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「盾と自由」 (Tate to Jiyuu)
“Shield and Freedom”
A lazy, spoiled, can’t-be-bothered NEET princess is the best princess.
The Lazy Princess
Princess Lenessia (Ise Mariya) instantly catapulted herself to the ranks of my favorite Log Horizon characters, just as I know some of you predicted. First of all, I have to say what a good casting choice Ise Mariya was for this role. She does lazy, spoiled, and mildly petulant really well, all without coming across as unlikable. Mainly this was Lenessia rather than Mariyan though, because I can’t blame her for not wanting to deal with all the nonsense a princess has to put up with. It really seems like a bother.
All the points go to Krusty though, for spending the whole episode screwing with Lenessia’s head. Really there’s not much to say other than to say how hilarious it was! I loved how quickly Krusty saw through to Lenessia’s true nature even as she did the same back to him. Really though, it was just her reactions to all of Krusty’s bullshit that made her such a treat to watch. She can’t (yet) deal with someone like Krusty, so seeing her try was just fun.
My question is, how much is Krusty lying and using her? When he was talking about his imouto in particular, I couldn’t get a bead on whether he was telling the truth or making it all up. Personally I tend to lean towards “both” – Krusty probably has an imouto and she’s probably even lazy, but the stuff about him being able to deal with girls like her best is verifiable bullshit, because he has shown himself as able to deal with pretty much anyone well. As for whether he’s using her, I’m almost certain he is, but there’s nothing wrong with that; we all use one another all the time, and as long as it’s not for nefarious ends it’s perfectly natural. (Though nefarious ends are pretty natural too, so perhaps I should switch that to say “it’s alright.”) I’m sure Krusty is using her, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be to her benefit, nor that he won’t let her make that choice herself. I bet he will.
Bonus points go to Krusty for the handshake. Lenessia isn’t used to it, but he’s treating her like an equal rather than a fragile lady. That’s something I think she may come to like.
Barbarians, & The Difficulty of Freedom
I love how this show so frequently brushes up against deep psychological and sociological subjects that I find so interesting. For example, Krusty’s comment about how a barbarian like him could just lay down in the middle of the day brings to mind how powerful the cages we put ourselves in can be. There’s no reason the princess can’t do the same – or continue to do it even if someone walks by, that is – but she has put herself in a box that the “barbarian” Krusty doesn’t have to pay a damn bit of attention to. People expect less of him because of who he is, but that makes him free. Tell me, what boxes have you put yourself in that make you less free? What pointless boundaries based on duty or pride could you shove aside for a better life?
Along the same lines, there’s the idea of freedom. Krusty mentions that adventurers are free, but that freedom takes strength. I don’t think the strength he was talking about was in their level of equipment – no, it’s mental strength that’s required. To be free is to deal with uncertainty, and to be willing to do what you want to do (or feel is necessary to do), no matter what anyone else thinks. Adventurers are like entrepreneurs and freelancers – they might not always know where their next paycheck will come from, but they’re doing what they want and accepting the hardships that requires. That’s something Lenessia hasn’t had to do, but I have a feeling she may want.
Newbie Interlude
I liked that the newbie interlude was short, and not just because I didn’t jive with it as much as I expected last week. The point of the scene was to check in with them, show that they’re still having trouble, and show that Minori still hasn’t stood up to become their strategist. They did all that without wasting time, and then we got back to where things were actually happening. In fact, Marie-nee’s conversation with Naotsugu was probably gilding the lily a bit, but even that didn’t take long, and I enjoyed Nyanta’s crab comment + Naotsugu’s face enough that it seemed well worth it. Also it made me hungry. I want Nakata Jouji to cook crab for me!
One thing of note though, and it’s about Rudy. He tried to blame Minori and the other healers for their continual failure, but to me it sounded like he was confused, and he at least in part blamed himself as well. He’s got some growing to do, but he’s not a total loss quite yet.
Looking Ahead – Regan of Miral Lake, the Mage of Answers
Looks like we’re finally going to get some more answers about how this world really works. The mage Regan of Miral Lake (Fujiwara Keiji) had one hell of an entrance, but it was in the preview that I got really pumped about his appearance. I can’t wait to find out more, and to see what Shiroe, Akatsuki, and all the others do with the information.
tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Lazy NEET princess is harassed by the barbarian Krusty while the newbies struggle & Akatsuki dances below the stars #loghorizon 13
Random thoughts:
- The intro about goblins reminded me of Tucker’s Kobolds. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, give that a read. It’s a reminder of how power isn’t everything, and how the most frightening foes are often clever and prepared rather than powerful. Unspeakable power is nothing against a lot of damn kobolds scurrying around side corridors and hurling molotov cocktails at your face.
- I want an Akatsuki to pat!
- “What does progress even mean? Isn’t that where we should start?” Kill me now. Have fun with that, Shiroe.
- The People of the Land were ballsy to try to get Michiaka’s steam ship technology from him, but I hope he blows them off. Why sell them the technology when he can get paid to ship their cargo instead? Other than diplomacy and politics and bullshit like that.
- Lenessia is so bad at smiling.
- Krusty makes all the girls squee, except the one he’s troubling so much.
- An Akatsuki dancing beneath the stars is a beautiful thing. A cute one too, when Shiroe catches her in the act. D’aaawww she is jealous!
- Akatsuki finds Shiroe’s rightward hair swirl to be cute? Well, I guess she doesn’t get to see the top of his head very often. Also, D’AAAAWWWW!!
Check out my blog about storytelling and the fantasy novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: Mix it up, Look for execution, Why I don’t write fanfiction, and Don’t reject feedback rashly.
Preview
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Regan can’t possibly be evil. He doesn’t wear the tell-tale glasses that both Shiroe and Krusty are wearing.
Regan is gonna fuck that npc. keep my words.
In the manga perhaps. Not the anime I think. They are trying to make it available to all demographics.
Garen? anyone?
Is it just me…or do the goblins have male private parts for their nose?
Just your imagination…
I find it ironic that amid Krusty’s shenanigans with Princess Lenessia, that Michiaka is emplored by the people of the land to start building ships for them. Perhaps Krusty wouldn’t mind Michiaka building him a ship as well, if you know what I mean.
This show is doing everything I like and pressing all the buttons and JUST WHAT THE HECK IS KRUSTY UP TO?!
This. This is everybody’s reaction to Krusty. Unless you’ve already read the books in which case SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!
And the Tyranny of Stilts continues…
It´s Benevolent Tyrant, don´t you remember?.
Neet princess(so she’s really a neet) is getting used by Crusty, LOL. 10/10 Crusty is an evil businessman, just like how Shiroe is an evil genius. They both have evil glasses too(haw’s the /glassesadjust count now?)
And look! Cute noobs doing cute things! How cute! Reminds me of my first days in Ragnarok Online as a young Novice(dohohohoho). I grind on Porings, Roda, Lunatics and Fabres. Then Spores, Skeletons and Zombies. After that Poporings and Smokies. Then Bigfoots and Elder Willows. Blah blah blah….
Welp, Minorin is still a shrinking violet and Rudy’s all frustrated. Such a short screen time for the best girl of the season, Isuzu.
Overall, a good solid episode. Looks like they’ll be explaining something important next episode. I can’t wait.
