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「ラグランダの杜」 (Raguranda no Mori)
“The Forest of Lagranda”
A beautiful dance leads to a lover’s quarrel, while across the world the newbies dive into some proper dungeon crawling fun.
A Beautiful Bard’s Dance
That cinches it, I’m officially shipping Henrietta x Shiroe x Akatsuki. How could I not after that dance? Henrietta is so cool! Plus Shiroe called her sensei OH MY! They’re flirting they’re so flirting SQUEEE!!
Honestly, I’m surprised by how much Henrietta has come alive as a character. Log Horizon does a good job of fleshing out its supporting cast as well as its main protagonists, and Henrietta is an excellent example of this. She could have been nothing more than Marie-nee’s second-in-command, but between her playing dress up with Akatsuki, her business savvy we saw back when she was negotiating with the crafting guilds, and her political acumen seen her in how she admonished Shiroe to not show weakness, she has proven herself to be so much more. And she was right – that wasn’t the time to show weakness by letting Shiroe be himself. Plus Henrietta is so cool, and it added more fuel to my 3P (trope!) shipping fire, so woohoo!
Everquest and the Bard’s Role
Okay, shameless squeeing time. After the Bard’s role was explained, I said to myself “Elder Tales bards are so EQ bards. I swear Touno-sensei played EQ.” Sure enough, I unearthed some (hopefully accurate) evidence that he did just that! (Ctrl+F for “EQ” to find it.) Maybe this only entertains me, but as an old school Everquest player – that was the MMORPG I cut my teeth on – it’s awesome to see someone who played it as well telling a great story in a similar world. Plus it adds credence to how I keep saying Elder Tales is a late 90’s / early 2000’s-style MMO, and I do so love being right.
Jealous Akatsuki & A Lover’s Quarrel
Aside from sending me into a frenzy, Henrietta and Shiroe’s dance had another amazing effect – jealous Akatsuki. Normally she would have been angry at being mistaken for a kid, but the children’s offer of playing Hide & Seek gave her exactly the prompt to do what she wanted to do at the time. A jealous Akatsuki is fine too.
Needless to say, obviously grumpy Akatsuki the next morning was another of my favorite moments. Pardon my fangirling, but her lover’s quarrel with Shiroe was weapon’s grade adorable! Which just goes to show you what I’ve been saying for a while – that stories are better when they take subplots from a bunch of different genres to make a better united story. 100% Shiroe x Akatsuki would only be fun for so long, as soon I’d be clambering for some resolution, but as a garnish to a story with a lot of other interesting things going on it’s a delicious addition.
Bonus: I love Akatsuki’s subtle smile when Shiroe asked her to do recon. To me that was her being happy that Shiroe still needed her. Am I reading too much into it? Maybe. But it’s friggin’ adorable #%^&$%@$!!!
Into the Dungeon With Rudy
I could write an entire post about Rundel Haus “Rudy” Code (Kakihara Tetsuya) and how hilarious he is! Actually, he walks a fine line – he’s annoying, but he’s so over-the-top about it that it’s funny rather than aggravating. Mostly…I did want to smack him when he was getting on Minori’s case for her level (even though he’s only two levels higher), but other than that he was funny nearly every time he spoke. I can’t help but like a bullshitter, if only because I’m one professionally.
What I didn’t expect was the dungeon crawl to be not as entertaining as I hoped. It wasn’t bad, I still enjoyed it, but it was nothing next to previous action scenes. I think the reason was the stakes, in that there weren’t any. If they die then oh well, who cares. Back when they were rescuing Serara from Susukino there were stakes. Many of the political and diplomatic clashes have had significant stakes. Even the time they fought the boss mob trying to get Susukino had stakes. This? Not so much. If they all failed and/or died they would be embarrassed, but not much else. That’s probably the reason most MMORPG anime have some variant of the “trapped in a game” theme, because that provides stakes. Without it, it’s all just…a game, really.
That said, I did enjoy seeing the MMORPG tropes I’m so used to being properly animated. They paid good fidelity to the MMORPG experience, and I loved getting to see a DPS caster in action. Mainly because I tend to play DPS casters, so Rudy burning down a bunch of trash mobs and then drawing aggro was deeply familiar. Wait until the tank has aggro, you idiot! And/or stick next to Isuzu (Matsui Eriko). She seem more competent than you anyway.
Looking Ahead – The People of Land Are Scared, & Krusty After the Princess
It’s deeply believable that the People of the Land should be afraid of the adventurers. Where once they were disorganized and easily controlled, now they’re organized, engaged with the world, and their technology is advancing by leaps and bounds. Just like any nation-state the people of Eastal will try to get them on their side or extinguish them, and it’s to the Round Table and Akihabara’s benefit that a war not break out.
