Log Horizon

“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.

Where do I even start with this anime... First of all i am not the most well versed in anime but i do have a long history of playing MMORPG games like the game "Elder Tale" depicted in this anime and most of my issues with this are directed at the game deign because the anime is really just bland and not very good.

THE UI:
Imagine somebody watched a futureistic movie or something of the sort where holographic menus pop up that you control with your fingers. Now imagine one where everything is the same bland green color and pops up randomly and moves all ... over the screen like mad. Honestly an eyesore almost everytime it is animated and rather saddened me as a viewer.

THE CLASS/SKILL SYSTEM:
In the show very few classes are shown to the viewer and even though most of the characters for each class are shown at the Max in game level (90) only like 2 or 3 skills are used by any of them at any given point. However at one point there is another painful to look at menu for some body they are fighting skills and he has many more and refuses to do anything with them instead he just uses the same 3 cool downs. Our MC has a CC spell that does 5x1k damage and binds a target and the main tank for him only has 13k hp meaning there is absolutely no balance in this game and all skills just should be ignored for the most part.

THE GUILD/FACTION/PVP:
What are the factions in this game you might be wondering? FFA always 24/7 even in towns even on your own party members. None of it makes any sense and should honestly just be ignored because it will hurt you too much as anybody who has played any MMORPG or like game before. Not to mention that healers can heal people while they are dueling and all duels are literally to the death.

THE PARTYS:
I really don't even want to talk about the party system in the show/LN/game because it makes me so mad. A party in an actual MMORPG style game has these components
TANK | DEEPS (x2/x3) | HEALZ
This game has
OPERATOR | FIELD MONITOR | PATROL FILE
I honestly cant even begin to start to describe my frustration watching the party play in this game/show whatever you want to call it. If any single person in this show was in a party of mine in any game instant kick, instant guild removal, muted, banned from vent. Honestly this is really more like LARP the show then a depiction of what an actual game is like and that made me feel physically ill.

THE STORY:
sucks, read more about what other people had to say I really did not care for it and at no point did it surprise me or have me empathizing with any of the characters.

MY CONCLUSION:
If you have ever played a MMORPG do not watch this show you will hate yourself for it. If you have ever LARP'd watch this show you will love it. Approach with caution. Do not expect intelligence.

What started off as an intriguing view of how the world worked lost its luster as the show got bogged down in its own politics. The few action scenes were bland, and this is the first time I've ever heard an OST that was so repetitive and uninspired that I actually got annoyed. The characters were likable, but most were very generic. The fact that the main trio was pushed to the side for pretty much the entire second half of the season was also very annoying.

The fact that the anime started so strongly as well as the ending that optimistically points toward the second ... season, barely earns this one a 6, but really it should honestly probably be a 5.

Edit: Score changed to 5.

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

Alright, a lot of you compare this anime to Sword Art Online (SAO), which was an A+ anime. The only similarity between SAO and Log Horizon is that they have a similar story which is people in the real world end up in the video game world of RPG. That's it!

This anime lacks everything that made SAO amazing, which was the drama, fighting, and great story.

What this anime does have is a lot of talking. I mean so much talking. I think the anime should be called Log Horizon the Social Network. Yes, you heard it. There's many of you here that rated this anime ... a 9, and I know and you know for yourself that this anime has more socializing than fighting or anything really.

So why did I continue to watch this anime? Well, because every episode of talking, I told myself maybe the next episode will be better, and you will continually do this.

Bottom line, this anime isn't bad or great, it is just ok. The last episode showed a preview of what's to come, so maybe season 2 will be the anime that we were all waiting for.

Don't believe the 9 ratings or 8 or 7, this anime is a perfect 6, trust me. I'm the truth, I tell you with an honest non bias opinion.

Should you watch this anime? Well yeah you should if you have nothing else to watch. If season 2 does get better then I definitely recommend watching this season so at least you know the whole story.

Log Horizon the Social Network gets a pefect 6!

Peace, and send me a like! (the like part is what I hear all these online people say all the time, so I figured I'd say that for fun!)

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!

In my anime, as my games, story/setting/gameplay/one intriguing premise or idea can save the characters, and vice versa. And this is where Log Horizon is muddy for me. Let's start with the positives, setting and art.

