Log Horizon

Log Horizon (Japanese: ログ・ホライズン, Hepburn: Rogu Horaizun) is a Japanese novel series written by Mamare Touno and illustrated by Kazuhiro Hara. It began serialization online in 2010 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō, being later on acquired by Enterbrain and published as a light novel in Japan since 2011. Yen Press began publishing an English translation in 2015. The series follows the strategist, Shiroe, and the other players of the long-lived MMORPG Elder Tale after they find themselves whisked away into the game world following a game update.

Log Horizon
Cover of the first novel volume featuring main characters (left to right) Akatsuki, Naotsugu and Shiroe
ログ・ホライズン
(Rogu Horaizun)
GenreAdventure, fantasy, science fiction[1]
Novel series
Written byMamare Touno
Published byKadokawa Future Publishing
Enterbrain
Shōsetsuka ni Narō
Original runApril 13, 2010 – present
Light novel
Written byMamare Touno
Illustrated byKazuhiro Hara
Mochichi Hashimoto (monster design)
Published byKadokawa Future Publishing
Enterbrain
Shōsetsuka ni Narō
English publisher
DemographicMale
Original runMarch 31, 2011 – present
Volumes11
Manga
Log Horizon Gaiden:
Honey Moon Logs
Written byMamare Touno
Illustrated byMotoya Matsu
Published byASCII Media Works
MagazineDengeki Daioh
DemographicShōnen
Original runJanuary 27, 2012 – June 27, 2014
Volumes4
Manga
Written byMamare Touno
Illustrated byKazuhiro Hara
Published byEnterbrain
English publisher
MagazineFamitsu Comic Clear
DemographicShōnen
Original runMay 18, 2012 – June 28, 2013
Volumes1
Manga
Log Horizon:
The West Wind Brigade
Written byMamare Touno
Illustrated byKoyuki
Published byFujimi Shobo
English publisher
MagazineAge Premium, Dragon Age
DemographicShōnen
Original runJuly 8, 2012 – March 9, 2018
Volumes11
Manga
Log Horizon Gaiden:
Nyanta-honcho Shiawase no Recipe
Written byMamare Touno
Illustrated bySōchū
Published byEnterbrain
MagazineComic B's LOG
Original runDecember 21, 2012 – March 31, 2018
Volumes6
Anime television series
Directed byShinji Ishihira
Written byToshizō Nemoto
Music byYasuharu Takanashi
StudioSatelight
Licensed by
Original networkNHK Educational TV
English network
Original run October 5, 2013 – March 22, 2014
Episodes25
Anime television series
Log Horizon 2
Directed byShinji Ishihira
Written byToshizō Nemoto
Music byYasuharu Takanashi
StudioStudio Deen
Licensed by
Sentai Filmworks
MVM Entertainment
Original networkNHK Educational TV
English network
Anime Network
Original run October 4, 2014 – March 28, 2015
Episodes25
Manga
Log Horizon: Kanami, Go! East!
Written byMamare Touno
Illustrated byKou
Published byEnterbrain
MagazineComic B's LOG
Original runOctober 1, 2015 – December 1, 2016
Volumes2
Anime television series
Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table
Directed byShinji Ishihira
Written byToshizo Nemoto
Music byYasuharu Takanashi
StudioStudio Deen
Original networkNHK Educational TV
Original run January 2021 – scheduled
Episodes12

The novel has received four manga adaptations, with one based on the main story and the other three revolving around characters in the series. An anime television series adaptation animated by Satelight aired on NHK Educational TV between October 5, 2013 and March 22, 2014. A second season by Studio Deen aired between October 4, 2014 and March 28, 2015. A third season by Studio Deen is set to premiere in January 2021.

Plot
See also: List of Log Horizon characters

By its eleventh expansion pack, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Elder Tale (エルダー・テイル, Erudā Teiru) has become a global success, with a user base of millions of players. However, during the release of its twelfth expansion pack: Homesteading the Noosphere (ノウアスフィアの開墾, Nōasufia no Kaikon, sometimes mistranslated as Novasphere Pioneers),[2][3] thirty thousand Japanese gamers who are logged on at the time of the update suddenly find themselves transported into the virtual game world and donning their in-game avatars. In the midst of the event, a socially awkward gamer named Shiroe, along with his friends, Naotsugu and Akatsuki, decide to team up so that they may face this world, which unfortunately has now become their reality, along with the challenges and obstacles ahead of them.

Media

Light novels
Main article: List of Log Horizon volumes

Log Horizon began as a light novel written by Mamare Touno. It initially appeared in installments on the user-generated content site Shōsetsuka ni Narō ("So You Want to be a Novelist") starting on April 13, 2010, and subsequently published in book form by Enterbrain since March 2011. Yen Press obtained the rights on its light novel imprint to release the novels in English from 2015.[4]

Manga
See also: List of Log Horizon volumes § Manga

The novel series has received four manga adaptations, all written by Mamare Touno. The first adaptation is illustrated by Motoya Matsu and titled, Log Horizon Gaiden: Honey Moon Logs.[5] It began serialization on January 27, 2012, and is published by ASCII Media Works in the Dengeki Daioh magazine.[5] The second adaptation is illustrated by Kazuhiro Hara and titled Log Horizon.[6] It began serialization on May 18, 2012, and was published by Enterbrain in the Famitsu Comic Clear web magazine.[6] Yen Press obtained this manga for an English release.[7] The third adaptation is illustrated by Koyuki and titled, Log Horizon: The West Wind Brigade.[8] It began serialization on July 9, 2012, ended on March 9, 2018, and was published by Fujimi Shobo in the Age Premium magazine.[8] Another manga illustrated by Sōchū and titled, Log Horizon Gaiden: Nyanta-honcho Shiawase no Recipe began serialization on December 21, 2012,[9] ended on March 31, 2018, and was published by Enterbrain in the Comic B's LOG magazine an collected in six volumes.[9] A manga Log Horizon: Kanami, Go! East! illustrated by Kou was serialized in Comic B's LOG from October 1, 2015, to December 1, 2016, and compiled in two volumes.

