First Impressions / Log Horizon / Series Introduction

OP Sequence

OP: 「database」 by MAN WITH A MISSION feat. TAKUMA of 10 Feet

「北の国のシロエ」 (Kita no Kuni no Shiroe)
“Shiroe of the Northern Lands”

Log Horizon is off to a running start as Shiroe tackles a new threat to Akiba—money. Lots of money.

Old OP, New OP, New ED

Part of me was disappointed when the OP played, and it was the same song. The rest of me didn’t care, because the song is just so perfect for this series! DATABASE DATABASE DATABASE! I would advise against careful parsing of the OP sequence, though. There’s a lot to unpack, but last season’s OP was a bit spoilery, and while it didn’t give away the biggest moments—or at least, not in a way that ruined the eventual reveal, since they didn’t unfold in the way we expected. You know the one—it did give plenty away. Log Horizon doesn’t live or die on these kinds of moments, but why risk it? Enjoy the OP says I, just don’t pay too close of attention to what’s on the screen while it’s playing.

As for the ED, I liked what they did. It’s a simple sequence, but it’s full of character, and Akatsuki is undeniably cute when she’s dreaming, especially when it’s about certain things. Fight-o, Akatsuki!

Spoiler Prologue

After a certain show, I’ve become violently suspicious hesitant of spoiler prologues. We got a little taste of that here, with William Massachusetts (Nakamura Yuuichi) appearing at the start of the episode. It got me interested to be sure, but it wasn’t necessary. This is a sequel, I’m going to watch it anyway! It was blunted somewhat by the preview spoiling the same thing, but I still have to question the point. Log Horizon doesn’t live or die on these kind of turns; it lives on the higher order strategic machinations and a fleshed out game world made real, so spoiling that William was going to get back in on the action doesn’t hurt much. I still don’t think it was necessary though.

Hinting at Kanami’s (Inoue Marina) (re)appearance, however, was great. That’s the right kind of bait to dangle. I like her already, so hinting at more Kanami is all good in my book. Plus they didn’t waste a full episode, which is always good.

The Plot Thickens (Already): The Kunie Clan

I appreciate how the audience reminders about what happened last season were confined to the first few minutes, and then they cut that crap and got on with the plot. Almost no time was wasted, which is good because there are plots about! Namely Shiroe’s plot, one eighty trillion gold coins large. That’s an eight, followed by thirteen zeroes! See what I mean about hinting at William Massachusetts being unnecessary? Lead with the 80,000,000,000,000 plot! Just imagining what the Villain in Glasses has in mind for so much money has me clamoring for more. My first instinct is a new level of hydraulic despotism, especially after they talked about the high upkeep cost of the major buildings in Akihabara—could they be planning to buy something even bigger? Countries perhaps, or even the gold generating machine itself? Could they be trying to buy the Kunie Clan’s village, or the entire banking system? (Those are all guesses, people. Use spoiler tags if you actually know the answer. Or better yet, don’t say anything—spoilers really aren’t necessary.)

But even though I just threw out a bunch of guesses, I’m not putting money on any of them. Log Horizon has proven to be unpredictable enough that I don’t much want to try to anticipate where it’s going. I’d much rather enjoy the story as it unfolds, and let it surprise me (or not) as it will. Even if this doesn’t hit me from an unexpected angle, I’m sure something will soon.

Deening It Up

In case you didn’t realize, the first season was animated by Satelight, while this one is being done by Studio Deen. Did you notice the difference? Yeah, me neither. (Okay, there are differences in character design and animation, but they’re minor.) For those who were worried that Studio Deen would Deen the series up, fear not—it has as good of quality as the first season, and maybe better, though since this is the first episode I expect the budget to be higher than normal. Which demonstrates what I’ve been saying for a while now—outside of more the united studios like SHAFT or KyoAni, what matters is not the studio, but the staff. The main staff for Log Horizon 2 are the same as for the first season, so we can safely assume things will proceed as they did before. Studio Deen’s involvement should change little.

Shiroe’s Bad Habits

Shiroe (Terashima Takuma) is an excellent character. He’s highly competent and a lot of fun to watch, but still flawed, imperfect; he has bad habits, and they’re not even manufactured ones. He really seems incapable of getting over them, because they’re a part of who he is. It’s up for debate what bad habits Naotsugu (Maeno Tomoaki) was talking about this episode, but my money is on Shiroe working too hard, taking things too seriously, and indulging in his loner tendencies. He also appears to not trust his guildmates enough, though Minori (Tamura Nao) rightly realizes that’s not it—it’s spies from the South he worries about. But these flaws, though they can make me cringe, make me appreciate Shiroe all the more. He’s not a perfect character, and even if he has even more power than he does, he will never be perfect unless his personality radically changes or matures, because these bad habits (social phobias and/or quirks, mostly) will remain. It’s just damn nice to see the flaws to intricately tied to the character, and without it hobbling him—he’s still awesome, he’s just undeniably Shiroe when he’s doing it.