I grind on Porings, Roda, Lunatics and Fabres. Then Spores, Skeletons and Zombies. After that Poporings and Smokies. Then Bigfoots and Elder Willows. Blah blah blah….
Hey, I started out mopping the floor just like you guys. But now… now I’m washing lettuce. Soon I’ll be on fries; then the grill. In a year or two, I’ll make assistant manager, and that’s when the big bucks start rolling in.
Keep it up, Maou.
maou works, was coming to america reference though 😀
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xakQO2iHY08
“For example, Krusty’s comment about how a barbarian like him could just lay down in the middle of the day brings to mind how powerful the cages we put ourselves in can be. There’s no reason the princess can’t do the same”
Well, I wouldn’t quite call it becoming “free” from a “cage we put ourselves in”.
It’s more that there are different “roles” in society. The roles have their requirements, but also their perks.
For instance, should the Princess decide to shed the requirements of her role as the Duke’s daughter, she would also soon lose many of the perks that come with it, including servants, deference of others (whether it be genuine or not is another matter) and the adoration of young men.
As a “barbarian”, you would certainly be free to act “barbaric”, but in turn would also limit your options with respect to dealing with the NPCs.
Not necessarily true, or rather not as much as people act like it. What reason is there that a princess cannot take a nap in the middle of the day? She would still be a princess, because that comes from her family. Yes she may be thought of as a little weird, but that doesn’t mean she can’t do it, nor should she necessarily disallow herself from doing so. There are differences in their stations, certainly, but most of the limits placed on Lenessia are of her own making – or rather, she allows people’s expectations to imprison her rather than doing as she truly pleases.
Don’t confuse all the extra societal bullshit that comes with a job (station, position) as integral to the job. All that’s required is she fulfill the role of a princess, which is merely to be the daughter (or in this case, granddaughter) of a ruler. She can do that no matter how she acts.
I would say yes and no. Your point is accurate, but I don’t think the answer to your point is as simple as ‘drop the act’ while still maintaining our roles. Because that wouldn’t really work. A princess who is seen as lazy and crude would likely lose the respect of her subjects in time, though she may gain a different set of fans.
Rather I think the point is more that society itself is built on bullshit in many cases, and a lot of it is unnecessary. You could build a more free society if you dropped a bunch of the bullshit, but it wouldn’t look like ours anymore. It might look like the adventurer’s society. But there’s is a bit of a cheat as they’re all basically employed by default and their economy runs off of resources that spring magically from the corpses of their enemies.
Both views are not completely true. There are different roles in society and it certainly depends on what role one has which determines the corresponding rights and obligations. But this is to simplistic a view; many a time, people act not in pursuit of a need, but of want.
I merely need shelter, water, food, and clothes and I’m packed for life. What I want, however, is a different story, encompassing elements which often implicate on third parties. This links to Stilt’s point that the princess would still be a princess even if she takes a nap. However, the implication of doing so is the ridicule of others and possible consequential losses (economic, political, etc). Doing so would be in contradiction of the obligations she has to take to uphold her rights (rights as in the right to be viewed as a noble princess by the gentry).
In this way, the princess is indeed caged, and unable to break free. This cage is however, not purely self imposed, but also implicated by third parties and circumstances as well. Others have a vested interest in her (e.g. inter alia, the Duke). Possible consequential losses may result as a consequence of her failing to commit to her obligations.
Priceless moments are when Princess Lenesia loses her composure at every turn. It endears my heart seeing that she wishes for more freedom in her life, and yet she sees someone as uncouth and totally free do whatever he likes – flaunting the freedom she really envies in front of her.
I like that the show takes its time to put other characters in the limelight as well – it shows Shirou is surrounded by capable people that all have their own stories and keeps the show from having everything revolve around him. He’s just one piece of a bigger whole, after all. Especially because Krusty and Princess Lenessia were two other very entertaining characters to watch, and I wonder where the story will take them. I’ve got a hunch that she’s going to play a big role in the grand scheme of things later (hell, just look at the OP).
The noobie-guild stuff wasn’t as interesting this week and was more of a token appearance. Though I did find it funny that Leeroy…I mean, Rudy, blamed the healers for everthing, which is what triggerhappy dps noobs always do (WHY DIDTN YOU HAEL ME?!!! – I can remember one idiot sending that message to my brother).
And damn, jealous Akatsuki is hilarious. Never getting tired of this ship.
And magey answers next week, weee!
Note to Stilts: This episode isn’t tagged as being a Log Horizon review with the others.
I found it interesting that Marielle and Shoryuu noticed a mysterious “something” off on the horizon out to sea. This is the second time characters have specifically drawn attention to a “something” off in the distance (the first was with the People of the Land hunters in episode 11), and in neither case have we received any sort of follow-up or explanation of what was seen. It seems foreshadowy.
Thanks for the catch.
And yeah, that’s definitely foreshadowing. I’m just waiting until what it’s foreshadowing becomes clearer, because all we have to go on now would be wild guesses.
Not really “wild” guesses, with the talk of water transport and the OP to work with. Shiroe also mentioned demi-humans in the first minute or so, so the bubbles are probably the fish-men doing whatever fish-men do. Given how the People of the Land were talking it doesn’t sound like the idea of a ship has really been explored, so dangers in the ocean would probably be mostly unknown.
Yay! Lenessia Time! Yay! XD
Krusty just wants an excuse to avoid dealing with the others, and this princess probably amuses him quite a bit. He probably also thinks that she is “mostly harmless”.
Next episode looks like Isuzu might finally get a bit more screen time. Not trying to spoil things, but for those looking for more “serious” action, you’ll have to wait a while more yet :p. They seem to be adapting around the pacing of one novel chapter per anime episode. With the remaining number of episodes, and at the current pacing, I imagine they can easily cover up to the fifth volume.
I’m more shocked that the
lazygrey rose princess does not like silk pajamas, but prefers flannel pajamas.…BTW, poor Akatsuki, still being chased by the kids…
Also, pouting princess is a cute princess
I’m more shocked that the lazy grey rose princess does not like silk pajamas, but prefers flannel pajamas.
Flannel sleepwear are comfy.
I’m guessing Touno Mamare owns a pair of ones too, given that the princess is his genderbent self-insert(or so I hear, and that Krusty/Crusty is his sister’s genderbent insert).
Yeah, silk is nice to the touch but wearing it for a long period of time is pretty uncomfortable if you’re not used to it.
I personally only remember wearing silk once ever. Let me tell you, it is not a good experience. If I have to explain how it felt, I would say it is felt like wearing leather that are make of cloth.
I’m starting to think Krusty and Shiroe are long lost brothers lol. But I actually liked how he used the princess to his advantage. I love when they do the glasses thing XD
Also Akatsuki was so cute when she was practicing her dancing. I hope there is another dance so her and Shiroe can dance this time.
Agreed. Agreed on both counts!
I wasnt expecting a reply but thank you! At least I’m not the only one ><
I’m with both of you. I wanted that dance so bad in the last episode that the Henrietta one we got instead pissed me off. This scene was adorable though and actually redeems that last one for me. Well played. I’m gonna have more faith now thanks to this.