Recently, likely with the advent and popularity of SAO, many MMO-based anime have been released. Log Horizons interpretation, as many gamers will likely sympathyize with, is BRILLIANT. Stats, mmo-style interfaces, classes, items - you take one 5 minute battle out of this show and all the basics of an MMO are there. One part I quite like (minor spoliers!) is when the show makes one character cook as oppose to ... just 'magic up' food, and funnily enough it makes the food tastes 10x better (END OF SPOILERS)
So, story, brilliant. Art, standard modern anime fare but still lovely eye-candy. Both a great 8.

Now, sound and character. First, easy one, sound - uuhh, meh. The opening I think is really awesome, the ending isn't bad, and everything else is really meh and REPEATED THROUGHOUT THE SHOW. This can be an OK thing, good thing (a la Angel Beats), but with it being so meh in this show, bar one 'drama incoming' piano interlude I quite liked, it's rather grating.
And here comes the difficult part... The show has quite the cast for a non-shounen show, so I'll outline the mains:
Shinroe, the main protagonist and strategist of 'Log Horizon' (the casts guild). He's cool-headed and I liked him to start, but he became bland as the show went on, in my opinion.
Akatsuki is a 17 y.o. (I'm 80% sure) ninja. Any more needs to be said? I love her... Oh, and she's a love interest for Shinroe. 'Cause.
Nyanta is a cat-swordsman. Again, I'd say need anymore be said but to avoid beating a dead horse... He's like suppose to be this bad-ass, 'I can diffuse a situation with my mouth or sword' character but comes off a bit of a Shinroe clone.
Naotsugi makes up the original fighting trio of Shinroe and Akatsuki, (before Shinroe got involved in politics and Akatsuki stalked him as self proclaimed 'servant' *cough stalker cough* because Shinroe said something about needing her at one point) and is Shinroe's IRL good friend. He's the comedy relief character, obsessed with panties meathead but he's brave and I really like him as well!
Minori I think was supposed to be the most interesting, being introduced halfway in and wanting to learn from 'Master Shinroe' but, yet again, becomes another clone AND another love interest! Saying that, because of the love triangle that is ever so omnipresent in every anime, episode 22 I think pokes fun at that concept which made me laugh a lot, despite having nothing to do with an MMO about it.

Other than those above there's a princess, a main baddy as well as your general MMO-fare enemies (which is introduced episode 24 of 25! They were optomistic for a S2, which is out so...) and a cast of supporting characters that usually have a link with Shiroe, Naotsugi or Minori.

So, after that essay, do I recommend this? Eehh hard to say. If you like SAO, and I mean REALLY enjoyed it, you're likely to enjoy this, as it's a lot of the same to be fair. If you enjoyed but got bored of SAO, or outright hate SAO, then probably give this a miss and, from what my friends keep banging on I need to watch, give Summer Wars a go. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next show!

What can I say? Log Horizon is basically something like SAO and .//Hack, but it is at the same time completely different. While SAO goes off on several tangents completely unrelated, think Lisbeth and Silica, Log Horizon stays focused on the MMO side of such a situation. Assuming you know the basics of the story, lets begin!

There are obviously a few faults to Log Horizon. The reason I voted this that high is a) it deserves more love and should go up in the anime list and b) is leagues better, in my opinion, than some of the stuff coming out these days. The main ... glaring fault in it is that many of the characters seem perfectly at ease in their new environment, the former MMO 'Elder Tale', now their world. No one panicked, there was no mass hysteria or anything, and frankly, this was done much better in SAO's episode one. However, it is becomes apparent that they haven't forgotten their situation but have attempted to adjust.

The first few episodes of Log Horizon are there to establish a setting. It starts out slow, which unfortunately lost a few watchers, explaining basic MMO concepts and features, introducing the main cast and so on. Around episode 5 it picks up, having finished a sort of prologue and begins the main story. If you hang around until then, you won't be disappointed.

There are several plot twists that were actually fun to watch, of which I only managed to guess two. Log Horizon also focuses on the premise of 'politics'. If you think about it, it is obviously pretty important, given that the several thousand in Elder Tale have no overarching law governing them. Anarchy is obviously an effect, and this is what the protagonist attempts to solve. This was actually pretty refreshing from the recurring theme of violence solves everything that seems to come up in Anime. It may sometimes get slow, but if you bear with it you won't be disappointed!

