Sword Art Online has many critics as well as fans, but those who are tired of the series can get a similar but better experience from the underrated Log Horizon.
Kodoani.com – Isekai is everywhere in anime, and the genre’s modern push begins with Sword Art Online. This MMO-based series has generated a lot of popularity and it will certainly only continue with an increasing number of works. Of course, it received some decent detractors, although SAO diners might prefer a different series.
Log Horizon It may not be as famous as Sword Art Online, but it certainly has some similar creative roots. Even so, it is radically different from the more popular isekai, which shows the reality of what life in the MMO world would be like. For those who are tired of logging into Sword Art Online, here’s why they should try its more well-received cousin.
What is Log Horizon?
Like Sword Art Online, Log Horizon focuses on a virtual multiplayer online video game called Elder Tale. Unfortunately, the popular pastime quickly became more than a game of fun and games as thousands of Japanese citizens were transported into the game’s world with no way to return to normal life. their. One of these gamers is Shiroe, who was once an awkward social outcast and now takes on the role of a strategist. Along with others like him, he must quickly adapt to this new world and survive in what is no longer just a game.
Log Horizon began as a novel series in 2010 before being adapted into several manga and anime. The anime doesn’t get a third season until 2021, six years after the second season aired. The franchise gets less attention when compared to Sword Art Online, especially when it comes to adaptation. However, the anime elevates itself above SAO by focusing on elements that other isekai series completely ignore.
Log Horizon succeeds at building the world where Sword Art Online fails
Of the many criticisms of the original Sword Art Online anime, one of the biggest is how bland the plot and characters can be. The show’s world feels empty and like window decorations for events make Kirito seem cool. With barely a focus on the world, it’s hard to really enhance the appeal of the series. These issues were rectified in the first Sword Art Online movie, but Log Horizon implemented great world building from the start. Unlike Sword Art Online, Log Horizon’s focus is not on epic battles or “fantastic elements”, but on strategy, politics, and creating life in this new virtual world.
This makes the world of Elder Tale in Log Horizon much more vivid and developed than Sword Art Online. There’s a much stronger sense of adventure and comradeship among the cast members, with each character’s skills being useful for more than just fun jokes or plot. This starts with simple things like cooking, showing what life in this new virtual world really is like. Likewise, the social divide between classes is another aspect of the storytelling and depth that Sword Art Online is sorely lacking, at least in its earlier installments. In fact, the amount of world building actually makes it akin to a show like reincarnating into Slime.
All of these concepts combine into an isekai that is, in theory, pretty similar to the genre’s biggest name. Beyond this surface, however, Log Horizon has a lot more to offer from a story and character perspective, setting aside plot and convenient humor for a more authentic-looking story. much about being “reincarnated” into virtual reality. The three seasons of the series can be streamed via Crunchyroll.