I can has princess nao pls? Kthxby. :p
It’s remarkable how adorable she manages to be, especially when Crusty has her completely at a loss. One wouldn’t think a lazy, somewhat spoiled princess would be loveable, but she totally pulls it off.
By the way, I don’t think Crusty was lying about any of the things he told her near the end. It seems quite likely that he does indeed have a sister who Lenessia reminds him of: a sister who he may now never see again. While he can certainly charm the court girls and talk politics with the nobles, that doesn’t mean he’s comfortable with them. Having someone who feels like a touchstone back to the life he may never be able to return to is likely quite comforting to him.
Sure, he’s also using her as an excuse to avoid being caught up in too many minor diplomatic events (since the adventurers have been deemed safe-ish, all the nobles are going to want to at least talk to them, if only to be able to claim that they did so), have can avoid potential entanglements between court ladies by being with the one they can’t try to take him from, and he gains the potential for a “backdoor” channel to the highest noble in Eastal, should the Round Table ever have need of such a thing. Those are certainly motives he likely has, but so what? He isn’t hiding them. He outright told the princess the first part, and I believe she’s smart enough to figure out the last on her own. None of that changes the fact that he has a much more personal reason for enjoying spending his time with her than just the cold and calculated ones.
I pretty much agree. It’s mainly the nature of Krusty’s character that makes me doubt most anything he says when he’s in bullshitter mode (or might be in bullshitter mode), which honestly is quite refreshing – I like having to actually wonder about these things rather than taking the character on faith when we really shouldn’t. After all, people lie all the time IRL, eh?
I personally think that Krusty’s completely honest with Raynessia. if we take the sister bit as truth or at least considered, what Krusty wants Raynessia to be is to be a bit freer and more frank with herself, like you said. sure, he may BS a bit with others but if he wants to get that point across to her, why lie? the truth is usually more convincing, especially because lies are also a cage which restrains you.
@GoXDS I’m with Wanderer. It’s not that we think he’s lying exactly, it’s that he likely has ulterior motives. And again, that doesn’t make him evil. Some of the best things in politics are when your motives and your feelings coincide. And that’s what my gut says is happening here.
Beyond that, this episode really cemented Krusty as a great character for me. He worked really well as a character entirely separate from the ‘main’ characters to the point that you could totally see a show following just him.
Krusty seems to be using the sentimental approach to place himself as dear to the princess. This seems effective thus far.
Krusty really puts the Magnificent into “Magnificent Bastard”. I don´t want to ship Leinrssia and Krusty right away but those are perfect for each other, Krusty can read Leinessia like an open book and the NEET Princess can tell some of his bullshit with ease, like how he doesn´t enjoy fighting when clrearly this guy is Blood Knight through and through, his sub-clas is even berserker for God sakes!. Seing those two is going to be glorious every week. XD
like how he doesn´t enjoy fighting when…
Doesn’t enjoy fighting?? HAhahaHHAhah!!
Ahh…in a way you’re right, he doesn’t enjoys “fighting” –
Rather major spoiler Show Spoiler ▼
Maybe Krusty is the lost son of Guts, the have a lot to talk about. XD
One of my favorite part of the LN (of vol 3-4) nxt episode!!
Agreed, as a fan of worldbuilding I am looking forward to a bombshell or two.
I hope the children can show some action in the next episode.
It’s getting REALLY annoying seeing them being idiots and that girl not taking the initiative.
Log Horizon should be about awesome people doing awesome things. Leave the stupid drama for stupid shounen.
Which exact scenes would you decide to cut out of this episode in order to make space for an awesome dungeon ride?
Awesome people doing awesome things in a game-like world are nice pictured in Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo, which I recommend. Yes, it’s shounen, as “awesome people doing awesome things” is a typical dream of a teenager and even more common plot of shounen anime, with Dragonball and Pokemon among others.
This week there was a break from the kids, from now on there should be more shining and sparkles. 🙂
Leave the stupid drama for stupid shounen.
This is Mamare-sensei’s work, the one who made one of the versions of Maoyuu. Expect it to be politics and drama, like his version of Maoyuu.
@Andre: Log Horizon should be about awesome people doing awesome things. Leave the stupid drama for stupid shounen.
Huh? How is drama, political intrigue, and multiple plot lines, etc. “stupid” compared to nothing but a series of flashy over-the-top battles? If you prefer that fine, but to call this show stupid is unfair and inaccurate IMO. Besides, there’s no shortage of shows about “awesome people doing awesome things”.
I watch DBZ type anime as well, and while those types of shows can be entertaining and fun to watch, personally it’s the fact that Log Horizon is more than just one long hax-powered dungeon crawl which makes it thought provoking and special. I’d call it intelligent rather than “stupid”.
————————————-
@brajt: I’m a big Mondaiji-tachi fan and there is a lot of that, but what I like about the series is that it’s more than just straight up DBZ flashy battles. Most gift games require thinking rather than solely be solved by pure muscle. From what I’ve read of the available translated LN (supposedly TL resumes in a couple of months), that aspect holds true, and a Chinese LN reader (he’s read up through volume 7 or 8) confirmed that as well.
A good example is the last anime arc against Pest which required a riddle to be solved. Even against Perseus, they still had to figure out a way to reach the top without being seen. Izayoi relies upon his intelligence as much as his uber-powerful Gift to win games.
Definitely recommend both the LN and anime. IMO the anime did a good job with adaptation.
there’s a big reason why this is being the case. if you just find it uninteresting, that’s something else entirely. however, what should they do instead? Minori is still a beginner no matter how much Shiroe told her. if she could “take the initiative” then why don’t the trainers (Naotsugu or Nyanta) just tell them what to do then?
if they could magically become able to tackle the dungeon in a few tries, what was the point of having a training camp at all?
That pajama moment :3
The Crusty and Lenessia moments are priceless.
Matoba has invaded Log Horizon!
*handshakes Aggron*
*My profile pic now has this face*
I just marathoned this show today up to this episode. I’m glad I did that instead of watching it weekly the past few months. The last few episodes were a lot more interesting than the first 7 or so.
It’s not that those episodes didn’t have anything interesting in them. But there was absolutely no tension. I couldn’t see any real importance behind what they were doing; it wasn’t like anyone was actually going to die, and it seemed like everyone was reacting too seriously (and stupidly) to the wrong things (while giving almost no focus to figuring out why they’re stuck in this game like world).
With the revelation that the People of the Land have full human intelligence, things actually got interesting. It finally seems like there will be some real problems to contend with, especially with whatever information Regan has to offer.
I’m guessing you haven’t read some of the LN or the manga and it’s spin-off’s,
since this show aired on NHK some dark stuff have been removed like rape,slavery,
and torture which is mentioned in the LN and manga’s so the tension is lost in the
anime
I also have to mention that the battles in the manga are much more bloody than what
the anime depicts, expect blood and body parts flying everywhere, lol
0_0 Daggum that’s a huge change.
I vehemently disagree. I don’t get why some posters keep insisting that death is the only consequence anything can have, and the lack of it ‘isn’t interesting.’
You’re entitle to your opinion, I just disagree.
Yeah, because Serara (assumed to be in middle or high school), being hunted down by almost the whole population of a city (whose leader’s most redeeming quality seems to be making a darkly hilarious raepface) with no way to escape isn’t creating tension at all…
Well, everyone is allowed their opinion of course, but as Shiroe aptly put it in episode 10, kidnapping is far more serious crime now that no one can die.
