First Impressions / Log Horizon

「異邦人」 (Kotokunibito)
“Stranger”

We’re finally getting some answers about what this world is all about, and how the adventurers may be able to return home.

The Navigators – Observers & Harvesters

First of all, some house cleaning—Roe2 is using the body of Shiroe’s alt from the test server, which is located on the moon. That’s the spoiler I was referring to for so long, and the one which people took Tetora-levels of delight in spoiling. Not that it was hard to guess, but now it’s done. Also: It makes sense why Roe2 loved being called onee-san when she has an aniki (of sorts) of her own. Not that I’d know anything about that *shifty eyes*

The big revelation this episode was the existence of the third part, the navigators, a race of sentient alien intelligences who are based on the moon. Anyone who got Madoka vibes from the talk about empathions, you are not alone. Here’s my hypothesis: Empathions are feelings, emotions, or most likely, memories, specifically the ones that splinter away from adventurers when they die. That would explain why the Geniuses—the Harvesters—are locking away world guardians like Elias and fomenting war. The more times adventurers die, the better.

The whole thing does feel a little out of left field. There wasn’t a ton of foreshadowing before the latter half of this season—outside the odd suspicion about a third party—and there should have been. The thing is, I feel like any solution to this mystery will be dissatisfying, because the world they’re in is a hundred times more interesting than Earth. It’s a rock and a hard place situation, so I’ll settle for saying that at least the technobabble infodump was easily digestible this time.

More Gamey, Less Gamey

Two things intrigued me. One was the continued erosion of game laws in favor of more natural ones, such as anyone being able to do simple cooking now. The other was the two different flavors of Navigators—or, more specifically, their comparative intelligence. Roe2 referred to adventurers (humans) as being of Rank 3 or higher intelligence, and that’s something the Observers clearly share, since Roe2 passes for an adventurer no problem. Harvesters (Geniuses), though, are specifically noted to be of Rank 2 intelligence, and they’re certainly a great deal more “gamey” in their actions. That lends credence to Souji’s reference of how defeating Camaysar felt hollow, like he was behind a screen again.

What this largely means to me is that Touno-sensei has given himself a license to have more game-like enemies even as the world becomes more and more real. That could help keep Log Horizon feeling like an MMORPG anime even as the old game ways continue to erode.

Looking Ahead – Isaac & The Prince

Now that we know Iselus (Ise Mariya) is Lenessia’s little brother, it makes sense why they share seiyuu. Next week it looks like Isaac gets to take up Krusty’s torch in saving one of the Cowen children from certain danger. I don’t know about you, but I think Krusty got the upper hand in that deal.

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Finally, we have some answers about the Apocalypse. Now they just need to get to the moon for a way home #loghora s2e22

Random thoughts:

  • First it’s -sama, now -kun. D’aaawww, poor Isaac-chan. He can’t win. How tsundere-kawaii >:3
  • It got real adventure-game-like when Rodrick pulled the perfect item out of his ass. How convenient.
  • The air megane is now officially a skill. You get better at Air Megane! (43/100)
  • Please never design anything important, Minori. Just … don’t.
  • It is official: Shiroe is the Genius of Lolicon. What a dai pinchii!
  • Tetsugu! Wait—stop cheating on Marie-nee with the trap, you baka Guardian!
  • If Krusty got the princess, Isaac gets the prince, and Shiroe is the Genius of Lolicon, does that make Isaac the Genius of Shotacon?

My first novel, Wage Slave Rebellion, is available now. (More info—now available in paperback!) Sign up for my email list for a FREE sequel short story. Over at stephenwgee.com, the last four posts: Keep moving forward, Your best work is behind you, Wasted work, and Vemödalen.

Full-length images: 25.

 

Preview

49 Comments

  2. https://randomc.net/image/Log%20Horizon/Log%20Horizon%202%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2018.jpg
    Shirou needs to talk to “her” in his thoughts about personal space.

    https://randomc.net/image/Log%20Horizon/Log%20Horizon%202%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2020.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Log%20Horizon/Log%20Horizon%202%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2021.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Log%20Horizon/Log%20Horizon%202%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2022.jpg
    In the old days, there was an execution method called quartering; though it uses horses for the job. In this case, death by pretty girls has some appeal. not to mention Shirou is immortal. (sigh) Shirou, your Aizen-like brain truly has a way to attract the ladies, but can your brain settle your love problems.

    L002
    Reply

      1. To be fair, that wouldn’t have done much, especially since the Kanami arc is vol 9, so if we were reading the light novels, we would have just heard about them.

        My point was that this wasn’t foreshadowed pretty much at all until recently. Which makes it feel a little out of left field, but in the temple of storytelling sins, this is a pretty minor one.

