Anime Review - Log Horizon (Season 1 & 2) - MMO Anime that Brings Back Nostalgia

Virtual reality is advancing and for many, it is a way to escape the harshness of reality, and perhaps to try to "live" another life. There has been a lot of virtual gaming world anime, notably Sword Art Online, and depending on the director/writer's take, it could be super serious, or super funny (like Konosuba). I definitely prefer the latter, because I'm not a huge fan of action anime (but I don't mind watching it). Log Horizon is incredibly unique for a fantastical world anime, because the anime's setting is based off a MMO, and oh boy, oh boy, does it remind me of the good ol' days of WOW raids. 

Story: Season 1 (8/10); Season 2 (7/10):

Season 1's plot progression was very well done. It was engaging, interesting and perhaps nostalgic for some people. Like most anime adapted from long visual novels, the first season is more whimsical and "less mystery-orientated", but Log Horizon's Season 1 had its fair share of mysteries and most were resolved by the end of Season 1.

However, Season 2's plot progression is not bad, but compared to Season 1, the story flow was not fluid, and there were some plotholes in the anime. I believe that this is most likely attributed to the story being split into two points of view - One from Shiroe, and one from the small group of kids. From what I seen online, I can understand why people didn't like Season 2 as much as Season 1, because people are more interested in how Shiroe is going to solve the mystery of Elder Tale World. Even though I didn't mind another perspective from the small group of kids, I can understand people's preference of knowing more about Shiroe. After all, he is such a awesome character. The story also was sometimes muddled up and jumped from places to places, and this was sometimes hard for viewers to follow and understand the story.

Season 2 also have a darker tone to it and perhaps even more action-orientated, which was pretty enjoyable to watch. One thing that separates Season 2 and Season 1 is that we were able to see two full-scale raids in Season 2, and I felt that it was executed pretty well.

The anime ends on a good note, where they defeat the boss who is responsible for spawning crazy monsters by using the Antenna to send messages to the moon. However, there were many complications that are not yet resolved, but looking at the visual novel, it looks like there is still more content to come.

Demikas

Characters (8/10):

All the characters were pretty interesting and badass. Of course, there are always some characters who people dislike, but I enjoyed how every character acts so far. There are even characters who are previously villains like Demikas, who over time become likable, and become badass. I really liked the progression of Demikas, and it shows that people in the Elder Tale MMO world can also change.

Shiroe

Shiroe is a really cool character, because I somewhat see myself in him. I like to create plans for situations and in most games I play, I always try to get everyone together and not make anyone tilt. I kinda wished the anime showed more about the characters of Debauchery Tea Party because all the characters in that group are badass.

Sound (8/10):

I didn't really find the OP that enjoyable to listen to, so I usually skipped that. However, both Season 1 and 2's ED were pretty good, but that's personal preference. Everyone has different preferences to what sounds/songs they like in anime. The sound effects in the anime are pretty well done, and really puts me in the action of a MMO.

Art (8/10):

The art is your standard anime art. There are some good animation scenes like the full-scale raids in Season 2. There was a lot of attention to detail in those episodes, but other than that, the anime art is well done for a standard anime.

Enjoyment: Season 1 (9/10); Season 2 (8/10):

I really enjoyed watching both seasons of Log Horizon and every episode just hooked me in and I wanted to watch more and more. I restrained myself by stopping if the end of an episode doesn't have a cliffhanger. The anime wasn't boring at any point, not even when the story was focusing on the group of little kids.

Overall (8/10):

Log Horizon is a breath of fresh air, and for some, it will be nostalgic, but one thing for sure, it is enjoyable to watch. For people who like SAO, I would definitely recommend watching this anime. For people who don't like SAO, but like the virtual world genre, I would recommend this. I can guarantee viewers that they will not be disappointed.