No, there was no tension there at all, because the reactions of the people of Susukino and the Brigandia guild were just utterly ridiculous. Again, my point is that there should have been a much greater focus on people worrying about what’s going on. Instead, they kept on more or less acting as if they were part of a game (even though they were constantly saying “it’s no longer a game”). Even without actual death, you should still see people running around worried and panicked .
Since you can’t be killed inside a city, there’s no way to actually be bullied there. So there was NO reason for the townspeople to be that scared of a bunch of other players, and certainly there wouldn’t have been any reason for one girl to be chased around nonsensically like that.
Maybe such a thing could have happened a few months after the Apocalypse, but not in a few days. That whole thing was just very poorly written in my opinion (or apparently, too much was left out from the light novel).
The same goes for the whole thing with Touya and Minori stuck in the Hamelin guild. That was even more ridiculous. They barely took the time to explain how the kids were compelled to stay there and put up with the abuse, when they could have easily just walked away without consequence (at least when they were outside the guild hall). The reaction would make sense if they were 5 or 6 years old, but they’re 14 or so.
@Tre,
Did you pay attention to when they explained why the kids couldn’t just walk away from the guild? As in the only way to leave the guild is to go to the main guild desk and ask to leave the guild. Add in that the hunting parties were always escorted by a higher level players and that everyone else was locked in guild hall meant they could never get to the main desk.
As to the bullying part, the anime has taken out the pain of being injured. Just because you can’t die, would you enjoy being beaten, raped, burned, etc. on a daily basis? The city guards only appear if weapons or spells are being used. You would probably wish you could die, or you would cower in fear at those stronger than you.
There is plenty of tension in the show. You have just decided it isn’t the tension you want and ignore it.
@Tre: “Again, my point is that there should have been a much greater focus on people worrying about what’s going on. Instead, they kept on more or less acting as if they were part of a game (even though they were constantly saying “it’s no longer a game”). Even without actual death, you should still see people running around worried and panicked….Maybe such a thing could have happened a few months after the Apocalypse, but not in a few days.”
First, my reply is quite long, but I prefer to give reasons why I disagree. Also, FYI – the timeline for these events is consistent with the LN. What the anime omitted was some of the more graphic, darker details.
I agree with your first sentence – i.e. I would have expected more general concern about WTF just happened AND how do we get back to the RL. That’s something that’s been mentioned numerous times. However, I disagree completely with remainder. To expect people to “run around” in a state of panic for days and days let alone months? Completely unrealistic IMO. A constant state of panic is not something one can sustain for long periods of time. Certainly not months. To be clear, I WOULD expect a significant percentage of players to suffer from psychological trauma – principally anxiety (“worry”) and major depression. Frankly, given that 30,000 players were online in Japan alone at the time of the event, I wouldn’t be surprised if some simply denied the “reality” of the situation to some degree (i.e. “it’s just a game.”). Albeit not a good one, but denial is a coping mechanism.
Consider the situation. They are thousands trapped together (think about if you were the ONLY one who got trapped). Plus, most know at least one other person if not more. It’s not a life or death situation – as you note, they CAN’T die. Not only that, the vast majority of players are far from helpless. IMO that shouldn’t be underrated. Much worse if they were trapped in the game as a RL “normal” person or starting over at level 1. Food, clothing & shelter are readily available. They know where they are, and a considerable amount about that world rather than being transported to some completely unknown place. Clearly the situation is far from ideal, but IMO it could be much worse.
Depressed, worried, angry, frustrated, in denial, “it what it is – just have to make the best of it”, etc. I think all are reasonable responses after the initial shock wears off in couple of days or so. I simply can’t envision panicked players running around for 30, 60, 90 days or more. TBH, for a select few, I wouldn’t be surprised if they prefer the LH world to their RL.
– Since you can’t be killed inside a city, there’s no way to actually be bullied there. So there was NO reason for the townspeople to be that scared of a bunch of other players, and certainly there wouldn’t have been any reason for one girl to be chased around nonsensically like that.
Huh? So someone can’t be bullied without a possibility of death? I’m not sure how to respond to that other than vehemently disagree. Just because you can’t die doesn’t mean there’s nothing to fear. IMO you see things too black and white – can’t die so no worries. Even players feel pain. So while they can’t die, constant mental and/or physical torment is not an enticing proposition. I think that was the point KaleRylan is making, and one in which I agree. What you mean by “townspeople” is unclear, but “People of the Land” (aka NPCs), CAN die. Plus, compared to players, they are very weak – to the point almost all are powerless to defy adventurers. As for “no reason to be scared” – see LN (small) spoiler below.
As for Serara, she is a maid (subclass) so she does have value even if her main class level is low. If Demikas, leader of Brigandia, is trying to control the city, then he has reason to seek out and punish those who “rebel against him”. Besides, why do people bully and torment others in RL? Maybe Demikas is just an ass**** who can’t stand the fact someone might defy his will. IMO, he and his guild are nothing more than opportunistic thugs preying upon those weaker than them. *LN Show Spoiler ▼
– They barely took the time to explain how the kids were compelled to stay there and put up with the abuse, when they could have easily just walked away without consequence (at least when they were outside the guild hall).
I’m not sure if you understand the situation correctly. The twins could NOT just “easily walk away without consequences.” Again, you dismiss the part about players feeling pain. The twins are not “M” types. While “combat” is prohibited in the city, as both the LN and anime show, you can use physical force to inflict pain and subdue weaker players. Even if the twins escaped Hamelin’s guild rooms, they could be easily be captured and brought back by force. Hamelin’s member’s main class levels are too high for the twins to resist. Even if they die, then Hamelin can station a few members at the cathedral waiting for them to respawn. There is NO escape without material outside assistance.
The reaction would make sense if they were 5 or 6 years old, but they’re 14 or so.
5 or 6 years old!? O.o IRL, from grade school through high school and even beyond, people are bullied and put up with abuse all the time. Unlike RL, there is no established authority (teachers, police, etc.) here for the twins to turn to for help. There’s not even any law to enforce. That’s the whole “lawlessness” part of Shiroe’s round table speech.
TL:DR = For the above reasons I think your criticisms are too extreme. Room for improvement in some areas, yes. “Utterly ridiculous”, IMO no.
I really think the few complaints I see about this show are rather unfair. People have to remember that the early timeline is kind of funny.
First off, if you pay attention in the first episode pretty much all you see are people in shock and freaking out. I haven’t watched it in a while, but I remember screaming, crying, etc.
By the second episode, Shiroe and co. LEAVE THE TOWN for something like a week or two (don’t remember exactly). By the time they return people have calmed down enough to focus on being horrible to each other. It’s also important to remember that Shiroe fully admits he goes to save Serara as a coping mechanism because they have not one single clue what to do.
So it may seem like the show isn’t focusing on the problem, but 1. it is, and 2. it fully admits that the people themselves are avoiding the issue because they don’t know what to do.
@Tre:
So you can’t be bullied if you can’t be killed huh? Do you live in some kind of fortress in real life? Of course you can be bullied even if you can’t be killed. THAT’S WHAT BULLYING IS. If you kill someone, it’s murder, not bullying anymore.
