deshawn.douglas - 2014-03-26 01:29:53

People trapped in a game. Have we heard of this premise before? Yes. So what makes Log Horizon any different from other shows with this premise? Should you bother watching it if it's already been done? Let's find out.

Log Horizon may be treading on familiar ground, with the ever-popular and controversial Sword Art Online airing just a year and a half before it, but while the initial premise may be the same(?), Log Horizon does something quite different than what we've seen before.

The MMORPG Elder Tale has been running for quite some time. When a new expansion is released, veteran player Shiroe returns to the game to see just what has changed, but he gets far more than he was expecting. He can't log out, and neither can the rest of the 10000+ people now trapped in just the Japan Server alone. Elder Tale is now his new reality, for better or for worse, and possibly forever.

After meeting up with his friends Naotsugu and Akatsuki, Shiroe sets out to bring some order to the now troubled world of Elder Tale, and figure out just what is going on.

The story and setting of Log Horizon are both very well defined and executed. What we are presented with is a complex and intriguing tale filled with mystery, battle, and politics. Politics? Yes. Politics. The politics of Elder Tale form a strong backbone for an action-lite story that encompasses much of Log Horizon's first season (the second season confirmed as of this date). And it's great. What it lacks in action, Log Horizon makes up for with some truly interesting political stories. But that's not all it is.

The story may be slow at times, and the show itself doesn't have the most gripping start, but when things get interesting, they get interesting. If you've got a short attention span or a thirst for action, you may not enjoy Log Horizon quite the way I did, but there are plenty of other shows out there to scratch those itches.

The setting of Log Horizon is Elder Tale, and throughout the course of the series we are told and shown more and more about the world and the mechanics governing it, for Elder Tale is a game, lest you not forget it.

The world is deep and the rules are well thought-out and toyed with in very interesting ways. Elder Tales mechanics serve not just as a starting point for the series, but as a constant catalyst for the plot. In many ways, the story is not just about the players, but the non-players as well. Log Horizon does some pretty cool things with this.

But it is not without it's missteps as well. Some things don't really make sense, like why all the newbie players have child-avatars (or why there are even child-avatars in the first place). Other things aren't given proper attention or just feel tacked on, like the "romance" elements. Couple this with repetitive humour that isn't really funny to begin with, and the greatness of Log Horizon's story and setting do get marred a little.

While I'm on the negative side of things, I'm going to start talking about the characters. Some of the characters, at least.

Log Horizon has a lot of characters. Some, who we'll get to soon, are pretty cool and interesting or entertaining, while other are bland and flat.

The problem with having such a large cast means that some characters will inevitably be pushed to the side and not get the development or screen-time they need to be worth caring about. Even when some of these characters do get screen-time, they do nothing productive with it. And this is a shame, because two of these characters are what most would consider part of the "main" cast, if not two of the main characters.

I'm talking about Naotsugu and Akatsuki. Naotsugu begins and ends the series as comic relief. He has one or two serious scenes but for the most part he is sidelined as a character who repeats (or tries to, as part of the gag) the same line throughout the entire series. He's shallow, he's weak, he's not really funny.

Akatsuki is a ninja/assassin who is indebted to Shiroe due to a favour he did for her. She then proceeds to follow him around acting as his bodyguard/eyes and ears. She plays the part of a stealthy ninja well, in the sense that we don't really see much of her. Sure, she is around, and she does speak a fair bit, but we never really get insight into her character or background, save for a few minor details. That's why, when the focus shifted a little more to her towards the end of the show, I didn't really care. She's not bad, but she's not interesting or developed either. I acknowledge her part in the series but I wouldn't be affected if she suddenly disappeared forever.

There are a range of other characters who are probably better classed as supporting or recurring, so their lack of depth can be excused, to an extent.