Art wise, there is certainly quite a bit more left to desire. While Log Horizon's art is in no way bad, in fact it is very well done, it is not very good either, going more on mediocre. It does not really affect your enjoyment of the show. Several special effects were done pretty well, especially skills of the players, but other than that there wasn't any real eye candy.

Sound, I felt, was pretty good. Unfortunately I only really pay attention to the OP and ED, and in this case both were nice. The OP had several English lyrics, and the tune in general was nice. I tended to skip the ED though. The OSTs were all good, but the fact that none really come to mind show that it isn't anything extremely amazing.

Characterization is one of the strong points. Shiroe's development isn't explicitly shown, but his slow growth from introvert to leader is done very well. Several side characters are also done pretty well, but some were neglected, like Naotsugu and Nyanta (btw this guy is weird... Nyanta that is. Idk why). And the romance in this has left much to be desired; in that the little that is there isn't done very well, especially who likes who. I felt that it didn't really fit with the series, they should have gotten most of it off.

Log Horizon is one of the better series to air recently. While it certainly does lack in some areas, it overall more than makes up for it. Consider watching it, chances are, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

"I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee."

While searching for a new show to pick-up on MAL, I happened to stumble on to Log Horizon. Now I'm not one who randomly watches shows; I watch the same types, genres, etc. As soon as I read the description for Log Horizon, I thought to myself, it's just a copy of Sword Art Online. But even if it was, the show did have high scores and that definitely piqued my interest. I also took the time to read yaHzee's review ... of the show which made me decide to invest time in this series. And boy, did I enjoy it.

The story is great. It never felt rushed; just everything went nicely with the flow. There was no major drama or plot point that I felt was drawn out too long. Each little scenario built upon another to keep the story going. Be warned, there is a lot of politics in this show. Luckily for the good guys, they are able to solve it. Now if you like the idea where the main characters agonize over decisions and consequences, this may not work out for you. I don't mean to say they don't struggle with problems, but they sure do solve them quickly. In any case, I didn't complain about that as I'm not into plot points that tend to drag on.

Art and sound were good as well. The animation is good and clean and the locations and towns were beautiful. I had no complaints with the music; actually, I don't remember any music from any particular scene which stood out but I certainly didn't hate it. As for the intro and ending songs, they are definitely catchy if you give them a try.

Now let's talk about characters. This can sink a show or make it extremely enjoyable. I love that MAL lets you favorite characters you like; although, I would really like it if you can make a list of characters you hate. The nice thing was there really weren't any characters in the show that I hated. And this then brings us to our main character, Shiroe. To be honest, I really enjoy watching shoujo anime. And one of the biggest reasons is that the guys in shoujo anime aren't complete douches. Unfortunately, shounen anime are crowded with wimpy losers who believe in the power of friendship. I have really come to hate that. But Shiroe is different. He is intelligent and is the strategist in the show. He isn't one to charge in recklessly and does think through the problems the heroes come across. He is definitely in my list of great anime male characters. The other characters were great as well and I really enjoyed the interactions that occurred among them, especially when they strategize their next move. Other characters seemed unremarkable but did grow on you eventually, like the other guild masters who had their own roles to play. A win in my opinion.

And finally, the enjoyment. I've never played an MMORPG so I don't understand all of it. But I have played my fair share of RPGs at one time or another and yes, I am a Skyrim fanboy. One of the things that I loved in SAO was that when the boss fights would commence, everyone would fight together. But this wasn't often. In Log Horizon, it's all about the party and the fights are in groups. Heck, they even make an army and go all out on the enemy forces. This really made me want to play Log Horizon and get stuck in that world. The medieval world and it's game setting combined with the ingenuity of the modern man makes for some great ideas which this show is full of. I heartily recommend it.

Log Horizon is a show about thousands of players being trapped in the online world of 'Elder Tale'. (The similarities with shows like SAO can stop here) Elder Tale is a far more thought out world than you expect and the characters themselves are solid in all respects.

For me the show could have scored an 8 or 9 but the reason it didn't where for things it didn't have to do and could have fixed.