@daikama:
Well said, but I think people use the LNs to respond to this sort of complaint too much. It gives the naysayers easy fodder of ‘well they left too much out of the anime.’ The anime covers most things fine if you read between the lines a bit.
@daikama I still completely disagree with your general sentiment. I’ll try to give a more detailed response, since my first few responses were rushed. I think this might be even longer than your response, though.
Are you sure there wasn’t more skipped over? I didn’t read the Light Novel (or the manga), but my impression of the show, particularly in its explanations, is that they seem to be rather rushed and lacking in detail. And that lack of detail is precisely why I felt no tension in the show during its first few arcs.
I never said I’d expect them to be running around panicked for months. For a few days, though, I certainly would. The Susukino we were shown in the first episode is only a few days removed from the Apocalypse, right? I think it’s ridiculous for a guild to have instilled that much fear in the city’s population in such a short time. Individuals can certainly be bullied non-physically. I did make a mistake in wording that before; what I should have said was that large groups of people can’t be bullied like that, at least not so easily.
It’s immensely difficult to subjugate large groups of people without any threat of physical violence, and practically impossible to do in a few days. In this world, maybe there can be physical violence. People can taste, right? So maybe people can feel immense pain before death. That would be logical, and if you keep only to go through more physical pain, then that would be even worse than death.
The only problem is, the show never presents any of that. We show people grunting and showing some signs of possible pain (during battles), but the way they get up makes me think there isn’t anything substantial, even in the few places where people were killed. It was just glossed over too easily. It falls into the trap that old American cartoons like Tom & Jerry do: people are hit in a way that should hurt, but then they get up as if nothing happened. Unlike Tom & Jerry, this isn’t done for comedic effect. It makes me think people can’t feel much pain in this world.
Those graphic details you mention that were in the LN, those aren’t unnecessary trifles, they’re vital to the story. Had that violence, even without blood, been in the anime, along with scenes showing people in constant, deep physical torture, then it would have been very different. But it was never shown.
Again, it has only been a few days at most, from what I can tell. In a situation like this, I’d expect panic due to the long term consequences of what has happened, so readily available food, clothing, and shelter wouldn’t be an issue. Though they end up worrying over a short term issue far more than the long term one (the Brigandia guild).
With no apparent possibility for physical violence, the guild would have to threaten through psychological means. Can they take away food, clothing, or shelter? Apparently not, from what I can tell. Is there any other way the guild can bully them around within such a short time frame? Any? In real life, there are situations, such as cults, where people are controlled through very carefully targeted, charismatic belief systems, and explanations of those belief systems. That requires no threat of violence or survival, but it takes quite a long time to gather in people in such a way. A few days is not possible.
So without a more proper explanation, I’m left watching a scene where people are cowering in fear of a small group of people for no apparent reason (other than the fact that they look tough). And if most of them are far from helpless as you say, then it makes the situation ridiculous. After a few months, this might end up happening, as people would become increasingly dispirited, and that would be made worse if they aren’t able to leave Susukino due to that rogue guild. This is the only real viable threat Brigandia has, and its one I don’t think would come into play until significant time has past since the Apocalypse, since most people wouldn’t even be thinking of leaving the city for the first few days.
Another issue is that Brigandia would have had to completely destroy preexisting social structures in the city in a matter of days. Again, I don’t see how that would have been possible. The whole “buying an entire guild hall so others can’t use it” thing Shiroe did wouldn’t have been possible so quickly, right? And even then, I still wouldn’t expect people to be cowering in fear at the sight of a guild like that. (We’re shown scenes of similar events in Akiba, before many other things were even explained, which only served to emotionally detach me from those early events, since I had no explanation as to why they were acting that way, and even now I still don’t. There’s apparently “low level fighting and harassment” going on in cities that don’t count as fighting, but that is never further expanded upon, which would have made a big difference).
Again, I never said that. In my previous post I said that Brigandia taking over the city would have taken a few months, not that people would be running in a panic for a few months.
But the Susukino we’re shown is only a few days removed from the Apocalypse (in fact, it might be only a day or so in the first episode, and the place is already under Brigandia’s control).
People certainly can be bullied without a possibility of death. But the question is how it’s done in the game. We’re never shown bullying within the cities. What we’re shown is the after effects of the bullying. Even Serara’s chase scenes were after some supposed post-bullying scene. They did something to make her run away. What? I don’t know. Maybe if they simply surrounded and started insulting her heavily out loud, that might have done it. I’m not sure they could have kept on doing that without someone stopping them (like Nyanta). But then why did Serara need to be hidden if that’s all they can do?
They can’t physically do anything to her without the Guardians coming down and killing them, right? The fact that there’s isn’t a specific explanation or detailed scenes showing all this is the problem. We’re just left to assume they did something to her and other people in the city in a very short time that caused them to be so panicked. Without knowing any specifics, I can’t sympathize, especially not when the little I’m shown makes me believe the bad guys are not capable of doing much and this is all blown way out of proportion.
It sounds to me like all this would have been a lot better had they not left out so many of these details from the LN. Those extra details might sound small to you, but that’s because you seem to already have had knowledge of the light novel beforehand. I walked into this anime with no prior knowledge. These LN details seem like they would have made a world of difference in how I perceived the story. Leaving them out was a very poor decision.
Yes, I agree with this. Except I can’t see how everything could have become so lawless so quickly given that so much of what makes bullies and violent people capable of instilling fear in others seems impossible to do in the world shown in the anime.
My TL;DR:
Light novel = Well done (from what I can tell in the details people have given, since I haven’t read it myself).
Anime = Utterly ridiculous, because they left out too many important details from the LN. Though this is only up to the formation of the Round Table Alliance. It’s gotten a lot better since then. This anime is pretty good at political intrigue.
@Tre
The more you explain the more it becomes clear that you refuse to see, and on some level don’t even appear to have watched the show. I dislike arguments that require page-long posts, but just one thing.
You ask can you take away food, clothing, or shelter? The answer to all of this is yes. Save maybe clothing, though that’s hard to say in the anime. I’ll give you that. Food isn’t magic, they have to buy it. If they can’t leave the Guild hall, they can’t buy food. Even if they could, they need money to buy the food, and in order to get money, they need to kill monsters, which would require leaving the city, which means they can be PKed.
And you keep harping on this idea they can’t be physically bullied, but the anime makes very clear that you can turn on skills in your guild base if you want, which Hamelin DID, for the express purpose of physically bullying the weak players they tricked into joining them. Beyond that, the anime also established you can commit physical violence just fine so long as it doesn’t cross a line in the city.
@Tre: Thanks for taking the time to explain your point. Lots to read and consider. I actually drafted a detailed reply, but despite efforts to keep it at a reasonable length I failed to do so :<
In short, this seems to be an "agree to disagree" situation. Again, I do agree that the anime could have done a better job with presentation for some of the earlier scenes (including keeping some of the darker, more graphic LN moments). However, on the whole I think it did a good enough job. It doesn't spoon feed every detail so that the situation is obvious nor is the show without flaws, but IMO there is enough information expressly stated and/or inferred during those early episodes for the viewer to sufficiently understand and accept the situation as presented with a little effort and thought.
