Welcome to the human world, Septpia, a world where logic and luck meet to form the needed protectors known as Logicalists and their Covenantors, who fight against remnant Majins trying to take over their world. Originally a card game by Bushiroad, the anime series Luck and Logic is brought to life in a 12-episode feature that struggles between its titled two methods of reasoning during its short-lived run. Very much like another work done by one of its producers, Lantis, called Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero, this series has a variating but similar vibe to it thanks to its moralistic male protagonist, devoted love interest, and group of friends that primarily consist of the female gender. While it does admittedly have the predictable, general heroic plot, there are a few factors that manage to demonstrate there is more sustenance to it than one might expect at first glance.
The story itself is very simple. Yoshichika Tsurugi, the 17-year-old protagonist and admittedly admirable but reckless hero of the series, is found to be a Logicalist who lost his ‘logic’ card in a fight to save his world, Septpia, two years ago. One day, during an outing to the mall with his sister, a Majin appears and begins to wreak havoc. Being the hero he is, he quickly ushers his sister and a young civilian out before trying to deal with the creature himself. Before he can think of a plan, a young woman appears and helps him escape while his future Logicalist teammates arrive to fight the Majin. The young woman turns out to be Athena, Goddess of wisdom and strategy, from a world known as Tetra-Heaven. She went in search of Yoshichika’s ‘logic’ card and returned it in hopes of forming a covenant with him as his new covenantor. Yoshichika agrees, and with a solemn vow of devotion, the two are then able to trans, and become the newest members of the ALCA (Another Logic Counter Agency) Japanese bureau. From there it becomes a rinse and repeat cycle of new foreigners appearing, and the team showing up to defeat the enemy. Throw in some character focus throughout the episodes, some minor story development, and a dash of dramatic flair, and the outcome is a decent anime.
I liked it enough, but ‘luck’ can only get you so far.
I’m not just talking about Yoshichika’s sometimes reckless actions throughout the series. Don’t get me wrong, that’s what heroes do, but that isn’t what this is about. While the show had its good points, such as maintaining and executing the basic three-act structure needed to keep it running, its overall performance left a lot to be desired. Like its predecessor that was previously mentioned, it came off as a show that was trying to tell a story in a certain number of episodes, while struggling to decide on how to proceed with usable content, without introducing new information it wouldn’t be able to fully explain. This would excuse some of its development problems, but not its lack of depth. There have been plenty of shows that have created meaningful intensity and have held
captive audiences on the edge of their seats in shorter amounts of time, so why is this one lacking so heavily in this department?
The reason? Because of the limited amount of time this series is given to reveal about its originator. It was made the same year as the game’s release in order to promote what it was based on, yet was given only enough time to introduction the Logicalists from Septpia, the Angels from Tetra-Heaven, and the main plot for these worlds—just a portion of the complete series. This particular section of the game is far too vast to fit into a 12-episode series, and it unfortunately shows. Even its spin-off for this series, Hina Logic: From Luck and Logic, was unable to completely detail out its dedicated section of the game in its limited time frame. I applaud the amount of information put into either of these shows, but unless the viewers know the rules and general premise of the game, some points and actions can fly right over their heads. ‘Logic’ is clearly lacking for this series, and like most of what kept me watching, a lot of its survival had to do with just pure ‘luck’.
Olga’s motive for his actions left me astounded.
An antagonist requires a believable, understandable background for his actions. They may not be something agreed upon by those around him, but as a general rule, the motive is one that opposes that of the protagonist. In this case, that of Yoshichika. However, the two have little, if any, correlation to one another. Yoshichika is your typical, lovable hero that sometimes (more like always) forgets that his missing ‘logic’ card has been returned, and so manages to persevere and succeed through his battles almost entirely on ‘luck’ alone. Olga’s whole issue is that he has yet to acquire his own Covenantor and so instead of being logical with the ‘logic’ he talks about non-stop, he becomes envious of Yoshichika. His petty jealousy is what permeates the relationship they appear to begin forming before Olga lets it entirely consume him. Did it happen in a believable way instead of doing a complete 180 in a transition from one episode to the next? No. But again, this series was given a short window of opportunity to expand itself. Olga’s petty actions are what leave me so flabbergasted. He causes many problems, for himself included, and in what is apparently a moment of vulnerability and continued desperation, Lucifer, the altering antagonist that plays a hefty role during the last third of the series, becomes his Covenantor through what I would deem provocative means. While I don’t approve of Olga’s motive (because let’s face it, it’s one of the most outrageous and childish reasons there is), I must admit that his chosen partner wasn’t all that bad if you exclude the entirely ridiculous trans outfit and evil motive. Which leads me to my next point.
