Okay, I started on my backlog since I had some dead time this weekend and got caught up on LogHori... and one of my first thoughts reading over the thread is just how disappointed I am by everyone's comments. The Sahuaguin showed up how many episodes ago, and
no one thought to make a merloc joke?
Teasing aside, a whole bunch of thoughts at once:
First, how did I not notice on the initial thread post that this story was by the MaoYuu author? All through the show are little nods here and there to his research for MaoYuu.
Secondly, everyone should know by now how much I like trying to identify
author appeal when I see it... if SAO was
Phantasy star online x
Makai Toushi SaGa, (
FF Legend) Elder Tale is Everquest 2. The class list is all but identical and all the mechanics are thematically similar but different. A few of those skills I could have killed for back when I played EQ2. The Shaman's AoE panic button works way better than the real thing, for example.
(And the only high level monk we've seen had that stupid hooluk hat almost every monk in EQ2 wore for two or three expansions.)
On the note of Shaman, Minori gets an automatic cool mark from me for her class choice. Before all the WoW inspired homogenization and nerfs, EQ2's two shaman classes used to be the hardest to play and get right... you pretty much had to play
30 seconds in advance.
Aside from the EQ2 fanboy moments this series gives me, I have to say, I really like it much more than I was expecting. I was expecting an SAO style story from this, but the pretense in motion really feels more like a Fushigi Yuugi style fantasy world with an MMO replacing the book. The character growth is amazing if a bit unequal. While Shiroe, Krusty, Lenessia, and the lowbies are well developed, some of the core seem neglected. We still don't really know who Naotsugu is outside of "old friend, plays Guardian, likes pr0n and food." Akatsuki is a stereotype with dreadfully little development, and Mari-nee is just as bad.
For our protagonist... I wonder if it's just me that feels like I'm looking into a twisted mirror when the show focuses on Shiroe? I like the way they play with his backstory, but the whole strategist angle feels so... wrong. I can't be the only MMO player who's thinking he's too notorious for what he is- the MMO community reviles strategists and independent thinkers. I do like how he's much less clueless than the average shounen baka hero he is, but I dislike the way they over-inform us of his ability to think and play the game. (He's a lousy enchanter) For example, now that he's figured out contract magic, you'd think he'd try writing up a friend list contract to add NPCs to friends lists. (If only so Krusty could harass a certain hikikomori via telepathy.) Nope, he's afraid to mention the discovery, let alone experiment with it.
The one character that surprised me the most was Lenessia. Right where the stereotypical princess goes, where everyone would expect a shallow stereotype if only because she's an NPC, the
melancholy twilight princess showed up instead.
Some of her expressions are priceless. She was also the source of my favorite joke in the show, when she was doing the NPC stutterstep between RP walk and regular walking as she complained about how the adventurers are walking too quickly. It was so subtle yet so
true.
On the overall plot, I really like how the emphasis of the story is actually about the scenario. In contrast with a certain other MMO story, the lack of any venue of escape turned the story into a scenario where you get to see how everyone chooses to live, and care is taken to show the different personalities at play. I also really like the conflict with the NPCs being more lifelike.
I'm curious to see how the Goblin King questline is addressed, long term. It reminds me of some of the EQ2 world events that nobody ever did. I like the idea of gradually increasing the "signs" until something actually intimidating happens, making what's ordinarily a boring event turn into something special.
Am I the only person who thinks there's some Langrisser inspiration in the armor designs?