Sword Art Online

[Y]

So you're saying that in order to frame Kirito, someone is going to murder another person, they wait days (or even weeks?) before announcing it so it'd be plausible for Kirito to be the culprit? That could work, but it assumes Kirito has not seen anybody during those days and has nobody to prove his green status up until the announcement.

Quite frankly I just assumed that "the guild is going to kill someone and frame Kirito and Asuna" was a novel spoiler disguised as speculation and was theorizing how it could come about. And yes, Kirito's loner nature and reputation would certainly contribute to such a hypothetical frame-job.


It's nice to see...

In two years I'd certainly hope you would max out Cooking skill. Even the grindiest MMO surely doesn't require you to do that much. The comment about her not knowing how butter tastes is pretty retarded in any sense but it's just a little throwaway line.


I have little to add about Asuna's behavior....

An absolutely excellent indictment of the misogyny inherent in these kind of stereotypical anime girls.


It would be a pretty boring death game if you could just completely over-level all of the content.
The characters are in the high 80's level-wise at this point, maybe even 90, so I don't see it being that unbelievable that they could start maxing out skills.

The skill system is explained in the novel (vol 1, ch5 is basically the first half of the episode that just aired and explains how skills/levels relate). I don't know if stuff like that is considered a spoiler, so you can go read just that chapter if you're curious, or I can just tell you.

You obviously have no problem with spoilers since you revealed some in your first paragraph, but no thanks. Maybe you can stick to the super special no criticism thread you simpering idiots got for yourselves in the book forum.

[David75]

I wonder how my hypothesis of the two lovers being framed for killing the useless bodyguard would be a spoiler as I didn't read the novels and did not spoil myself either.

On a totally different subject, I think it's possible time in SAO is actually faster than in the real world. Like those 2 years the players really did feel as 2 years, are in fact 2 hours (or 2 days) in the real world. Now combined with the idea that the brain frying is bullshit and players can't check the truths that were told them... The newsline for the first deaths could also all be forged.

Accelerating the ingame time by 365 or 365*24=8760 times would certainly help the creator having all traped players getting where he wants them to be before they die of dehydration if there's in fact no one to take care of their bodies.

[Kraco]

A brain is a brain. I don't see how you could accelerate a human's processing speed that much beyond what evolution gave us by external means. Maybe the perception of time a little bit, but that wouldn't really help significantly in the long run as I reckon many would notice before long if you tried to shorten a day by more than a few hours.

[Ryllharu]

Dreams are a perfect example of the very real existence of "accelerated" human processing power. Relative hours can pass, and upon waking, only minutes have.

If the related series in the same setting is any indication, it's certainly possible. However, I don't think that is the case here. Unless the creator is very skillful at faking news reports that he showed all the players in the first episode, this is happening in real enough time that the deaths are very real, and the general public is very aware of what happened to the batch of 10,000 hostages.

[Y]

A brain is a brain. I don't see how you could accelerate a human's processing speed that much beyond what evolution gave us by external means. Maybe the perception of time a little bit, but that wouldn't really help significantly in the long run as I reckon many would notice before long if you tried to shorten a day by more than a few hours.

I don't see how you could create a full virtual reality sensoral environment through the power of microwave radiation but it's happening in this show.

That being said I agree with Ryllharu, it doesn't appear as though this time is simulated.

[Kraco]

I doubt I've ever experienced a dream that seemed to cover a long time in any significant detail yet in absolute time was over in minutes. It's true dreams often enough do cover longer times, but they are jumpy or lacking the kind of detail SAO requires. Like you can watch a long movie in five minutes by jumping scenes.

Although they do have so many time jumps in this show that if they weren't there only for the audience, then you are absolutely correct.

[Ryllharu]

The point is that the body is only so fast, and lags behind the brain. Dreams are an easy example. Another would be the thousand thoughts that blast through your mind in the moments before a car crash (or similar event), or even the dozens of imagined scenarios one goes through while choosing the appropriate icebreaker when socializing with someone at a party.

