Anime Review: Log Horizon (Season #1)

Anime Review: Log Horizon
Anime produced by: Satelight
Story and art by: Mamare Touno
By: Aliraluna
Review:

The adventure begins when at the twelfth expansion of Elder Tales, a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game with over twenty million players, thirty thousand in Japan only, are found trap in the game itself if they were log-in. The story is centered with Shiroe, a level ninety, half-Alv enchanter realizes he’s in Akihabara and finds that his friend Naotsugu is online. While in their way to gathering information Shiroe and his friend Naotsugu encounter a quiet ninja that knows Shiroe, and asks him if he can sell the appearance-changing potion; which transforms the ninja into a cute, black haired girl called Akatsuki. Shiroe notices that there are more NPC than before, which are called People of the Land, while the players are called Adventurers; but also all the beautiful-looking well-made food… tastes the same- like nothing. While eating, he receives a call from Maryelle, the leader of ‘Crescent Moon Alliance’ and decides to pay a visit. Shiroe learns that inter-city transport gates are offline meaning the only way to move is by “foot”. Later on, Shiroe with his friends will help to rescue Serara, a girl that was being followed by another alliance and a former member of the Crescent Moon; in which Shiroe and Naotsugu will find another friend; Nyanta, that was in the legendary the Debauchery Tea Party and they do so using amazing, and very rare griffons in order to

Shiroe and Akatuski (and at their side, Naotsugu)
riding the legendary Griffins)

arrive safe and early. They also find out that when you die you revive, like in the game, at the cathedral. But this means that other players can kill you and take your items. In their return trip, Nyanta shows them that there’s a way to make food taste good: making it with your own hands and not with the system; but there’s a catch: you need to be a chef. After arriving, Shiroe gets the news of how all the guides are working to make themselves better and stronger, and about the guild called Hamelin in which two siblings (Touya and Minori) are being held as slaves. Will Shiroe be able to form an alliance between the guilds and save his two little friends? Will he be able to make his own guild, being a solo player for so long?...

Thoughts:

Log Horizon is by far one of the best anime I have seen. The story is amazing on its own way in a more “friendly” environment, (let’s not forget that they still can kill you, take your things and slave you) but the adventures and challenges Shiroe and his friends will have are amazing and mind-blowing. The thing about this story is that The People of the Land will start to act as we do, which you can see from episode one. Shiroe will make different changes even if it means to change his own ideals to help others and will be; more than he already is; an amazing player. 

SEASON II OF LOG HORIZON IS HERE! DATA-BASE DATA-BASE OH OH OH OH!

Manga Review: Heaven's Will

Manga Review: Heaven’s Will

Story and art by: Satoru Takamiya

By: Aliraluna

Review:

The Heaven to which you will someday return, is the story of how Sudou Mikuzu a girl with a phobia toward boys and scared of ghosts met Seto Ashiya; a cross-dressing exorcist; and Kagari a beautiful vampire that can transform into a wolf, in the famous haunted mansion that everyone knows about while trying to escape from a monster. They make a contract in which Mizuku will pay Seto with a cake every time he makes a ghost disappear. The next day, Seto visits Mikuzu at school in where she will learn that she can see things that normal people can’t because she’s a Kenki and that oni is the term used referring to those creatures. Days later, when Mikuzu is about to die Seto and Kagari save her from the monster, but much to her surprise she finds out that the monster was the stalker that appeared everywhere she was- he became a monster because of this but when he was saved by Seto he explained that he wondered why he never confessed his love for her. This is how Seto, Mukuzu and Kagari became friends and companions to exorcism the oni.

In Heaven’s Will the stories of how Seto Ashiya started to cross dress and how Kagari met Seto will be found out by Mikuzu while the three of them try to exorcism the piano of Souichirou Takayanagi, the student council president of Seiou High School; within a week.

Characters overview:

Sudou Mikuzu: She has short black hair, is very slim and has big, black eyes. She’s very easily scared as she has the power to see ghosts and many creatures and has a phobia toward boys. Mikuzu is able to play the piano and bake cakes. 

Seto Ashiya: Has long beautiful blonde hair and big brownish eyes; he dresses in Lolita fashion. His weapon is a beautiful, shiny fan that holds a mystery. He’s very strong and is the master of Kagari. Loves to eat cakes and really likes maple and butter syrup.

Kagari: Has black hair and blue icy eyes and is very tall. He’s a vampire that can transform into a wolf; being Seto his master he feeds from him. Kagari tends to be very quiet. His only wish can be done only by Seto. 

Thoughts:

It’s really sad that this story is a one-volume shot. There’s a letter inside the book in which the author explains that Mikuzu will never fall in love with Seto. We will never know if Seto changed his mind nor what will happen with Kagari, nor which was the real name of ‘Seto’. What we know is that Kagari seemed more at ease and that Mikuzu would be happy if the three of them stayed together. They all worked so hard to understand each other and become closer that it really touched my heart. Oh! And the “n” in the title has a little hat.

Manga Review: Fruits Basket vol #1

Manga Review: Fruits basket vol.1
Story and art by: Natsuki Takaya
By: Aliraluna

Tohru Honda, an orphan girl living in the woods suddenly sees a big, beautiful and peaceful house in which members of the Sohma family are living with an ancient curse, and to her surprise Yuki Sohma known in school as “Prince Charming’ is living there! Later on, when Yuki Sohma and Shigure Sohma are walking toward their house they see Tohru walking by herself and they wonder where she lives as the whole place is theirs and they haven’t rented any part of the land to anyone. When Tohru Honda arrives to her “home” (which is really a tent) she finds that Yuki and Shigure were waiting for her! They take her to their home and she asks if they can rent her a place to camp until the remodeling of her grandpa’s house is done. But Shigure explains that a landslide could happen, and it does covering everything with a mountain of mud. Tohru had to stay in the Sohma’s house as she got a fever from overworking but is really sad because she lost her mother’s picture and she explains to Shigure her goal of graduating from high-school as her mother didn’t do so. The next day Yuki gives her the surprise that he saved the picture of her mother but also that she’s welcome to stay in their house until the remodeling of her grandpa’s house is done and as she likes doing house-work she should stay; besides the Sohma house needs cleaning! But just as she’s entering her room, from nowhere a boy comes out of a wall to pick a fight with Yuki, calling him ‘rat-boy’; and when he was about to attack Tohru tries to stop him and accidently hugs him… and he transforms into a cat! And that’s when Tohru Honda’s “normal” life changes by knowing the curse of the Sohma family. Is Tohru Honda ready to get involved in the magical world of curses and legends of the Sohma family?

What is the curse of the Sohma family? For hundreds of years the Sohma family has been possessed by the twelve spirits found in the Chinese zodiac, but there’s the thirteen spirit: the cat (in total, only thirteen members of the family are possessed). They can communicate with their respective animals, but for some unknown reason when they are very tired and/or hugged by the opposite sex they transform. 

The legend of the Banquet: One day, God told the animals “I’m inviting you all to my banquet tomorrow. Don’t be late!” after hearing that the Rat lied to the Cat saying that the banquet was the day after. The next day the Rat, Ox, Tiger and the rest of the animals; but the Cat, who had been tricked, feasted until the morning, and so the Cat was never made a zodiac animal.