Shiroe Doesn’t Understand Women

There’s definitely something between Akatsuki (Kato Emiri) and Minori, at least from Akatsuki’s side. It’s not hard to guess what; Akatsuki feels like Minori gets Shiroe way better than she does, and has a better chance with him. If we ignore Minori’s age—though I doubt Shiroe would. He doesn’t strike me as one to go for the jailbait—I can see why that would have Akatsuki worried. About all (she probably thinks) she has going for her is her loyalty, in being next to her “lord’s” side … which was why I cringed when Shiroe let Naotsugu come along, but wouldn’t let Akatsuki. I’m sure he does have some important quest for her, but gah! You don’t understand women, Shiro-bou. Akatsuki wants to be by your side. Also, stop making it so hard for me to find you x Akatsuki shipping scenes!

Looking Ahead – The Raid Quest For All the Money

“Then let us meet there. The meandering river and the forgotten underground garden, where gold that appears from the void disappears into the void. But you will need the company of many in order to get there. How will you reach the spring in the deepest depths? The Kunie Clan’s answer will depend upon the result of your challenge.”

When Kinjou (Yonaga Tsubasa) said that, my first instinct was “raid quest!” And it looks like I was correct, because Shiroe is thinking the same thing. They’re going to need someone’s help, but the Round Table is being watched … and we already know where this is going, because the intro and preview spoiled it. It’s the mention of Demikas (Imaruoka Atsushi) that has me interested. I wonder if he’s been tamed by William, or if he will yet be a thorn in Shiroe’s side, and that’s something the first few minutes left inconclusive. So I guess the spoiler intro wasn’t all bad. Well played.

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Off to a running start as Shiroe tackles a challenge: How to get eighty trillion gold. Glad to see we’re not starting slow #loghorizon s2e1

Random thoughts:

  • Marielle (Hara Yumi) got in the first glasses adjust. Air megane!
  • Rudy (Kakihara Tetsuya) is still so sparkly! Maybe I should upgrade my avatar … to another picture of Rudy, of course.
  • It’s still crazy to think of how Shiroe is a legend in this world. And Regan (Fujiwara Keiji) too. Related: he’s the best kind of insane! (Much like Shiroe himself.)
  • I find it fascinating that moneylenders don’t exist in this world, and it’s Shiroe’s mention of those that makes me think he’s going to try to take over the banks. If he did that and started lending money out, he’d be able to make a killing … though if he already had access to unlimited gold, what’s the point? Hmmm…
  • My first instinct when Shiroe mentioned the money generating device: “Is Shiroe going to rob a magical currency mint/money-giving soul Santa Claus?” Which still would have been great. You just had to try to befriend the Kunie boy, didn’t you? Bah.
  • It’s interesting that Naotsugu says Shiroe prefers to divulge all his secrets and have others divulge theirs as well, in light of all the secrets Shiroe has and continues to keep. Though it makes sense—Shiroe is an idealist (and/or naive) in odd ways, with him not joining a guild until he formed Log Horizon being one example. He doesn’t want to keep secrets, but he knows he needs to in order to achieve his goals, and we all know he’ll do anything to do that.
  • A heck of a Christmas Eve. What? Dammit, why isn’t it next week already! (Expect to hear me say that a lot for the next half a year.)
  • Disclaimer: Watch the spoilers. When in doubt, use spoiler tags, and label them appropriately. Or just don’t post spoilers at all. That goes for hints as well. Thank you.

Check out my blog about storytelling and the novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: Five movies on a plane, Remarkably lost, What comes first: world, narrative, or characters?, and Comments re-enabled.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「Wonderful Wonder World*」 by Yun*chi

Preview

139 Comments

  1. Database Database Just living in the Database

    Database Database Just say Wow Wow Wow Wow

    Damn, the OP transcended into an entirely new season. Now that’s addictiveness for you.

    Now, I’ll admit that when I first heard that Studio DEEN was going to helm Log Horizon’s S2, I was a bit skeptical. Changing studios halfway through? Why fix something if it isn’t broken?

    Thanks in no small part to most of the original staff staying on though, the charm that made the first season such a success is back and in full display. Also, the battle scenes in particular look to have been polished quite a bit with a more mature feel to them to boot; which, being one of my only genuine gripes about Log Horizon, I’m quite pleased to see.

    And that, as they say, is that. Shiroe and co., welcome back. ;D

    Ryan Ashfyre
    Reply

    1. I doubt the staff had a choice on what studio to run animation through. Those things are made above the director’s pay level. That’s for the suits to decide, and apparently they decided on DEEN. Hopefully it keeps going as is.

      Stilts
      Reply

      2. @Longhaul I find some of the LN fans overemphasize on being closer to the LN means it looks better. Just because it conforms with the LN design doesn’t mean everybody has to like it you know?

        viss
        Reply

      4. *sigh* really people?