Rounding off our main trio is Shiroe, who is, fortunately, actually good. He is a solo player (stay with me) with an interesting past and a tactical mind. He is well-known among other veteran players as being the greatest strategist in the game, and one of the primary members of a famous guild that disbanded some time ago. We are oft explained aspects of the game from his point of view, as he forms a plan or simply tells us about the game-world.

The way his mind works makes for some really interesting scenes once the political stuff starts, and in my opinion Shiroe is one of the reasons why the political elements work so well. He's close to the perfect player but does have his flaws. As an enchanter class adventurer, he is practically useless in combat on his own, and relies on directing his team-mates to victory. He's not without flaws, but they are well-disguised and hard to spot at first (fitting for a mysterious main character).

Other interesting and entertaining characters include Crusty, "Rudy" Rundelhous Code, Minori and Nyanta. They vary in the amount of screen-time depth they have, but I found these characters to be the stand-outs. Henrietta is alright when she's not fawning over Akatsuki (another recurring joke I didn't particularly care for).

So Log Horizon has a strong story and setting marred by some small illogical or unfunny elements, and a wide but quality-varied cast of characters. Unfortunately the animation is nothing special, and during some later action scenes it is actually quite poor (specifically, the use of CGI in these scenes is pretty bad). Nothing really stood out for me as great or even better than average, except for a varied colour-palette.

Sound-wise, Log Horizon is good. There is only one OP and ED, but frankly I was perfectly happy with that, as both are great songs that convey different moods and themes. The OP, "Database", gets you pumped and psyched for the show with a combination of rap-like rock and a mix of English and Japanese lyrics. It's pretty sweet! The ED on the other hand feels a bit more fluffy and upbeat. A good way to end each episode. The soundtrack is effective when it needs to be, especially in the more intellectual scenes.

There are many things about Log Horizon that are good, like the well-crafted story, the characters (the good ones), and the music. There are some things that aren't as good, like the slow, not particularly gripping start, weaker characters and the animation in some episodes. In some ways it is the opposite of Sword Art Online. Take that as you will.

In short, Log Horizon is good! It puts and interesting spin the premise of people trapped in a game. If you're at all interested by that, definitely check it out, but maybe give it a few more episodes than you'd give other shows. If you need an action fix, go watch Kill la Kill or something.

friesen.alaina - 2014-03-23 01:33:25

By its eleventh expansion pack, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Elder Tale has become a global success, with a user base of millions of players. However, during the release of its twelfth expansion pack, thirty thousand Japanese gamers who are all logged on at the time of the update, suddenly find themselves transported into the virtual game world and donning their in-game avatars. In the midst of the event, a socially awkward gamer named Shiroe, along with his friends, Naotsugu and Akatsuki, decide to team up so that they may face this world, which unfortunately has now become their reality, along with the challenges and obstacles ahead of them.

Story: The story of Log Horizon starts out strong but by the end it falls short. The story starts out with all the characters being trapped in an online world. Throughout the series the characters learn more about the world and find ways to survive in a virtual world. These are the things i really liked about the story. But, by the second half the sideline the main characters and focus on other aspects of the cast. This makes the second half of the series seem less interesting. By the end of the second half of the series more questions are raised then answered.

Animation: The animation is not anything spectacular but its not bad either. Overall, the animation is good when it needs to be. In the battle the animation is great but the rest of the animation is average at best. Finally, the animation is consistent with no major drops in quality throughout the show.

Sound: The series's soundtrack is good as well. The intro is very catchy and the Japanese cast does a great job with all the characters. The soundtrack does a great job at setting the tone of each episode in the show.

Characters: Log Horizon is definitely a character driven show rather than plot driven. The focus is developing the characters throughout the show. Many of the main and even supporting character develop over the course of the show. And to see how each of the characters change is why i kept watching.

Enjoyment: Overall, i really enjoyed the series. Even though the ending was the one downside the series was good overall. The characters are good enough to keep the series interesting throughout its run. There will also be another season so the show can only keep getting better.

enoch00 - 2014-03-22 18:36:03

SAO COMPARISON! DERP DERP DERP.

