I know there is a large amount of rage at this series for being a "SAO Clone" but lets look at the facts, one: death isn't permanent. Two: its a large amount of dialogue rather than fighting endlessly. Three: there is a degree of mystery to it, namely how they ended up "Stuck in a game" as they believe, and why. Four: it is focused on CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT rather than the action aspect. These add up to say its not a SAO clone but rather a new take on the beaten dead horse that is the "person stuck in a video game/Virtual world" which btw was created by TRON. Then rehashed by Nintendo's "Captain N: the Game Master" and then by .Hack//Sign so was SAO, which was a Light Novel written LONG after both Captain N and .Hack//Sign, of these a clone of them HELL NO it was its own series, Log Horizon takes the model created long ago and puts yet another new spin on it, let the story and characters speak for themselves. I may be reaching by bringing up something most of you wouldn't know about(or care about due to its age, ie Captain N) but its just to make a point, I will admit there may have been a degree of marketing planning screwing with the timing of Log Horizon's release BUT it riding on the coat tails of SAO doesn't make it a clone, it simply makes it part of said marketing plan. All that being said it is a drama, comedy and potentially it may develop a romance portion of the story(I didn't read the light novels so I DON'T KNOW) (show less)

This is a show about entering a cyber world. This first sentence tells you what to expect, and before you get annoyed and say how much of a copy cat it is, I'd prefer you calm down and appreciate this show for it's own merits, because it's really good that way.

The story telling is central. The fact that the people in this game don't die when killed seems to be a risky move: Why would you take away such a useful plot element that could bring more drama to the situation? Because they didn't need to. The focus is more on the characters, the focus is more on dialogue, and it's done particularly well.

Please give this show a chance, it's worth the watch. It's no masterpiece, but it's one of those great casual watches that are totally worth it. I'd love to follow it's originals: the light novels, and I'm looking forward to any and all episodes in the future.

The opening song is pretty great too by the way. (show less)

I wasn't a fan of SAO, and when I saw the preview for Log Horizon, I wasn't thrilled. People trapped in a game, unable to log out, blah blah. The concept was old before SAO, and just got senile after. Why did I give Horizon a try?... I don't even remember, however in all honesty, it's not that bad.
So the story isn't new, and the characters aren't entirely either (the nerd, the brash one, and the cute girl... omph). Nevertheless, the introduction has been done carefully enough if you ask me. There's far less "shock" moments than in SAO; instead, there's subtle info about charas and setup while the story's already advancing. And then there's those little soul-in-the-shell details, like one character finding it hard to pilot his avatar because that one's taller than his IRL counterpart. Sound and animation are rich, and where the art is standard, it's definitely good enough for an online setting.
It's probably still too early to actually judge Horizon, however it has some fair potential, and I rather enjoyed its first episode. I've been pretty hesitant, however I've got cautious hopes up for this one.
A well-meant 8/10 from me, still that's only a first impression and not to be taken too seriously. (show less)