Sword Art Online Discussion Thread

[superdry]

Originally Posted by HitokiriShadow

Really? That's.... very odd. I wasn't going to blame the writer for this since I figured it was one of the things the anime cut (as it sounds like a lot of details were removed from the anime) but I guess I can/have to blame it on him after all. Either way, doesn't make it less odd to suddenly bring up here for the first time or mean that it wouldn't have dealt with one of the dumber complaints had it been mentioned early on.

The novels are told from Kirito's POV, right? If that's the case, either no one before Asuna told him, he didn't ask any info brokers, cared or wondered (he did seems intent on trying to beat the game). So, while I was thinking "oh great, now they bring it up" while watching the episode, it sort of makes sense it was brought up during that scene.

If the anime wasn't telling the story chronologically, we would have heard about it a few episodes earlier.

[HitokiriShadow]

Originally Posted by superdry

The novels are told from Kirito's POV, right? If that's the case, either no one before Asuna told him, he didn't ask any info brokers, cared or wondered (he did seems intent on trying to beat the game). So, while I was thinking "oh great, now they bring it up" while watching the episode, it sort of makes sense it was brought up during that scene.

If the anime wasn't telling the story chronologically, we would have heard about it a few episodes earlier.

Seems like a rather big thing for Kirito to not know about and Asuna seemed to be saying it as if Kirito already knew it and she was just referring to something they both already knew about.

[superdry]

Originally Posted by HitokiriShadow

Seems like a rather big thing for Kirito to not know about and Asuna seemed to be saying it as if Kirito already knew it and she was just referring to something they both already knew about.

I rewatched the scene. I think your right that he did know, probably forgot about it or didn't think much of it early on, but remembered after Asuna mentioned it to him.

[Buckeye]

It starts off with a fishing activity where they Kirito hauls a big one, while Asuna slays it. Then their vacation time is cut short when an emergency comes up and a super-tough boss attacks and there is no escaping this fight.

This episode goes from lighthearted to very serious just like that, and if the boss at floor 75 is this tough, I can't imagine what awaits these characters in the higher floors. And it looks like the players think they know what is happening with their bodies in the real world since they had been playing SAO for two years nonstop as the players are apparently in the hospital now getting their bodies the necessary maintenance while they are playing. This episode leaves its mark by all of the sudden becoming serious again now that clearing the game is about to become much tougher than before. The visuals were really something.

[something]

Okay I need to put my October import order in tonight. Which means this ep is make or break for whether it gets into that order. I guess if I skip it this month I could always double-up for November and get 1-2, but... I'd like to be able to decide now.

Episode 13:

- Now there's a useful person to know: the real life network security guy for SAO.
- Kirito sucks at fishing. Too busy putting all his skill points in "invincible protagonist".
- What are the odds? I've watched two "master of the lake' fishing episodes this weekend. This and SenColle.

- Asuna's sleepwear is ridiculously hot. Sideboob!
- Oh jeeze and she looks so cute in her little dress and hood-thing the next day.
- Huh, not used to this show using this kind of comedy.
- HEY! Asuna got to do a thing by herself again!! I, um, guess a walking fish is a slight step up from low level thugs in a safe zone... maybe? I'll take what I can get, honestly. But can she take out something major and important on the front lines now? I suppose I shouldn't hold my breath.

- Back to work. Vacation is over.
- I'd normally be mad at Kirito for asking Asuna to stay out of this upcoming boss run, but this time it was presented really well. It's not just Kirito being a tough-guy protagonist protectnig the girl; it's Kirito scared shitless and on the verge of a mental breakdown. That's so much more interesting to see than cliche heroism. Asuna's reply was pretty great too. It could be taken as "I have no life outside of you, you're the only reason I matter" but that's not what I really heard from her words.
- Oh hey it took a cour, but they explicitly addressed their situation of their real world bodies. I'm glad Asuna brought that up.

- Yay it's Klein and... I can't remember the other guy's name and choose not to look it upso as to avoid spoilers. But no DEBAN-chan girls yet. ;_;
- Ewwww, ugly cg monster.
- But what the hell, the first truly good fight of the series! We actually get to see people working together, and someone other than Kirito being competent! Very very competent, actually. Klein, shop guy, Heathcliff, Kirito and Asunaaaaaaaaaaa!