One thing I do wish to emphasize is what I said earlier and KaleRylan recently reiterated. You're perception about the limitations on physical violence in "safe" zones is not correct. The anime even points that out during the scene when the twins almost escape, and Tohya is caught by a Hamelin player who twists Tohya's arm behind his back. I also think you dismiss the gap in physical strength between players of vastly different levels and players vs NPCs.
Finally, I do want to point out that for both the anime and LN, I think the story improves noticeably starting with the round table formation (latter part of Volume 02 for LN). The story really starts to unfold at that point IMO. You may wish to read the first two LN volumes yourself (I would NOT read volume 03 or later until after the anime has concluded), though it might be more prudent to delay reading the LN until after the anime has finished. At any rate, if you like what’s going on now, I think you’ll be happy with the rest of the season.
@daikama: Yeah, it’s probably best to just leave this argument as it is. Keep in mind that I didn’t walk into this show with any preconceived notions (well, I tend to enjoy anime about large world MMO’s, so maybe the stuff I’ve seen in other similar anime count as preconceived notions); I only marathoned it because I hadn’t found the time to watch it before. I was pretty excited to watch it through at first, and the fact that they couldn’t die didn’t kill the excitement at all.
But as the episodes went by I kept on getting more and more bored of what I was watching. I realize there were parts later on that showed some physical attacks, like when Touya was grabbed by one of the Hamelin guys. I just wish it was emphasized more, because without that extra emphasis I didn’t know how far the bad guys are able to abuse and torture others in this world I know nothing of. And without that knowledge, I felt no real sense of impending danger (this is another summary of what I’ve said above).
I suppose I shouldn’t be calling so much of that “utterly ridiculous”. But that really is how I felt about it when watching large segments of those episodes. I like where the show is now, so there is plenty of time for the second half to make up for what I thought was a somewhat poor first half (it would be better than Sword Art Online, who’s great first half was brought down by a poor second half).
My GOD, are you stupid. They an beat the shit out of anyone they want IN THE GUILD. The Royal Knight cannot enter your guild. The Royal Knights only react to direct impact damage. I can literally twist your arm off, and the Royal Guard wouldn’t appear. Pay attention before you flood people with your ignorance.
I wonder what would Keima do in Crusty’s place in these situations with a spoiled princess… Hmmm.
Oh those segments with the kids are so annoying. None of them is interesting (at least yet), one of them is extremely annoying, and all of them are taking time away from the awesome stuff happening at the castle.
I half agree. Mainly because they won’t become awesome until they get some screen-time, so I see it as a necessary evil. And I thought the balance in this episode was fine.
I couldn’t stop grinning and giggling over this episode. I love how they managed to fit all the substance and subtle interactions into the various scenes. The musical cues to Raynesia and Krusty’s conversations certainly gives a much lighter feeling than simply reading it.
They also got the other scenes like Minori and the B team’s current debacle and the issue with the knights of Izumo.
Anyways, these three episodes (alongside the next one) are definitely one of my faves so far. Can’t wait to see more
I know it’s been said… a lot, but I honestly feel compelled to write: Akatsuki is just too damn cute. She’s starting to cross over into utterly irresistible, and I usually don’t go for lolis. I’m hard pressed to determine who I feel more sorry for – Akatsuki being mistaken for the world’s greatest grade-school hide & seek player, or the princess who’s completely at Krusty’s mercy. Going with the princess, at least Akatsuki can easily escape her grade school “playmates”.
I thought the anime did a pretty good job here conveying all the nuances involved in the verbal sparring between the princess and Krusty (“T-T-This is a BAD man!” LOL). A lot of comedy is derived from the princess’ internal dialog, and the show smartly kept that along with the appropriate facial expression. Have to agree with Stilts that the princess (surprisingly so) is one of my favorite characters. Pretty impressive given that she’s a gloomy, lazy person by nature. I do feel kind of sorry for her since she’s so far out of her league when it comes to verbal sparring with Krusty, but its damn funny as well.
The fact that there’s some dispute over Krusty’s sincerity IMO also demonstrates that the show is doing a good job provided depth and “realism” to the characters. IMO, what Krusty said about the princess reminding him of his sister is true. Maybe splitting hairs on this, but I also think that he probably does handle this type of girl best (plenty of practicing on his imouto… now I’m worried about his imouto LOL), BUT that doesn’t mean that he’s bad or average at handling the rest. An “A+” is better than an “A”, but an “A” is still a very good grade. That being said, I do suggest taking quite a bit of salt with Krusty’s dialog in general. He’s definitely maxed out the BS skill tree. (Is there some sort of politician subclass?).
One thing to keep in mind about Krusty – despite being “just a warrior”, as a player, IMO he’s one of the few relatively on par with Shiroe intellectually. Shiroe’s still above him as the genius tactician, but if you think about the round table formation conference, Krusty was pretty quick to catch on to Shiroe’s line of thought. Plus, he wears glasses. 😛
One last thing about Krusty – am I the only one than keeps thinking of this this Krusty whenever LH mentions Krusty by name? Watched too many Simpson’s episodes I guess, but I do wish he had different name.
@Stilts: I love how this show so frequently brushes up against deep psychological and sociological subjects that I find so interesting.
Agree 100%
There’s no reason the princess can’t do the same – or continue to do it even if someone walks by, that is – but she has put herself in a box that the “barbarian” Krusty doesn’t have to pay a damn bit of attention to. People expect less of him because of who he is, but that makes him free. Tell me, what boxes have you put yourself in that make you less free? What pointless boundaries based on duty or pride could you shove aside for a better life?
JMO, but you muddy the waters here a bit. No question one can put themselves in box mentally, but there are societal expectations which limit “freedom” beyond any self imposed sense of duty or excessive pride. Society norms mean that people will have expectations for certain behavior for various situations. For example, I’d be much more comfortable in shorts or jeans and a t-shirt rather that a suit and tie, but probably a good idea to wear a suit and tie if I’m in a court room (or most job interviews, etc.). So while perhaps it’s a chain of “duty” limiting the princess’ (really Lady “freedom” in this case), IMO it’s not so much one of her own making, but rather the LH world medieval societal structure that does so.
Granted conjecture on my part, but I took Krusty’s comment as directed on that more macro level – society. Adventurer’s are free because they don’t adhere to strict societal classifications. Adventurer’s are not segregated by class tiers – nobles, knights, commoners, etc. and expected to behave accordingly. TBH, IMO, Krusty’s a bit hypocritical because he gives this talk about acting “free” with resolve, yet rather than staying true to those words (i.e. refusing to interact constantly with the LH Nobility), he hides behind his “shield”. At any rate, I do think that the princess “puts herself in a box” when she thinks of herself as gloomy, lazy, etc. However in this case, my impression is that the topic under discussion is the limitations of the princess society rather than personal one, and whether she has the resolve to challenge those societal expectations along with bear any repercussions.
I believe that in one of the author interviews, it was confirmed that Krusty was named so because he had a Krusty (Simpsons) figurine on the side when he named him
as for the cages, I have to agree with Stilts and I think he elaborated a bit more in some reply comments? sure, there’s a limit to exactly how one can act in certain situations but certainly not all of it is because of society. there’s still that little bit of freedom that many people deny themselves. as long as you fulfill your role, why not be free to express yourself how you want? for Raynessia, there’s not much she actually has to do as a Princess, does she? yes, she has to be respectful, and attend all these political parties and whatnot but the job description did not necessarily state the “melancholic twilight princess” description.