        Good art is so subjective that to get into a debate on which is better is completely pointless.

        Unless it’s like… glaringly obvious. In which case there likely won’t even be a debate in the first place.

        Kuntzy
        Reply

      5. It’s not exactly about the art and the resemblance. The 1st season characters look cute. The 2nd season characters do not. Can you honestly tell the princess at this screenshot looks fine? Or that long Akatsuki scene in ED? Their faces look like after failed surgery. And yes, I prefer Marielle’s hair in 1st ep.

        brajt
        Reply

  3. A lovely start to the second season. This reminds me of all the things I loved about the first seasons and its well-paced and thought out delivery. (Unlike another tale I wish I could say the same for.)

    Both the prologue and the end piece appeared to be disconnected from the main line happening within the episode. Let’s see if everything clicks into place. 🙂

    Dreyakis
    Reply

  4. I want a Goat Slime doll! Is it just me?

    As for the episode, what I find interesting is that the PC of Akihabara are living the good life constantly. Never mind the whole trapped in the game part, they are immortal, powerful and skilled at whatever craft they have. It makes a nice contrast to the fact they are ignorant at what happens underneath, where the Round Table is getting buried in money problems. And poor Shiroe takes all burden by himself. I kind of admire and feel sorry for him really.

    fragb85
    Reply

    2. Well, if you push away the Fantasy and want to use this Scenario in Real Life, then you get the same Problem with Nippon Finance Money problems. I just hope, that this “Arc” will not blow this Anime. The Line here is very thin, even if its hide under this much Fantasy. Someone will realize it, when they walk with Open Eyes in their Real World

      Germanguy
      Reply

  7. Hinting at Kanami’s (Inoue Marina) (re)appearance, however, was great. That’s the right kind of bait to dangle. I like her already, so hinting at more Kanami is all good in my book. Plus they didn’t waste a full episode, which is always good.

    That is how you do it, yes. Moar Kanami. (although DEEN appears to have upgraded her… assets… even compared to her quite busty appearance in the official art with her current gear.)

    Wanderer
    Reply

  8. In regards to the OP, Database has become iconic of Log Horizon. Any other OP they tried to use, no matter how good a song it might be, would face a major uphill battle for acceptance.

    Wanderer
    Reply

  9. Lulz they kept the same OP song, that was a surprise. Not surprising was the amount of glasses adjusting (with even Marielle getting in on it); at this point I’m seriously believing the producers are doing it deliberately just for the sh*ts and giggles 😛

    Loving the immediate moving into the plot too, especially another economics-focused one. The lesson of the week being, of course, how the f*ck do you get a lot of money quickly? The easiest answer? Make it of course (a la minting, printing, or electronically generating), with Shiroe looking to go the minting route. Does introduce some interesting ideas, the big one being inflation and how disruption in the current system’s production and distribution of money will affect the pricing and availability of goods; one way or the other spending 80 trillion gold will have consequences on the current economic arrangement of the game world, especially if the concepts of interest and debt are introduced too (which is being hinted towards from what I can tell).

    As for Shiroe Stilts I think his main weakness was described by Naotsugu here: he expects people to be perfectly honest so he can reciprocate and thus not have to worry about playing games. It’s a trait in analytical mindsets, they want to have all the necessary pieces of the puzzle so they can construct a plan that does not fail (i.e. minimize the risk). Shiroe therefore in a sense has an introvert’s social naivety, he doesn’t expect others to have opinions or goals that differ from what they openly say; when he finds out they do then he’s thrown for a loop because he never learned how to ask for these thoughts. It’s why he cannot understand girls at all (and thus see Akatsuki’s real feelings for him), girls communicate desires implicitly through action rather than explicitly through words a lot of time; either you’re going to “get it”, or end up being helplessly confused by their mismatched words and actions 😛

    Pancakes
    Reply

    1. Good insight on Shiroe. That’s what Naotsugu was talking about later, for sure—which kind of still flies in the face of how often he has kept secrets, though as I noted in the post, there was nothing that indicated he liked doing that. Earlier I think Naotsugu was talking about some of his other bad habits; holing himself up, working too hard, taking it all on himself, etc.

      As for the money thing, it might not distort the economy if Shiroe is spending it on something that no one is spending it on right now. If he opens up something new—or is just trying to get total monetary independence forever for Akihabara somehow—then it might not break the whole system. It will probably change it though.

      Stilts
      Reply

      1. Don’t worry for Shiroe’s reasons for wanting all that money. It will become clear eventually.
        Actually you already noticed what’s the real theme of this arc: Shiroe is a genius and all but his character is flawed. This will result in a chain of events which will trigger his personal grow and his acceptance of others. So it’s legit if we continue discussing about character psychology a little bit further insight.