A person's reflexes can be quite good, but nevertheless, the brain operates at electrochemical speeds. Milliseconds.

For all we know, time could be compressed, but the minimal evidence we have to work on suggests otherwise. Once these folks get out, they are going to have horrible muscle atrophy, and probably require months if not years of physical therapy.

[MasterOfMoogles]

You know I distinctly remember wondering what levels the characters were up to in this episode and looking around at the menu screens for an indication but not finding one. Since an upstanding forum member like yourself certainly wouldn't be spoiling from the novels I'm sure, could you point me to the approximate time stamp where Kirito's or Asuna's levels in the latest ep were shown so I could confirm their levels for myself by watching the anime episode again?

Edit - Less anti novelfag angst more reasoned inquiry.
Episode 4, 19:30, Kirito says he is 78. That is in February. Episode 8 is in October. I was extrapolating. The numbers I picked are actually based on speculation, since they don't even explicitly state the level numbers in the novel very much. You know they keep a pretty high level safety margin, higher than the floor they're on for sure, based on everything that has been shown. They're on 74, so the average clearer is probably higher than that. In addition, Asuna speculates Kirito is ~10 levels higher than Kuradeel, another person from her uber guild. That puts him in the high 80's to 90 range.

I guess I should have said "The characters are probably" instead of "The characters are" to indicate speculation, but it seemed like it would be obvious.

[Buffalobiian]

Dreams are a perfect example of the very real existence of "accelerated" human processing power. Relative hours can pass, and upon waking, only minutes have.

I agree with Kraco in that regard. I don't think dreams are compressed really. I thought it was the case that we jump all over the place in dreams which makes it feel as if they went faster.


Quite frankly I just assumed that "the guild is going to kill someone and frame Kirito and Asuna" was a novel spoiler disguised as speculation and was theorizing how it could come about. And yes, Kirito's loner nature and reputation would certainly contribute to such a hypothetical frame-job.

I don't think that would work if you're trying to frame Kirito with doing something as bad as killing, then spreading word that they were the murderers but are now appearing green because it happened XX days ago.

The first thing that comes to mind before you even go back to check their past status is Why are you only reporting it now?

[Inazuma]

People would notice Asuna missing in a matter of hours.
She's high profile guild management - no way people are gonna wait days to ask questions especially if she vanishes from the friend list

[Ryllharu]

People would notice Asuna missing in a matter of hours.
She's high profile guild management one of the only female players who doesn't hang in the first town and isn't dead - no way people are gonna wait days to ask questions especially if she vanishes from the friend listI think this is a bit more apt.

Feel free to add in a variety of "hur hur, she's a girl, hrng" as appropriate for verbal flavor. They are playing an MMO after all.

[Kraco]

I don't think they would frame Kirito killing Asuna (if for no other reason, then for the fact the popularity of this show would diminish if Asuna disappeared). One possibility might be the PK guild tricking the humiliated knight to venture outside of a town and slay him, then later have someone reputable blame Kirito for the deed. Although I reckon aside from any framing they might simply try to use the stalkerish fool to pester Kirito. Or even simpler: Maybe they will attack Asuna directly to put Kirito in a tight spot.

[Archangel]

Episode 09:

Called it, dual wielding. There better be a good explanation as to why he's the only one who has it though.

Prediction for next episode, this red guy also has some extra skill he'll use to win the duel.

[Yukimura]

The PvE action was a nice change of pace from all the dorama we've had the last few eps. It is quite suspicious that Kirito is the only one able to level a particular skill though there's probably some wonderful MMO explanation to explain everything.

It was also nice to see Asuna living up (more like down IMO) to her role as a hero catalyst support character. If she hadn't gone in and gotten herself into danger I doubt Kirito would have made a move and demonstrated that no frail little girls (with maxed cooking stats) would be allowed to come to harm on his watch. I suppose it's better than nothing that she can keep the bad guys busy for a few seconds in addition to making sandwiches but it seems her guild likes sandwiches too so now we get to have an honorable duel for the fair maidens hand. Asuna's thoughts on the matter be damned, yay progress!