While evil, the antagonists weren’t all that bad.
I’m talking about the characters with the most interesting personalities, Quetzalcoatl (a.k.a. Quetzi) and Lucifer. Although both characters had far less screen time than the rest, their personalities, character designs, and commentary that made us privy to their pasts, are what make them such interesting and all-around enjoyable characters. Quetzi started off as an enemy, but managed to become a Covenantor with Yukari. While he is a snake god and puts on airs, it was clear he was lonely before their partnership, and that made him someone viewers could sympathize with. Lucifer on the other hand, is someone more intriguing, and someone who can also possibly be sympathized with. 
Depends on who you ask. He was at one point, as to be expected, the ruler of Sept-Heaven, but when he arrives to Septpia, he becomes a god in another sense—one that brings forth salvation for the people dying slowly from Paradox Sickness. He uses his charm to get what he wants before betraying all for his own selfish desires. During his time throughout the series, even as he’s clearly portraying ill intent, you can’t help but want to play along and see how far his sneaky ruthlessness gets him. He’s a good villain who is a rather interesting wordsmith—a smooth talker who knows just what to say while appearing as charming as possible. That is, of course, until he doesn’t get what he wants. Very similar to his Logicalist in that sense. However, through his actions, it’s uncertain whether he really did what he did to help his people, or if it was simply all a ruse. According to Olga at the end of the series when he tries to return one of Lucifer’s lost ‘logic’ cards after the battle, he tells him that it is “your idea that man and god should co-exist” in which Lucifer responds with, “I’m aware I’ve been beaten. But if that means I am to live in disgrace and solitude again, I’d rather die.” This line leaves Lucifer open to interpretation by the audience, but is he not worth some consideration? His idea was based on good intentions—he just went about it the wrong way. Isn’t that how all possible anti-heroes can be seen as? Is he an anti-hero? Does he have a sordid past during the 100-year war that caused him to go down this road? Some food for thought. These are the facts that make these characters the most interesting personality wise. They are evil, but they really aren’t all that bad. I mean, I personally wouldn’t be afraid to be alone with this devil. I’m just sayin’. Subtle yaoi inserts always gain my approval.
Yoshichika is just one of those protagonists you can’t help but want to know or be.
“Seriously! How cliché can one person be?!” Tamaki couldn’t have said it any better. Yes, he doesn’t have the most interesting personality, nor is he the best protagonist out there, but the one-time ace of the Hong Kong Bureau has got all of the beliefs, motives, and charms needed to still be a good hero who does what’s right. It’s commendable, and when the tough gets harder, he gets that much tougher. While his actions are often goofy and sometimes maturely calculated, they all are towards the goal of protecting, which
translates clearly with his shield of defense during battle. With his ‘luck’ and ‘logic’ combined with Athena’s wisdom and ability for strategy, there is nothing the two cannot accomplish together. Even during his trans covenant formation with Athena, he says, “I, Tsurugi, make a solemn vow to devote my logic to you. Trans with me.” followed by a kiss. Not only did he make it sound like a marriage vow, but the fact that they use a kiss to trans… well, need I say more? It’s not required, but it somehow ends up being their formal way to trans. He’s like a prince in shining armor (literally is in the last two episodes of the series), and it shows through his actions and high trance limit. His compassion, leadership skills, strength, and devotion to his Covenantor are what make him a protagonist I wholeheartedly support.
The opening and closing songs are character specific.
