Log Horizon S2 Episode 10: I’m a nerd and I’m proud!

We’re nerds, and we should be proud of that.

This probably had to be the most long-winded speech I’ve ever heard in an anime. Because it took up the entire episode. Really. But I actually really liked William’s speech, because it finally brought the topic that really defines the adventurers: They’re all nerds.

When everyone is feeling down and wanting to give up because of those three raid bosses, William musters up the courage to tell everyone not to give up.

William was never the most social of people, he was stand-off-ish, uncooperative, and never understood how people felt. He didn’t have any friends. People made fun of him for playing a PC game and always staying at home. But with Elder Tale, he spent two years loving this game. For him, he was able to understand people better through the game. He knew how someone was feeling through the game, what they wanted, etc. He would be overjoyed getting a rare item. He learned teamwork through the raids in the game. He wanted to know more about people, about the other people playing the game. He really cared about their lives, like if they had problems or whether they were sick or not. As a gamer, he’s always been made fun of because he wasn’t as social as the other people at his school. But that never let him down. When it came to Elder Tale, he never gave up. And he wants to remind everyone of that.

Every single one of them is a nerdy as hell, weirdo, shut-in gamer. But this is what they love. And you should never give up on something you love. Keep at it through the end.

And I actually really like this because I’m not sure if other anime that are set in the players being stuck in their video game talk about this at all, but this is what it is. They’re fucking nerds, being way too serious about a damn game they’re obsessed about. You can’t explain it any other way. I mean really, that’s it. They’re all NERDS and they’re taking their games way too seriously. Except now they really have to be serious because they’re stuck in it and they gotta live in it. Their fictional world has now become a reality. A world from the game that they love.

And I feel with his speech, I think some people can really understand what William was talking about. They may have trouble interacting with others and being accepted in the real world, but in a fictional world like video games, they can find their escape. Find something they can enjoy and be good at. It doesn’t have to be video games. It can be anime, or books, or anything fictional. Because sometimes fiction is better than reality. And the rest of the adventurers agree and decide to try one more time. They understand. Because they’re nerds. They’re fucking nerds. I’m a fucking nerd too, but you know, that’s okay.

I thought there would be action this episode, but it was a 20 minute pep talk. Next week is when they take another try, and when Shiroe finally puts his full trust into everyone else and tells them everything.