1) The story lacks a proper pace, it is bogged down at times with filler especially towards the end of the show

2) There is well to much politics. I ... can understand though for people who like this sort of thing. I am all for it if it expands the world of Elder Tale. But it dedicated episodes to events that could have been mentioned in a brief conversation and allow the viewer to get on with the main plot.

3) The cast of characters really don't have equal development, a lot of the characters are left out in favour for the main 3 and even saying that it is mainly the lead Shiroe who is the most developed.

Lastly the show lacked a lot of action considering it was an MMO, it had a few really nice set pieces or stop out moments but like mentioned before was really bogged down with trying to be a depth political powerhouse. This also caused the ending to really suffer but I am holding out on season 2 hoping it learns from this.

It has some good concepts, I just hope they get more time to shine next time.

LOG HORIZON REVIEW:

MINDSET:
*LITERALLY ABSOLUTLY NOTHING*

SYNOPSIS:
Some game called Elder Tale created a near-apocalyptic event which in that day, the players that have logged in and were sucked into the games world. The protagonist Shiro and he's friends work together as helping freelancers to all sorts of random stuff, like killing a monk, helping a loli etc. It usually centrers around Shiro, as he soon decides to replicate real-life society with Elder Tale, as everything has become corrupt. It is up to he's new guild “Log Horizon” to create a new and working society that benefits everyone.

REVIEW:
Lets start out with the good stuff. Even us more professional ... critics agree, that Log Horizons biggest strength is “World Building” You truly get a grasp of this world, how it works and how it has develop. To be honest, its quite fun for me look back on what I learnt at certain episodes, to revise thorough certain pieces of knowledge. This truly puts in favour of its pacing, like Shinsekai Yori, the pacing of the show gradually shows You an ever more and expanding world. (for the most part) the reactions and development on our barren wasteland, to a fully working society is a really fascinating look.

You see major discoveries, like how if You cooked Your self instead of using the command panel, will add actual flavour onto the food, instead of it tasting like plain Yoghurt. Or how wealthy guilds invest money to research technology, by using the knowledge they used to have the world develops quickly. You see laws being added, wars breaking lose, inventions of items that cannot be made in real-life can all add up to a very immersible fantasy realm.

Consequently, there are moments with flawed writing. My case and point? Some of the world building can be quite unrealistic and some plot pints feel forced and rather out of place, like how the origin of Elder Tale was before the age of Adam & Eve, it was the Elves who came before the humans as this super advance race. There are moments like these which subconsciously makes me face palm to how dum the writing can be in certain moments, and yes without spoiling it, the Lore of the original Elder Tale was down side for me...

Considering the fact that the show centrers around world building, it has no grey morality which gives out a few minuses since You can obviously tell who is the villain. And also, the villains are totally one dimensional turds of writing.

Another issue to stress out, (technically I can call that a flaw) is the fact that You still get the same feel and aura of the shows world building. (I know it could be hard to explain but please grasp on my explanation) You only get fascinated by the shows “World Building” this means that You do not truly feel emotion, or tension when reality hits hard, because of the charcters... Yep, I'm addressing this issue again...

We have overall great world building, so what about a cast to back it up? With a cast that can be completely summarised with one word or a one liner, this makes them feel like the same overused cookie cutter flat and uncomplex archetypes all over again. At the end of the series, they do not develop. Sure there were a very small handful that had legit development, but overall, it doesn’t reward any more redeeming factors on the entire cast. The only character that kind of shines above the rest would be Shiro, he's a very logical thinker, the most OP tactician in the series, but personality wise, he still reminiscent of the same generic protagonist vibe that I see with far too many modern Anime these days. Roriconfan describes characters like these, as Vanilla, a character who seems to have a lesser persona, and just reacts at everything.... He gets barely any development even though he gets the most screen time.

There are a few pretty above average characters, but the ratio is like 3/100 of other characters that I've already forgotten there names, but again, there really nothing special.

The only special mention of the OST, would be the OP, its great, sure it doesn’t fit the whole theme of a fantasy series but its just a piece of some really cool J-Pop with really cool beats! The ED is so average that it kind of sucks, so just skip it. (there is nothing special about it) For the rest of the OST, its Your completely generic fantasy OST with your violins, trumpets, etc. With only one memorable song. It is sufficient on its job, and fits the mood nicely. But I'm no musician, so I can't critique it in a very in-depth and critical manner!

