Welcome to second post out of three for this special experiment. On Wednesday, I discussed what Log Horizon is because it’s difficult to flag it down to only one thing in terms of categories and genres. It is just so many things attached together to just push it into one category. I think Log Horizon not being completely definable is a major selling point because it makes it somewhat unique. It exists and doesn’t exist in a space next to other anime series because I don’t think that there are many things like it. Possibly the Slime or Book Worm Isekai that exist, but I haven’t watched them to confirm that and don’t really want to. What makes Log Horizon truly great are the character relationships that were established before the show even started. Some spoiler warnings, but whatever.
Log Horizon is built on the relationship between high level and great adventurers called the Debauchery Tea Party. Basically, it’s the meeting of great minds and players that don’t want to be a part of a guild join together to accomplish insanely difficult missions in Elder Tales. Most of these characters appear in the first season and the Log Horizon guild itself, built by Log Horizon’s main protagonist Enchanter Shiroe, was formed by this relationship too. Not to mention that there are other Debauchery Tea Party Members that own their own guilds and join to get away from it all. Their relationship is so strong that even after not meeting for a long time, they know how each other thinks in battle and can accomplish impossible things in seconds. One could dream to have that sort of relationship with someone else.
Ok, this is where the “most characters” part comes in. There is one character who only appeared in flashbacks until season 2. Her name is Kanami and she is the leader of the Debauchery Tea Party and moved to a different continent because of marriage before Log Horizon started. Based on later seasons, I would define her as a charismatic shonen hero who drags members along to do her bidding and enjoys punching things. Apparently based on the stories we’ve heard; she comes up with the most insane plans ever and then left Shiroe to make the plans for the impossible to actually happen. Despite her lack of physical presence in the first season, her spirit is there in the form of Shiroe’s thoughts. The relationship between the two was never broken despite the distance.
Essentially, what I am saying is that Log Horizon is all Kanami’s fault even if she didn’t do anything at all. Log Horizon isn’t built by a shonen hero who joins characters together by pure personality and charisma, but through sneaky tricks and schemes that everyone seems to agrees with after being threatened. That’s Shiroe’s way to approximate what Kanami does. That is and isn’t a good thing. In a world where Shiroe was originally with only joined by two people to find a purpose in the world he’s in, he wants to do more. He saves a guild member from one of his friend’s guilds because he wanted to do it and had the capability to do it faster than anyone else. After that long traveling to save that guild member, Akihabara was still a mess in how it was run. That concept of “So, do something about it” never stopped. It led him to finding a way to stabilize that portion.
Out of the shadows and with twisted schemes, despite the good idea it is, came the Round Table. A whole new union of guilds that established laws and rules for rights and equality in Akihabara for everyone to live comfortably. It was no easy feat to do, but people knowing of the name Shiroe from the famed Debauchery Team Party got people interested and that is all that was needed to get people started. After that, every single member that showed up at the first-round table meeting fit into Shiroe’s strategy until they inevitably agreed to the idea because it sounded good and/or they would be banned from Akihabara. Shiroe’s idea of creating something new came into existence, despite the evil reputation it left behind in his wake. Kanami would be proud. Actually, she said she was proud.
I think the most interesting thing comes from actually meeting Kanami in season two. In my mind, she lives up to the legend provided for her from the other Tea Party members. Not only is she traveling to Akihabara to see Shiroe, she’s doing it by stopping here and there to help people wherever she can. I can also mention that she is traveling with some other high leveled people with one dressed up as a Ninja Turtle, a legendary a.i. warrior from Elder Tale’s history that is level 100 and no one is surprised to see, and some more a.i. units. It seems like not matter where she is, Kanami knows how to get people together to do something impossible and she never stops doing the impossible no matter what gets in her way. Kanami is an incredibly determined person who never turns down a challenge and she also punches hard compared to Shiroe’s enhancing abilities.
The linked call between Shiroe and Kanami at the end of season two put this into perspective for me. The two still have an impossible to break bond and Kanami’s simple idea of “connecting the two worlds together” gave Shiroe some ideas on what to do next for another season. Not the third season though because there are some other personal matters that need to be delt with at Akihabara considering the breaking down of table across season 2. Considering that it took an entire battle to get to the signal tower, the communication with Kanami was the gift. It led people to wondering what Shiroe and Kanami’s relationship is like whether it is a platonic one or not. Most of the people doing that wondering were people who like relationship drama and people who have crushes on Shiroe. I never really cared because romance isn’t something that Log Horizon is exceptionally good at and Kanami has a kid with someone else so that seems moot to me. I think having it be ambiguous is the best thing for it honestly.
Mechanical Anime Reviews 
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