Which is likely why Krusty is targeting Princess Lenessia. Krusty, you magnificent bastard you! (trope!) Between going after the princess and shoving Shiroe out onto the dance floor, he’s another supporting character who’s increasingly coming into his own. I can’t wait to see what he has in mind.
tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Between dancing Henrietta, jealous Akatsuki, & ridiculous Rudy, this was an episode to remember! #loghorizon 12
Random thoughts:
- I don’t know why, but the fact that the band at the ball was playing the Elder Tales opening song is deeply interesting to me. You’ve got to enjoy the little things, eh?
- She’s only a little taller than him when he’s sitting down. Welcome to my love life.
- I enjoyed how Shiroe is planning to get even at Krusty for making him dance with Henrietta, because A) it proves he truly is evil, and B) shouldn’t dancing with Henrietta be a reward? Shiroe no baka.
- Akatsuki can find a Japanese-style tea cup no matter where she is. No matter where.
- Anyone else amused by how the Forest of Lagranda is a cave?
- These two boys are totally, totally baka. Just total bakas. Don’t get taken in by Rudy’s bullshit, Tohya!
- “My light is better than your light!” Wait a second… Yeah, I don’t think you’re doing it right. Protip: Don’t get into a dick waving competition with a girl. Nobody wins, but you’ll lose.
- He actually caught an arrow in his fingers? Rudy’s bullshit grandstanding is too stronk. He needs to never stop being a pompous jackass or get his comeuppance quickly and become legitimately useful. I’m not sure which I’d prefer.
- All. Those. SPARKLES!! Don’t lie Isuzu, you know you love it.
- This was the most hilarious retreat since the last time I drew aggro off my tank and everyone left me behind to die while they ran away. Fuck me!
- Author’s note: Apologies for the late posts recently. I pride myself on being punctual, but the holidays have a way of wreaking havoc on that. Next week’s post should be out in a more timely manner. Related: Log Horizon is not taking a year end break like other 2-cour shows, so expect Episode 13 next Saturday!
Check out my blog about storytelling and the fantasy novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: Look for execution, Why I don’t write fanfiction, Don’t reject feedback rashly, and Hard fantasy vs soft fantasy.
Full-length images: 02.
Preview
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Krusty: Target on sight begin operation “I CAME, I SAW, I CONQUERED”
Thank you, thank you, thank you, you’re far too kind
Now, can I get an encore, do you want more?
Cookin’ raw with the Brooklyn boy
So for one last time I need y’all to roar
Now what the hell are you waiting for?
After me, there shall be no more
So for one last time, nigga, make some noise
Get ’em, Jay
Who you know fresher than Hov’? Riddle me that
The rest of y’all know where I’m lyrically at
Can’t none of y’all mirror me back
Yeah, hearin’ ‘me rap is like hearin’ G Rap in his prime
I’m, young HO, rap’s Grateful Dead
Back to take over the globe, now break bread
I’m in, Boeing jets, Global Express
Out of country but the Blueberry still connect
On the low but the yacht got a triple deck
But when you Young, what the fuck you expect? Yep, yep
Grand openin’, grand closin’
Goddamn your man Hov’ cracked the can open again
Who you gon’ find doper than him with no pen
Just draw off inspiration
Soon you gon’ see you can’t replace him
With cheap imitations for these generations
Now can I get an encore, do you want more?
Cookin’ raw with the Brooklyn boy
So for one last time I need y’all to roar
Now what the hell are you waiting for?
After me, there shall be no more
So for one last time, nigga, make some noise
What the hell are you waiting for?
Look what you made me do, look what I made for you
Knew if I paid my dues, how will they pay you
When you first come in the game, they try to play you
Then you drop a couple of hits, look how they wave to you
From Marcy to Madison Square
To the only thing that matters in just a matter of years
As fate would have it, Jay’s status appears
To be at an all-time high, perfect time to say goodbye
When I come back like Jordan, wearin the 4-5
It ain’t to play games witchu
It’s to aim at you, probably maim you
If I owe you I’m blowin’ you to smithereens
Cocksucker take one for your team
And I need you to remember one thing
I came, I saw, I conquered
From record sales, to sold out concerts
So muh’fucker, if you want this encore
I need you to scream, ’til your lungs get sore
I’m tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface
Don’t know what you’re expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow just caught in the undertow)
And every second I waste is more than I can take
I’ve become so numb, I can’t feel you there
Become so tired so much more aware
I’m becoming this, all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
(I’ve become so numb)
Can I get an encore, do you want more?
(I’ve become so numb)
So for one last time I need y’all to roar
One last time I need y’all to roar
Linkin Park – Numb/encore Lyrics | MetroLyrics
I’ll be frank. I know this is going to put me in the minority but I actually don’t like the increased focus on Henrietta. Unlike much of the supporting cast, who I love (Krusty, Isaac, etc) I feel that Henrietta is primarily a distraction from interactions I’d rather see.
