of logging off the game under mysterious circumstances. Unlike SAO though, Log Horizon is a bit more light-hearted in its focus on how players handle their rather unique situation and the serious moments are not as heavy-handed, the latter being the major reason why I never got drawn into Sword Art Online. Mainly focused on enchanter Shiroe and the members of his party, our leads strive to restore stability and order to the game as many players are ... abuse their unique predicament for personal gain to enforce their will on weaker players, steal items and player-killing.

The series does a rather great job tackling the normal behavior of players participating in an MMORPG with novices, veterans and rule-breakers. This can involve anything from helping novice players, making friends, actively participating in game activity or actively abusing the unique circumstances of the game. Regular MMORPG activity such as special events, forming guilds, gaining game experience and getting rare items is seen and part of regular social activity within the series. Those that form parties even strategize to develop strategies to fend off enemy threats as they either compete against rogue parties or fend against enemy monsters. In addition, logging out of the game isn't the only bizarre thing affecting players and the gaming environment as other bizarre things pop up that get explored which affect how players deal with their present situation.

Gaming isn't the only element addressed within the series either as a good chunk of the anime's plot revolves around Shiroe and his comrades trying to make sense of their current situation in the game and restore order to it. The task isn't an easy one as players are wary of the current gaming environment thanks to guilds and parties reigning control over parts of the game and intimidating other players into joining their ranks or not to put up any resistance. Through extensive knowledge of the game and social interactions between others, Shiroe develops a number of plans throughout the series to deal with rogue guilds, rescuing novice players, dealing with hostilities and bringing some semblance of rules for players to follow that involve some bits of ruthlessness as he exploits unique abilities and game resources to drive off the corrupt elements affecting players within the game.

Beyond Shiroe, we do get introduced to a number of other characters who have their personalities and mentalities explored as to why they participate in the game. While a number of them milk character types typical of MMORPG and rom-com titles, they are still a likeable bunch and the majority of characters get enough fleshing out where you can connect with them as they adjust to events that take place throughout the series. Only issues that come up with the series for me are hit-and-miss attempts at comedy coming from typical anime tropes mostly coming from Akatsuki's character in some form, a few rather shallow characters and the series still ongoing into its second season as the mystery surrounding the changes to the game still left unresolved.

Still, Log Horizon was an engaging series for the most part as it struck a nice balance between typical MMORPG activity and its plot exploration with Shiroe trying to deal with their unique situation taking place in the gaming world and restoring order to it when chaos breaks out. Fans of MMORPG-based anime titles should give the series a look.

This anime is playing second fiddle to SAO in regards to viewership; but can hold its own through thought-out dialogue and a political intrigue filled plot line.

Story & Character:
The story is carried through several strong characters; and a few side characters that over-shadow some of the leads. I especially did not enjoy Akatsuki the assassin-girl. It seems like she could have had a whole lot more depth to her but they didn't add it in. Shiroe is definitely one of the best male protagonists I've recently seen (much more interesting than Kazuto from SAO), and by the end Minori seems to almost take ... over the female lead role from Akatsuki.

Art & Sound: Living in the Database, Database, whoa-o. That intro song is hilarious.

Enjoyment:
Overall, I think that I will definitely be watching the 2nd season once it's completed. Is it "better" than SAO? I think it does a better job of fleshing out the game world they are stuck in than SAO, but does a poor job of explaining the real world situation outside the game, which is where SAO excels. I see no reason for someone not to watch both SAO and this to see which one they prefer, as they both have something to offer.

“Hard to believe it all started with a hamburger that has some flavour.”

Log Horizon is a surprise package, it began airing not long after the immensely popular Sword Art Online ended, and shares the same concept: players are trapped in a MMORPG and unable to get out, also its animation isn’t as flashy as SAO, causing some may cast their doubts onto Log Horizon, I was one of those viewers.

However, things actually turned out rather well here.

