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*Note This is basically a re-post modified to be a full review of the series since it's already finished airing and the last one was written halfway through the series.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty I'll just get one thing out of the way: I'm a fan of both Mamare Touno and Kawahara Reki and no one (not even the zealous hardliners from both camps) can make me feel otherwise. W/ that said let's get it on shall we?

Log Horizon is about thousands of players of an internationally acclaimed Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) Elder Tales suddenly find themselves trapped inside ... a world eerily similar to that of the game w/ them looking like their in-game avatars.

I imagine a lot of people unconsciously muttering "SAO clone" after that first paragraph and turn themselves away from their monitors at breakneck speed changing the web page afterwards. I don't exactly blame them seeing as how horribly SAO was adapted. But that's an entirely different issue. Anyway it's not like SAO and LH were the first series to use MMOs as a theme. There are countless other works both in the West and in Asia (the Koreans love this stuff) w/c have similar themes. That and comparing SAO and LH is like comparing apples and oranges. Both are fruits. I find them both tasty. But they're not entirely similar that trying to justify w/c one is better than the other is an act of futility. People like different stuff. And I admit that my scoring is based on my preferences but I'll still endeavor to cover the various elements of this series objectively.

Oh, and cause some are a bit miffed that I didn't mention .hack// I'll put it in here too. And, no, this isn't just a "spur of the moment" thing. No, seriously. Guys I love Kite, Haseo and the gang too. You've gotta believe me...

(Story/Characters)
That said LH has quite a different feel from other series w/c use the said theme. For one if you know Mamare Touno then you most likely agree that he is one of the reigning kings when it comes to world building and character development (at least that's what I'd like to believe). If you are familiar w/ his other work (Maou Maoyuu Yuusha) or another series w/ a similar feel (Spice and Wolf) then chances are you already have a good idea what to expect. The series has heavy socio-political undertones coupled w/ economics and lot's of interesting and colorful characters (in my book). It also takes its sweet time in developing the plot and characters so those who are expecting a brisker pacing may be turned off at a couple of eps featuring almost nothing but dialogue (albeit greatly presented).

Shiroe (MC) is one of the more interesting MCs I've come across in that he's not exactly the brute force of the party but the brains w/c is rare for a Shounen series (although one can argue the novels can actually be classified as Seinen but we're talking about the adaptation here). What makes him so interesting for me is that in order to realize his goals and protect those dear to him he has no qualms about using more "underhanded" or "villainous" methods to get things done. He also has no problem playing "bad cop" and ruining his public image if it is for the benefit of the greater whole. His nick 'Villain in Glasses" (Black-heart glasses in the novel translations) describes him to a tee. He does have genuinely good intentions but just like any good zealot he lives to the idea "The ends justify the means". Those close to him trust him enough to believe in whatever decision he makes but those unfamiliar w/ him just view him as a dangerous element.

And Shiroe is just one of the relatively large cast of characters LH has. Almost every one from the open pervert Naotsugu, cute loli assasin Akatsuki, gentle-cat-person and superb chef Nyanta, lovable big breasted kansaiben oneesan Marielle, amazing megane accountant and Akatsukis number 1 fan Henrietta...... I could go on forever w/ this but yeah almost all of the characters are interesting and chances you'll find someone you'll love.

Some may complain about some scenes that feel "off" or seem like a departure from what was established in the first few eps. While I'll refrain from debating whether these scenarios are better off being included or not I'll just say that LH is over all a multi-layered series. It isn't purely about action, political maneuvering and economic ploys. Nor is it purely about romance (Did people just cringe there?...). It has a story w/c is a mesh of different elements and, if it's any consolation, no detail is left out to be irrelevant. All come together as the plot advances. Even "those" scenes.

(Art/Sound)
I'd always liked the novel illustrations and am very satisfied at the fact that the characters do look like their novel illustration selves. The animation could have used a bit more work though but seeing as it's NHK I'm not really complaining that much. Lenessia and Akatsuki are ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!!!... Uuuh... yeah. Sorry bout that. Anyway, as for the music, there are some stand out themes here and there and they fit well into the scenes they play in. The OP can be a mixed bag. Some (myself included) may love it so much that they find themselves humming "Database! Database!" all over the place. And some would rather listen to Frank Sinatra (I don't have anything against mister Sinatra mind you. Really. Don't flame me.). The ED is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!!! Yeah, can't help it. Sorry. The OP and ED don't change throughout the series run so that in itself can be a testament to their quality. Either that or NHK-E just doesn't have the budget for another OP/ED. We may never know...