Also, FORCING someone repeatedly to do something they hate immensely is a massive personal pet peeve of mine.
I PREFER her as Marielle’s competent second-in-command. Flesh out that role. Near stalker/sexual harassment level lolicon and all around wrench in the works for Shiroe’s relationship with Akatsuki.
That’s one of the reasons I like Krusty so much. He’s not a wrench in anything. He wasn’t brought in to get in the way of things, he does his own completely separate things which are awesome. The Henrietta of the last 3-4 episodes just strikes me as the fourth girl in a harem anime, that girl that has no real chance of winning the guy but is there simply to make the real leads’ lives harder.
Oops, I just did not finish sentence there for some reason. “Near stalker/sexual harassment level lolicon and all around wrench in the works for Shiroe’s relationship with Akatsuki is not something I’m that interested in. It was fine as a joke here or there, but not as a major recurring thing.”
For Rundel, I feel I want to smack him for not listening to Minori, but also praise him for his unexpected luckiness at times.
Well if the OP is any indicator, he’ll end up paying for it – but it’s always a little more complicated than that isn’t it.
when i watch Dungeon calling moment , it’s remind me of a noob player who think he’s so cool and try to boss everyone around but in fact in the group , there is better player with more intelligent and understanding but got ignored by noob because “she” is too shy and insecure.
this also remind me of Leeroy Jenskins! moment with Touya charging in, Mage deals too much DPS and aggro every creeps , they all got -50dkp as result XD, back in the day MMORPG is so hard lol using light in dungeons remind me of Skyrim especially on Highest difficulty and setting.
ps. we all know that we have to DPS slowly then more dot , more dot and stop dot wait for 4 sunder and then it will be fine. and seriouly losing to skeleton?! this is not skyrim!
Reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkCNJRfSZBUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtvIYRrgZ04No sunders! This isn’t WoW dammit!
Though yeah, should totally wait for the tank to get aggro. Or bring a tank that knows how to get aggro. Or bring a shaman who shields people ahead of time, I mean seriously Minori, talking is a free action! Don’t let it get in the way of casting.
Speaking of skills:
Do they need to say the skill’s name to cast it or can they do it silently?
I see Nao and Akatsuki yell theirs, I see Shiroe and the others do. But Isuzu was able to do it without calling hers. What’s up with that?
@TheMoondoggie: Do they need to say the skill’s name to cast it or can they do it silently?
My understanding is that skills don’t need to be said in order to activate. Spells may certainly have vocal component to casting, but not skills per se. The way I take Nao, Akatsuki, Shiroe and other expressly saying/yelling out the skill is partly to help the viewers who might not recall all the game skills or recognize them on sight understand what’s going on, and partly to make things a bit more exciting/dramatic. Plus, calling your attacks is a well established trope. Hard to forget Goku’s famous “KAAAAAAMEEEEEEHAAAAAAMEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAA!” 😀
I don’t know,I seem to remember a line in episode 2 I believe where Shiroe is talking about how fighting works, and he specifically mentions it being similar to voice activation. I could be wrong though.
@KaleRylan: You may be right, though IIRC, there was also something in that episode about how it was better to “just do the skills naturally” (i.e. perform the action, but nothing said about announcing the skill) rather than try to use the menu. Again, might be wrong, but I thought early on (same EP?) there was at least one time in which Akatsuki didn’t yell out her skill before using it.
In terms of the LN, my impression is the same as well – no need to call out attacks. Perhaps someone can clarify this definitively. TBH, I never gave it much, if any thought, but now I’m kind of curious. LOL
Every time when Rudy refered himself “elegant” I kept hearing “arrogant”. If there is such thing as a Magnificent Bastard, Rudy is probably someone I’d called a Magnificent Idiot. Depending on how next episode play out, I probably change his title to Noob if he starts blaming others for the failed raid when it’s obvious that he is the one most at fault for drawing all the aggro.
This was a good episode. However, it pissed me off. Not because of how it was animated or anything. Rather, it’s because it brought back memories of idiot Sorcs in MMOs causing the entire team’s death because they pulled too much aggro that even the tanks and physical DPS’ers couldn’t pull the aggro back in time. Then had the balls to blame the support members (Healers and Buff/Debuff classes) for not “healing fast enough”.
Anyway, the next two-three episodes should prove rather enlightening; one or maybe two of them will be a full-on historical infodump that helps put things into perspective and may also include focus on just how potent Minori turns out to be. In fact, what she can do is something few MMO newbies can pull off so soon (in relative game terms); and impressive enough as it is. “Always look 30 seconds ahead.”
A bad DPSer pulls aggro and blames his or her supports or tanks. A good DPSer pulls aggro and knows it’s his or her fault that they just died.
DPSers pulling aggro is just a fact of life.
A good DPSer knows when to vanish and dump the aggro on someone else :P!
And stop DPSing? Never!
You could cheat and just Misdirect.