        Given his personal traits Shiroe looks an INTJ social type. Do you know Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)?
        This classification is particularly useful for character interaction analysis, especially if anime characters aren’t just flat stereotypes such as Log Horizon’s ones.
        INTJ major flaw is that they tend to become too self centred and die in their own over-thinking. That blocks their action in a whirlpool of negative emotions.

        Solaris
        Reply

  11. It’s interesting to note just how powerful the Kunie Clan is. They control the banks, the anti-monster town barriers, and the Royal Guards. And they may possibly even own a huge whirlpool of infinitely-generated gold. And Kinjou here seems fully aware of all the advantages at his disposal. Those last hints he dropped may have just said “Try and take our gold, if you can.”

    ShootPointBlank
    Reply

  13. Not a bad start for the set up episode although I got so many facepalm worthy moments.

    *deep breath*

    SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER EVERYWHERE SPOILER! I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN ANYMORE!

    AND WHO IN THE HELL TRANSLATE MINAMI INTO FREAKING SOUTH! THESE PEOPLE ARE BLIND IDIOT! BLIND IDIOTS I TELL YOU!

    *sign*

    Ahhh much better. Spoilers aren’t in fact spoilers, they are just teasers and foreshadowings cheep tactics to bait the curious non-LN fans and screw with the LN fans. I know that s1 has lots of them but this episode alone is a whole different level. While I find subtle foreshadow can be entertaining for LN reader, this one is beyond subtle and overdone for my liking.

    And I’d have expected better from CR sub team. Man not only those people haven’t watch s1, they don’t even have the slightest knowledge of proper Japanese Geography terminology aka they’re buncha Blind Idiot translators or just plain idiots really.

    Now moving on to the good points, we got ourselves an unexplored concept regarding where source of all the in-game money came from and there is also mystery surrounding Kunie clan. It’s the sort of things that I believe many would find intriguing. Additionally, from hints that were given out this episode, it’s possible that this season will likely explore yet another aspect of MMORPG that is sorely lacking in the first season. I bet that Stilts has been secretly wishing for it to happen: 90+ large-scale dungeon raiding. I think it’s relatively safe to expect the story to steer toward that direction in the near future…. maybe.

    Oh and of course I love the new moe Akatsuki ED too.

    viss
    Reply

    1. Wait.. what? Minami does translate to “South”.
      And I know it’s supposed to be a town name in Elder Tale but as far as literal translation goes it’s not wrong.
      Or am I missing something here?

      But yeah, I agree about LN fans.
      Now I have no problem with some weeaboo/non-weeaboo reading the LN’s translations as long as they keep their mouth shut. What pisses me off is LN fans who can’t calm themselves and keep putting spoilers everywhere out of excitement.

      george
      Reply

      1. I would say his issue was that Minami, the name of one of the five player hubs (and thus a proper noun), got translated literally, and that is inappropriate. It would be like calling Akiba “Autumn Leaf Field”.

        Glacierfairy
        Reply

      2. I get that. I know it’s supposed to be left that way.
        But he wrote:
        “..they don’t even have the slightest knowledge of proper Japanese Geography terminology aka they’re buncha Blind Idiot translators”

        george
        Reply

      3. Just so you know, this is what I meant when I wrote “Blind Idiot”.

        http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlindIdiotTranslation

        Yes, it’s like what Glacierfairy posted above, if they wish to do it that way, then they have to change Akiba to “Autumn Leaf Field” as well. Thus, likely reason for such double standard could be due to having no idea that Minami is in fact a name of a city, and translators probably thinking that Minami literally means people living in the south area thus Blind Idiots since they are literal minded and don’t know a thing about Japanese cities names and such even if they should.

        viss
        Reply

      4. Minami isn’t a real city (or prefecture, or geographical region) in Japan though, so this doesn’t come down to “proper Japanese geographic terminology,” and I don’t think it’s really a blind idiot translation. Minami is the Japanese word for South, and in the absence of a real-life counterpart just translating it as “the south” is probably fine.

        Luggage10
        Reply

      6. @Luggage10 Er….. Ouch? If this is really the case, then that would mean I’m the idiot one here. I knew that Akihabara and Susukino is an actual place since I have been there on a trip, so I sort of thinking that Minami must be an actual place too even though I know or heard nothing about it. Aww man, I should’ve checked first to see if it actually exists.

        viss
        Reply

      7. Ah no, upon further research it seems you’re still right that it should’ve been translated as Minami; while it isn’t a real Japanese city it is written in katakana (implying that it’s definitely a place name), rather than in kanji (which could just be some sort of vague “the south” thing, and is what it would be in real Japan). In-game lore trumps real life.

        Luggage10
        Reply

      8. Ah I see. I didn’t get that trope part before.
        I was never arguing about literal vs non-literal.
        I’m quite aware Minami is a location name in the series and should be left as such.
        I was only arguing about the translator’s lack of “proper Japanese geographic terminology” because they’re not wrong when it comes to the meaning of the word itself(and due to absence of a real life counterpart), so I wouldn’t say they lack proper terminology yada yada. But yeah they do lack the knowledge of what’s been established in S1.

        george
        Reply

      9. Sorry, but Minami could refer to the South area in Osaka which is actually called literally so: Namba (South area) The kanji are the same but the pronunciation follows the chinese reading for the composite word.

