Sword Art Online Discussion

[EmphaticPikachu]

If GGO ever comes out (Sword art online season 2.) I'm gonna watch it just for the sake of Trap!Kirito.

Reading the light novel version right now.

...just for the sake of Trap!Kirito.



...on a side note, there's a HELL of a lot of more thinking and explaining in the light novel. (might possibly be why so many people hated the adaption.)

I'm having trouble keeping up with all the thinking (Though its possible that thats just because I skipped the earlier light novels just to see Trap!Kirito. XD) honestly. lol

[jonman721]

I just watched the first episode and was pleasantly surprised, I am awaiting watching it tomorrow.

[Vegeta8639]

Ok I read trough some of this thread and it is just sad.
I've seen SAO and the first few episodes are ok but then the huge time skips and character 180s are just too much to look past.
The art is good and the soundtrack is way to good for the show but apart from that not much I actually enjoyed.
Here's a fun fact:SAO was supposed end after the first ark with Kirito waking up and walking trough the hospital but then because if the huge popularity
Out of the 70-80 anime I have seen SAO is somewere in top 50.
And as for best anime this season that's a load of ****. In 2012 we had Fate/Zero and Accel World out of the few I've seen.

[Jolteon91]

Here's a fun fact:SAO was supposed end after the first ark with Kirito waking up and walking trough the hospital but then because if the huge popularity

SAO was announced as being 25 episodes before it started airing, Kirito only woke up in the hospital in episode 14.

[Charizard Champion#06]

Ok I read trough some of this thread and it is just sad.
I've seen SAO and the first few episodes are ok but then the huge time skips and character 180s are just too much to look past.
The art is good and the soundtrack is way to good for the show but apart from that not much I actually enjoyed.
Here's a fun fact:SAO was supposed end after the first ark with Kirito waking up and walking trough the hospital but then because if the huge popularity
Out of the 70-80 anime I have seen SAO is somewere in top 50.
And as for best anime this season that's a load of ****. In 2012 we had Fate/Zero and Accel World out of the few I've seen.

Oh hey, a new members with a good head on their shoulders. Welcome!

SAO was announced as being 25 episodes before it started airing, Kirito only woke up in the hospital in episode 14.

I think they're talking about the novels. Maybe.

[Jolteon91]

I think they're talking about the novels. Maybe.

I don't know, that rest of his post seems fairly anime-centric.

[EmphaticPikachu]

I'm still not understanding these character 180's that people are talking about.

time skips i'll easily give you. Heck, even story I can somewhat give people.

But I didn't notice any character 180s, possibly because I've read some of their thought processes from the light novel, but meh. ._....

Though I admit, if I was to watch a possible second season of SAO, it would entirely be for trap kirito. Kill me. XD

[TotalPotato]

But I didn't notice any character 180s, possibly because I've read some of their thought processes from the light novel, but meh. ._....

Well, Asuna went from shy but sweet to confident but intolerant to insecure tsundere for Kirito in the three episodes she first appeared in.

[EmphaticPikachu]

Well, Asuna went from shy but sweet to confident but intolerant to insecure tsundere for Kirito in the three episodes she first appeared in.

She flipped flopped for her characterization. That was part of her character. And no, it was not a 180 personality twist, it was much more of a "I hid myself from you and made myself out to be much stronger then I actually am". I'll give two examples from what I remember off the top of my head.

During one of the earlier episodes, Kirito objected to the cruelty of "killing NPCs" that Asuna and the rest of knights were suggesting. Then Asuna felt terrible about letting Yui go back when they were a pseudo family. A complete 180 right? Nope. Asuna felt complete remorse for having suggesting that, and she felt that kirito was right during there despite how bad his logic was. Confident Asuna was? No, no she wasn't confident, but she knew she had to be in order to survive. But when Kirito and her "settled down" she started acting more like she wanted to. Expressing her fears and acting somewhat tsun. Having the strength to survive is somewhat of a interpreted theme through the light novel...And the bluring of lines between the viritual and real is another theme I read for myself in the start GGO volume.