I’m kinda surprised no one has trolled anyone else.
i’d like to see less emphasis on the MMORPG aspect, and more focus on the story. the prolonged explanations on game mechanics are really hindering the plot development. I don’t think it is neccessary, and I certainly do not need another lesson on enmity mechanics. How critical is it to the story?
And “rudy” is just your prototype know-it-all noob that you find in all MMOs. they talk a lot of crap, but they don’t actually know anything outside of their class. I don’t see the significance of a character like that in the bigger scheme of the story. I will be extremely disappointed to find out by the end of this series that he does not have an integral contribution to the plot because that would mean half of this episode was a complete waste of air time.
Considering he’s one of the people standing with Log Horizon in the opening, and one of the only characters in the ED, I’d say he’s important.
He’s also the only one dying there, LOL. And Isuzu is crying over him.
I tell you guys: Isuzu x Rudy OTP.
Considering he’s one of the people standing with Log Horizon in the opening, and one of the only characters in the ED, I’d say he’s important.
You are correct, though it may take some time to reveal why that is the case. Leaving it at that.
Forgot to address the my above post to @KaleRylan
Have you ever considered that not every single person in the audience is a know-it-all MMORPG player like you?
I can’t say I was the biggest fan of the dungeon romp section. Minori and Touya have always been 2 of the least interesting characters on this show, and Rundel Haus is a bit too cliche and annoying for my tastes. Hopefully they’re not given too much focus in the later episodes.
I semi-agree. The younger group of characters I think work best when interacting with the adult characters. Trying to live up to Shiroe, being mentored by Naotsugu, etc, etc.
Alone they’re not as well-rounded as the adults. But I guess making them well-rounded is half the point of this arc. Still, one of the big selling points of this show is the maturity and experience of the leads, so the low-levels are a little weird. I still like them, but I like them better when they’re with the adults.
Rudy is such a silly Show Spoiler ▼
At least Isuzu understands that and eventually manages to train him as such.
who else noticed the massive amount of sugar Misa put in her coffee during breakfast?
*raises hand* I actually forgot to mention that. Good catch sir and/or madam.
“It’s time for an all-out attack!”
but no, they ran away
Rudy catching that arrow was A+
I love the guy
That actually is a surprise to me because he suppose to Show Spoiler ▼
guess that alone is too much for the young ones.
This somehow troubles me, hopefully they don’t censor too much until the whole story fall flat.
They have already censored too much IMO :p. The sense of danger is just not compelling in the anime. By using the shrinking of the HP bar as a replacement for showing the characters getting hurt, they have already trivialised one of the main points made in the novel. That this is not a game. That the characters actually get hurt and hurt badly in battle. That they feel real pain. That it’s scary not just because they might get killed, but the act of fighting itself is scary. Well, having said that, this is to be expected. By now, to say that I’m disappointed by changes caused by the censoring would be more than a bit too late :p.
I like this episode filled with eye candy: Henrietta x Shiroe, the noobs’ dungeoneering, Isuzu x Rudy(don’t deny it, he held her hands, gave her complements, my ship goggles can’t be mistaken here XD). There’s plenty of materials to like.
Anyway the preview made it sound like the princess was a NEET, I can’t wait for the next episode.
Not *sound like* she literally IS a NEET.
The dungeon crawling brought back memories of playing Oblivion where every cave or ruin literally had no light and all you had to go on was a torch or a conjuration spell. Talk about anxiety when playing master difficulty and not sure when the next bloody skeleton would pop out and take you for half your HP or more. Especially those skeleton archers, god damn I hate not being able to tell where you’re getting shot from 😛
Plot-wise it’s still unclear where the story is going to go (for anime-only viewers). Unless something comes up in the next 2-3 episodes I’d say it looks like we’re gearing up for some form of major cliffhanger and potentially a third cour not unlike Shingeki no Kyojin. Can’t argue though, world building has been solid so far.
See, I think the plot is very clear. Just not what a lot of people seem to expect. It’s logical to assume that a ‘trapped in a (?)’ story will be about how to get out of whatever you’re trapped in.
The thing is, I just don’t think that’s what this one is about. I think the plot is about them exploring the world. Literally. It’s almost sci-fi style ‘crashed on an unexplored world’ kind of a thing. Build up a working society, interact with the natives, figure out how to survive, and so on.
To be frank (I haven’t read the books except for parts already in the anime for clarification) I’m not 100% sure they’ll actually go home in the end. Or perhaps they’ll get the choice to go, and many of the leads will choose not to. Either way I don’t think the plot is just stalling until they find a clue for going home. I think the world-building is the plot.
No one actually knows yet if they will return or not.
The series is still ongoing and volume 7 has just been released (December 20).
That’s what I am leaning to now the further LH chugs along, which is where the third cour idea comes in. You can only have world building go on so long before it gets stale, there needs to be “something” story-wise that keeps viewers interested and gives the world building purpose.
