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「呪いではなく」 (Noroi de wa Naku)
“Not A Curse”
Say what you will about Log Horizon, but it knows how to put on a show. Literally. While we’re pretty much at the stage of giving secondary characters their 15 minutes of fame (oh next week is going to be a blast for some), plenty of info is at least coming out to help alleviate the pain. Well, unless you consider yourself a Genius, I don’t think much will help in that case.
As fully expected from last week, Krusty’s backstory was fully fleshed out this episode with some tasty tidbits making their presence felt. The Geniuses of course are naturally the main element, between having their hands in both directly manipulating game elements and characters—i.e. Elias and the imposition of curses—but the more intriguing aspect is the apparent appearance of the Genius leader/head who Krusty naturally intends on beating to a bloody pulp. And if said Genius is on the moon? No biggie, where there’s a will there’s always a way. Plus if it helps Shiroe find a way to the moon for the sake of his return home plan all the better. After all, you know exactly what that face means.
Probably more interesting for me, however, was the talk on contracts and what exactly that portends in the future. While People of the Land being able to overrule contractual terms similar to Adventurers is important in of itself (in effect meaning ignorant Adventurers could be outmaneuvered by crafty People of the Land), the more critical aspect is that Elder Tale’s game rules are seemingly set in stone only when explicitly written down in a binding contract both parties accede to. All the flavour text materialization and born effects from boons and banes? Just the structure which defines what is possible; until the specific outcomes and effects are put to paper and mutually agreed upon, the affected party is free to intersperse caveats and conditions as they see fit. It may be abstract theory right now, but this is yet another major system revision with the potential to again upset the developing post-Apocalypse order and leave the shrewd and imaginative significant room to leave their mark.
Shiroe and friends may be inching closer to a solution to their conundrum, but it’s developments like these which ensure that solution will take even more effort to properly bring into existence. Best get comfortable boys and girls, the race to the moon has only gotten started.
Preview
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