        Anyway it’s a name and should be left untranslated IMHO

        Solaris
        Reply

  14. I hope it doesn’t take long to get used to the newish character designs. There’s just enough off but just enough the same to give it a funny disconnect from the first half.

    The lack of a new OP is disappointing but it is a nice way to answer just exactly how you should improve on the perfect OP, you just plain don’t.

    qwert
    Reply

  15. The animations differences aren’t THAT bad, they’re well within the tolerable range that I stop paying attention to them after seeing them for the first time. Well time to prepare for Delicious next week.

    The Green One
    Reply

  17. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed this show until I started rocking out to Database again; it really is the perfect song for this series.

    If all this in-game lore about how monsters get their gold was programmed in when it was still a game, Elder Tale had one of the most detail-oriented dev teams around. Especially given that 90% of the player base of the average MMO probably couldn’t care less where slime #347’s gold comes from.

    Luggage10
    Reply

    1. To be fair, the gold generating machine could have been a throwaway line in some flavor text somewhere, which wouldn’t have taken much. Elder Tales has been around for over two decades, so they’ve had a lot of time to think about all of that.

      Now, if they actually programmed in a gold fountain raid encounter, that would be impressive, though I don’t know why they would ever make such a thing reachable. It would absolutely break the economy. I have a feeling that’s an offshoot for the game’s flavor text becoming more real.

      Stilts
      Reply

      1. Oh yes, yes! But that applies if that world is (still) a game, in which regard we cannot be to sure now. Shiroe pointed this out since the very first Round Table meeting.

        So the question is: Did a game simply gain life as an alternate reality or the game was designed over an existing alternate reality? Who programmed Elders Tale anyway?

        Solaris
        Reply

  18. While it might suck for Akatsuki, Shiroe HAS to leave her in Akiba. The last thing they need is for Minami to find out that Shiroe is actually gone instead of just being a workaholic shut-in.

    Longhaul
    Reply

  19. Hahaha! Fuk yeah! season 2 is here!

    Show Spoiler ▼

    On the downside, Im actually quite horrified that Studio Deen is the animator. I still havent gotten over the grudge on what they did to the first Fate/Stay Night anime adaptation (and I doubt I’ll ever will). Lets hope they dont screw this up. Log Horizon deserves perfection.

    Stilts edit: Don’t spoil future characters please

    Ginobi47
    Reply

  20. So glad to see this show return. Was simply superb as always. No complaints. Just enjoying the footage of the festival and all of the political intrigue along with a history lesson.

    Rick Anime
    Reply

  21. I’m expecting a long and happy ride!

    In season 1 I thought Regan was more of a mysterious NPC with a dark side, it seemed that Shiroe and Regan were just helping each other for their own good. He appears a lot less mysterious and he looks a whole lot friendlier in this episode though, much to my relief because I was kind of expecting him to betray Shiroe at some point. Of course, he might still betray the party at some point but I’d prefer him to be on the friendly side.

    The Story You Don't Know
    Reply

    1. Nah, I don’t see that happening, as far as I seen Regan is a explorer & a researcher that is just A LITTLE too into his studies.

      Although he does seem like he would go all back stabby stabby if someone bait him with some rare artefacts or something.

      LGM
      Reply

    2. I agree with LGM. Regan strikes me as an obsessive researcher, not a traitor. It could still happen, but I’d bet against it. He could still end up opposed to Shiroe is that leads to a greater potential for knowledge, though.

      Stilts
      Reply

      1. Regan strikes me as a Shiroe fanboy. And possibly also a Elder Tales dev team in joke about Shiroe’s behaviour.

        He’s doing all the be slightly creepily evil bits because his childhood hero is regularly behaving slightly creepily evil.

        Adam
        Reply

  22. Easy, Shiroe should make a Rule, that this House they need, dont need Upkeep Money. It’s that easy: But looks like they took this Upkeep Money to drive the 2nd Season

    I would try to Patch out the Upkeep Money (in original they build this in to Burn a lot of Money in the Economy) so the Houses are free or he force this NPC System to accept a very small fee. Sadly i think, if they lose the Upkeep, the Houses fall back to being “Free for sale” and outsiders with enough Money can buy it. Invoke a Rule, only Guilds registers in the Town and live longer as X Months and with min X members, can Buy a NPC House in the City (Shiroe!!! This is your resolution…)

    Germanguy
    Reply

  23. Btw, the Last Seconds, are they in the Timeline far ahead, and they will die in this raid, and unable to re log into the Game? How? If they got Killed or defeated, they should resurrect in their Home Church? Or did somehow the Resurrection System broke down?