The best two examples I can think relating back to your example are the Planet of the Apes and Anne McCaffrey’s Freedom series. There’s a huge amount of world building that gradually evolves into a major plot in both. I expect Log Horizon is going along a similar route, giving us just enough hints to know something big is coming (the hunter intro from 2 episodes ago, the desire of the People of the Land to make allies of the adventurers, for example), we just don’t know what yet.
The Freedom series is a very good example. I don’t reference it because I assume few people have read it but I think that’s it exactly. The Freedom series was an alien invasion/war story that was really almost an excuse to tell a colony building story. I enjoyed it.
I think this is much the same. There is definitely SOMETHING that put them here and is trapping them or whatever, but I really think it’s mostly an excuse for the writer to tell a fantasy colony-building story. I’m sure there will be a final conflict, but I’m unsure how truly important that final conflict will be to the overall plot.
For one, we’re now hitting a stage where going home isn’t a 100% positive, as they start to introduce Landers who the characters become close to (like the princess presumably). It’s a lot harder to go home when you’re leaving friends and love interests behind.
I tend to agree with KaleRylan – I think the whole trapped-in-an-MMO-like-world will be resolved eventually, but it’s not really the point of the story. What Touno-sensei really wanted to do was get his characters in this world and have fun; he’ll only resolve the main plot point gradually, and/or when he gets tired of playing around in this fantasy world.
Yeah, & I have a hunch Sensei gets some ideas of the world building from a game that Log Horizon have always remind me of – Borderlands.
See, other than the colorful guns & enemies, Borderlands, a 1st-person shooter is famous for its “like-a-moving-comic” art style & (more importantly, in this case) explanations of games mechanics.
The game goes the extra miles to explain why players characters respawn, why the player can keep so many guns & stuffs on them without giant bags, why the player can see the hp bar on other people & even their own character’s inventory & info screens.
Like Borderlands, Log Horizon do that too, slowly the author will explore every possible MMO game mechanics into explainable story plots.
Like Show Spoiler ▼
Log Horizon is not taking a year end break like other 2-cour shows, so expect Episode 13 next Saturday! Best news I’ve had all day. :D.
I see Rudy as comedy relief mostly so I take his boasting with a lot salt(“Yeah, you’re awesome, whatever. Try not to die during the next battle. XD) BUT… he does have a serious desire to make a contribution, even if it’s not always in the ideal manner (GAH! RPG 101: unless you’re a “battle mage”, mages and range attacks stay in the back behind the tanks & DPS warriors/rogues).
Meh… hard to say much without risking a spoiler (:/). Still getting started on this arc so I’m glad to read that the show won’t be taking a week off. Better yet, how about a double episode.
…mages and range attacks stay in the back behind the tanks & DPS warriors/rogues.
That’s usually the case, but sometimes skill’s max range causes problems so mages has to come out in front while guarded by melee frontliners. Mages also comes in front when the back gets infiltrated by agi/dex type classes(assassins, thieves, archers) that specialize in disrupting mages.
Sure. No disagreement at all. What I wrote was a general rule rather than anything iron clad. If there an iron clad rule for RPG, IMO it’s that you have to be flexible and adapt various encounters quickly.
FWIW, generally (i.e. kind of standard formation) I usually leave one DPS rogue/thief at the rear so there’s someone with melee skill (and decent armor/hp) back there if the party is ambushed from behind. If the chance of ambush like that occurring is higher, then I’ll put another fast DPS type near the back as well.
Lemme tell ya, my best friend (and eternal healer bitch) would love it if I played the kind of nuker who stayed in the back. Jokes on him though, because fighting-from-melee-range-and-AEing-everything-battle-mage is the best way to play! \o/
Nope. You’ve got it all wrong Stilts. Krusty’s not seeing Lenessia like that. You should listen to the preview again, because there’s a twist to Lenessia.
And did you notice Krusty’s 2nd used waaaay too many sugar?
by counting she put 5 teaspoons of sugar …
but taking regards the large gap when she put the 1st 3 teaspoons (insert shiroe and michitaka chatting) then the last 2 shown , she probably put a minimum of at least 10 teaspoons !!!
misa-san you sweet tooth !!!! (plus the reaction when she took a sip XD)
I think this and the next episode is going to be one of my favorite parts of this series. Lots of good interactions, Rudie is freaking hilarious, Princess NEET and of course the lovely political intrigue with the Nobles. Oh so much fun. :3
Hello.
Well step followed me around to read your reviews as I consider your way to analize of episodes is very interesting. Seriously, congratulations on that.
I must say that I kept wanting to read your analysis of episodes Symphogear G (understanding that your personal affairs do not generated the time to do it, like you said in a publication). Now, as a follower and fan of the series, do not know if it’s feasible that did the reviews of the episodes of G???, even though this issue is over (now waiting for the third season).