@GoXDS: First, thanks for the info about Krusty’s name. That would explain why he has the same name as the Simpsons character. LOL
As for the rest of your comment, I did mention that I thought she “cages” herself as well: “At any rate, I do think that the princess “puts herself in a box” when she thinks of herself as gloomy, lazy, etc…”
– there’s still that little bit of freedom that many people deny themselves. as long as you fulfill your role, why not be free to express yourself how you want?
That’s my point – there is a little bit of freedom for her on a personal level – it’s not carte blanche. I never suggested nor would I suggest that she does not take advantage of what “little” personal freedom she has. My point is that considering her overall situation, IMO the greater restriction placed on her “freedom” is the one created by the Nobility’s behavioral expectations of her rather than what she does on her own. JMO, but I think Stilts unduly minimizes that aspect in his review commentary.
for Raynessia, there’s not much she actually has to do as a Princess, does she? yes, she has to be respectful, and attend all these political parties and whatnot but the job description did not necessarily state the “melancholic twilight princess” description.
Again, no disagreement. However, Krusty’s remarks were made when she was jealous that he could lie down and nap in a public place which was not considered acceptable behavior for a young lady of her social standing. Krusty even commented that it OK for him because he is viewed as “a barbarian”. You’ll notice that she lays her head on the table, but then swiftly returns upright when she hears voices. That didn’t happen because she “caged” herself, but because there would be social repercussions if other nobles saw her behave in what they consider an unseemly fashion.
IMO that has nothing to do with being the “melancholic twilight princess”. The things you mention that she “has to do” (i.e. “be respectful, and attend all these political parties”, etc.) are perfect examples of the societal “cages” I’m describing. She doesn’t want to go to all these parties and act in a well refined, “respectful” manner. She wants to stay in bed in her flannel pajamas. So what’s creating those “cages” on her freedom, that “duty” to perform said actions? What Noble society expects her to do, or herself?
Again, I don’t disagree that she imposes her own limitations by thinking of herself as “gloomy” etc. That’s PART of it. My point is that she could be the “Bubbly Sunshine Princess” and she still wouldn’t be able to freely act as she wanted, certainly not to the same extent as a “barbaric” adventurer, without significant repercussions. If she wants to stretch out on a public bench and take a nap like Krusty did in front of a group of nobles, then given her position in society, she better have the resolve to withstand the social backlash.
Well said. I think another important point to remember is that Krusty is also, for all intents and purposes, a king right now in that he has no one above him. There is no one to enforce any societal constraints on him. This is partially due to being an adventurer and even more so due to being one of the two or three most important and powerful adventurers that we know of.
Lenessia is not in the same situation at all, even ignoring her status. She comes from a fully formed society with a number of people and institutions that can force her to do this or that, and punish her in various ways if she fails to comply.
You need to get a profile pic of some anime character who whears glasses (Shiroe) that comment :O
@Aggron: LOL. B-But I don’t wear glasses… Besides, I’m more of a DW Warrior DPS type player anyway. 😀
I made that comment because I still LOL whenever a character like Shiroe, Krusty or Henrietta push up on their glasses (with added sparkle effect), you know they are really getting serious. Joking a bit here, but every time I see a “glasses moment” like that, I keep thinking there must be some INT stat boost effect in the game from wearing glasses.
Well said. You should join our discussions on RC’s official IRC channel from time to time. 😉
Honestly, the only good thing about Ruby is that his fate is already decided thanks to the OP. He needs A LOT of character development for me to even remotely like him.
Rudy is tough to take sometimes, but… you’ll also note that he said “Why am I so weak?” as well. He has his redeeming qualities along with his faults.
Other than that, I’m not sure if this really is a “spoiler”, but to be safe I’ll use tags. Show Spoiler ▼
@daikama You may have to be patient and endure this for the next two or three episodes.
Any experienced MMORPG gamers tends to have jade view of bad DPS in particular especially the ones that blames tanks and healers for not able to keep up with them.
Unless you’re like Stilts who is a fan of nuker class or a non MMORPG gamer, I think it’s natural to expect many MMO players to be particularly harsh and critical on Rudie than other newbies. This is not because of his character, but because he the way he behaves sort of remind them of many noob DPS they used to party with.
In his defense, Rudie as of now behaves this way because he’s just being frustrated about himself and not because he meant to be a troll. I agree that Rudie is not without redeeming qualities but most jade viewers have habit of glossing over them. He seems to overconfident and hammy, but I don’t see him is the type who is self center and bosses others around, and I don’t think he’s not beyond reason, if only someone could point him to the right direction. For now, I can’t say he’s the ideal person you want in your party, but he’s not as bad as many jade viewing MMO players claim to be, and like the rest of his party, they still have much to learn and imporve.
@viss: All good points – I agree.
FWIW, I understand why people are frustrated with/don’t like Rudie. I wasn’t criticizing their viewpoint (again, IMO it’s understandable). I just thought I might be able to reduce some of the frustration over his character w/o giving any (IMO) spoilers away, but perhaps it’s better to let nature take its course as the saying goes.
Crap, can’t believe I got his name wrong. Anyways, both of you laid out some pretty solid points. The main thing that gets me with him is largely due to the fact that he reminds me of noob players in mmos, or any games in that matter where people just blame others instead of themselves. The part with him asking himself why’s he so week was noted, but that was one decent act out of all the bad acts he’s been putting up unit now. Anyways, I’ll take your word on him improving over the course of the story. I’m going to need to be very patient with him, I guess.
I can’t really guarantee you will like him better, but at least I can promise you some character development in the near future.
Yusss there is a plot, knew it. Now it’s just a question of how far it will advance before the finale. Otherwise a good episode all around. I wouldn’t call the princess a NEET as much as a bored, pampered, and affluent girl placed in a position she has little understanding of. She doesn’t like the courtesies paid, the politeness, and the duty she must attend to that she doesn’t fully understand because the routine has grown boring. The princess in effect WANTS drama because it’s a change from her current stagnation.
I think some others have said there is a hidden side to Crusty and I’m agreeing with that. Gaming the princess is not meant for everyone’s benefit, there is definitely something he’s after in which she plays a key role. And I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest his plan has to do with the Apocalypse. Something about his characterization so far screams that imo.
Now for the freedom argument. Stilts is the most correct as the concept of freedom is a mental state, it is how you respond to those things you have no knowledge of (IE the collective unknown). The princess is not “free” because she is unwilling so far as to escape the mold and challenge her boundaries. She follows the rules because she only knows them as rules. The nap best exemplifies this as she never once considered breaking even something so tertiary in her life. The adventurers, however, are free in that many are not afraid to break belief or a sense of duty if they deem it within their interests. Rules serve a purpose and are subjective for them, once they stop working they can be abandoned. Look at the cooking and technological developments, these would not have occurred if someone had not been willing to explore beyond the walls. Free men (in this sense) are those who follow rules that best meet their needs, not those who follow rules because they are rules. Just look at the Council, it was agreed to be in everyone’s best interests and therefore came into being, just as it could disappear if it suddenly stopped serving its purpose. Now there is more (MUCH more) to freedom than that, but this is gist of Krusty’s speech.
