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REVIEW: Log Horizon: The West Wind Brigade GN 1




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CaRoss



Joined: 11 Nov 2014
Posts: 457
PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 2:49 pm Reply with quote
I've been very excited for the release of this one. Log Horizon has such an interesting group of characters that a spin-off meant to explore some who don't spend all of their waking moments with Shiroe's guild is nice.

I can understand that there's a lot of retread in this one, but I'm hoping that future volumes manage to expand more upon this guild and their differences from the actions that Shiroe and his group takes.

It's also worth mentioning that, by the manga's interpretation, spoiler[ Soujiro is the one who, accidentally, discovers that people don't actually die while out in the field. ]
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2612
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:07 pm Reply with quote
CaRoss wrote:

It's also worth mentioning that, by the manga's interpretation, spoiler[ Soujiro is the one who, accidentally, discovers that people don't actually die while out in the field. ]


I couldn't figure out how to put that in the review without actually saying it, but that was definitely one of the most interesting parts. At first I thought that the volume ended spoiler[with Soujiro fading away] and even though I knew the reality of the situation, I did freak out. Laughing
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HeeroTX



Joined: 15 Jul 2002
Posts: 2046
Location: Austin, TX
PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:17 pm Reply with quote
I think the "Person of the Land" (NPC) maid actually provides the highlight of this story. The best moment to me is when they talk to her and she explicitly notes that they never did that before. It makes for a really interesting point of reference for the shift and unlike the main story implies that West Wind "humanizes" the NPCs MUCH faster than other guilds. In the main story we see how Log Horizon views them and how Shiroe slowly considers the implications of how the interactions may affect things. But West Wind initially just thinks she's "some other person", and it is great to have her perspective of not being "ignored" anymore.
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CaRoss



Joined: 11 Nov 2014
Posts: 457
PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 3:22 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:

I couldn't figure out how to put that in the review without actually saying it, but that was definitely one of the most interesting parts. At first I thought that the volume ended spoiler[with Soujiro fading away] and even though I knew the reality of the situation, I did freak out. Laughing


It's definitely something that's tough to include in a review for sure. It's a stand out moment, but one that you don't really want to ruin for any potential new readers.
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Dessa



Joined: 14 Jul 2004
Posts: 4438
PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2016 8:16 pm Reply with quote
What I find interesting, especially as someone more familiar with the anime than the novels (though I am reading them, I just haven't had the time to read past 1 yet), is that both this one and Honey Moon Logs (which I'm hoping Yen licenses next) focus more on what's going on with ordinary Adventurers, the ones who don't understand what's going on, and aren't trying to figure out what's going on.

Something in this volume, also, is a highlight as to why Shiroe creating the Round Table Alliance and creating a government is so important: (marked for trigger warning) spoiler[attempted rape]. You could read it between the lines in the anime, and it was a bit more obvious in the novels, and it was flat-out shown here. With no GMs around, the only law enforcement is the automated Guards. But the Guards only register physical violence. Though a human can perceive spoiler[rape] as a violent act, the Guards' programming considers it a show of affection (really, they'd have to, since otherwise they'd have to be programmed to judge consent, which is really tricky).

This leads to how Guilds like Hamlin were able to control the young players (as well as more of the threat that Serara was under in Susukino). They set the Guild Hall permissions so that they couldn't leave, and if the fighters didn't do what they want, they could spoiler[threaten to rape] the ones left behind.
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