    *Scratch his head*

    Germanguy
    Reply

  27. That last bit with Shiroe and Akatsuki somehow made me realize this show will end……. Damnit I dont want it to end!! T.T

    The (Ghost?) girl with Naotsugu in the ED somehow reminded me of Perona (one Piece).

    Sooo many interesting is going on. Loving it!!!!

    OREO
    Reply

  28. wew… i didnt catch that one in the end… did they die in a quest of sorts or probably the conclusion of that 80T gold raid quest? well, “the prologue already spoils so the ending would probably spoil too” that’s what i think.

    as to the animation, well, i dont care about the minor changes… what matters after all is the STORY right?
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Stilts edit: Don’t spoil future characters please.

    The Last Idiot
    Reply

      1. technically Show Spoiler ▼

        Show Spoiler ▼

        The Last Idiot
        Reply

  29. OP Spoilers and the First Minutes:

    To be save i hide it in Spoiler Tag
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Germanguy
    Reply

  30. Sorry, the only thing I have to say is…..Regan’s eyes are so disturbing!! I can’t stand it, he looks like a little puppy instead of evil curious bastard (which is why I prefer him with his eyes closed like that).

    I love how Log Horizon is brought back into the game, but it still feels weird for me. Maybe my mind is subconsciously picking out the differences in animation as I just can’t pinpoint why I don’t feel as if it’s ‘Log Horizon’.

    Also, I can definitely understand Akatsuki’s feelings (given that I’m in a quite similar situation, but the difference is that I’ll never have a chance) and I hope that those feelings of jealousy would destroy her. She needs more screen time (which I think she will get this season) dedicated to her development~ Grow strong Akatsuki! No one is as loyal as you are to Shiroe!

    Hater
    Reply

  31. unpredictable enough that I don’t much want to try to anticipate where it’s going…

    @stilts Yes! Log Horizon doesn’t disappoint when it does take you in that direction and
           it always makes sense of how the story arrived there, too! I love it!

    I don’t agree that Shiroe prefers to divulge all his secrets. I think that at one time he did, but
    he learned a painful lesson — at least that’s what I got from the flashback. Now, I see that he
    confides in his friends, and with his allies, he is cautious not to provide information the could
    harm him, those dear to him, or his objectives should his allies prove less than sincere, IMHO.

    There were a couple of gleams I got from watching the episode, and I wonder if Shiroe’s ultimate
    goal is to unite all of the provinces and their peoples and bring a sound peace to this world.
    I’m loosely basing this off the episode’s title — no matter, I’m expecting a great ride!

    mac65
    Reply

  32. When Shirou explained how money is gained by defeating monsters they showed Kanami’s group and before that a groupe with a wolf head guy fighting a mole monster in a cave. Is that supposed to be a group that we know?

    That big shadow at the end of the OP that is flying over the main cast. Maybe an aircraft?

    boingman
    Reply

    1. It’s not actually a spoiler but a fun fact. They are the characters in the Log Horizon TRPG Replay Novel. They are characters of the 4 authors who played the Log Horizon TRPG while Mamare was the GM.

      They had an actual session and game, and Mamare writes about their adventures as a novel. They are just Cameos but they might be significant in the future as one of the characters is a very important character in the LH universe.

      TidBitsofInfo
      Reply

  33. “For those who were worried that Studio Deen would Deen the series up, fear not—it has as good of quality as the first season,”
    Sorry, but difference is really big. This ep looked just awfull. It was barely watchable. And that Kanami’s b00bs… No comment. Deen just butchered Log Horizon.

    JustPassingBY
    Reply

    1. There WERE off looking shots and this is only the first episode, but I can’t say that the first season was a great looking one either. They didn’t have a high budget for the first season and the same applies to this 2nd one.

      boingman
      Reply

    3. I don’t see it. It’s a little different, and I had a few uncanny valley moments, but once I got used to them it was fine. Like boingman said, Log Horizon has never had much budget, and this is about what they had last time.

      Stilts
      Reply

      1. For sure, I agree, it’s a bit different, but overall I felt they kept the overall design while having a bit of minor changes, which really does not make too much of a difference. I like both style of animation and I can’t say I watch Log Horizon specifically for the animation either like I would for shows made by studio like KyoAni, so I am still really pumped for Log Horizon 2! 🙂

        Trap Masters
        Reply

  35. Woah, those character designs will need some getting used to. Can’t say I’m too fond of the spoileriffic intro and vague ending scene either.

    For the rest however, I’m hyped as hell. I like how they didn’t bother with painstakingly recapping the entire first season, but instead jumped right into a new conflict. Money troubles! And I love how it once again deconstructed the whole game aspect, where the big question of where the hell monsters even get all the gold they’re carrying (a common joke among players) now became a serious element of the plot. And Shiroe’s even got Shady Mage along for the ride (which I don’t mind at all, he’s hilarious). We got some more insight in Shiroe’s personality as well and some interesting hints about the future.