        Stilts
        Reply

  5. About time we get a good infodump and a goal to work towards, doesn’t make up for the last arc, but I’ll still take it 😛

    Agreed that memories are likely what the empathions are, although it still then begs the question why they are being harvested and to what end. Furthermore is the question of just how one is going to get into contact with the moon, and even if said contact will be cordial. More than Madoka, I’m getting some Gurren Lagan vibes from this; just waiting for our resident moon aliens to come down and nuke it all from orbit engage in constructive dialogue. No guarantees the aliens will be nice and provide a way home after all.

    Unless there is some seriously fast movement in the next 3 episodes (especially so given the content of the next one), it looks like we’re gearing up for a cliffhanger to end this season with.

    Pancakes
    Reply

    1. We’re 1,000% gearing up for a cliffhanger. I never expected anything else. Just too much left still to do before this can be wrapped up, even if they blitzed straight toward that, and I doubt Log Horizon will.

      Plus the channel seems to want to milk this series for more viewers, which is fine by me!

      Stilts
      Reply

      2. Going to need some seriously good luck with that 😛
        Unless the writers plan on going anime original the safe bet is likely an announcement sometime in 1-2 years after the author has built up enough source material to adapt. IMO with Log Horizon we’re looking at something akin to how Shingeki no Kyojin’s adaptation timing is being handled.

        Pancakes
        Reply

      4. I would prefer a shorter season 3. 13 episodes for fall 2015 or at the very most April 2016. I don’t see the point of waiting for enough material for 25 episodes again, it makes sense to go shorter. Certainly DEEN may go for that.

        Lyfe
        Reply

      5. I doubt they’ll suddenly be interested in doing a half season, when they can most likely simply wait to have enough material for a full season, and properly conclude the series. And they certainly aren’t going to have enough material for anything by this fall.

        To give people an idea of where the series stands in relation to the source material, the author has continued to post the series as a webnovel, as a sort of near final draft. Volume 9, which is Kanami’s part of the story thus far, is finished but the official light novel version of it has not been published yet. Volume 10, which covers current events is partially finished as a webnovel. It’s most recent part was posted about a week ago, on 3/2/15. It covers part way through next episode. Which is to say, the next episode preview shows Issac fighting enemies that had only just shown up at the end of the part. If the author doesn’t manage to post the next part in the next 4 days or so for some reason, the material aired in the anime will have officially passed the publicly available novel material, and we will most likely be watching the ending of volume 10 before anyone can actually read it.

        Oh, and the montage of other Genius being dealt with covers some other side material as well. You really don’t get much more out of source material than that.

        The author can probably finish a volume 11 by this fall, but that’s about it. They pretty much need at least a year to get back to the point they were at when this season started.

        Krono
        Reply

      6. Plenty of anime shows do well enough with 13 episodes, not to mention the sales have dropped off a bit since last season. ANN reported that the first BD volume sold 1995 copies first week. The second sold below the reported threshold(Under 2k). Even with NHK Educational TV providing some funding for it, I would imagine DEEN being more comfortable sticking with a standard 13 episode run.

        Lyfe
        Reply

      7. Also the author is a faster writer than that and releases chapters individually on his website, so the studio doesn’t need to wait for each collective volume. And realistically he could easily be well into Vol 13 by April 2016.

        Lyfe
        Reply

  7. If you take out all this Fantasy World think from these Observers and Harvesters you get something very Old

    Observers = Angels, feed of the Soul Force
    Harvesters = Devils feed of the give away his Soul

    But i admit, it is hard to see

    WorldwideDepp
    Reply

    1. i try to explain deeper..

      Observers that feed passive on the Adventures Memories, aka Real Players Egos, when they are reborn. They have patience to Power up
      like this Kind
      https://randomc.net/image/Shakugan%20no%20Shana/Shakugan%20no%20Shana%20III%20Final%20-%2024%20-%20Large%2002.jpg

      Harvesters that feed aggressive on the Players Egos, in killing the Adventures.They are in a Hurry to Power up?
      https://randomc.net/image/Shakugan%20no%20Shana/Shakugan%20no%20Shana%20III%20Final%20-%2024%20-%20Large%2034.jpg

      so my Angels and Devils could be a bit overboard as explaining, and hope with the Shakugan no Shana explanation it is more clear

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

  8. Isaac is the greatest tsundere of them all. Tsundere for being looked up to, tsundere for being fis aide being familiar with him, tsundere for Shiroe…

    Air Megane is the Overskill of all those who weren’t blessed with real megane?

    One interesting thing that didn’t make it in for the conversation on Roe2’s letter. It’s more of an observation than new info.
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Also, some of the references to spin-off materials were just plain fun.