This goes the same for the Animation, again, nothing special. It is again, sufficient on its job and doesn’t have anything note worthy. However, I really like it because it remains very consistent, threes not one moment when it felt like downgrading, or upgrading and the action scenes look pretty cool and fluid. Its overall very consistent and nice! Sure the use of colours is rather minimalistic, and character designs are fairly above average for the most part with nicely distinguishing features in each design but its good.

LEGACY:
After so many years passing, this show is going to be decently well remembered for its great (though flawed) world building, it has a few decent characters and an awesome OP to be remembered, its truest legacy would feel like a very fun and animated, quirky geography lesson that is 24 volumes long, with a bit history in the mix made in Japan!

SCORES:
4.5/10 For a nothing special plot, with very above average world building.
3.5/10 With a forgettable and large cast that were not very well directed.
6/10 As its sufficient Animation only redeeming factor is the very consistent budget. And good designs.
6.5/10 For a good OST, and bonus points for a great OP
6.5/10 As an enjoyable Geography lesson (nothing else)

FINALE: 4/10 Only for the cool geography lessons will it not suck.

So… Log Horizon.

Story:

Okay so story… First of all you have to understand, there isn't really an over-arching plot. More like a group of sub-plots. This anime is very driven towards the idea of what would happen if people were forced to live inside an MMO. The characters aren't exactly trying all their hardest to escape. There also isn't a lot of action, so if you enjoy action packed anime this may not be for you. It's more of a politics and ethics sort of story.

Art:

I'm not really too picky about art style, so pretty much anything looks good to me. The character designs ... were great and so were the backgrounds. So yeah, great art.

Sound:

The sound wasn't anything amazing. It wasn't horrible either. At first I just skipped the opening, but I eventually grew to like it.

Characters:

I must say I really enjoyed the characters in this series. They all seem to have some depth, although you don't get any backstory for most of them. I don't really have much to say other than they were good so… yeah.

Enjoyment:

I must admit I considered dropping this anime quite a few times. The beginning is sort of slow, but the show does pick up. At the end I really enjoyed this anime. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a fantasy/MMO setting and wants to have an in depth world.

On the first glance, Log Horizon, was like a cheap copy of Sword Art Online (which was not exactly the best anime ever, being good even though). 4-5 episodes passed and I was thrilled. Suddenly I understood the difference. As a gamer, and a person that used to spent a lot of time on MMO games, this was a real hit.
They were actually in a world, that was a game in every single bit. It was a MMO in every single bit. Every detail that a MMO game could have was implemented in the anime, they knew what they were doing from the very beginning. ... And that is what I liked the most. The details they managed to put into it, even small things.
And if you are a gamer, you will understand every single bit of what the characters are doing, and how they behave, its impossible to not love this anime, when you are a gamer.
It's a adventurous experience with a ton of thinking and plot to it. I am a big fan of this thing!

SCORES:
STORYLINE:
This anime seems to be nothing you expect it to be. In the beginning I thought that the storyline is not polished and pretty simple, hopelessly copied, that's what I thought.
And then you see that sudden change, and you understand everything.
Basically, people that played the game called Elder Tale, woke up in the game, like it was real life.
Everything became a chaos. People had to unite, had to form some sort of government, some sort of law, some sort of city and community.
And then the world progresses.
And you witness the beautifulness of it.

VIBE:
For me this certain vibe is special. It is because you can feel that these people are gamers, and like every serious gamer, they are unique in their own way. I like it, because I can sympathize with those people a lot, I can almost feel what they feel. I can understand their problems there, and the thing they are afraid of.
And also their very desires.
And well, let's be honest. It's essentially a game, they are in a game. How could I not love that world!
Sometimes, because of that. You might think, for just a while.
Would you actually want to be in a world like this?
Coz that is a question, theyve been asking themselves this whole time.
You better think about it, Im not the one telling you, what you need to do.
It's your damn life.