[Buffalobiian]

That leader pissed me off as soon as he said that Asuna can't leave on her own accord. Fucking control freak. (/sets off Buff's autonomy-protection-trigger)

Unfortunately I see Kirito losing this dual as well, then given the position (or perhaps he requests it) as Asuna's bodyguard. I was surprised to see them hold off the Assassination guy's role till later.

As for dual-wielding, my assumption would have to be that it has something to do with:

1) The way Kirito uses his sword in SAO, which is interrelated with
2) Kirito's background in Kendo. He didn't mention it in his talk with the imouto, but perhaps he was training under Nitouryu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenjutsu#Nit.C5.8Djutsu) back then.

[shinta|hikari]

The scene where Klein and Kirito were chatting while Asuna is draped around Kirito was really awkward.

[Kraco]

The dual wielding skill could be a direct result of Kirito's solo playing history. As opposed to guild members and more casual party fighters, he has had to do everything by himself and has had nobody but himself and his own sword to rely on in most of the fights, floor end boss fights aside. I think it would actually be pretty natural if the game recorded such individualistic long-term behavior and supported the choice with a rare skill only made available under those conditions. After all, otherwise going solo is highly ineffective and far more dangerous.

The fight surely was refreshing after all the drama, even if it was triggered by idiots.


Asuna's thoughts on the matter be damned, yay progress!

That's what I thought funny as well during the scene, but then I remembered these guys, from the top echelon down to the bottom of the barrel, are all MMO nerds who probably lined up in the middle of the night for hours to be the first ones to get the game. So, a chance to fight over a woman wouldn't by default trigger any red flags in their minds. Quite the contrary as we saw. But it's not like Asuna wouldn't by now know what kind of a dude Kirito is (and isn't).

Edit: I wonder if the guys at Asuna's guild really thought it through when they decided to recruit Kirito using Asuna. Sure he's big news now, but he's probably even bigger trouble unless they simply want his name on the list and an extra hand in some boss fights (in which he would have been anyway). I doubt he's going to be any more agreeable in front of them or bow down and follow their orders. At least I hope he won't!

[Buffalobiian]

What the Blood Oath guy said about their forces being stretched doesn't make sense. If they were an expanding empire that's trying to maintain control over all the grounds they've conquered, it's fair enough that they don't have enough forces to secure their outskirts and prevent invasion/flanking.

As a guild that's trying to clear floors though, one party making their way to the top is all that's required. You don't need to station people one each floor that you conquer. Even if I assume that each successive floor is geographically larger than the previous one, you just have to clear one section at a time (and if this episode is indicative of previous levels, you only have to clear the path to the boss in order to advance). It's not like you had to clear all the dungeons and have people stationed to keep clearing the re-spawning monsters.

[darkshadow]

They prolly have people stationed on several floors to help people with quests. (which is fucking stupid)

[fireheart]

So Kirito more or less just soloed the level 74 boss that had 4 life bars all by himself...

[Buffalobiian]

So Kirito more or less just soloed the level 74 boss that had 4 life bars all by himself...

Yes. He also had half of his health zapped before he activated the skill, so he would have had more health if he began the fight with the intention of dealing the highest DPS possible.

[shinta|hikari]

I don't think it is a repeatable feat. He was lucky and went berserk. It just so happens that it turned out well.

[KrayZ33]

do we actually know how much HP he had left? might be the case that the group actually managed to drain some of its health

[Ryllharu]

I take it that the major disadvantage of the two-sword style that went unsaid is that you can't parry well, if at all. That's why he uses such heavy swords, whereas Asuna uses light swords to take advantage of her speed. Kirito lost more life in during that brief 50-hit combo than he did the rest of the time, or against any other opponent we've seen (where he's not 20+ levels over).

Would have been nice if they had verbalized it, but you could tell from his expression during the fight, and the fact that he was getting hit on his sides. Earlier he was pushing the boss' blade much further away from himself.