No, but really. I know everyone is sick to death of the constant comparisons but I feel it is necessary to go into it atleast a little bit. Because whether or not you've seen SAO, you will come in with certain expectations because of the similar premise. Which is admittedly a bit silly seeing as this premise isn't anything new. Hell, it was kind of old even back when TRON did it in 1982.

Log Horizon is in many ways, whether intentional or not, a spiritual antithesis to SAO. It is more light-hearted compared to SAO's teenage angst and drama. It's storyline is much more vague and flexible compared to SAO's rather straight-forward endgoal (which it somehow managed to still get sidetracked from but regardless). Shiroe is a squishy caster that relies on well-executed teamwork whereas Kirito was a loner swordsman. Okay okay, you get the idea.

HOWEVER, that does NOT mean that someone coming in from not liking SAO will automatically like Log Horizon. The reason for this is because Log Horizon is going something very different and goes off in a completely separate direction. First and foremost, Log Horizon is not an action show, so don't expect it to ever air on Toonami anytime soon. Log Horizon is a more thinky-talky show than its immediate predecessor.

It is not a simple show about fighting monsters and escaping a virtual world. This is a show about a group of people sucked out of one world and into another, and how to deal with it. How they adapt to living in this other world and challenges they face doing so. Which, while not quite as exciting, turns out to be far more interesting. Yes, there is mystery and intrigue about how they got sucked in and what this world really is, but that is just a thing going on in the background. The main focus is the characters adapting to a new environment.

It deals with issues like communication, economics, authority, etc. There is actually very little action in the show, which will either be a positive or negative depending on your tastes. My tastes are very flexible so it didn't really bother me, but I can see others being disappointed. If there is one word that describes Log Horizon for me, it is "intriguing". I just find myself very interested in where it's going. What problems will arise next? How will Shiroe tackle them? How will everyone react?

The point is, a lack of action doesn't in any way mean the show is boring. In fact, it actually manages to make economics fun and exciting. Shiroe tackles problems with his mind and not with brute force, which makes the show more cerebral and less popcorny.

The characters are both a strength and a weakness of the series. They are not extraordinarily developed and tend to stick to rather endearing but simple personalities. But this is not exactly a bad thing as their interactions can still be very entertaining and you can gradually get attached to their simplicity. This is definitely a series that is more story-focused than character-focused, but the execution is good enough that I can give it a pass. The only real complaint I have is that this season ended on a rather anti-climactic note, but it was still satisfying.

The production values are good. And that's really all I can say about them. They are good, solid and consistent but not incredible. I wasn't a huge fan of the art style at first but I got used to it over time and came to like it. The show has a consistent look and feel to it, and that's great, but it just didn't blow me away or anything. The music fits all the right moods, from uplifting to mysterious to casual banter, it suits all the right tones when it needs to. And as everyone on the internet already knows, the OP is fucking badass.

Overall, Log Horizon is an endearing series with likable characters that explores a familiar premise in a different way than its predecessors. And that is more than enough reason to fully recommend it. Can't wait for Season 2 this fall.

Rewatch Value: Yes (On a Yes/Maybe/No scale)

gprosacco - 2014-03-22 15:13:02

I can so easily look back upon Summer of 2013 and recall that one show that was cashing in on Sword Art Online. All I cared to even notice was that there was an assassin, which I think tend to be cool, so hell, maybe it'll show me something worth while come the next season...

Little at that time did I realize I was in store for a perfect anime. However, let me define perfect. For one, Log Horizon is animated by Satelight Studios, which has an inconsistent animation record, and Log Horizon is on the side that suffers greatly. When action gets involved, which it rarely does, expect a lot of still frames and flat animations. My term "perfect" solely comes from the writing of this series.

