The tide rises against the heroes of the world
What They Say:
One day, while playing the online game Elder Tales, 30,000 players suddenly find themselves trapped in another world. There, eight-year veteran gamer Shiroe also gets left behind. The trapped players are still alive, but they remain in combat with the monsters. The players don’t understand what has happened to them, and they flee to Akiba, the largest city in Tokyo, where they are thrown into chaos. Once proud of his loner lifestyle, Shiroe forms a guild called Log Horizon with his old friend Naotsugu, female assassin Akatsuki and others.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With an episode title like ‘Return of the Goblin King’ one can’t expect too many good things to be in store for the world of Elder Tale. This episode is another great example of what Log Horizon as a series does really well, which is take an MMO trope or something related to the video game that was before Shiore and the others became trapped in it, and present it in a context that makes it meaningful in terms of storytelling. We’ve been given little things, like “this is a Warrior ability that does X” or “My spell doesn’t heal for a lot but it gets rid of poison” kind of stuff. But the explanation behind the massive surge of fishmen and the appearance of a thousands strong goblin army has it’s root in a bi-yearly, in-game event. MMOs will usually have events that occur on some sort of yearly schedule – such as the winter/Christmas equivalent event near the end of the year, or one that coincides with Halloween. There’s also events that are more based on the story of the game, such as ‘The Return of the Goblin King’, from which the episode draws its name.
Twice a year, players had a single week to march into goblin territory and fight their way to the strongest goblin, and if they defeated him, all was well in the land. But if they didn’t, he would become crowned the Goblin King, and unite the goblins under him. As one might expect, a single goblin can be easily dispatched, and they’re not well organized, but if you multiply their numbers several fold and give them organization – they become a terrifying threat to stability and life. Being so concerned with getting their way of life established, the Adventurers completely forgot about the event, and given that there is no nifty “Check out what’s coming up!” kind of headlines like you’d usually see when you log in, this problem creeps up quite suddenly and puts both the Adventurers and The People of the Land in a fairly desperate position. While Shiroe and the others at the capital city try to come up with a plan, the teachers and students of the training camp decide to take the fight to the goblins to stem the tide of destruction they’re sure to bring to the region around Akihabara.
In Summary:
I really like world building in shows. It’s what Log Horizon did well in several of the early episodes – little bits of trivia or backstory on dungeons, items, and the places the heroes were visiting. Then that stopped for a while. If you’ve been reading my reviews, you’ll know this is about the time I began to get annoyed with the show – I saw a lot of potential of what they could do, and it seemed like they were just choosing to ignore so many interesting directions they could go. But tying an in-game event that players usually did on a regular basis with no trouble to a now possibly catastrophic event that seems overwhelming. That kind of tie-in to the world and taking something innocuous at first sight and making it a big deal is what makes shows like this interesting. It’s what makes it exciting. I always wonder to myself, “What will make this fantasy world different or unique? What makes it special or interesting?” And the stuff about quests or in-game events is something that I think Log Horizon does well, and has a lot of room to play with in terms of story. I like this kind of stuff, and really hope they keep doing it as the show progresses.
There’s also a question of “choice” or agency that’s been brought up the last few episodes. Adventurers can do what they want, when they want, how they want. It’s a freedom that they have over the People of the Land. But, as they often point out, having that kind of freedom in the world as they know it now can be a burden, and requires a strong will to execute. Most people seem content to just be – to coast by day to day. But the characters that we’re shown who are part of the Round Table, who take the initiative to go to the training camp to get stronger, are the kind that really feel like they can achieve something wonderful and world changing. It’s a point they’re beginning to drive home, and the next episode preview hints that we might see People of the Land begin to take this kind of agency too. While they’re not mindless robots on set patterns and routes, there is an underlying notion that they’re bound in some ways that the Adventurers are not, and the idea of one or more of them breaking that mold and seizing initiative is another part of the tie-in to the world that has several interesting possibilities that I hope we get to see in upcoming episodes.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Intel Alienware laptop, Windows 7, 25” HP2509m screen at 1920×1080 resolution