Recap: The journey continues as our gamers trudge through some mines to reach the other side of a mountain blocking their path. A new boss encounter awaits…

Lifesong’s Thoughts: Boss time! This anime may not have the production values of Sword Art Online, but I love how well it explores the real mentality of MMO gamers. Exploration is a lot of what makes them so much fun, and to have a sunset as a reward for their first boss fight is something I can appreciate. Also, becoming internet famous in an MMO can be pretty annoying… No I don’t want to help everyone else on the server get the Sword of Lost Light, sorry.

The running food gag never fails to amuse me. It was neat to find out that fruit actually tastes right and then see our cat-person savior guy using apple peals for tea, that was a neat touch. I think I could get by on that for a pretty long time personally, apple tea is awesome.

Next week it looks like we will reach the conclusion of this current arc or at least get us pretty close to the end. I’m under the impression that Log Horizon might actually be a novel series and not a light novel series. I guess all that really means is that we might have more episodes than average per book for adaptations in this anime.

I wonder if they will fill up their party by the end of this arc. I would be willing to bet that our sub-classed maid character is a healer. She fits the stereotypes… I would know as that’s my role when I play an MMO. I am hoping to see Joji Nakata’s cat character join the party as well if only because his nyaas are way more amusing than they have any right to be.

Gee’s Thoughts: While Log Horizon may not be making a giant splash, it’s been a consistently enjoyable ride for me. As a guy with just a basic understanding of MMO mechanics, I like that the show has been exploring the well…exploration aspects of role playing games. Shiroe’s self reflection on the moments that truly made him love with gaming are something I can really empathize with. It’s not just the mechanics or the setting, but the memories we create that truly define our gaming experiences.

That said, while it’s been nice seeing our trio effortlessly dispatch low level mobs (comparatively to their own level), I’m hoping we’ll get to see some more player interaction in the upcoming episodes. Despite helping the token loli, badass cat man seems like he may have his own agenda. In addition, we have our first designated Max Max style bad guy who’s been exploiting the chaos. We’ll see if Shiroe’s tactics are just as good against some tough looking human opponents.

Sidenote: Why is the bad guy a monk? I’m going to assume he’s some kind of monk class based on his weaponry. As a guy who personally always picks the unarmed fighting choice in games, I always wonder why can’t a guy who just wants to beat things to death with his bare hands be a good guy or at the very least, not some kind of violent maniac? It’s not like running a dude through with a sword or spear is any less horrible.