Anime
Further information: List of Log Horizon episodes

A 25-episode anime adaptation produced by Satelight aired on NHK Educational TV from October 5, 2013 to March 22, 2014.[10] The series was streamed as a simulcast by Crunchyroll in North America and other select parts of the world.[11]

A 25-episode second season produced by Studio Deen aired from October 4, 2014 to March 28, 2015.[12][13][14] Both seasons have been licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America for digital and home video release.[15][16] For both seasons, the opening theme is "database" by Man with a Mission featuring Takuma. The ending theme for the first season is "Your song*" and for the second season it is "Wonderful Wonder World*", both performed by Yunchi.[17][18]

A 12-episode third season titled Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table (Japanese:ログ・ホライズン 円卓崩壊 Hepburn:Rogu Horaizun Entaku Hōkai) has been announced, and was originally scheduled to premiere in October 2020,[19] but it was delayed to January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20][21] The third season is named after the title of Volume 12 of the web novel series and the official acronym is DORT.[22] The staff and cast will reprise their roles from the second season.[23]

Reception

Rebecca Silverman of the Anime News Network noted that the series has "its own unique take on what has become a subgenre of fantasy" when compared to the previous Sword Art Online and the earlier .hack series.[24] With respect to the anime adaptation, Silverman noted that one of the major drawbacks was the artistry. She held the designs of the characters with small regard, calling them "somewhat bland and generic in design, which is a bit of an accomplishment given how many character creation options there apparently are". She used the design of Akatsuki as an example, explaining that the character's beauty has to be constantly reminded to the audience despite the fact that "she's one of the less striking female characters on screen". Another issue Silverman pointed out was the apparent overuse of Naotsugu's perverted nature for comedic relief and finding that for some viewers he may be "line-crossingly obnoxious". Despite these drawbacks, Silverman remarked that the "show shouldn't be dismissed as 'just another ripoff' before giving it a chance" since "it has the potential to expand rather than rehash the basic premise of players trapped in a game".[24]

References
  1. "Log Horizon - Sentai Filmworks". Sentai Filmworks. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  2. "Twitter / marmalade_macro: @Noneuseless ..." (in Japanese). Twitter. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  3. Log Horizon manga, chapter 1
  4. "Yen Press' Light Novel Imprint Adds Log Horizon, No Game No Life, Devil is a Part-timer!". Anime News Network. August 30, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  5. "【コミカライズ】「Ｈｏｎｅｙ Ｍｏｏｎ Ｌｏｇｓ」（漫画家:松モトヤ先生） 橙乃ままれ OFFICIAL WEBSITE". mamare.net. Archived from the original on February 11, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  6. "【コミカライズ】「ログ・ホライズン」（漫画家:ハラカズヒロ先生） 橙乃ままれ OFFICIAL WEBSITE". mamare.net. Archived from the original on February 11, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  7. "Yen Press Clarifies: Kazuhiro Hara's Log Horizon Manga Licensed". Anime News Network. September 15, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  8. "【コミカライズ】「ログ・ホライズン～西風の旅団～」（漫画家：こゆき先生） 橙乃ままれ OFFICIAL WEBSITE". mamare.net. Archived from the original on February 14, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  9. "【コミカイズ】「LOG HORIZON 外伝　-にゃん太班長・幸せのレシピ-」（漫画家・草中先生） 橙乃ままれ OFFICIAL WEBSITE". mamare.net. Archived from the original on February 14, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  10. "Log Horizon Fantasy Novels Get TV Anime By Satelight". Anime News Network. January 24, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  11. "Crunchyroll Adds "Log Horizon" to Streaming Anime Lineup". Crunchyroll. October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  12. ""Log Horizon" Anime Season 2 Airs This Fall". Crunchyroll. March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  13. ""Log Horizon" Season 2 Gets New Cast and Start Date". Crunchyroll. August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  14. Green, Scott (August 18, 2014). ""Log Horizon" 2 Listed for 25 Episodes". Crunchyroll. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  15. "Sentai Filmworks Adds Fantasy Game Anime Log Horizon". Anime News Network. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  16. "Sentai Filmworks Licenses Log Horizon 2". Sentai Filmworks. 2014-10-03.
  17. "NHK Airs Log Horizon Anime's Opening Sequence". Anime News Network. September 24, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  18. "NHKアニメワールド　ログ・ホライズン" (in Japanese). NHK Educational TV. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  19. "Log Horizon Season 3 release date confirmed for 2021: Log Horizon: Entaku Houkai (Destruction of the Round Table) sequel compared to the manga/light novel series". Monsters and Critics. January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  20. "Log Horizon Anime's 3rd Season Delayed to January 2021 Due to COVID-19". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  21. "Log Horizon Season 3 release date delayed by coronavirus: Log Horizon Destruction of the Round Table in 2021". Monsters and Critics. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  22. "Log Horizon Season 3 English title announced as Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table (DORT)". Monsters and Critics. January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  23. "Log Horizon TV Anime Gets 3rd Season in October". Anime News Network. January 21, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  24. Silverman, Rebecca (November 6, 2013). "Log Horizon Episodes 1 - 6 Streaming - Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
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