Log Horizon: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Log Horizon: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Log Horizon Season 1 begins the action-adventure journey. Created by Mamare Touno, Log Horizon Season 1 comes from the story by Syouji Masuda. Produced by Kenichiro Naeshiro (The Dragon Dentist, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth), Log Horizon Season 1 features animation production by Satelight (Bodacious Space Pirates, A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School!). Featuring the voices of Takuma Terashima, Emiri Katō, and Tomoaki Maeno.

Log Horizon Season 1 features additional animation production by Fumio Kaneko (Bodacious Space Pirates) and Hideaki Miyamoto (The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Girly Air Force). Log Horizon Season 1 features original character designs by Kazuhiro Hara. The theme song performances are by Man With a Mission (opening) and Yun*chi (ending).

The Elder Tales have received a new expansion. The expand allows for even more gameplay for the players. 30,000 players find themselves being transported into the game and its universe. With the expansion pack underway, Shiroe (Takuma Terashima) decides to put aside his past solo gameplay style and embark on a journey with the guild Log Horizon. The game ever-expands and finds new ways for the players to level up. Featuring Akatsuki (Emiri Katō) and Naotsugu (Tomoaki Maeno).

Log Horizon Season 1 features compelling animation and production values. The animation is well highlighted with art direction by Yuki Nomura (Sadamitsu the Destroyer, Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV). Log Horizon Season 1 features chief animation direction by Mariko Ito (Anonymous Noise, The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar), Nao Kawashima (Castle Town Dandelion, Jewelpet Sunshine), and Noriko Ogura (Yona of the Dawn, Arata The Legend). The team of animators did incredible work – providing a sense of impressive background animation and line artwork. The animation style certainly manages to make a compelling statement. The art style highlights the subtle intricacies of the animation style. The essence of the production and the art work is on display throughout. The colorful vibrancy of the aesthetic is something that enriches the series aesthetic and adds a lot to the series.

The character designs by Mariko Ito (Anonymous Noise, Digimon Ghost Game) are fantastic and one of the highlights of the production. Ito did a superb job adding style to the series. Ito created compelling character designs. The character designs work well and certainly add to the online gameplay element.

Featuring a score composed by Yasuharu Takanashi (The Ambition of Oda Nobuna, Fairy Tail), Log Horizon Season 1 features solid music. The score is a nice accompaniment to the production. The production certainly is elevated by score and it works wonders for the action-adventures sequences. These elements are top-notch and certainly provide a sense of whimsy to the production.

The cinematography by Yūjirō Yamane (A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School!, Cutie Honey Universe) is a natural highlight of the production, too. Yamane is a gifted cinematographer and someone with a nice sense of style. The cinematography is bold, vibrant, and engaging. The aesthetic works wonders.

Written by Toshizo Nemoto (The Book of Bantorra, Chrome Shelled Regios), Log Horizon Season 1 features solid writing Nemoto. The script provides adequate moments for character moments. Dialogue is well-done and is one of the highlights of the production. The scripting manages to showcase elements of action-adventure bliss and this provides a nice backdrop to the entire series.

Directed by Shinji Ishihira (Fairy Tail, Reincarnated as a Sword), Log Horizon Season 1 features solid direction. Ishihira emphasizes the action-adventure elements in the production. The action style is essential to the entire series. Without the emphasis on the epic battles and online elements, the production just wouldn’t be as impressive on the whole. Log Horizon Season 1 achieves a lot more through these elements.

The action scenes are certainly some of the best elements of the production. The series has compelling action and it adds a lot to the series. These elements are of vital importance to the series. Log Horizon Season 1 is certainly going to appeal to that segment of the audience that is looking for a fun action experience to sit back and enjoy. Log Horizon Season 1 might not be top-tier action – reaching the heights of something as iconic as Dragon Ball Z or Yu Yu Hakusho, but it does offer some impressive elements.

Log Horizon: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, Log Horizon Season 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition video presentation looks excellent on the release. Colors "pop" with considerable depth and detail. The animation is superbly reproduced and well highlighted on the release. The aesthetic of the series has an abundance of charm – the background animation and line art well reproduced in spades. The quality animation is certainly an important factor of the presentation. The online elements of the game are emphasized well, too. The encoding by Crunchyroll is solid and capably preserves detail in the video presentation.

One of the strengths of physical media and the disc format is the option for higher video bit-rates. The bit-rates can provide a superior option compared to streaming video services. Streaming video services tend to provide video with lower bit-rates and more compression. For home theater enthusiasts who want the best possible video presentation available on the market, the encoding quality on disc has additional depth and vibrancy to the image.

Log Horizon: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 2.0 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release capably preserves the sound direction by Shōji Hata (The Apothecary Diaries, Fairy Tail). The lossless audio sounds crisp and clear on the release. The presentation features excellent dialogue clarity and depth. The soundtrack capably reproduces the soundtrack, score, and sound effects. The sound design is impressive for a 2.0 stereo option and has wonderful vibrancy.

One of the greatest qualities of physical media as a format is the lossless audio encoding. Streaming video services only offer lossy (non-lossless) audio encoding. For home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles wanting the best possible audio option available on the market, the best solution is found with physical media. The results impress in spades with good clarity overall.

Log Horizon: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover features compelling art work and a distinct aesthetic. The art work on the sleeve is different from the key artwork highlighted underneath the slipcover. For collectors wanting the best possible physical media option available, the package design is well-done and makes a solid impression. The release looks great in hand and will look fantastic on a collector's shelf, too.

On disc supplements include:

Disc 4:

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:32)

Unfortunately, the Blu-ray release does not have a particularly noteworthy supplemental package. The release could have used more bonus features – from audio commentaries, to making-of featurettes, behind the scenes documentaries, and more. The lack of meaningful supplements makes the release lackluster in this regard. A more expansive supplemental package would have made the set more well-rounded. In an era of streaming, one thing that helps physical media releases stand out even more is engaging bonus features packages. One of the best reasons some fans choose physical media is the assortment of extras.

Log Horizon: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Log Horizon Season 1 offers plenty of action-adventure and excitement. The action anime series has a robust style. The series features compelling animation and production values in spades. There is so much worth appreciating in the art. The high-definition video quality is also top-notch and looks fantastic. The release includes a selection of lossless audio options. The set also includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The one drawback to the release is the lackluster supplemental package. The release doesn’t have much in the way of on disc supplements – one area that could have been greatly improved upon with some more selection. Recommended.