I understand if you can not make it, but would be very happy if you could.
Regards ^^
My apologies, but I never got into the Symphogear series. It’s one of the many I was sorta interested in but never had the time to actually watch, I’m afraid.
Don’t worry, I understand ^^.
I really hope they will repeat the last scene from the princess perspective (the way it is written in the LN). Her reactions to everything Krusty does are what makes the interactions between them really great.
Which novel/chapter/page would that be?
Yeah, hopefully they bring back the whole purple-ghost-as-inner-voice for the princess to use.
Mine is brighter!! Lol rudie…..
Shiroe x Henrietta’s scene is lovely….
Can’t wait for shiroe and ***** conversation
Damn, Henrietta is best girl/lady of this show. Akatsuki is cute, but Henrietta is a woman you *want* to please and have beside you.
Rudie’s blustering has actually a background for it, but I will refrain from spoiling it. What I will say is this. Although there are no “stakes” in this beginner’s dungeon, it will offer A LOT of character growth. Be sure to look forward to it :).
Also, it is finally starting. The interactions between Krusty and the princess. It should be hilarious :). I have been looking forward to those two interacting.
@Faolan The interactions between Krusty and the princess. It should be hilarious :). I have been looking forward to those two interacting. True though I do feel a little sorry for the princess. Such an unequal battle XD.
Have to disagree about Henrietta as the “best women”. She’s OK. Quite competent at her “job” and keeping Marie-nee from being completely lazy, but outside of that she’s not very high on my list. Definitely like Akatsuki better and Marie-nee as well for that matter. 100% behind Marie-nee x Naotsugu.
I guess this is just our own preferences speaking 🙂
Henrietta is a good enough woman for merit me sacrificing loli’s to her, just to see her happy.
@Faolan: I guess this is just our own preferences speaking 🙂
Agree 100%. Besides, it wouldn’t be good IMO if every guy in the world chased after the same girl. Vive la différence 😀
The last time I heard Krusty’s voice actor leading a band of mercenaries and attending a formal event and speaking with a princess… it was in Berserk… and that didn’t end well at all…
…it was in Berserk… and that didn’t end well at all…
LMAO. Very true.
Does he have the same voice actor as Griffith?
As I mentioned above, I am not a fan of Henrietta as a love interest at all. I like her fine as a supporting character but nearly every other girl in the anime is more appealing to me as a love interest.
Frankly, other than the fact that she looks like a 14 year old (which I don’t mind but it’s certainly not a turn-on for me) Akatsuki is exactly my type of female lead.
My O3P shipping aside, I don’t feel like she’s meant to be a serious love interest. She seems to like Shiroe fine, and certainly respects him, but there have been no indication whatsoever of romantic feelings. She’s just doing her thing, and if she inspires a little development in Shiroe x Akatsuki, all the better!
I agree, I was mostly just responding to the above comment.
I like Henrietta as a supporting character, but as I mentioned above, forcing people to do things is a pet peeve of mine, so this joke hasn’t really worked with me, especially as they’ve kept using it.
I do like her role as the competent negotiator/aide though. It’d be kind of fun to see her shape Shiroe into a more skilled politician.
The way Henrietta commanded timid Shiro through that ball scene just proves that she’s the driving force behind Shiro’s visions aka 2nd-in-command, metaphorical wife? >:)
Okay everyone. Who knew Akatsuki could be this HOT?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BcPx-39CQAAqbw9.jpg
Me? All along?
Also, you should have picked a better shot of her
Cute, but not moe enough (le world needs more picture of Aka-chan in fancy dresses). Now I understand Henrietta’s urge of dressing Akatsuki up -makes me go gaga.
My hard drive, she is suddenly filling up with pictures of Akatsuki! …and I love it >:D
/crusty
Don’t know if rape face or not.
As an avid MMO player, I’ve ran in to countless Rundel’s over the years haha.
Funny you said that cause after reading the novel, I’ve gotten more of an impression that Rudie is one of a kind after you’ve come to know him better.
Well, he wouldn’t be wrong in saying he’s run into countless Rundels 😉
Even so, I still think he cuts above the rest.
omg this episode was so fun…
Bard-enhanced dancing leads to jelly Akatsuki. Which is totally cute still!
Akatsuki gets mistaked for a kid, and shows the kids how to play hide and seek n1nj4 s1yl3!
LEEEEEROY JENKINS! aka Rudy. BTW, as a fellow nuker, I do love when I get some buffs for my record breaking damage, too!
“Flee you fools!”
Krusty gets into diplomacy x romance. Things might get interesting…
Rudy looks more like a bolter(DPS) than a nuker.
I felt this episode was a tad too rushed with some scenes, but overall it was not too bad.