Second of all, this is on the "Spice and Wolf" and "Fate/Zero" levels of talk-your-ears-off heavy. Do not confuse this series for anything else than a series that loves to discuss morals, ideals, politics, establishment, trade, life, etc. Action, romance, comedy, and other genres are present, but only as they're necessary to any actual progression as it comes.

Finally, these are by no means actually deep characters. They can't even die really. But what's to say death is the worse thing possible? Nonetheless, that concept and more will have them discuss various deep topics from time to time, just never actually develop, simply encourage one another to take action. With that being said, you are ready to watch Log Horizon; and we'll get to the benefits of these seemingly cons in a bit.

If you look at the premise of this series here on HB, the words "attempts to survive" should be the key ones. Notice there is no actual reference to getting out. In fact, you never even see the outside world. As the characters get stuck in the video game world of Elder Tale, they initially have no help with what to do, and don't by the end either. This series feels less like a video game series, and more like an actual sword and sorcery anime. Our characters are dropped and stuck here, by they don't even know what, and have to make a new life for themselves. That is what Log Horizon is really about: building a world in your image from the ground up. Needless to say, this heavily clashes with what a majority of the world already recognizes, and many of the conflicts arise from this issue.

Here is where the writing really shines. The world, its history, and how it's interacted with makes this series literally everything that it is. There's so much of this content, you might even question what the world is yourself. Almost everything gets questioned in this series, and though with few answers, are tackled perfectly. It's near flawless in this regard, if that's what you want to see, and I'd damn near argue that it is flawless.

It is less of "the" perfect anime, and more of "a" prefect anime. All the meanwhile, the characters are just too great as well. They are loads of fun and extremely respectable. Even those who seem initially weak, useless, or are comic relief will blow your mind at how helpful or badass they can actually be. No one, NO ONE, is useless in this entire series. They work off one another, creating chemistry, and impressing you time and time again with the new tricks they have up their sleeves that are continually justifiable in every regard. I personally can't say I dislike anyone in the cast.

Log Horizon has a yet to air second season upcoming, but if this quality continues, give Mamare Touno his medal right now.

It's sad the animation can't compliment this series as much as it deserves, but the technical presentation gets made up for in the regard of the soundtrack. It is composed by Yasuharu Takanashi. If you don't recognize him, the Naruto movies and Naruto Shippuden just might ring a bell. But whatever you may think of a series and/or his compositions for them, he is a genius through and through. This is an eargasm of a soundtrack. Everything from tense, to heroic, to subtle can be found here and make you want to listen multiple times over. That being said, strap in for the coolest opening song you've ever heard in an anime when you press play. "Database" has almost become a meme in and of itself, with how catchy it is and how hype it makes people.

If you have a long attention span, and can see the badassery of someone in their words alone, then Log Horizon is a series of hype, hype, hype, and more hype. Have fun my friends. XD

marquis.wehner - 2014-03-22 12:40:19

Before I start, I will admit that I was a bit skeptical about Log Horizon. Before watching the first episode and not knowing anything about this series, I just pegged it as some anime meant cash in on the popularity of its predecessor “Sword Art Online”. Other than the premise of gamers being stuck inside an MMO, Log Horizon is nothing like SAO.

The main premise behind Log Horizon is that 30,000 gamers are trapped within the world of Elder Tale, a best-selling MMORPG. The story itself follows Shiroe and his friends Naotsugu and Akatsuki as they set off to explore the world they are trapped in.

Rather than the main focus of the story be on solving why they are trapped in Elder Tale and finding out who is responsible. Log Horizon focuses on the players themselves and how they cope with the situation that they’ve been forced into and the world they are living in. Unlike other anime with the same premise, Log Horizon stands out as an anime that not only properly portrays the world its set it, but it stays true to the MMO setting.

At no point through the entire series do you forget that the world they are in is an MMO. The dialogue in Log Horizon is somewhat similar to what you would find in “Spice & Wolf” and “Maoyu”. Guilds politics, crafting, party dynamics, class abilities, and many other aspects of what constitutes an MMO are briefly explained, all while keeping the story engaging.

