Sword Art Online

[Netto Azure]

^Just remember that Sword Art Online is probably the most popular anime out right now, for every hater out there, there are at least 300 lovers, it's just the negative reviews that stand out (for that reason).

Also, I'd say that comparisons to Dot Hack (Sign, especially, but R:1 and R:2 games and anime as well) are rather accurate. They both have similar themes (such as the character archetypes that make up both Kirito and Tsukasa) and the progress in similar fashions, though Sign puts less emphasis on fighting. There are other similarities, but they'd be spoilers to both series. This isn't a bad thing; in fact, I'd say that the similarities between the two make for great anime. Granted, I think that a younger person could watch SAO than one that could watch Sign, seeing the difference in pacing and the amount of talking that varies between the two.

That's quite true. The Online polling on Episode Discussions are quite consistent on this.

But anyways you're quite correct on the whole .Hack comparison. It's just that the two series came out at the same time, so it kinda grates LN readers when people say that it was just copied off.

Episode 11 thoughts:

Spoiler:

Damn, so much emotions flowing in this episode. Floor 22, The memories waiting to be made on that cottage by the forest, the introduction to Yui-chan.

PAPA! MAMA! Damn that hits hard. Don't try carry the burden of everyone's heart Yui-chan... ;-;

End Card:

 

[Jalsy]

-Episode 11-

Spoiler:

The mountain dew girl.. I love the trailer. Haven't seen the episode yet but It seems interesting.. seeing them like a family is really a sweet thing.XD

 

[Brane]

Glad that they're finally moving on with the storyline. Everything seems to progressing smoothly and it's great to watch :D Episode 9 would still have to be the best, that boss fight was insane.

 

[CarefulWetPaint]

Gotta say I wasnt a fan of this weeks episode, I wanted either more lovey dovey or more action! I like how its moving though it does seem really interesting! Looking forward to next weeks episode like always.

 

[tajaros]

Yui's Heart, Episode 12 Preview...

 

[Arcanine]

Yui arc

Spoiler:

I think it was an ok arc... not my fav but still sort of nice. My biggest prob is... I can't get past them two getting married and them having a "child". I just find it strange because of how young they are. I think they're a very very cute couple, but the whole "our child" aspect of it is just strange to me.
But I will say this, I found this "fight" really awesome. Ok so it wasn't much of a fight but still all the fire, and the big sword, and Yui all "You're not going to hurt them" was good.

And now that all the characters from the OP has been shown and by the looks of it finished I can't wait to see what's coming up in the next 1-2 weeks.

 

[ZetaZaku]

Before it started airing I heard lots of good stuff about the novel and looked really forward to the show. But then everybody started bashing the series and calling it bad. Well, I ignored them, as haters sometimes tend to nitpick about every little thing (yet ignore those little things for their favorite show).

I watched the first two episodes. I must say that I was hooked. They were really great and showed lots of potential, and since it reminded me a lot of .hack//, I looked forward to the rest of it. Sadly, as of episode 3, the show turned into a harem and episodes focused on showing how badass Kirito/Jesus is. Okay, episode three played a huge role in Kirito's character, but episode 4-7 were just fillers. The episode with that loli served only as loli fanservice and once again they showed off how badass Kirito/Jesus is. I mean, come on "You can only do 400 damage per 11 seconds, but I can regenerate 600 health per 11 seconds" (don't remember exact numbers) was just ridiculous. Also those mystery episode were really boring. They did serve as Kirito and Asuna's development, but they dragged it too much. Same goes with Kirito's quest for his new sword. Once again they showed off how badass he is and Blacksmith girl started spouting nonsense. I was happy when I heard that they are going back to the story, and it improved a bit in episode 8th, but the show just kept showing off how badass Kirito is and making him do the impossible. Episodes 11 and 12 were the lowest bottom for me, especially the second episode. Thankfully

Spoiler:

the arc will end soon and I hope the show improves a lot in ALO

I don't know if the show is bad or maybe I'm just too old for this.

 

[Genesystem]

Before it started airing I heard lots of good stuff about the novel and looked really forward to the show. But then everybody started bashing the series and calling it bad. Well, I ignored them, as haters sometimes tend to nitpick about every little thing (yet ignore those little things for their favorite show).