STORY: 8/10
The story of Log Horizon can be summarized by 3 words: simple, straightforward, sweet. Its plot follows a very clear path and it is not difficult to ... understand what they are trying to convey, and the dialogue is sufficiently added to provide enough explanation for the viewers. I like how Log Horizon gives us a decent insight on how does the MMORPG “Elder Tale” works, from the job system, currency, guild system and many more, so at least you are familiar with the setting and then it will be easier to understand the motive of the characters’ actions.

The story of Log Horizon progresses through different arcs, which sort of come off as the different stages of new challenges our protagonists have to go through, although timeskips still occur here, it is merely a tool used to tell a story lasting throughout several years.

Politics are actually an important plot point here, so as you can see things can go really far from here.

It may be argued that most of the trapped players seen in the anime don’t seem to be so urgently wanting home, but it may be explained as simply they do not know the way, and had grown accustomed to the new world they had no choice but to adapt and inhabit.

ART: 7/10
The animation of Log Horizon is one that doesn’t stand out and impress you, causing you to run and catch your dropped jaw rolling all over the floor. However, it is decent enough to be pleasant to the eyes, and the battles showcased are decent. Each character is distinctive from each other, and changes their attire (equipment) to suit their needs.

SOUND: 6/10
Nothing too impressive as well in this department, you have background music which always accompany the scenes, but they are hardly memorable. You will hear the same battle track several times as you progress through this anime. The characters voices aren’t that superb either. I actually liked the catchy OP, Database~ Database~

CHARACTERS: 7/10
Log Horizon generally splits their protagonists to 2 groups, Shiroe and the Tea Party gang forms some of the highest level and the strongest members of the show, they are the ones to solve the mysteries of this entrapment and to further explore the world. Minori and her party of lower level characters form the “newbie” characters, who are still learning the basics of the game and showed us more about getting stronger in this world.

My biggest gripe with Log Horizon is that we are not given much background regarding our main characters, they are strong just because they are the veterans in the game. We do not know why Akatsuki is so attached to Shiroe, other than he gave her an appearance-changing potion at the start of the series, so sometimes you just have to accept that the characters are what they are shown to you and nothing more.

However, all is not unwell here as despite the large cast of characters, each of them are still explored sufficiently, each of them have important roles they have to fulfill, and by the end of the day you will know and remember all or most of them, which is a fine job done by the developers.

ENJOYMENT: 8/10
Log Horizon isn’t an anime that will make you utterly depressed and devastated, or will confuse you with its huge collection of jargon words, instead it is a simple and straightforward anime which one can have fun easily. Dialogue may be abundant sometimes but the pacing is fast enough to ensure you won’t get bored too much. If you like gaming, this is definitely a decent anime for you.

Having just watched half of SAO s1 and thrown it down in raging disgust, I came across Log Horizon and ignored it at first due to its extremely similar synopsis. I finally came back and watched it after seeing some decent reviews. Now that I've seen it, I would like to proclaim Log Horizon to be the salvation of the gaming anime genre!

Art and sound are decent and consistent but the characters and setting of Log Horizon are what makes this series truly amazing.

This series has a diverse cast of utterly lovable characters. Even the supporting characters or the mains who occasionally get sidelined are ... still fun to watch due to their interactions with each other. The huge cast should be no surprise as this is a Massive Multiplayer Online game. Unlike SAO, LH fleshes out many of its characters, bringing them to life and shows the community among the players within the game world. This is how a fun MMO should be, and LH portrays it perfectly.

The setting is also rather intriguing. Rather than just being a prison that players have to escape from, the game world becomes their reality according to the MC, Shiroe. The game is a living breathing world that can be shaped by whatever actions the players take, and a lot of the story develops as a result of the players discovering new possibilities and events that happen over the course of the series. Due to its heavy emphasis on world building with economies and governments being established within the game world, this series tends to be dialog heavy and may not be a favorite among action fans. The action is certainly there but not in nearly every episode.

One gripe I had with the series was how no one seemed to care about being stuck in the game. Maybe literally everyone in LH are gaming nerds with no friends irl and are perfectly fine being stuck in a game with their online friends, but I doubt it. There is also no explanation as to how everyone became trapped. Some kind of unexplainable spontaneous magical anomaly? Oh well, not going to debate anime logic.