Okay that episode was fantastic. Assuming Kirito doesn't just protagonist hax the boss in the next episode, the introduction of Yui and this fight could be the real turning point of the show for me.

Kirito and Asuna are still an absurdly cute couple.
Kirito's fear and hesitation in this episode made him so much more interesting and believable a character. It built on earlier scenes that had done this well too, but it's a lot more important now that he's going through those emotions with someone else.
Asuna had a great performance in his episode too, both in terms of getting to kick some ass, and in terms of really coming across as an equal to Kirito in every sense. I don't necessarily mean that she's equally powerful in-game, but certainly powerful enough to stand beside him, to work with him, to be a team. I was also really impressed with how she was the one who had her emotional shit together, so to speak, and kept Kirito focused even while she herself was just as scared as he was.

SAO tentatively makes my October order. That should ship about four weeks from now, which means SAO just needs to not piss me off and get itself cancelled between now and episode 17 or so. Bringing Yui back somehow would be a great step towards making sure the order stays in place...

[HitokiriShadow]

Originally Posted by something

- I'd normally be mad at Kirito for asking Asuna to stay out of this upcoming boss run, but this time it was presented really well. It's not just Kirito being a tough-guy protagonist protectnig the girl; it's Kirito scared shitless and on the verge of a mental breakdown. That's so much more interesting to see than cliche heroism. Asuna's reply was pretty great too. It could be taken as "I have no life outside of you, you're the only reason I matter" but that's not what I really heard from her words.

Yeah, my instinctual urge was to scream "Fuck you, Kirito!" but I really couldn't here.

- Yay it's Klein and... I can't remember the other guy's name and choose not to look it upso as to avoid spoilers.

Egil or Eigil.

But no DEBAN-chan girls yet. ;_;

Indeed. ;_;

[bear]

Damn, that was good. The first part played well against the last by making such a strong contrast between a peaceful life and what they had to face in battle. And what a battle! Heathcliff finally shows his abilities in a boss battle and Kirito and Asuna were awesome together. Leaving it hanging like that wasn't fair though. Now I've got to wait a week to see the ending.

Asuna is becoming more and more one of my favorite heroines.

[Fencedude]

Sword Art Online? More like Fishing Art Online AMIRITE?

[nakimushi]

Hmm, if the show had actually ended like this, I would have been very unsatisfied.

First, I was somewhat disappointed that the boss battle was completely truncated. When the previous episode ended, the boss monster had taken pretty much zero damage, but at the start of this episode it is on its last (100 or so) legs.

I was actually genuinely surprised by the revelation about Heathcliff actually being the game creator, but what followed was very unsatisfying.

The two things that bothered me the most were first, a player was seemingly able to override an apparent system level paralysis, and second, a player was seemingly able to overcome having zero hit points and ensuing death by sheer willpower?!

Not to mention, the amazingly-not-really-dead player Kirito was then able to kill someone Heathcliff after that - someone who had previously weathered a furious onslaught pretty much unscathed. I suppose that the success of the final attack could be explained by the complete surprise of being attacked by someone who had already died, but it still seemed too easily done.

In the first case I was wondering if perhaps the paralyzed player Asunawas intentionally allowed to escape paralysis by the game creator. Perhaps either out of cruelty, to make Kirito watch Asuna die just before his own death, or out of (a somewhat warped sense of compassion) to grant Asuna's apparent desire to die along side Kirito.

Primarily, because I would have really hated if the show had ended this way, I am somewhat relieved that it wasn't the last episode (I hadn't checked the episode count beforehand, so I did not know for sure that there were actually another 10 episodes after this one).

However, I am having a difficult time figuring out why anyone would voluntarily log into another round, after approximately 4000 people died in this game. That is a pretty high hurdle to clear, and I am not sure it can be cleared gracefully. If the next round does not have the same fatality "feature", it would not really have the same sense of drama for the viewer as the first game did. At least for me it would not.

[bear]

Maybe it's because I've read the novels and knew what was coming, but I thought this episode was magnificent. It actually was as good as my imagination of what it should look like. Asuna... The last scene of Kirito was a perfect coda.

Yes, they managed to exceed the limits of the game, but then it's a complex game and they've managed things like that before. And of course there's Yui somewhere out there who shouldn't have existed so why not this?

As for the rest of the story, you'll have to wait for the next episode. Some are going to hate it for a number of reasons, but there is a logical explanation for the story to continue.