I watched the first two episodes. I must say that I was hooked. They were really great and showed lots of potential, and since it reminded me a lot of .hack//, I looked forward to the rest of it. Sadly, as of episode 3, the show turned into a harem and episodes focused on showing how badass Kirito/Jesus is. Okay, episode three played a huge role in Kirito's character, but episode 4-7 were just fillers. The episode with that loli served only as loli fanservice and once again they showed off how badass Kirito/Jesus is. I mean, come on "You can only do 400 damage per 11 seconds, but I can regenerate 600 health per 11 seconds" (don't remember exact numbers) was just ridiculous. Also those mystery episode were really boring. They did serve as Kirito and Asuna's development, but they dragged it too much. Same goes with Kirito's quest for his new sword. Once again they showed off how badass he is and Blacksmith girl started spouting nonsense. I was happy when I heard that they are going back to the story, and it improved a bit in episode 8th, but the show just kept showing off how badass Kirito is and making him do the impossible. Episodes 11 and 12 were the lowest bottom for me, especially the second episode. Thankfully

Spoiler:

the arc will end soon and I hope the show improves a lot in ALO

I don't know if the show is bad or maybe I'm just too old for this.

The whole "Demigod Kirito" thing was on purpose, one could even consider it an anime archetype. Other anime that did this were .Hack//Sign (Tsukasa), .Hack//Roots (The Terror of Death), and Trigun (Vash, and there's a reason for it. Rather than focusing on the difficulty of average combat, it focuses on the lengths that raw power can take you to, that no matter how strong you are, you still can't defeat everyone on that strength alone. One must make difficult decisions, and they are going to have their emotions toyed with and scarred. What's more, they can't do everything on their own, and they will undoubtedly make mistakes, and go to lengths that they never wanted to. Their power is immense, but on its own its not enough, there are other catalysts needed to be able to truly utilize that power to it's true potential, and even then it isn't always enough. It also deals with the main character being forced to become an outcast (in the case of Tsukasa, it is due to his disdain for adults and trust issues, in Vash's case, it's to protect them). Kirito really embodies all of these, and has gone through immense emotional and social trauma because of it. I'm not saying that I want you to like it more, you're free to do whatever, but in the case of the Demigod genre (and SAO), I'd say the handling of the character who is the Demigod is more mature than not.

Regarding SAO specifically, I'm expecting a new opening to appear either this or next episode, since the old opening seems to be "finished", so to speak.

 

[parallelzero]

Some fun facts:

Episode titles for 15-17:

Spoiler:

Ep15 - Return
Ep16 - The Country of Fairies
Ep17 - The Captive Queen

OP2 - "INNOCENCE" by Aoi Eir
ED2 - "Overfly" by Luna Haruna

So we're definitely getting some good music there. Also, the single listings for those two songs on CDJapan list release dates for the end of November. Judging by the episode titles, I assume the OP/ED will change around 15/16 unless they don't care about spoilers for Fairy Dance.

 

[Netto Azure]

Anyone here read past the SAO arc? I'm always looking for thoughts on things.

Still some people are hating on Fairy Dance for some reason. I liked it actually lolz.

 

[machomuu]

EP 13 spoilers

Spoiler:

Really liked the second half of the last episode. I mean, it's not like I don't like the home life of Kirito and Asuna, and I've found their relationship to be one of the most realistic in anime (they are a great portrayal of a young married couple), in fact, I think the fact that SAO doesn't put its priorities solely on fighting and concentrates on story and character development, but everything about the ending is really what makes Kirito as a demigod work, and it really drives the fear, hopelessness, and anxiety that people will die. The animation was also astounding, definitely making it one of my favorite fights so far (even if it is only the beginning).

 

[Claire*]

Just saw episode 13 myself.

Spoiler:

I loved the portrayal of how they both couldn't live without each other. Normally I would groan during these scenes because it seems contrived in most stories, but I thought it was done really well here. It was almost selfish of Kirito to suggest that she wait there for him in agony, when she very well has a desire to protect him too.

 

[Greenbeans]

I just caught up and I am loving the show even more every episode :3

Spoiler:

I love all of Sao but I think that ep 10 is my fav, I find that it was really romantic and great, but its difficult to say that is my fav for sure, I like all of it :p

 

[Netto Azure]

Ah this was a finely made episode. Can't wait for the next episode. The way they ended this episode is very touching.

Spoiler:

I liked the end card. Very inclusive. :3

Anyways can't wait to see the subs from Crunchyroll. Even though I kinda knew the gist of what was happening it's nice to know what they're saying. xD

*Grabs some popcorn* This should be a fun day everywhere Tehehehehe.

 

[Mana1]

Just watched :D

I may be being stupid, but what on earth is going to happen in the next episode?

Spoiler:

Since they just beat the game...

 

[Netto Azure]

Just watched :D

I may be being stupid, but what on earth is going to happen in the next episode?

Spoiler:

Since they just beat the game...

It's going to be...

