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The Fall 2014 Anime Preview Guide
Log Horizon 2


Nick Creamer

Rating: 3.5

Log Horizon is back, complete with a new studio and half-new opening (new animation, same old DATABASE). I found Log Horizon's first season to be an unremarkable but generally enjoyable ride, and this first episode gives every indication that the second chapter will be more of the same.

The first half of this episode was largely dedicated to catching up and checking in with all of Log Horizon's various characters. The first season was summarized, and the premise of yet another festival was used as pretense to remind everyone that Marielle is silly, Rudy and Isuzu are adorable, Akatsuki feels vaguely threatened by minori, etc. Studio DEEN's character designs remain largely faithful to the first season's, though there's a new level of detail and somewhat angular approach to the facial designs, something most clearly visible in the designs of Akatsuki and Shiroe. It's not really better or worse, simply a different style - though one change I did really appreciate was the shift to an alternate style for this episode's brief moments of reflection on the real world. The idea of Log Horizon's standard character designs actually being “character models” hadn't even occurred to me, and this episode's hints of engagement with the cast's real-world origins seems exciting for a variety of reasons.

In the second half, this episode laid out the starting variables of season two's first larger conflict. With the Round Table's hands tied by the dictatorship last season's finale introduced, Shiroe needs to rely on new resources to maintain Akihabara's power and authority. One of Log Horizon's great tricks is using the base mechanics of MMOs to create legitimate, creative conflicts, and this episode's discussion of the mechanics of MMO economies was yet another smart example. In order to keep Akihabara afloat, Shiroe will attempt to exploit whatever world mechanics reunite respawned monsters with a steady supply of gold. Shiroe's negotiation with the People of the Land clan that allegedly governs this mechanic was classic Log Horizon, with Shiroe naturally assuming the “villain” role in his threats and “I'll take it either way” strong-arming. And in the end, the threat of the southern kingdom revealed itself to be largely an excuse to introduce a whole new set of characters. I don't really have a problem with that - this is a kid's adventure cartoon, it thrives on introducing new heroes and villains.

Overall, Log Horizon 2 looks to be a fine successor to the first season. If you enjoyed Log Horizon's Shiroe mastermind shenanigans and MMO exploration up until now, it seems like the ride is picking up just where it left off.

Log Horizon 2 is available streaming at Crunchyroll.


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