Shiroe really needed Henrietta to keep him going, being almost completely out of his element. With the rest of the cast still expecting a lot out of him (a bit too much I’d say), he almost faltered there. Having said that, I still feel that this anime does “over-glorify” Shiroe too much (more than in the novel). It seem to neglect the other characters a bit too often. Even with some of the characters other than Shiroe getting more attention now, the portrayal of Shiroe having the answer to almost everything (some of which were not credited to him in the novel), feels like they are trying too hard.
The dungeon scene isn’t the most interesting (specially the way they toned down the danger and terror), but that’s to be expected of a show that’s been made supposedly “kid-safe” for the most part.
Next episode should be really Lenessia time (yay!) XD. Hope it will be good :p. Hope they show some Akatsuki exploits as well. Also hope they do not leave out more fun stuff with Marielle (but I won’t be surprised if they do 🙁 ).
the portrayal of Shiroe having the answer to almost everything (some of which were not credited to him in the novel)
For example, what wasn’t originally credited to him?
Well, Michitaka’s role in last episode’s party was downplayed a bit, and I think Minori originally came up with most of the things Shiroe Memo told her in the anime by herself, but other than that I can’t remember anything major…
Guiche, err, I mean Rudy is such a funny and silly
(character interaction spoiler here)
Show Spoiler ▼
And finally Lenessia time! Hope her thoughts are portrayed a lot. Because Krusty deserves that xD
Biggest one is probably the way the whole “training camp” came about in episode 11 IMO. In the novel, it was initiated by Henrietta and the Crescent Moon Alliance guild, with the RTC supporting by contributing help and materials. In the anime, they make it look as if only Shiroe could have come up with this idea. I have a rough idea of why they did it, but it feels kind of overdoing it to me. There were other instances in the earlier episodes of the anime where the way things were portrayed feels too Shiroe centric (as if the rest of the cast were just NPCs not doing much while waiting for Shiroe get his act together to save the day ^^; ). In this particular episode, the portrayal is similar, as if most of the cast are waiting for Shiroe to make his move. I didn’t get this vibe from the novel.
Rudy is funnier in the anime than in the novel for me :p. He came across much more annoying than funny in the early parts of this arc in the novel ^^;.
Lennessia is my favourite character in the novel :p. So yeah, I do hope her thoughts come through well enough. Hope they give her enough screen time.
Biggest one is probably the way the whole “training camp” came about in episode 11 IMO. In the novel, it was initiated by Henrietta and the Crescent Moon Alliance guild, with the RTC supporting by contributing help and materials. In the anime, they make it look as if only Shiroe could have come up with this idea. I have a rough idea of why they did it, but it feels kind of overdoing it to me. There were other instances in the earlier episodes of the anime where the way things were portrayed feels too Shiroe centric
Now that you mention it, that’s right! Shiroe didn’t have a part in organizing the camp at all (at least not big enough to be mentioned in the novels).
As for the other instances, now that I think about it, I remember thinking back in episode 10 that Shiroe said something someone else said in the novels (during the round table council meeting)
I really can’t get used to people calling her Lennesia, her name is Raynesia. It even says so in the novels in English. I feel like whoever is doing the subs for CR is really slacking with some of the names and stuff for the show. I mean it’s not a big deal but the information is pretty readily available so why keep making mistakes.
Are there any official translations of her name? I don’t remember seeing any.
Here. http://imgur.com/AZKCo5e
@Xacual
I guess you are right.
It’s best not to trust even ‘official’ japanese transliterations. For a number of sounds, there is no correct transliteration, and when the Japanese try to decide on their own official spellings, they often pick extremely awkward ones (I live here, Engrish is everywhere). Lennesia and Raynesia are both possible spellings of the Japanese, and Lennesia is more naturally spelled.
It’s the old Aerith/Aeris thing.
Yeah, what KaleRylan said. Sometimes I go with the “official” translations (Ex: Myuseru), but Lennesia feels more fantasy-like to me, so I’m sticking with it.
It annoys me to no end to constantly read Crusty, while the author confirmed it’s based on Krusty the Clown.
I honestly liked the newbie dungeon run more than I think I should have. Largely because it plays almost exactly how newbies run a dungeon in actual MMORPGs. Or rather, how newbies completely f*** up a dungeon run in a manner that would make the great Leeroy Jenkins proud. The kids are lucky that Tohya at least new the basics of tanking. Most newbie would have difficulty finding a Warrior who would rather dps than tank. Sadly he needs to work on aggro control, since he drew way too many mobs. Admit it MMORPG players, you were like this on your first days of dungeon runs. Those were the wonderful days when we were young and stupid.
Speaking of which, it seems like they are building up Minori to be Shiroe’s protege. She’s certainly trying very hard to be a knowledgeable strategist but she needs a little more backbone to command the party. Also Izusu is pretty cute, can’t believe I didn’t notice her till now but I’d like to see more of her.