Spoiler:

A new Game called ALfheim Online. Developed 1 year into the SAO incident. Because 300 players are still trapped in there.

Anyways here some preview of the OP/ED

 

[Pppgggr]

....I watched all 14 episodes of that, and enjoyed it, but DANG did they break the limits they set for their own world. Here're a few issues I had with that series:


If you haven't watched it, PLEASE dont open this spoiler. It's called a spoiler for a reason.

Spoiler:

1.)They claimed that SAO was completely balanced and that nothing unfair would ensue, and then they turned around and gave random players unexplicable advantages, such as Kirito's Dual Blades. Also, if the leader of the Guild was the creator of the game, why would he have cheated during his duel with Kirito? If he wanted everything to be perfectly balanced and fair, then he should have very simply lost the dual.

2.)If the game's creator planned on shutting down that one program that dealt with player sanity, why even create it in the first place? If he had planned that LONG before the game had even reached the Beta stage, then why even create it? And, even if he did have his reasons for creating it/her and locking her from doing anything, then she would have been inable to break out. One thing that needs to be taken into account is that the world they're in is simply a compilation of code. It's not a barrier, it's a set law of the world, and so force of will wouldn't have done anything.

3.)This next one still has to do with force of will. If Kirito died, the game would have instantly told his headset to fry him. Just because he personally doesn't want to, it doesn't mean that the game's programming would bend to his will and allow him to halt the death for a period of time.

4.)When Asuna died, her sword stayed behind. This did not occur on anyone else who died in the series. When they were deleted, so were all of their weapons. It was an occurance that made absolutely no sense.

5.)In the beginning, Kirito expressed that he was a solo player and didn't want to join a guild with anyone, yet later on, he goes ahead and does so for no explainable reason, even after leaving behind both Asuna, and that one guy from the first episode whose name escapes me.

Whoever is writing this series really needs to get everything straight.....When it ended so abruptly in episode 14, I actually thought they were getting horrible ratings and simply had to drop it.

As of now, I'm unsure as to whether or not I'll watch into the next season.....

edit: Replaced 13 with 14. My mind wasnt working.

 

[Greenbeans]

Wow episode 14 was great but...........

Spoiler:

What will happen now that they are in the real world? how will it continue? Will Kirito still be the main character with Asuna? So many questions....

 

[Weeaboo Name]

@Pppgggr

1

Spoiler:

they said he got the the dual wield because he has the best reaction time in the game. As for duel thing I have no idea, perhaps he just waned Kirito to be in his crew for a while.

2

Spoiler:

Seemed like it was just a piece of SCIENCE the guy pulled out of his haris tbh. He got rid of it because it meant drama, the whole point of that girl was to bring the two main characters together. And oh, I guess a lot of the fans of this show like little cartoon girls.

3

Spoiler:

THE POWER OF LOVE

4

Spoiler:

I think it said in the book that when a pair marry in the game their items are shared, he probably inherited the sword.

5

Spoiler:

Change of heart. He got lonely and liked those people I guess,

You're right, the writing in this series is bad buuuuut it's a light novel with the purpose of escapism and mindless entertainment.

@jerichob10

Netto answered that just 2 posts before you posted that.

 

[digi-kun]

1)

Spoiler:

As -Lapras- mentioned, he got Dual Wield for having the best reaction time. The reason this probably isn't a base skill is because Kayaba doesn't want people just rushing to their death because, as per most RPGs, dual wielding usually implies glass cannon.

As for him not just losing the duel, there are probably a couple reasons. First being to keep morale up in the guild. Second to not lose Asuna. Third to gain Kirito. Fourth to maintain the title of "Strongest" so him becoming the final boss mean that much more.

The primary reason was to give Kirito a reason to suspect Heathcliff at the end though. The rest regarding him doing so is mostly my speculation and may or may not be Reki's original intentions.

2)

Spoiler:

Cuz it looks good on paper to the higher ups when he releases the game. Extra safety functions means faster release and less complaining.

Main reason was to get Yui in as Kirito and Asuna's "daughter"

3)

Spoiler:

You're talking about him coming back to stab Heathcliff I assume. Ya, Power of Love is probably the best way to put it, though Cline probably still has that revival item on him as well, so dunno.

4)

Spoiler:

Ya, married = shared inventory. Probably a memento left behind by the system.

5)

Spoiler:

I believe the initial reason was to help them escape and make them more survivable as a group, but he probably warmed up to them at some point

Reki's well aware that there are issues with the SAO story, especially regarding inconsistencies between main story and side stories, since they were written after the fact. I believe I've heard that he plans to go back and rewrite the entire SAO section, but I forget where i heard it and don't have any immediate source at the moment.