In terms of animation it was well done. I found that the backgrounds were well made and set design was great at giving the whole fantasy game feel. The characters however were a bit plain compared to the quality of the backgrounds (if that makes any sense) but it nothing that drastic that it takes away from the enjoyment show. I know very little Japanese so I can’t really comment on the voice acting, but the music however that is a different matter. The soundtrack blends with this show nicely, and there is also that kick ass opening song.

Although the show does only start off with a few characters, by the end of the series there is a big roster. Each character is likeable, and there is also a wide variety of personality types to choose from. Halfway through the series they introduce a group of low level character which share focus with the main story. At first they come off as annoying, but their progression through “difficult” content ads to the enjoyment and eventually they grow on you. One thing that I though was really well done was the inclusion of NPCs, their personalities, back stories, and heavy involvement in the story. It makes the world they are trapped in much more than just a game.

Log Horizon completely shattered my expectation of it just being another cash-in on the gaming genre. It depicts an interesting world and while at the same time staying true to the MMO setting. The different character personalities and how they conflicted with each other were enjoyable to watch. However, this show isn’t without its faults. I would have liked to see a bit more combat action especially from Shiroe’s group, and a little bit more development as to the reason why they are stuck in Elder Tale. Other than that I found Log Horizon was highly enjoyable and would recommend it to anyone.

As confirmed by the last episode, Log Horizon Season 2 will air in Fall 2014.

kenna37 - 2014-03-15 20:11:10

Its a shame to have one of my more anticipated anime of 2013 turned out to be a complete waste of time.

Story- While it may have many similarities with SAO & .Hack, Log horizon has its own virtual story to tell. Is it good? Well...for me not really. The main problem I have with the story is the lack of action and the characters talking & explaining every little trivial thing. The story itself starts out pretty good and rather interesting for the first 4 episodes giving out a good balance of important information about what is going on and how the game and the world works & decent fights but then quickly takes a turn for the worst later on with the story focusing on mainly dialogue. The story also takes itself a lot less seriously when compared to the popular anime sword art online. Which in this case turned out to be a bad thing.

Art & Animation- For a anime released in 2013 it looks like it was made in 2007.

Sound- Besides the pretty good opening and ending songs no tracks stand out and seem rather dull.

Characters- The best this show has to offer in my opinion. With all the talking this show has it should be expected that characters get some character development. Shiro is also a nice character because he is not your typical sword wielding warrior like in other anime. Instead he is a mage who likes to use his head. But the problem I have with these characters is that most of the time they are explaining things that don't need to be explained and most of the conversations tend to be boring and uninteresting. Another problem I have is with most of the characters acting pretty calm about being trapped in a game. This show tries to add comedy throughout every episode but never got more than 1 chuckle out of me for the 10 episodes that I watched.

Enjoyment- Honestly after the first 10 episodes I could not take the boredom anymore. With the lackluster story & the fact that there is only about 10% action within the whole show and 90% uninteresting dialogue I had no choice but to drop this anime.

Overall- I sadly cannot recommend this anime and cannot say this is better than other anime like SAO because while that anime has major problems at the end of the day I enjoyed it and finished it to the end.

ygutkowski - 2014-02-14 12:05:10

The first thing that came to my mind when I first heard about Log Horizon was obviously Sword Art Online. The basic concept of these two shows are very similar so I decided to use this review to tell you what I enjoyed (more) about Log Horizon and why it is definitely not like Sword Art Online.

As I write these lines, the show is still running and I've currently watched up to episode 19, now I'm impatiently waiting for the next week(s). On a side note, the review will only contain basic information about the show so no spoilers from everything that wasn't explained in episode one.

