Sword Art Online Discussion Thread

[stardf29]

So... yeah. Weak end to this arc, and it seems that most of the fault of that is in the source material. Not much else to say; hopefully what follows is worth following, lest I drop this show for good.

[pathos]

Originally Posted by Draneor

There were a lot of details about the game and real world technology that didn't make it into the anime that could have provided context. I think this was for the best, honestly (c.f. Index magic side).

There was alot of explanation cut out of it, yup. And, that is either good or bad, depending on how you look at it.

I imagine there would be alot of complaining if long explanations were left in, just like the Index reference.

But, as it is, there is alot of complaining about the lack of explanation. Basically a no win situation, really.

Probably a happy medium would be to leave out most of the walls of text, and leave in alot of Kirito's inner monologue. Would tie up at least a few things, without really making the show dry from a technical "how to" view point.

If they left EVERYTHING in, would probably have come close to doubling the length of what we got though. I don't think they'd have to do much non novel filler to fill up 24-26 episodes, really

[strangefour]

Originally Posted by Draneor

I'd say only part of it is the adaptation (like cutting out Asuna's backstory and related events in Aria in the Starless Night so it all fit in one episode or having Kirito come to Silica's room to explain the fights rather than Silica going to Kirito's room because she wanted to be prepared). Lack of context (i.e., info dump on the mechanics) is another issue. There were a lot of details about the game and real world technology that didn't make it into the anime that could have provided context. I think this was for the best, honestly (c.f. Index magic side).

Wait, we missed out on a back story for Asuna? Damn it anime! Oh well least we didn't get buried under an episode filled with rules and game mechanics. Though finding out a few more things about the game sprinkled in episodes still set in the game would have been nice.

[HitokiriShadow]

Christ, I hate this show so much right now. So much bullshit in this episode.

The main reason I'm even going to keep watching is to finally see Silica and Lizbeth finally get MORE DEBAN at some point.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by pathos

If they left EVERYTHING in, would probably have come close to doubling the length of what we got though. I don't think they'd have to do much non novel filler to fill up 24-26 episodes, really

I think that's usually the main issue with novel to anime adaptations. Novels are naturally rich in detail and description, and even the rather common 6-episodes-per-novel standard (plus or minus) still means a significant of detail gets cut. But given that this is an ongoing series and that this was only the first arc, I'm happy too that they're moving along and we'll see more of it, so that there's some hope that all of the novels can be animated at some point. (If they spent all 25 episodes on just the first arc, they can't necessarily keep that standard up for the rest of the series, and the loss of detail from that point forward could be jarring...)

In the end, as someone who didn't know the novels going in to this, I was pretty satisfied with the way the first arc turned out. And yes, even the ending -- really didn't bother me as much as it seems to have bothered some (if they exceeded the rules of the world, per what Kayaba said, I assume it'll come back again). A big thing I like about this anime is how the various disparate events end up connecting to each other and contributing to the story later on, and I thought that was done quite effectively. So I'm sure that even the events here will have some role in whatever comes next. I'm looking forward to it.

[superdry]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

And yes, even the ending -- really didn't bother me as much as it seems to have bothered some (if they exceeded the rules of the world, per what Kayaba said, I assume it'll come back again).

The end of the game part bothered me when watching due to the high WTF factor. But, as I mentioned before, a bug or glitch in the game could have been found at the moment that allowed them to exceed the rules of the world. Many time in games there are bugs which allows to exceed the rules.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by superdry

The end of the game part bothered me when watching due to the high WTF factor. But, as I mentioned before, a bug or glitch in the game could have been found at the moment that allowed them to exceed the rules of the world. Many time in games there are bugs which allows to exceed the rules.

Well, I think it being a bug or a glitch doesn't make sense (even though it would be plausible), because then it wouldn't be like they exceeded the rules but that they inadvertently discovered some sort of bug or exploit. And if that's the reason, then it really is just random and out of nowhere (and all the "bullshit" complaints are justified).

I think it makes more sense to assume that Kirito and Asuna's will was able to somehow exceed the limits of what was anticipated by the programmer. This could be why, for example, Kirito exceeded Heathcliff's expectation in the first dual requiring him to use the system-assist function, and why he was able to find enough strength to thrust a sword despite being in "death status". During all of Kirito's "crowning moments of glory", he's pushing himself to go faster, and faster (he had the fastest response time in the game), and he said here in this episode that his normal sword techniques relied on his own skill (as opposed to the sword skills, like combos, that are pre-programmed by the game). So anyway... with all this backstory, I think the suggestion is: even in a programmed world, the human mind is able to bend the rules that surround them. This obviously a theme familiar to many sorts of fiction in this sub-genre (including the author's other work). So if this comes back as a theme later in the show, then the events we were shown here may make sense.

(Now, whether people like this only-lightly-suggested theme being used as a plot device to solve the conflict here or not is of course a fair complaint. Even if this is the case, it would have been a bit better if they made it a bit clearer earlier. But then again, the actual conflict here was introduced sort of out of nowhere in the first place. It does have a bit of a "manga suddenly getting cancelled" feel, despite most of the setup elements being properly foreshadowed. I mean, truthfully, this sort of ending could have happened at any floor from this point forward, and it would have been the same. Doing it now is sort of more getting it over with so the story can move on to what's next (because the Asuna/Kirito relationship was about as firmly established as it needed to be, with no more major hurdles left to cross at this point).)

[superdry]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Well, I think it being a bug or a glitch doesn't make sense (even though it would be plausible), because then it wouldn't be like they exceeded the rules but that they inadvertently discovered some sort of bug or exploit. And if that's the reason, then it really is just random and out of nowhere (and all the "bullshit" complaints are justified).

It's a possibility - that's why I tossed it out there even if it's not the case here. I can't remember specific real-world examples off the top of my head, but I remember there were times where a glitch (to help you) was first found in a way that would make players go "what?" But...

I think it makes more sense to assume that Kirito and Asuna's will was able to somehow exceed the limits of what was anticipated by the programmer.

That sounds like a more plausible explanation.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by superdry

It's a possibility - that's why I tossed it out there even if it's not the case here. I can't remember specific examples off the top of my head, but I remember there were times where a glitch (to help you) was first found in a way that would make players go "what?"

Well, there definitely are bugs -- like the "Sleep PK" mechanism that was the topic of episodes 5 & 6. Well, at least, I think it would be considered a bug if this were any other game...

[Ingraman]

Originally Posted by strangefour

-"Are you chuu2 enough to beat me, Kirito?"

"chuu2"? Eh? Chuu^2, perhaps? A reference to the mouse in Utena? ;p

-NOT THE DEBAN BLADE!?

<sigh> If I ever knew either of these terms, I've forgotten the context/definitions...