Despite its lack of explanations, LH's well-paced story and immersive world makes it a must watch. Watch now and see the truth, thy heathens !

ok, first order of business: do NOT watch the dub because it makes Nyanta (cat man) sound like even more of a seductive pedophile.

ok, fine I'll be honest i was kinda into it too.

I'm going to start with the bad. What killed this anime for me was the FILLER EPISODES (trust me, so far the second season is three times as bad). The main plot was REALLY engaging, but in many cases, it barely moved. There was tons of distracting and petty shit that got in the way. FOR EXAMPLE: romantic development was annoying and disappointing. also, the whole food thing. WHY? also, NOBODY ... CARES ABOUT THE JUNIOR MEMBERS OF LOG HORIZON. at all. idk there were multiple episodes where there was no pressing matter or nothing was really at stake.

But really, the only reason LH let me down so much, is because it got my expectations way up. For good reasons too.

While LH is often not as visually enticing as other anime in the video game genre, it instead focuses on developing the society and world. LH is an anime of opposing factions, politics, power struggles, and social ethics. Almost all of the plot is derived from how the game world is changing since it became reality. As a result, the character development is rather good, while still maintaining at least an illusion of subtlety.

Because of this focus, LH takes a step back from action. However, part of me (the gamer part) would have liked to see them actually go out and explore the new DLC and get more powerful. While character development is important, the whole point of the setting being in a video game is so the characters can develop as players. I would have liked to see them gain new items or more abilities or progress their builds in some way. But that's just me. I WANT MORE MONSTERS AND I WANT MORE SHINY SWORDS.

One of the things LH did right was the main character: Shiroe. He is not the bland, all-powerful, game breaker such as Kirito from SAO. But he is also not the sniveling, pathetic, unwatchable Haru of Accel World. He plays as a supportive battle strategist who has a place in the world like anyone else. It is his own intuition and discoveries that make him special. This allows the anime to revolve around cunning and plot. As a result, the power struggles can be on a larger, more sophisticated scale.

I'd say it was a fun watch. Yes, disappointing in some ways, but refreshing in others.

The anime bases on three principle characters, Shiroe, Naotsugu, and Akatsuki, who are among in the ballpark of 30,000 players in Japan – and a few hundred thousand around the world – caught in the realm of 'Elder Tale', a long-running MMORPG that, for some unexplained reason, has caught everybody inside it. Right now, I must say that I love the setting for this arrangement. The move all makes put on the genuine islands of Japan and in genuine spots like Akihabara and Susukino, yet in "Elder Tale," they are situated in a sort of post-whole-world destroying, sword-and-divination environment.

The arrangement opens with our principle ... hero, Shiroe. A level-90 conjurer and a somewhat of a maverick, Shiroe stirs midst the diversion world, and after figuring out where he is, starts searching for his companions to see what happened. In brisk request, he discovers his companion, Naotsugu, a patrol who he's quested with some time recently, and Akatsuki, a professional killer/ninja who he's likewise gotten to know. Together, they start to discover some way or another around in this abnormal new reality, arranging with organizations, battling beasts, safeguarding different players, rebuffing miscreants, and attempting to make sense of what they're caught doing here in any case.

There's a positive vein of outdated courageous dream that goes through Log Horizon. It may turn off viewers more acclimated to seeing the imperfect screw-ups that populate a number of today's stories, however I happen to think its reviving. These heroes are exceedingly experienced players who comprehend what they're doing and you see it in every scene. Shiroe's information of the diversion alone is exhaustive. Anyhow don't believe that these characters are level cardboard cut outs, either. Shiroe is torn between his common propensity to bashfulness and his stature as a legend and pioneer in the "Senior Tale" world; Naotsugu, who goes around gloating transparently about being a deviant – and getting beat on by Akatsuki when he drives her insane – is by and by honorable, steadfast and kind-hearted, and committed to his companions. Akatsuki, who fights with her own particular questions about meeting expectations in a gathering, is additionally captivated of Shiroe, despite the fact that she would like to reveal to it excessively.