(Overall)
All in all LH has superb word building, and expansive and engaging cast and an interesting MC to keep you hooked. It's one of those series w/c actually makes you use your noggin a bit and this makes you understand why it's aired on a government sponsored edutainment channel aimed at kids despite being Shounen. Oh, and yeah, there are action scenes too but they're only a part of the narrative. But they are well placed.

Also if you're looking for a series that evokes nostalgia for the old school MMOs that took over our misspent youths look no further. LH has that in spades considering that it was based on Everquest and the key here is not "trapped in a virtual MMO" but "transported to an alternate world resembling our favorite desktop/console MMO played w/ mouse and keyboard".

*Do note that the MMO theme might be a mixed bag (Some would like the explanations about MMO gaming in general and some may feel annoyed since they already know the stuff and feel like they're being treated like noobs.) and the MMO feel kinda tapers off towards the end of the series. But, again, remember that LH is a multi layered series. The story shifting from world building to character-centric is part of the overall package. It's up to you guys if you'll like the transition or not.

While it may have its slightly annoying moments I find it an honestly enjoyable series. But it's not for everyone.

*P.S. I, being the shameless fanboy that I am, will take this chance to encourage you guys to read the novels. You'll find a lot of things that were not included in the TV adaptation (since it's NHK-E and the censoring is unavoidable) and you'll get to enjoy another aspect of the series. Thanks for reading the review guys.

I really enjoyed the first season of Gin no Saji. It goes w/out saying that I had really high expectations for the second season. And for the most part it didn't disappoint.

Story/Characters:

The story picks up where the last season left off where Hachiken is slowly getting used to the life at Yezo high. He's made friends and is now relatively enjoying his school life. But his character will develop by leaps and bounds by the end of this season w/c was why I liked it as much as I did.

The character development... This aspect was really prominent this season and I enjoyed it a lot. ... Hachiken, Mikage and Komaba all have their moments and all of them felt really genuine and real. The drama also escalated quite a bit and if someone told me I'd cry because of dairy cows before watching this series I'd have thought them to be crazy. The story really upped the ante this season and it was great.

Art/Sound:

I personally thought the new OP/ED weren't as catchy as last seasons but that's just me. A-1 remains consistent animation wise and still manages to give us really great backdrops.

Overall:

As much as I liked the last season I think season 2 trumped it by a fair margin. The story is moving along in really surprising ways and the roller coaster of emotions it takes you to is really enjoyable. Especially the last few eps. Hachiken and the gang are growing steadily and you feel all warm (but a little melancholic) inside seeing them go through all the things life throws at them. I'm pretty much up for a third season if ever. Another great SoL series to remember.

I never thought I would enjoy a SoL anime (about farming no less) as much as I did Gin no Saji. And from the great Arakawa Hiromu (of FMA fame) herself. I admit, I was hooked in by the authors name and jumped in blind but it became one of the best decisions I made in my anime watching life;) Here's why.

Story/Characters:

The main protagonist this time is this young, bespectacled lad named Hachiken Yugo who is very much a city boy hailing from Sapporo. After failing his entrance exams for his chosen school he decides to enroll at Yezo Agricultural High thinking that he ... would have an easier time preparing for college if the academic level was a bit lower than usual. Little did he know this decision would lead him to a great journey of self discovery (Cheesy? I know... Just work w/ me here...).

It might sound no different from all adolescent coming of age dramas we've encountered but trust me it's not. It's one of the very few series where you feel the authors sincerity in the story. Arakawa sensei really put a lot of thought and heart into making this series and it shows.

Add a memorable cast of characters, good pacing, and the trademark Arakawa humor and you have yourself a real good show.The issues it tackles are things we often take for granted (Pork Bowl for example) but the way the show presents them and the conclusions it offers really hit you deep in the gut. There isn't so much heavy drama but it still manages to touch the audience. That in itself is testament to how good the storytelling in this series is.

Speaking of conclusions, the show doesn't actually present a definite one but just basically says, and I quote, "never stop trying to understand". There is no definite answer. But whatever decision you come to just be sure to face it head on. This really got to me personally.

Art/Sound:

A-1 really shows their stuff when working w/ SoL shows and Gin no Saji is no exception. The backdrops are filled w/ detail and the animation is smooth. The OP/ED are catchy and the OST is appropriate.

Overall:

A very enjoyable watch. One of the few animes that prompted me to read the manga straight away. This is one of those gems where the different elements merge to paint a beautiful montage w/out anything feeling out of place at all. The warmth and problems that accompany human relations, the farming backdrop, coming of age, comedy... All merge into one great SoL series. A definite must watch for those who like the genre.