    Yep, this is one of those shows that’ll end up on top of my ‘watch-asap’ list this season.

    Dvalinn
    Reply

      1. I guess that scene is in the future as the present its still maybe less than 30 days to Christmas?
        The scenes before the OP should too be whats coming.

        So maybe the big raid for the money arc ended not so good until some World scale magic or some trump card reverses the situation?

        Death, overlooking at the end of the World (reminds me of Kingdom Hearts) in modern clothes?
        Symbolism or game system?
        Though the plot is out, its worth seeing how its visualised.

        iron2000
        Reply

    2. I’ve mixed feelings about the new character design, it was the first thing I noticed actually.
      Some characters like Minori or Naotsugu may be cuter than before but others like Nyanta and even Shiroe are less “round” and feel odd.
      It’s just a matter of getting used, I guess, and a minor thing. For me, this series is already in the watch-asap list 🙂

      Voyager
      Reply

  36. So, it was pretty much a “Hey, we’re back!” episode outside of Shiroe’s conversation with Kinjou. Speaking of that, I would not be surprised at all if the adventurer’s end up creating their own currency so they can be self-sustaining, cause making 80 Trill is just retarded.

    I’m not really sure why they started with that montage. Tokyo ESP’s was a homage, whereas this was just… I don’t even know. I guess “Hey there ADD kids, look at all the awesome action we have in store for you” is the only real way I can rationalize it as since I remember people complaining about how it was boring.

    Ah well, doesn’t really matter.

    Also, at the risk of getting flamed, I absolutely hate the fact that database is back as the opening. I just finished the first season on Wednesday and after 25 episodes of it already I’m all Database Database’d out. No disrespect to people who like it at all though.

    Kuntzy
    Reply

  37. It’s interesting that Naotsugu says Shiroe prefers to divulge all his secrets and have others divulge theirs as well, in light of all the secrets Shiroe has and continues to keep. Though it makes sense—Shiroe is an idealist (and/or naive) in odd ways, with him not joining a guild until he formed Log Horizon being one example. He doesn’t want to keep secrets, but he knows he needs to in order to achieve his goals, and we all know he’ll do anything to do that.

    Actually, that seems to be a mistranslation, or at least possible case of confusing grammatics.
    From what I understood from the Japanese, he’s actually saying the opposite of the translation: that normally you should reveal your secrets as exchange for getting what you want, but because Shiroe and Kinjo are both staying quiet, their meeting isn’t going anywhere.

    Erimaki
    Reply

    1. Right. Did I say something different? Shiroe likes to have it all laid out on the table, but because Kinjou isn’t doing that, Shiroe is put off and doesn’t know how to deal with that. He’s also (thinking back) used to having more information than his opponents, whereas this time he does not.

      Stilts
      Reply

  39. It’s back! My Saturday mornings sorely missed Log Horizon. I’m a bit disappointed they’re pulling out the old “need outrageous amount of money” plot out of the hat again, and what they’ve done with Marielle’s character design, but I trust Log Horizon to make them interesting. Looking forward to seeing the wild North, and some raid combat!

    Hochmeister
    Reply

  40. I love 80 trillion gooold! The look of it, the taste of it, the schmell of it, the texture!! I love 80 trillion gold so much that I even lost my genitalia in an unfortunate schmelting accident!!!Hence the name, Goldmember!!

    zztop
    Reply

  41. I don’t care about the animation changes. They’re not significant enough to bother me. If the at times weak/sloppy art of the first season didn’t bother me, then this won’t either. For me, it’s about the plot and the acting, and both are strong in this series.

    More importantly, it looks like we’re going to get Kaname!

    This is great because: (minor spoiler, so I’ll hide it.)

    Show Spoiler ▼

    … so yay!

    Also, I like how they’re… uh… better be safe:

    Show Spoiler ▼

    I AM EXCITED!

    s_w
    Reply

    1. @s_w: Regarding your second spoiler I think it cuts both ways. Specifically Show Spoiler ▼

      daikama
      Reply

      1. Of course.

        Show Spoiler ▼

        But yeah, anything is possible. For now, I’m going to keep that in the positive sense.

        s_w
        Reply

    2. The funny thing is rather than a golden sink, I imagine it looks more like golden toilet so if a player gets swept and “flushed” by the tides of gold coins then they might also end up becoming a monsters’ “drop” as well. Untold damage alright. lol

      And I don’t think it’s the whole game, maybe just the whole Japanese server. Perhaps, there may be other places connecting to it as well.

      viss
      Reply

  43. Damn you Stilts! You mentioned ‘Hydraulic Despotism’ so now i am going to be saying ‘Akihabara, not one drop of water ever falls there.’ for the rest of the day. Driving my wife crazy.

    Regan still raises my suspicions…. I do not trust him and I do not think he is just a two dimensional character there for no purpose except to give info to Shiroe.