    Erimaki
    Reply

  9. Well, Shiroe being torn to pieces by rival girls in a tug of war where whe was both the rope and the reward -aside, the episode gives some answers to fundamental questions of LH, namely why and how the adventurers ended in this changing version of what once was game. BTW things like game becoming reality more and more makes me question calling certain someone a trap anymore…

    ewok40k
    Reply

    1. Yep not a trap anymore, those people who have changed mentally into their game sex are a problem in returning home. Way to many people in this story have changed in very fundamental ways a bit hard to send the mentally sex changed and those who have forgotten much of their old life though dying back to Earth. Not to mention forcing the few older players who have gained decades on their life to give up their new youth to just go back home is extremely cruel along with forcing someone back into a wheelchair.

      I think the players who are other races like elf’s, dwarfs and cats probably have also mentally changed more into their race the change is just harder to notice.

      RedRocket
      Reply

  10. Love it.

    If Roe 2 telling the truth this story is now soft science fiction, and/or Buddhism with the multi universes. Not familiar with Buddhism western viewers can trip over the fact that multi universes is part of Buddhism so a anime story with multi universes can throw the unfamiliar viewer were those in the know, or scifi fans get it fast.

    So we have conformation that the world of Log Horizon is an alternate reality not a everyone is in a computer program. The fun part is Roe 2 ‘s race is advanced enough to to monitor multi universes and her race is also sort of a combination of an computer AI and a sprit based race. Now who is the power that is beyond the knowledge of Roe 2’s race, a power who seams to have created a reality and merged it with a game program.

    I had thought a story based on the idea that your game is the actual rules of physics for an alternate universe would be neat, but less complex than what we are getting.

    I have to hope that Shiro did not pick up the idiot ball this episode. Shiro the people of the Land are going to war wether the adventurers stay or go, medieval societies basically are set up to go to war and there has been no Enlightenment yet for them to even get past the idea of war for national gain is normal. (might be if adventures stay and educate) Plus with the powerful formally NPC groups missing the People of the Land have little defense against the now intelligent monsters.

    Also Shiro, I hope your not going to go thinking your god and force the large number of people who are happier in the new world (Including Shiro if he would think a second) back to Earth just for people who just might go back to being miserable failures they were in the old world. Yes a few might have stumbled into a conferrable life but are poor adapters, again this reminds me of our history when people would get stuck in foreign lands especially by ship wreck. In my opinion most well adjusted people might really want to get back to be with a loved one but after a year they would be building a new life here unless they fell into the mental illness of depression. The rejects need skilled social workers, sort of rare in our world, not just a change of scenery back to one more familiar. Some of the depressed players are just having trouble accepting that this new world is real again education would work. The death crazy Knights have lost so much memory that they are the walking dead no point sending them back to a world they don’t really remember much about. I am quite sure the one who wants to go back to be married no longer knows her name or what she looks like he’s just obsessed with a story narrative that his mind fills in missing details on with out him realizing it, basically suffered major brain injury, and unless the memories can be restored will never be the same person.

    I have to say that as a fantasy fan who has often thought of how I would do in a fantasy world, people who play a fantasy game but never wanted to try out a new world are hard to get. Maybe many rejects are the power leveling and achievement types who care little for the story part of the game. Yes I can see a well adjusted person really wanting to get back to a loved one, or get the loved one to their new world, but the well adjusted would try hard to adjust to their new world and definitely not going hostile to the more successful people.

    I have hope the author does not have the idiot ball in changing this story into a the only objective is returning home type of story. I have hope the author has not as the Serra scene showed how much this new world has improved her and that although she misses family basically has no desire to go back. (Cat she counting the days till she’s 18)

    RedRocket
    Reply

  11. One would think if they were capable of sending them home themselves, they would provide a means without them having to go through the elaborate means of contacting the moon or even visiting. They may get an idea, or a theory, or even an explanation but could anyone see them returning home in Episode 25? Lol.

    Lyfe
    Reply

    1. There is a Way, the Hard path. They found out how to Crash their Server from the Help of the Moon. So the Server will kick them out, because it goes Offline. Some Automatic Service kicks in, and Voila. We have an forced full Break (non happy) ending

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

  14. That… was not what I expected. The fact a connection exists between Shiroe and (Shi)Roe2 was “as expected” rather any surprise. Too many similarities (the “test character” left on another server (moon based notwithstanding) was a nice touch). However, aliens on the moon (complete with game server) who feed on/are power by “empathions”!? For me that was more than “a little out of left field”. To be honest, I’m not sure if it’s even in same city/county/prefecture let alone proverbial ball park.