Log Horizon is one of those anime to you will either love or contempt at the outset. I happen to be in the previous party. One of the parts of this demonstrate that I love is the way that the arrangement staff offset key insights about how the universe of 'Elder Tale' functions while not diminishing either the activity or the story line. That is an intense ability to ace in any order, and essayist Syouji Masuda and executive Shinji Ishihara make an incredible showing with it.

It may not be to everybody's taste, particularly the individuals who are searching for components like the wonderful mournfulness that reverberates from an arrangement like Sword Art Online, however Log Horizon is justified regardless of an attempt, particularly in the event that you like a dated sword and magic story where the great gentlemen dependably win. In this way, here's to the great

Art : 7/10
The art is a medium kind of thing for me considering most anime have the same likeness so I figure that'd be a 7/10 for most, including this. I don't take much respect to this subject either, hm eh.

Sound: 7/10

Sound, I'd say...it has those exceedingly pitched Japanese shouts but in the event that that doesn't generally mend you off then you ought to be fine with it.

Overall: 8/10
I've depicted the characters and the plot..and on the off chance that you feel this is the kind of anime you'd like to watch, then proceed to watch it. I am certain you'll enjoy it as much as I did! :D

Log Horizon is finally finished, and I like like many people can't wait for the second season to air. It was possible the most enjoyably show this season, but it isn't everyone "cup of tea". Unfortunately, the way it sets it sets up is open to much discussion. The thing is , you cannot compare this to SAO or Accel World in terms of action, as it is not a main key element. What you can compare is the way it is executed and the way it represents people being trapped in an MMO.
For example, SAO was not a bad show. It had a great ... premise, wonderful music, beautiful art, but really lacked in it's execution. It started of as a bomb shell, but ended on a rather mediocre ending.

SAO was more focused on action and romance, being it's main genre's (Action and Romance), and was not afraid to break the reality barrier quite a few times. This lead to hordes of people praising or criticizing it, with several people left in-between, in a limbo of sorts. Log Horizon on the other hand, takes an opposite route. Yes there is action, but it focuses a lot more on character interactions, social aspects and political themes, building a society. This may at certain cases, lead several episodes to seem slow, but that's all part of the series, and in my opinion, pacing was done really well.

This unfortunately leads to people either liking it for it's new take on MMO (a much better one in my opinion) or disliking it due to lack of action, and for some people who view it as a very slow placed show. But his is about why I enjoyed it, not what others think.

Story - 8

The story for Log Horizon starts off slow, and for several episodes it may be hard to discern what exactly the plot is. The thing is, it's varied. It's not all "hack and slash". It is a well thought out plot and focuses on the aspects of society. Here is where it really shines. It follows logic. If you are trapped in an MMO, panic would ensure. How do you stop that panic? How do you keep the people sane, how do prevent chaos.

This ultimately lead sit to cause the viewer to focus more on the events happening. It makes you think: "What really would happened if such an event took place?". It causing you to think, and actually imagine yourself in such a situation. If your in it for a "slash-a-thon", you'll be disappointed. Their is action from time to time to keep you interested, but it is ultimately not it's focus.

On other thing I must praise the story for is it's ending. It doesn't leave you on a cliff-hanger. Yes, it dose keep you yearning for the second season to start soon, but it dose not end in a climatic situation, say in the middle of a fight.

Art and Sound - (8, 8)

The soundtracks were pretty decent, nothing amazing though. As for the art, it isn't spectacular, but it isn't lackluster either. One thing I like though is that more or less, it kept the same level of detail and fluid animation throughout the entire series. Although it is an NHK show, and from what I understand, they usually don't have too much of a large budget.

Characters - (10)

Here is where it shines the most. The wide variety of charterer is not only diverse, but highly likable. Shiroe, the main protagonist, isn't some OP kid, he is a strategist, and prefers to take the back seat, and command from the shadows. He's even nickname the "Villain in the Glasses". If you wanted a picturesque version of a person following the "the results justify the means", the Shiroe is a perfect example.