Do you kinda get what i mean? She was never "confident" in truth, she was quite scared.

The anime gave us glimpses at it, her breaking down and all, but it never explored her in depth, it kinda just said "she was like this this and that". :/...which is quite sad, but she wasn't pulling 180 flips "for the plot" if thats how you wanna put it.

Any other character 180's people want to tell me? I'm not gonna defend the anime's execution of it, but at least give it a chance to understand it.

[TotalPotato]

I wasn't really talking about her putting on a front to the world - I was talking about how she interacted with Kirito. I mean, there was no reason for her to put on a facade in front of Kirito since they knew each other from the boss fight. Heck, he was the one that made her smile at the end of that. So to have her talk to him like some lazy, deadbeat stranger without any affection whatsoever the next time we see them together is pretty jarring.

If she was really as fragile as you're suggesting, I'd have thought that she would have broken when she was at her most vulnerable - during that first boss fight, when she had zero confidence and was closing herself off from anyone. But she held it together, even when someone died in front of her. That was probably the first time she saw someone die in front of her in Aincrad, too. I stand by my opinion that Asuna is an inconsistent character.

[EmphaticPikachu]

I wasn't really talking about her putting on a front to the world - I was talking about how she interacted with Kirito. I mean, there was no reason for her to put on a facade in front of Kirito since they knew each other from the boss fight. Heck, he was the one that made her smile at the end of that. So to have her talk to him like some lazy, deadbeat stranger without any affection whatsoever the next time we see them together is pretty jarring.

If she was really as fragile as you're suggesting, I'd have thought that she would have broken when she was at her most vulnerable - during that first boss fight, when she had zero confidence and was closing herself off from anyone. But she held it together, even when someone died in front of her. That was probably the first time she saw someone die in front of her in Aincrad, too. I stand by my opinion that Asuna is an inconsistent character.

I wouldn't say its that jarring. She came there and reprimanded him for being so lazy about not doing stuff. A girl trying to talk sense into a guy who's being lazy about it. I never felt like it had anything to do with how she was like that. She just wanted to look professional and him to act a little bit more serious because he wasn't doing much.
...As for after, we all know that despite her reprimanding, and what she was saying having valid points, she wanted be down there sleeping as well. She still has pride, which is what was showing there...but she would of loved to sleep, and kirito continuously knocked her down and made her feel more...I guess i could say at home. :P One or two experiences do not immediately change a person anyway, that's when they start to go after the person.

You seem to misinterpret the way I say she was "Scared" (Or I typed it wrong...I'm not sure I'm sorry if I did). Have you ever talked to someone who went to war? They're always feeling butterflies before a battle. They're always scared, but once they're in there, they go all out to "survive". Or they freak. That can happen too.
She was not confident in knowing she was gonna be okay...But she wasn't "weak" persay. She was just scared, and admitting that to kirito in a weak/tsun way is not supposed to prove she's inconstant with the way she acted earlier.

And she already had to deal with the fact that they could die. She said earlier that she was going to go out there and fight despite the possibility of dieing, because she is stubborn (the anime says it as "because its me"). I'm pretty sure THAT was consistent. XD

[ven?]

Here's a fun fact:SAO was supposed end after the first ark with Kirito waking up and walking trough the hospital but then because if the huge popularity

Same as one piece (buggy arc), naruto (haku/zabuza), bleach, fairy tale, etc, they didn't know how long they were going to be on for and the beginning of the series showed that, at least SAO was so obvious it just made continuous story, that's how just how it works in japan buddy.

I hope they continue the story in a time line rather then directly how the manga worked out, it works better for most anime with a manga with a broken storyline and what gains them independent popularity apart from the manga regardless of what the fans think and regardless of how the manga panned out (They did this with trigun and the anime was a huge success, regardless of uber fans like me who we're disappointed because the manga had way better fight scenes, however the manga was cut up into pieces and was to long to put into a 26 episode format because the author had no idea that the series would be this popular).