    I suppose one benefit of having to catch up on the series was not being spoiled from comments so such revelations come as a surprise. I agree with Stilts that the story setup (i.e. transported to MMORPG world) is somewhat being between a rock and a hard place in terms of explanation. Still, the “aliens on the moon” (synthetic beings no less) plot line doesn’t sit well with me. Sorry, but I find it jarring/out of place among other things which doesn’t help with immersion in the story. JMO, but I think something more “mundane” (perhaps even generic) such as an alternate worlds/dimensions + magic (without the aliens) would have worked better. That’s pretty much the setup for Mondaiji-tachi and the explanation there worked fine for me. In the end, I suppose it is what it is, and I’ll just have to go with it if I plan to continue with the series (which I do).

    As for the rest of the episode, I’m glad to get past the “not-so-newbie” arc. Nice to see the “old gang” again and the plot advance towards more serious matters. Like Ptolemaios00 stated above, I like the “new, less mopey” Akatsuki as well. She’s always been a favorite of mine, and good character development on her part. However, personally I’ve hit my Tetora limits. Her/his “galaxy idol” shtick has firmly crossed into annoying territory for me. Bleh.

    — “Here’s my hypothesis: Empathions are feelings, emotions, or most likely, memories, specifically the ones that splinter away from adventurers when they die. That would explain why the Geniuses—the Harvesters—are locking away world guardians like Elias and fomenting war. The more times adventurers die, the better.”

    Agree 100%. Whole setup seems to be adventurers die -> lose memories/feelings/emotions in order to be resurrected = “empathions harvested”. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. And yes more war = more adventurer death.

    daikama
    Reply

  15. https://randomc.net/image/Log%20Horizon/Log%20Horizon%202%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2018.jpg
    That must be a skill or something.
    https://randomc.net/image/Log%20Horizon/Log%20Horizon%202%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2020.jpg
    Now Shiroe knows how Naotsugu feels.
    https://randomc.net/image/Log%20Horizon/Log%20Horizon%202%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2005.jpg
    And the Geniuses are not much of a threat for Lvl 90 and up adventurers.
    https://randomc.net/image/Log%20Horizon/Log%20Horizon%202%20-%2022%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
    The future looks like all sunshine and rainbows for Serara.

    random viewer
    Reply

  17. I really have to wonder/wildly speculate here. I have not read the books nor Googled anything so I hope none of these thoughts are spoilers.

    Are there really any bodies hooked up to life support and helmets on the other end.
    Keeping a body alive is a really difficult thing. Maybe they have reached a version of the singularity. Maybe the server on the moon took a snapshot of peoples brains and is now running them in a virtual environment and the original people are just going on with their lives not know there is a pseudo version of themselves running on the moon. I snapshot servers all the time and run them in test environments to test upgrades. if these snapshotted personas have truly achieved consciousness, is it moral to shut them down at some point in the future.

    I also worry about the children. brains grow and develop. cells multiply. new pathways are created and unused ones are pruned. If the children are hooked up to machines there bodies are growing in reality but are they stuck in the same form in virtual life.

    Maybe that evil god of quantum mechanics Suzumiya has spun off this cast of characters into a new dimension. Anyone spot Nagato?

    Did they all decide to do a deep dive because the world ended?
    I just worry.

    psyche101
    Reply

    1. Well this story is modern day so no Earth technology to put the players in the game so no in the future Sword Art Online or Matrix type thing is going on as far as we know assuming the current day part is accurate. Any computer like things going on are future alien technology. Roe 2 explains that the World of Log Horizon is an alternate universe so we can assume some sort of spell transport of these people’s souls and minds into new bodies sort of like what Roe 2’s race has done except in her races case they are sort of artificial intelligence or spirit beings in their home universe. The world of Log Horizon is real but messed up like someone created it from the template of the game but made it a real world so the physics of that universe are jumbled in with game functions having been made physical laws that are morphing into a better working total as time goes on.

      Yep all could be intelligence put into some far in the future computer that is even fooling Roe 2’s race into thinking it a real universe but I don’t worry about the bodies of the players as they probably don’t exist anymore as they were converted into their current form, destroyed in case of computer or changed into their Log Horizon bodies in the alternate universe explanation I prefer. So I don’t worry there bodies are somewhere being kept alive.

      Manga info that I have little of except this Show Spoiler ▼

      I still worry as well that the old Earth world ended leaving the ruins we see in Log Horizon behind. Kind of you can go back but their is nothing left sort of thing.

      RedRocket
      Reply

  18. You actually make it seem really easy together with your presentation however I find this matter to be really one thing that I feel I might never understand. It sort of feels too complicated and very large for me. I am looking ahead to your next submit, I will attempt to get the hang of it!

    site
    Reply

  19. Ep 23:

    i am still in watching into it, but

    the Small talk with the King and Issac, it remembers me of …. well you have some similar case, Nippon. It is your very own Teno. Yes, your King and his Male Successor troubles

    WorldwideDepp
    Reply

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