One thing I must praise the character design for is how they actually look like they are in an MMO. The are not "photogenic teenagers" running rampart in a virtual world. They are level-headed, and actually think things though. There no power of friendship, no mysterious power suddenly gained, no OP skill revealed. Every action the characters take to solve problems is logical. It makes sense, it has a basis. It isn't coming out of no-where. They show's directors don't pull rabbits out of hat". It's not a "in your face" kind of life. It all makes sense, something SAO kind of failed at. The creation of a new skill for example, while seeming world changing, if you actually look at the way it works, it makes sense. Manipulation of the world to your advantage has a basis, it makes sense. That is one of the best things about Log Horizon.

Conclusion:

I loved this show. It was an awesome watch, and I would gladly jump through time so I can start watching the second season. I would advise anyone to watch this show. It a great watch, and It'll keep you entertained. Though if your looking for a mostly action based anime, you may or may not like it. None the less, give it a go, and you might just be surprised.

Many will compare this series to Sword Art Online. Mainly due to the fact both are set in the setting of an MMORPG trapping people within the game. While this comparison has some fair ground, I would venture to say that these two series look to achieve very different things and end up really pulling away from each other pretty quickly. Log Horizon is very much an individual series that is unique and offers a good story, quality characters, and an enjoyable ride alongside the adventures of Elder Tale.

Probably the most lacking of the qualities the show had was in the sound. Not ... even in the very specific things like voice acting and sound effects, but in the broad spectrum it didn't do anything outstanding. I found the intro sequence to be particularly out of place. As well, the tracks played for setting purposes were bland. While definitely used appropriately, they could have gone that next step to add immerse us further into the world. The few times i felt immersed were in highlighted songs that bards (a class in the game) would play or when battles would occur. I also found myself humming the end sequence song quite often even though i didn't find it all that impressive (it is pretty catchy though).

The real quality of the show comes from the story, characters, and art. The easiest of these to see is the art. Every city, every dungeon, every player; everything has a good amount of detail. I was delighted to see the world come to life and how it showed me new areas and beautiful scenery. Simply put, Your eyes are in for a treat.

The story centers around our hero Shiroe as he becomes trapped in the game "Elder Tale". He is also a very well known player, earning it through some of the seemingly impossible quests he has accomplished as well as being a strategist. For Shiroe, his growth as a character is in his relationships with guilds in Akihabara (the main city for the series). We see him grow from being the strong, solo player to being a leader amongst the adventurers. But he doesn't grow just in title, but also in his ideals. He stands up for those who don't have a big enough voice. He stands up for ethics and morality. But in the end, he stands up for those he cares most for, to protect and serve them. Thankfully, Shiroe is not the only one who grows. A few particular characters (akatsuki, Minori, etc...) are shown to have similar development. Some realize their role has changed from before and accept that while others grow to become reliable, strong members along side Shiroe. The show does a great job showing the growth of the characters in multiple ways and directions. It could be worth a watch just for that, but it doesn't stop there. The Plot of the series expands on the world of an MMORPG. Politics surrounding the guilds, world events, and even NPCs become plot points. The writers use the whole world of Elder Tale to their advantage (or at the the Japanese region). At times, the story does risk having the "invincibility" factor for the main group of characters and yet it never crosses that line. the characters remain unsure of some of their decisions and fight hard battles is the events. I never truly got the feeling that they were invincible, but i never once thought that they would be beaten easily. It would take a villain and a half to bring them down.

My hope is that the second season brings along with it this villain that pushes these characters to their limits. That the conflict only rises to an all time high and the characters themselves grow deeper. I especially want to see how the love sub-plot ends up, but i hope it remains as a nice side item that doesn't conflict with the main plot.

I see no reason not to at least give this series the decency of watching the first few episodes. The show picks up a tad bit faster than most and rewards the viewers who stick with it to the end. I very much enjoyed my time watching it and hope you all will too!