ART STYLE:
I do really think, that the art style could be a lot better. I don't find it either original nor good. It's even below average. They happened to make everything a bit "squaery", which is what I don't really like. Some characters that are supposed to be pretty or cute, are essentially not, which is a shame. Because they try to convince you that they are that way.
Although I do think that fights are done with a great detail, animation quality there, seems to be good enough. And then, I even hate to say it. Sometimes it's bad, because it's just made with worse quality! You have to be consistent with what you are doing.
I can also say, that there is a purpose for the art style to be that way, but even though it could have been prettier.

MUSIC/VOICEACTING:
Some tracks from the soundtrack are awesome, and some are not to even listen. At least I dont like them, unfortunately the these worse ones, make the majority of the soundtrack. They tend to fuse a woman singing voice track with a 8bit old-school track. I don't like that, they should keep themselves to one thing.
Voiceacting is nice, I didnt find any voice being unattractive or not matching the character, because that tends to happen sometimes.
They even managed to get some surprising manners of talking from the voices we already heard, which was indeed incredible. I like when a whole character develops, it makes it more enjoyable to watch them do stuff.

CONCLUSION:
In the conclusion I would say that this is a good anime, with a bunch of flaws in it. I like it, I'm a gamer, how may I not love it. But I can see those things I consider bad, and it decreases in my eyes. Although I can recommend it to any serious gamer on this planet, they will surely enjoy it! And they will surely respect the main character, he is a gamer with a soul.

Video Review: https://youtu.be/KqN-3EHahrg

This is the most mindlessly hyped anime since, ironically, SAO.

I base my overall score mostly on enjoyment, I don't add/remove points for the quality of the work itself unless it's exceptional in a good or bad way.

I won't do an in depth analysis of the anime, I'll just say how I felt about it, and why it didn't work for me.

I felt like I was watching some very basic slice of life anime in a rarely seen setting in this genre, I don't have anything against slice of life if it's well done, but LH is a total mess, tried too hard in so many ... aspects and ended up not being good at anything.

The characters are so basic, I had to go double check if I wasn't watching a early 2000' show.

The comedy is mediocre, only lame moeblob related and overused jokes.

The story is midly interesting, enough to keep you watching, but nothing new.

The best thing about this anime was the ending song, and I'm not sure if it's because the song is good or because I couldn't wait for it to end...

Log Horizon may be your ordinary action-adventure-fantasy series but it is not necessarily to say that it has nothing more to offer than temporary entertainment for it may as well captivate your heart with its light atmosphere, exciting and thrilling adventures. As it may have minor flaws, these didn’t stop it from standing out among its genre-related competitors such as Sword Art Online, Overlord, or even DanMachi.

Cutting through the background and synopsis...

Storywise, the plot is ... cohesive enough and relatively easy to follow through without it being predictable and boring. The initial flow of the story was rather slow for its genre, adventure, as it focused more on setting the foundation (you may not find yourself fired up during these parts). There are times it gets carried away to the point that a few episodes become non-essential or even uninteresting – with regards to the plot.

Nevertheless, the story is quite consistent in delivery throughout and it shares some good plot twists from time to time, not to mention those crucial episodes. Not forget, the show has a good balance of comedy, action, a little drama… and romance so you won’t be getting tired of the similar content.

The series presented a lot of characters, however, the purpose of presenting a lot of personalities is to keep things interesting by capturing and holding the attention of the audience in hopes that they find one of their liking and Log Horizon didn’t do too well on that challenge. As the story progresses, a majority of the characters didn’t show enough character development through overcoming internal and external challenges thus not establishing a deep connection with the audience – think of Edward Elric or Alibaba Saluja.

Taking the main character as an example: Shiroe (voiced by Terashima, Takuma) is not your casual gamer who was coincidentally trapped in the virtual game by luck instead is an active and skilled player most likely to be there. As expected, Shiroe would not be having difficulties in playing, or living, through the game as he is experienced but considering the idea that being trapped in a virtual world despite the first main problem in the story being the life inside the game with danger being real – not only from the monsters but even fellow players. Even though the main protagonist didn’t share his troubles, he did portray leadership and camaraderie.

Speaking of, the connections between characters were established very well, most specially in terms of good relations making it possible for the anime to create a convincing light atmosphere which is the main reason I like it and the same reason I find it to stand out.