Starting off with the story, the core concept of Log Horizon is basically the same as in Sword Art Online, video game players are trapped in their game's world. Unlike Sword Art Online, in Log Horizon the players were not given any information about why this happened and what they should do and the show instead focuses on how they react to this. They will no longer have to use the game interface to interact with the world and/or each other which makes the whole world feel more "realistic", not only for the players but also for the audience to watch.
The story mainly follows a group of three high level players, some of them being pretty well known amongst the other players who have to figure out how to live and what to do in this world since a lot of players obviously won't be the same when they suddenly have to act in the game as a real world.
The show is explaining its backstory - which in this case obviously consists of everything that happened before everyone became part of the game - very well and provides a logic explanation for why things are happening.
Without spoilering, I can only say that the story is very varied and becomes very interesting with seeing the world from different perspectives.

The world of Log Horizon is home of lot of different characters - even aside from the main group - that all have very individual personalities. I'm especially mentioning this because the show is focusing on how different kinds of people deal with living in the game and what they decide to do without a real goal in their new life. While our main protagonists are very experienced players, the show also shows its world from different point of views, from new players to even NPCs.

I don't really want to write a lot about the sound and the animation since I don't feel like I'd be able to rate them objectively duo to a lack of experience with rating it. However, I really like the show's art style and the general world design / background which give us some really wonderful views. The character design is of course based on the available player classes that the game provides but has enough individuality and detail for each character to satisfy my personal taste.
The soundtrack is nice and fits the atmosphere, I noticed that I actually focused more on it from time to time that I normally do and it perfectly fits the show. Aside from that, the opening theme is pretty awesome.

I still think that you can't really rate a show objectively so for the most important now, my personal enjoyment. In short, Log Horizon is awesome! It has everything I wanted a show like SAO to have with the very interesting story basis of having people trapped inside a video game. The show tells its backstory so good, that it answered pretty much all of my questions - so far - and allows you to fully enjoy what is currently happening instead of just showing you a bunch of characters fighting. Aside from that, it contains a lot of interesting ideas that seem to be a detail at first but build up to be really story progressing elements. Also, the show is not only focusing on battle but more on the relationship between characters, other players and NPCs and the idea of how to live in this new world.

So, to finish this off, I hope the review wasn't too terrible since I'm not really experienced with objectively rating shows but I just felt like I should write what I think now.

To add another Sword Art Online comparison,
- If you liked Sword Art Online and its basic concept, I'd definitely recommend watching it.
- If not... doesn't matter, watch it!

tharris - 2013-11-30 06:37:49

• The Closest you can get to Sword Art Online is Log Horizon. There is a big difference between the two. SPOILERS!!!!

• 1. In SAO none of the players were able to log out of the game or else they will die and if they die in the game they will die in real life.

• 2. In Log Horizon none of the players are able to log out but it seems they are unable to die in the game to physically get out to of the game into the real world.

Log Horizon. If you love SAO then you will love this series.

daniel.kamille - 2013-10-17 04:44:03

When people here the plot of Log Horizon, they say that it's just like SAO. Well, if you first look at it, it is somewhat like SAO, but the plot is totally different yet the same. The characters are more well-experienced and the story is not over-revolved with the main character. The seiyuu's are also well-experienced and bring out the best of the characters abilities. Overall, it is a very exciting anime

sipes.quentin - 2013-10-12 16:03:18

I'm going to keep this pretty brief for the time being as only 2 eps are out so far. Log Horizon has thus far been better than I honestly expected, while the plot so far is a little bit slow and unclear, the characters are fun and the animation is quite good so it's enough to keep me going for now. The main thing I'm happy with is the fact that honestly in a few significant ways it isn't a clone of SAO as many expect, mainly the fact that literally nobody knows what's happening, and that death isn't permanent. At least at this point the main struggle is simply people adapting to the fact that for some reason they are now living in a game and kind of figuring out simply, what now. While this is certainly different from SAO, a good thing IMO, it does lead to a considerably slower plot as there's no clear long term direction at this point. Definitely keeping my eye on this one as I feel it's got a lot of potential even if it's off to a bumpy start.