    Mike
    Reply

  45. *sigh* this feels like a bad HD remaster of a great game. – Visually, it lacks the vibrancy and the charm from last season. ( …idk, art is subjective, so… *sigh* DEEEEEEENNNNNNNNN)
    Still enjoyable though. – But that’s because of the time I have invested with the characters and the strength of its story. I wish this did not aired as the same day as FSN. ><

    Jhacks
    Reply

      2. And I thought Shiroe is the main Villain here.

        Rather than Dumbledore or Saruman, Regan is more like Ryuk to Shiroe’s Kira: providing the necessary means (unlocking the seal to Kunie’s gold) and knowledge (spirit theory and world faction) for Shiroe to change the world and become god or something along that line.

        viss
        Reply

  47. Late to comment – too much animu to watch on the weekends LOL.

    Somewhat mixed feelings about this episode. For the most part same good stuff as we got in Season One (S1), but so far, I don’t think the second season quite matches up to the first. Production wasn’t bad, but I still found it a little inferior compared to S1 including the overall visual quality (and I don’t mean the revised character designs). The new character designs are OK. While they may more closely match the LN artwork, I thought S1’s designs just fine/close enough and actually prefer those. Meh, not a big deal. Regarding the OP, I thought it was a good idea to keep the original song given its strong association with the show. Frankly, I think other shows could take the same approach. If you need variation in music, there’s still the ED to change up.

    I thought pacing was a bit uneven with some rushed moments. Also, I thought the storytelling lacked the crisp focus of the first season. Again, not bad, but still not quite up to S1 standards. I understand what the staff is trying to do with the second season’s adaptation approach, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea versus sticking with the more “traditional method” as done in S1. Lastly, at the risk of downvote oblivion, while I loved the “glasses adjust” spoofing the first time in S1, repeating the same joke over and over and over does not make it funnier. Actually less so. Absolutely keep the joke and use it occasionally, but it’s going to get really old for me if the show uses it several times each episode for 24 or 25 episodes.

    Only Ep. 01 and lots more to go so it may improve. Hope so. Even if it doesn’t, the show’s still solid as is. No need for “3 Ep. Rule” here.

    daikama
    Reply

    1. Honestly, I don’t even see the glasses adjust as a joke. It’s just something some of the characters do. Sure, when Marielle did the air megane, that was a joke, but that has only been done twice, maybe three times. The others are just as much of a signature of the show as the DATABASE OP.

      Stilts
      Reply

  50. I really hate animation inconsistency when the studio is changed. I couldn’t help but notice all the deformities, different color tones, lack of polish, and lighting. TERRIBLE!!!

    I loved the first Log Horizon and very much looked forward to the new season, so I am going to have to get used to the new animation style.
    It freaking sucks!

    Peter
    Reply

  52. Didn’t read all of the comments, but I fear Deen started “Deenizing” the series already. They messed up the chronology already and added some dangerous spoilerous scene here and there. And I’m not talking about a certain blond elf…
    Show Spoiler ▼

    I Think they’ll mix the 6th and the 7th volume because of *reasons*. It could be done easily and the outcome would be awesome in my opinion, but beware of Deen!

    Solaris
    Reply

  54. Man what first episode for a returning series, I am really pumped for Log Horizon season 2! 😀 I’m not really a fan of these “Spoiler Prologue” that Stilts mentioned, just because pretty much for the rest of the series, I’m killing myself in thinking what’s going to happen and though I do end up becoming hooked, my overall enjoyment drops due to me worrying about what’s going to happen, but Log Horizon did a perfect job, they made it so that it reveals just enough and hooks you in, but not enough for you to be utterly confused on what’s happening especially with the next episode intro they gave at the end. Only thing I’m confused about was with the sudden change in personality of Soujirou, but I guess that can wait until we get there. But overall, I loved how it quickly yet appropriately got us back into the swing of things without seeming rushed or dragged out! Really looking forward to next week and the Christmas eve! 😀

    Trap Masters
    Reply

    1. Agreed, like Stilts what commented, LH doesn’t live or die on these unnecessary teasers. In fact, it undermines some of the suspense which is actually an important part of what makes this series interesting.

      viss
      Reply

      1. Damn, I mistook your post as saying that you don’t like the teasers in this episode, but upon closer look, you’re actually saying that you’re fine with it. Ok got it. Sorry about that.

        viss
        Reply

    1. Stilts how is Show Spoiler ▼

      Episode 20 of last season a spoiler?

      Adam
      Reply

  60. @Stilts: U have a mancrush on Rudy or something? He’s the most useless, irrelevant, and annoying character in log horizon, really wanted him to die instead of joining the guild, he just gets in peoples nerves.

    HaHa
    Reply

  61. About this cour’s coverage speculation, well, to be safe I’ll put it in spoilers. It’s not plot-related, but people don’t like having surprises of any kind ruined, and I get that:

    Show Spoiler ▼

    s_w
    Reply

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