I enjoyed watching the show particularly the silly moments, suspenseful reveals, surprisingly good tactics/strategies, music and most of all, character relationships and interactions.

So if you are a huge fan of adventure, be sure not to miss out on Log Horizon and in case you are worried that it might turn out to be generic for your taste, Log Horizon has its own flavor added to the genre – it’s one of those journeys you won’t be likely forget.

On a day known as The Apocalypse, Shiroe and two hundred thousand other players wake up in a world that resembles the world of the sword and sorcery MMORPG Elder Tale. Shiroe (a strategist) is accompanied primarily by Akatsuki (an assassin) and Naotsugu (a guardian/tank). The three of them meet up during The Apocalypse and set out together to learn what is going on in their world. Early on they find out some very basic truths about the world:

You cannot log out of the game
Dying in the game does not get you out of the game, you just revive at the Cathedral (a ... respawn point)
The control screens seem to be part of their normal field of vision
Characters can perform attacks and spells freely by simply moving their bodies or using vocal commands
Food and drink provided by the game have no taste and a uniform consistency, but people do still get hungry
Like with hunger, they do feel pain when they are attacked
The portals in the game have been shut down making it difficult to travel between large cities.

It also turns out that Shiroe is famous for being a member of a legendary raid party known as “Debauchery Tea Party” (Naotsugu was also a member). His brilliant strategies and cold demeanor had earned him the nickname, “Villain in Glasses”. Despite not ever joining a guild (the predominant social structure in this online game) Shiroe is very well known and respected by other players. He’s even helped several of the obtain items or complete quests. Because of this he is contacted by the leader of the Cresent Moon Guild in the game city of Akihabara for help figuring out what is going on with the world.

After Shiroe is brought up to speed on what’s happening he starts to complete jobs and tasks while still gaining information about the state of the new world that he lives in. In addition to the players (called adventurers) he notices that there has also been a change in the NPCs (called People of the Land). Shiroe also realizes that, in this world, people lack purpose. They don’t need anything to survive since they cannot die and there is no real societal structure for them to live in which has caused some places to fall apart. Shiroe makes it his goal to build the city of Akihabara into a place that will be pleasant for both the Adventurers and People of the Land to live in. In doing so, he will discover more and more things that he has to deal with in this new world.

At first glance, Log Horizon feels like a plug and play anime. They flipped the roles of a few character archetypes, altered the rules of the game and then just plugged that into the general formula for a “we’re stuck in a virtual world” show. This feeling comes in large part because they take certain aspects of the genre for granted. For example, no one seems to really care HOW, they ended up trapped in this game world. Beyond that no one even really seems concerned. The characters seem to be incredibly well acclimated to the world of the game. This is really strange because this isn’t a virtual reality game, it’s a standard desktop game. This means the players aren’t used to being in some kind of augmented reality. Still, no one freaks out or panics, they just go on living their lives in the game. Another issue, that goes hand in hand with the lack of exposition, is that there’s a lack of discovery. Almost everyone in the show seems to know or be familiar with each other from before the show began. This really robs the audience of the chance to discover the characters in the same way. It’s like showing up at a party and everyone else there has known each other for years, it just doesn’t make you feel welcome.

There’s also the issue of what feels like overly simple production. I found it interesting that the entire 25 episodes keeps the same opening and closing theme since the trend seems to be to change those every 12-13 episodes. I found it less interesting that the show seemed to be content with using the lowest common denominator when it came to character design and animation. Everything is relatively bland with the exception of one or two scenes where they wanted to make the scenery look really nice. The characters don’t really have a lot of…well…character to their designs everyone is just a kind of generic anime character. I guess it’s appropriate because the characters themselves aren’t really that developed either. In the whole 25 episodes I don’t think we see more than one instance of actual character growth. Even though the story the characters are used to tell is interesting, the characters themselves aren’t. Shiroe may be the one exception to that statement, but that’s probably because his character is the great catalyst for change and plot progression in this show.

What the show does well (and better than most other shows in it’s same genre) is being true to the feel of an MMORPG. The screens and jargon in the show are more true to the feel of what an actual game is like. It also nails the sense of community that is so prevalent in online games. In real life, online games are communities within society. However, in this show the community is separated from society and is left to either run wild or to form its own kind of society. Shiroe takes it upon himself to be the catalyst for creating that society. Watching Shiroe manipulate and construct a society in this very unusual world is interesting. What makes this so interesting and so fun to watch is that the society is growing inside the rules of an existing structure: the game.