If you listen closely to the opening song sung by a male, it’s Yoshichika’s song. “I miss you, I miss you…Someday I’ll fall in love with someone again and travel a different road, live a parallel story. I took the daybreak love song I wrote for you and sang it to the skies as the sun rose. I want to change, I want to change. That’s my longing desire as I face tomorrow.” Athena, in return, responds with the ending song sung by a female. “However far away you are, however far removed, no matter what it takes, I will find you. Even when I get discouraged by the vastness of the world, when you hold my trembling hand, I’m not alone. I need your logic. If we believe in each other, I will fight with you. We won’t be beaten…I’ll make my way into your skies, not anybody else’s…my hope is right here.” The opening and ending song lyrics give off the feeling that this is what happens after the end of the series. With Yoshichika’s ‘logic’ card still missing, and Athena’s memories now fully restored, it makes sense that Yoshichika travels the world while living a parallel story, since he can’t go back to how he was before he lost his memories 
of Athena. He wants to change, as he repeats in his song. He travels because he’ll most likely join Athena in her search for his card, and like her lyrics say, she will find him. She won’t give up because she needs him. While that’s very sweet, it doesn’t necessarily mean his song is specifically in relation to love for her. At least, not in the romantic sense.
His last missing ‘logic’ card contains his memories of her, but throughout the series, he has shown her the affection someone would their partner, like all of the other Logicalist’s do with their Covenator’s. Athena has been infatuated with him since before she made her appearance. A fine example of the difference in their level of affection they have for one another is during the ending scene, after Athena regains her last ‘logic’ card back. Her hands rest on his hips, while his rest on her elbows. It could be a sign of respect, sure, but even at the very last scene, he lets her go and the two stand apart as they stare off at the sunset. I’m sure they’d made a great couple with how well they work together, but the development they’ve had in the series hasn’t been exactly hinting on the romantic end for Yoshichika. (Unless they become like Asbel and Cheria from Tales of Graces. Then that fact alone would explain everything about their relationship up until now.) The opening and ending songs promote what the show might have been hinting at throughout its run, but with a personality similar to Kirito’s regarding relationships, it’s unlikely to go anywhere unless Athena tells him her feelings directly. He’s your typical reverse-harem hero who is more focused on keeping others safe than on romance. He protects, he attacks, but he’s also surrounded by gods who are thousands of years older than him, and yes, that includes Athena too.
The anime applies the rules of the game.
When I first spotted this, I must admit that I was impressed. The series managed to include some of its basic rulings in its anime counterpart for any future card players. For example, to win the game, you must destroy all six of your opponent’s gates. The anime
consists of five opponents before facing off against the sixth and final boss, Lucifer. In the card game, six gate cards are placed face-down on each of your circles. When a Gate is destroyed, you turn it face-up, and its effect is activated. When your sixth gate is destroyed, you lose the game. By the end of the anime and when almost all but one gate is opened, it’s clear how close they are to losing their world. Logic drive can also only ever be used once per turn, so when the Logicalists lose their tranceunion and need time to recover, it’s because of this given rule. The rule for overtrance is the same as well. I suspect that is why the second time Yoshichika loses his ‘logic’ cards, it feels as if it is harder to find the last one than it was the first time.
The series is your average run-of-the-mill anime with a hero who saves the world from impending doom. There’s nothing very memorable about it—it’s a generic work with a simple plot and has a problem with pacing. There was a lot of potential from the card game that went to waste thanks to the show’s given limited time allotment. However, while it lacked in many departments, it still did its job of carrying the story from beginning to end. It was a promotion that succeeded in acquiring interest, but failed in retaining it long enough to request an encore. Still, it does provide those who want to know what Bushiroad’s card game is all about a decent explanation into the basics of the series, so if you’re interested in the game, it’s worth a watch. All in all, it’s not horrible, but it definitely missed out on some wonderful potential that could have made it a notable hit.
Maybe the heart of the cards just hasn’t reached me yet? View it today at Funimation.com, and find out whether or not you’re meant to be a Logicalist today! If you want to find out more about the game itself, visit the official website here!
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