The princess in effect WANTS drama because it’s a change from her current stagnation.
No, she really just want to lie in a bed + her three daily meals, that’s all. 🙂
@brajt – you forgot to include her afternoon nap ;). Agree 100%. I guess the “lazy” part of her personality didn’t get emphasized enough by the anime.
“Princess” Personality Spoiler Show Spoiler ▼
Right, how could I forget the obligatory afternoon nap! 🙂
The Newbie Group has to Learn Aggro Control. They must Learn to put themselves under the Shelter of the Tank. Looks like the Mage/Wizard is still to Hotblooded to “loose” to a Samurai
You will see why Krusty called himself a barbarian…
Trolling level: Krusty!
I expected Lenessia to be as awesome as in the novels. Thanks to superb faces and voice acting, I got to see a Lenessia even more awesome!
The same thing can be said about Krusty too. The sole thing missing was Lenessia thinking him as a monster, rather than human/adventurer.
I liked the focus given to Akatsuki spying around and the beach team hunting for crabs.
Speaking of crabs, if someone is wondering why some of the newbies were on the beach (other than to hunt crabs for Marie), the reason is pretty simple: they’re so low leveled that they wouldn’t be able to handle the dungeon (they’re below 20, some perhaps even below 10), so they do simple monster fighting to level up. Just something I think wasn’t explained too well in previous episodes.
One thing I would like to point out that people seem to forget at times, like when saying that Minori is stupid for not standing up against Rundel, or disagreeing with Shiroe hesitating whether he should contact Minori and Touya in earlier episodes:
Most of these characters are Japanese. In other words, they’re pretty reserved and don’t “want to butt in others’ business” or “bother others” by asking for help. For example, Shiroe was worried that he was doing a bad thing when he went to save Serara, because he was butting in another guild’ business.
I’m not trying to justify the examples I gave, as that part of Japanese mentality is pretty stupid, but explaining why the characters think and do/don’t do what they do. Because the anime doesn’t explain it (which is understandable).
Yes, Minori needs to learn to stand up for the group to Survive the Battles. Shiroe only give here the Tactics and show her the Doors. But Minori must go trough the Doors herself. She need the resolve to Lead
I understand the Japenese mentality, but I don’t know. I felt five days of unsuccessful dungeon raid is a bit too long. It’s just me, but I would’ve start put on some thinking cap and evaluating myself and my teamates performance after 3 days.
I don’t think its just the Japanese mentality though. She probably has a reserved personality to begin with, and no matter where you are, there will be people who hesitate to speak up against more boisterous people in the group. Rudy has an overwhelming personality, and it can be difficult to interrupt someone like that if you lack self confidence.
@STILTS
Just so you know, your review on Log Horizon at Random Curiosity are being translated to Chinese and posted to the forum at Baidu. I’m not sure if you are aware of this matter, but your reviews are very welcomed by majority of the Chinese audience as well.
Lol, I want them to see them doing his Kyoukaisen reviews/impressions/analysis.
Are they linking to randomc and citing me? I do like more people reading my posts, but proper citation is a bit important, lol
Yes, they do properly cite your name and put the Random Curiosity link down.
Please believe me that they are not doing it out of any ill intent, but to “Spread the love” (for lack of better word).
They translate your review as a “Log Horizon anime from a westerner’s point of view”, since the thought process and opinions from a westerner (and from someone who is able to ‘read’ the story so deeply) are very interesting (and refreshing)to them.
Thats Great. A Tiny little Private Blog, became that Big Known over the World. Thats all thanks to their Supported Writers and Fans or course.
Links of it please? I want to go see.
Oh wait never mind, found it, if anyone want to find the site google Random Curiosity Log Horizon Baidu.
As a Chinese I can say the translates are quite good, the main translator (ReValation_D) sometimes add some Chinese dialect to the translations to make them more like what a Chinese would say rather than a straight translation. He (& they) even add some Chinese Idiom for good measure.
There are some other translators that either helps to translate the random thoughts (Vertibird) or – even thought I don’t think there’s a need to – correcting the main translator mistakes. (“Twilight Angel”)
They actually thinking of translate the Reddit Log Horizon Anime spoilers discussion too. Mainly for Oreden’s glasses pushing from the looks of it.
Most of the comments are thanks for the translators’ & sometimes Stilts’ hard work.
& of course, all the credits & links to Random Curiosity are there. So no worries.
One thing funny I want to mention, in the main translator – ReValation_D’s comments on his trans of Stilts’ eps 8 review he went on saying Stilts used a lot of technical words on the business part of the review; fun to read & discuss but hell to translates.
ReValation_D then commented that Stilts better not reveal he’s once run for office or something & started political explainations on the esp 9 review.
Stilts then writes he has a lot of friends in law & politic. ReValation_D literally went all
\(0o0)/
Hahaha, that’s was great.
I’m looking forward to my preorder of Hundred Knights with Mariya Ise as the Swamp Witch. She always makes any shounen more high tension, Needless, Durarara, Ben-to, HxH, Hidan No Aria, Panty&Stocking, Air Gear and such.
I’m especially fond of her easily excited roles in Haganai, OreImo, Tales and Hyouka.
Melancholy of Haru…, erm, Princess Lenesia FTW!
Krusty must be politician – or maybe liar, erm, lawyer IRL or what? manipulating others comes so easily to him.
Anyway they seem to match ideally for another ship, even if it is , so to say, a ship of convenience.
Poor Akatsuki, being patted by Henrietta, then mistaken by kids as hide-and-seek master AGAIN!
Cooked Crabs, delicious!
Are the mysterious bubbles at sea hint of the opening’s “murlocs”?
Dancing Akatsuki in the moonlight!!!!! <3
Re bubbles: Show Spoiler ▼
The princess VA (who did a marvelous job, BTW) also did Sena Akagi’s voice in Oreimo 2. A little sister for a (substitute) little sister!
(She also did the voice for Aoi Yusa in Sukunai NEXT… wow. And Fairy Tail’s Levy. And even HxH’s Killua!)
Check my comment just above yours.
Is that the princess in the opening credits with Krusty and Shinoe? Some foreshadowing.
Episode 14 Quick Summary
Well there was enough Talk about the World again. But looks like we are through this for a While (i hope)
And Shiore is a better “Brain Calculator” as me. He could easy calculate ingame Time vs Real Life Time 🙂
And i loved the Last minutes of the Episode. Looks like some Teachers will get proud 🙂
oh, i forgotten. The Person how had the Idea to illustrate the World Talk with some 3D Imagines for better understanding, get a Extra Bonus from me. Very nice done 🙂
Its such as you learn my mind! You seem to know a lot approximately this, like you wrote the book in it or something.
I think that you just can do with a few % to drive the message home a bit,
but other than that, that is excellent blog. A fantastic
read. I’ll certainly be back.
Yes a NEET princess, it’s all good don’t we all want to just sleep, play and do nothing for the whole day, and I like where this is going, they are focusing so much on the politics and it’s just getting better and better, I really want to see where the meeting is heading towards, but we’ll see :3
BTW an embarrassed akatsuki is a cute akatsuki, we need more moments between akatsuki and shiroe now!!