As for our high-level raiders, I like how Krusty was able to manipulate Shiroe to go on the dance floor. It makes Shiroe more fallible, which I do appreciate. But then Krusty building rapport with the king then hitting on the Princess NPC was pretty smooth. Is wearing glasses a symbol that you’re awesome in Log Horizon?
lol. Yeah, it shows how well the author knows his MMORGs XD.
Isuzu is pretty cute. I hope they give her more screen-time as appropriate in the later episodes, as we don’t get to see her much so far.
Crusty is crafty alright :p. For me, it’s rather annoying that Shiroe’s portrayal in the anime has been made less fallible than in the novel, so yeah I do appreciate this point as well. As for the glasses, well, as Marielle says in episode seven: “Megane mina kowai” XD
Shiroe’s portrayal would bother me more if he were a standard protagonist who was hot-blooded and powerful and what-not. For all of his ‘infallibility,’ as of now he could still be defeated in single combat by nearly every other character in the show.
His ability to plan is literally his only edge that has been established so far. Until they give him a city-destroying spell I’ll still be on board because he’s still weaker than 97% of anime protagonists.
There’s still a ninja out there that loves him anyway.
I don’t know about you but “first days of dungeon runs” is a bit much, as with “young and stupid”, I mean, maybe for you it was true at least. I generally dislike broad generalizations like “we” being made with justifications that you were one of them too, therefore it’s perfectly alright to group other people with you. If you were that stupid, I doubt that has much bearing on how other people’s experiences were. Some people are quicker to adapting than other people, after all.
@x The author admitted that the focus wasn’t on MMORPG combat but rather just using it as a setting as he says he plans to complete the series in about 15 volumes and has no time to focus excessively on MMO culture, other than the social implications that he’s good at writing, rather than about MMOs in general.
The only option for the people of the land is to try to woo the adventurers to their side rather than ‘extinguish them’. The adventurers can’t die, per se; they would ultimately be revived and resume battle. The people of the land surely know this – as mentioned in one of the previous episodes – and there is no way the people of the land would able to win any conflict with the adventurers.
The people of the land would thus try to involve the adventurers into their politics to obtain different benefits from the adventurers. In contrast, the adventurers would have nothing to lose should they engage in battle with the people of the land bar the fact that they would not be able to obtain information about the world easily. Needless to say that should any conflict occur, the adventurers are sure to win.
It looks like the People of the Land outnumber the adventurers 1,000 to 1. An adventurer might be able to kill 500-600 NPCs in a battle, but sooner or later somebody gets a lucky shot or they just wear them down with the death of a thousand 10-hp cuts and the adventurer pops back to the cathedral.
While Shiroe taking the Guild Hall was a masterstroke, I’m not sure people realize just how vulnerable the church as an automatic resurrection center is. Under a complete siege situation, adventurers would resurrect in the church, but if the city is surrounded they can’t fight inside the city and you get a stalemate situation.
I don’t the the people of the land can battle inside the city either.
I think you’re both right. The best the Landers could hope for would be a stalemate, and a very hard-won stalemate that would need to be kept up at all times. Because they actually die, while the Adventurers don’t.
And in reality, that stalemate would be almost impossible to achieve. Fighting immortal enemies that you have no hope against except when you massively outnumber them would be very hard. And you have to remember; it’s not that Adventurers can’t fight inside the city, it’s that if they do the guards attack them. Meaning if the Landers tried to lock them down in the cathedral, a few adventurers could kill the Landers to let the others escape and then just be killed by the guard themselves.
Or some NPCs could sneak in and destroy the cathedral somehow.
Dun dun dunnnn
Something about the way you typed that suggests to me it might be a spoiler. I hope it’s not, because if so not cool.
If you’re just guessing, then I would say we have limited evidence of that sort of thing being possible and frankly, I’m not even sure what that would entail. Would that just stop them from reviving? Because tying their immortality to a building seems weird. And even if it is, wouldn’t that just send them to another cathedral?
And if that’s possible, why haven’t they already done that in Susukino, where they have more than enough excuse?
Only ~100:3. We got 30k Japanese Adventurers and ~1m People of the Land.
Wow! Look at that ship at full steam!
Too many ships start to make me confused lol.
Don’t pull a FFT and turn into Delita!
Good episode, loved every second of it.
Can you feel the love tonight?
I just saw Episode 13: My Quick Summary
Well, the Balance between Politics & Action is for me, a bit of to much on Talking… The Dungeon Group had to less Screen Time.. Hope they needed this Episode to Prepare for Episode 14
To many Hidden “What will happen in Future” things…
Heh. For me, this episode is just Lenessia Time :p. Everything else is not bad, but seem a little rushed. As for the action, well, lets hope they didn’t censor it so much that there’s hardly any of it left in the later episodes ^^;.
Here is a thought, what if the adventurers in Log Horizon are copies? I mean they are not even in their own bodies. Also, it would mean that the apocalypse never happened in our world.