Let me just get this off my chest before starting the review as always: I'm a fan of Reki Kawaharas works no matter what the ardent haters say or think.

Now that that's settled I'm guessing some of you who even bothered to read this damn review are wondering about the low score despite the declaration above. And fair warning but most of what you are about to read is just plain ranting and most of it has been said by countless others before me so if you're not in the mood for that then please stop reading and change the web page now...........................







...
Still w/ me? Hoookay then. First of all let me start by saying I absolutely adore SAO. It's the series that got me into reading LNs (Light Novels) in the first place along w/ To Aru Majutsu no Index. I loved it so much I was sneaking peeks at the baka-tsuki web site for updates using my workstation PC behind my boss's back. Risk of being fired straight away be damned! But, like countless other adaptations of a written work, a lot of what A-1 has done w/ the anime just degrades the series in it's entirety it's become cringe worthy even for die hard fans such as myself.

(Story/Characters)
THIS is where the adaptation failed the most. I know the futility of arguing about how great the source material is to an uncaring bunch so I'll not do that for the sake of my health. But I'll try to point out the things w/c made this adaptation such a train wreck anyway.

Some have complained about the countless time skips the anime implemented though out the first arc saying it's too abrupt a transition and that it had a ton of wasted potential. Apparently Reki agrees as he is currently working on a remake of the Aincrad arc called Sword Art Online: Progressive w/c would recount the adventures of our MC Kirito over the two years they spent trapped inside Aincrad giving it a more fleshed out feel and better pacing. See this series was originally an entry piece to a one-shot novel writing contest w/ a very strict and specific word count way back when. It's only after it's growing popularity that Reki was told to come up w/ follow up novels. But since the demand for the continuation of the original work was high he wrote a direct sequel w/out fleshing out the prequel resulting in a work w/c had problems when it comes to story transition and character development. Would the story have been better if they waited for Progressive to finish? I don't really know. But I do know that it would've flowed better.

As for the story itself there is no denying the fact that it's Shounen w/ a blatant self-insert OP MC. It's cliche as hell and the pseudo harem can be really annoying. But it has it's moments. And what actually adds to it's charm is Rekis writing style. He conveys a lot of different emotions and scenes expressively while managing to pack it in as less words as possible. It's not very wordy and comes in easily digestible paragraphs w/ occasional moments of dry wit, sarcasm and silliness. Kiritos inner monologues are amusing and at times bizarre w/c made reading them such a joy.

I'm sure the ones on the other side of the fence vehemently disagree I'm not touching that even w/ a 20 foot pole. One can argue that this is just Reki trying to dress up a poor story by using walls of text. But really people. There are countless other literary works out there and there exists not one sure fire way to differentiate ones work from the rest of the pack. If being able to add color to a cliche story and setting by using wordplay isn't a sign of a competent writer then the world really does lean towards the idea "Originality is King" more so than I had initially thought. I've seen countless other works fall flat on their collective faces even after boasting strikingly original concepts though so I don't even know what to think now.

So after all that ranting I assume you've already had an inkling of what I was going to say next. What? No?... My bad then. Anyway the point is that the crux of this series is Kawahara Rekis writing. There are no too ways about it. The internal monologues and colorful scene and character descriptions add flair to an otherwise bland story. The anime fails to incorporate even an inkling of that w/c is why it failed for the most part.

(Art/Sound)
The art I can live w/. Despite having fluid animation most of the time I find it real hard to look at the character art w/c really looks like Poplar and the gang from Working! w/c is understandable given it's A-1. But it doesn't really remove my misgivings w/ the art. The fanservice... meh it was in the novels too but at least it was fairly less overt that what the anime made it seem to be. But I do agree Reki f*cked up w/ the tentacle scene. I'll give you that. Most fans agree actually.

As for the music well I honestly felt it wasn't on par w/ Kaijura Yuukis other works. You can make all kinds of assumptions as to why this was the case but I won't jump on that too thank you.

(Overall)
Shame. A real damn shame. I still like SAO and probably will continue to like it but the adaptation really does such a poor job at conveying most of the things that made me (and other fans) like it as much as we have it really leaves you w/ a bad aftertaste. And for the legions upon legions of SAO haters out there... I feel you guys. I really do. My one single flickering hope is that the new season would at least upgrade this series as "watchable" instead of "utter trash" in your collective books. I know that's just wishful thinking but well... people can hope right?