[Jolteon91]

Same as one piece (buggy arc), naruto (haku/zabuza), bleach, fairy tale, etc, they didn't know how long they were going to be on for and the beginning of the series showed that,

Yes, they did. It was always planned as 25 episodes.

that's how just how it works in japan buddy.

No, apart from long running shounen, most series have their episode count set in stone before airing, with the odd exception with a series like Uchuu Kyoudai.

[TotalPotato]

I wouldn't say its that jarring. She came there and reprimanded him for being so lazy about not doing stuff. A girl trying to talk sense into a guy who's being lazy about it. I never felt like it had anything to do with how she was like that. She just wanted to look professional and him to act a little bit more serious because he wasn't doing much.
...As for after, we all know that despite her reprimanding, and what she was saying having valid points, she wanted be down there sleeping as well. She still has pride, which is what was showing there...but she would of loved to sleep, and kirito continuously knocked her down and made her feel more...I guess i could say at home. :P One or two experiences do not immediately change a person anyway, that's when they start to go after the person.

Her actions make sense if you look at things from a practical stance, but not from an emotional one. There was a definite bond forged between the two after that first boss battle. But the next time we see them, Kirito's first thought is something like "Oh great, it's her", likely because he knows that Asuna's just going to treat him with disdain. They should be friends, but they're not. Bonds like that shouldn't just disappear.

You seem to misinterpret the way I say she was "Scared" (Or I typed it wrong...I'm not sure I'm sorry if I did). Have you ever talked to someone who went to war? They're always feeling butterflies before a battle. They're always scared, but once they're in there, they go all out to "survive". Or they freak. That can happen too.
She was not confident in knowing she was gonna be okay...But she wasn't "weak" persay. She was just scared, and admitting that to kirito in a weak/tsun way is not supposed to prove she's inconstant with the way she acted earlier.

I don't think you can admit weakness in a tsun way, but I see what you're getting at. Fair enough.

And she already had to deal with the fact that they could die. She said earlier that she was going to go out there and fight despite the possibility of dieing, because she is stubborn (the anime says it as "because its me"). I'm pretty sure THAT was consistent. XD

Funny how for all her talk about going out there to fight, Kirito's the one that ends up duelling for her freedom rather than Asuna. She could have fought for herself against Heathcliff, and even if she lost, I don't see how her situation would have worsened, and it would have sent a pretty strong statement about her feelings to the Knights of the Blood Oath.

[Asrialys]

I wasn't really talking about her putting on a front to the world - I was talking about how she interacted with Kirito. I mean, there was no reason for her to put on a facade in front of Kirito since they knew each other from the boss fight. Heck, he was the one that made her smile at the end of that. So to have her talk to him like some lazy, deadbeat stranger without any affection whatsoever the next time we see them together is pretty jarring.

If she was really as fragile as you're suggesting, I'd have thought that she would have broken when she was at her most vulnerable - during that first boss fight, when she had zero confidence and was closing herself off from anyone. But she held it together, even when someone died in front of her. That was probably the first time she saw someone die in front of her in Aincrad, too. I stand by my opinion that Asuna is an inconsistent character.

Unfortunately, this is one of those shows where you may need to read the source material (if you haven't already) to get a better idea of the characters. The light novel is still pretty terrible, but it still has more detail. But then the Aincrad stories are pretty fragmented because the writer has a bunch of side-stories written in later volumes that characterize the cast a bit more. Bits of these stories were referenced in the first volume (and slightly in the anime), and I think one or two stories were even animated.

This might have actually been mentioned on the show in later episodes, but Asuna hid away when everyone learned about the perma-death. But then she decided to head out anyway because she was tried to hiding. Before meeting Kirito, her actions were somewhat suicidal, as she kind of didn't care about dying, as she expected it to happen anyway. It's not that she lacked confidence; she almost didn't care. It was Kirito who gave her some hope that the game could be beaten.

But yeah...Sword Art Online (and Accel World for that matter as well) is all wish-fulfillment. Written by the same person, but at least Accel World takes itself a bit more seriously (from what I hear).