We don’t know exactly what all of the rules of the game are but the players do and it’s obvious they’re used to working the system. Everything that’s done by the experienced players feels like the move of a veteran game player. The winners of their fights are determined not by a character level but by how well a team can fight together and by the strategy that they use. When they talk to the People of the Land, it reads just like you would expect a “pick the right path” conversation with an NPC in a game. They manipulate the conversations to achieve the results they desire. The game itself is also constantly reacting to the adventurers actions. It’s so much like a game that it’s hard to tell whether or not the world is actually trying to guide the players to some undisclosed end-game. That makes the story feel very organic.

This show is a much truer adaptation of the feel of an MMORPG than many of it’s genre predecessors but that is it’s strongest point. As an anime, it is lacking in having an overarching plot which can make it hard to get invested in the show because of a general feeling of a lack of direction. That being said, it is still fun to watch if you can get over some of those holes. The show does seem to prefer to tell stories in smaller chunks and through their characters. Overall, I’d give the show a 7/10 with room for it to improve based on how the 2nd season pans out.

This is just a quick review about log horizon. Where should i start? First of all, i could say this is one of the most boring and illogical anime i' ve seen and i dropped it at just 11 ep cause i couldn t no longer resist..Why? Don' t get fooled by that "action-adventure" like me..because it's just a SLOW SLOW slice of life fantasy full of political and diplomatic situations, oh and guess what?stereotypes characters.
The worst thing i just can't handle is the hate for the "similar" SAO wich is ten times better.No seriously.. if you're thinking this ugly copy is better there is ... something wrong with you.. I can understand for the spells, classes and the whole Rpg sistem etc but stop.. the rest are just boring useless speechs who make you slee.. Zzzz
There will be many confronts with Sao in this review since many people recommend it for its similar settings but They are Two completely different things,Sao is a love story so deal with it.
By the way, i will just write what i criticize the most and the reason why it is a very bad anime.
Let's start from the beginning.. You got stuck in a RPG game with no chance to escape and what s your first reaction? Fear? Anxiety? Nahh let s take a walk and call my old friend..(few moments later,when they met) "oh man so you're stuck in the game too.." "Yea, woo i ve always thought you were a tall man!" "Hoho that s exactly how i imagined you..look at you, with those glasses" Mm..And while you are at it, order two coffee please oh my god, this is one of the first conversations. Thus the question arises: wtf is happening? .I want you to remind the first ep of Sao.. the air was full of terror.. You just got trapped in a game and you can t log out!!! the first days in Sao many people died or committed suicide cause they cannot manage to being trapped in a game! ..Even after lot of episodes in Log horizon people still don't care and live quietly.. ehm.. The real world? your family?don t you miss them? Sao s players started to fell "adapted" after a year or so when they partially left hopes for coming back in the real world. This is like a crucio that keeps knocking in your head and make this anime too illogical for a watch.Its pacing is also terrible and sets up many useless minor plots to the whole thing.
Then, the characters, the weakest point of LH: the Mc, called the demonic four-eyed, a lv 90 magycian who uses only 1 spell for the few battles he fought (and he s lv 90 so a little more fantasy lol)..a ninja lolita who serve the mc like a master,wow what a news,a perverted big man who get kicked by the lolita every time he tries to joke, the leaders of the crescent moon, an hugger woman who hugs Everybody for no reason and the irrealistic business woman in the real world (bookkeeper i guess) that has a lv 90 Rpg player and spend all tje time trying to use the lolita like a doll..but ehi .. It s an anime so no problem,it s ok, should i continue? let s pass over, it s better..
The most important, the death sistem.You can't die in the game.. Nope seriously? You just cut off the only thing that could have added some tension to this series.This fit up perfectly in Sao and that s why i absolutely loved the first 12 eps of it.The tension was constant and you didn t know what would have happened.
One last thing, i read that after 50 eps so the end of the second season there are still no answers on WHAT and WHY they re there,which would have been the most important thing to explain, so no answers after 20 hours of watching lol.