[NeoCybercoin]

So nobody noticed how the person he thought was waking him was someone other than Asuna? Maybe that was his sister trying to wake him from the game. I mean he almost did die so perhaps is slightly slipped back into the real world if not only for a second.

[Ryllharu]

Wasn't it Sachi's face?

[Buffalobiian]

Wasn't it Sachi's face?

That's what I thought.

The hair colour in that shot was somewhat blue and matches Sachi's more so than Kirito's sister. Also, if we're going to say that her lips matched the audio "Kirito-kun", his sister doesn't refer to Kirito by name.

Neo's theory was interesting. I was wavering after reading that until I went back to ep 1 and made the above observations.


I don't think it is a repeatable feat. He was lucky and went berserk. It just so happens that it turned out well.

Indeed. It felt like either the Klein or Asuna's conversation should have happened first, but they ended up squeezing both in. Having Asuna's conversation first would have avoided the awkward positioning/timing, but broken up the amount of contiguous time focused on Kirito/Asuna's desire to stay together.

And as for the parrying comment, it could be a feature of dual wielding itself, OR just Kirito being locked in his Star Burst Stream combo. Dodging might be harder since you're more encumbered, but the blocking aspect seemed to get a powerup, so I'm not sure what that says for parrying overall.

Skyrim's dual wielding system is as you say though, and I'm not at all surprised if the skill comes at such a cost.

[Kraco]

That's what I thought.


So did I, but then I checked the Sachi episode and it looked different. But it might be just the lighting and the fact in this returning consciousness scene the girl didn't have eyes at all. And eyes make a pretty significant portion of recognizing an anime character. So, it could have been Sachi as well, I suppose.

[David75]

I noticed Kirito did not seem to get an item for clearing that boss.
But I guess Asuna makes a good replacement :D

I somehow felt like I recognized Sacchi's voice. Might be the hair color as you all said.
I guess they want to make it difficult for Asuna to get Kirito's heart.

[KrayZ33]

Sachi has a mole on the right side of her face, so has the girl who tried to wake him, I thought its Sachi


but I like the theory of her being his sister alot more
mostly because I can't see why he'd think of Sachi now that he has such a close relationship with Asuna.... unless they went for another "ghost"story element like they did with the fake-murders when that dead girl showed up at her grave.


edit: I just noticed something....after seeing the flashback of Asuna planing the raid as a vice commander.

"We are going to lure the boss into town" -> "Boss monster won't leave their rooms"

so what is it now :/

[darkshadow]

Close relationship? In his eyes they were nothing more than friends.

[David75]

Kirito has had flashbacks with Sachi dying all the time he decided to enter the fight. It would not be a great stretch to think she's the one in his NDE too. It doesn't mean it has to be her. Just that he still thinks a lot about her in dire situations at least and was already doing that, just before his NDE.

[KrayZ33]

Close relationship? In his eyes they were nothing more than friends.

Klein Introduced himself to Asuna and says he's single etc.
-
Kirito hits him hard for no real reason (especially if you consider how he is not fooling around like this normally)

its like saying, dat girl is mine

[Kraco]

Yeah, that's what I'd think as well, if it was Sachi. Since he regrets nothing more than letting Sachi die, it's not a stretch (to quote David) for him to twist it around so that when he almost died, it was Sachi watching over him. I have a feeling if he now had to choose between seeing Asuna die or shield her with his own body, he wouldn't hesitate a nanosecond to take the deathblow himself, so lying dying with someone watching over would be preferential to losing someone again.

[MasterOfMoogles]

edit: I just noticed something....after seeing the flashback of Asuna planing the raid as a vice commander.

"We are going to lure the boss into town" -> "Boss monster won't leave their rooms"

so what is it now :/

I think that was a special boss that wasn't in a dungeon, but out in the field.

[Buffalobiian]

Was that the 67th floor that they mentioned twice this episode? I don't have the means to check.

[darkshadow]

Klein Introduced himself to Asuna and says he's single etc.
-
Kirito hits him hard for no real reason (especially if you consider how he is not fooling around like this normally)

its like saying, dat girl is mine

He might've liked her on some loser virgin level, but he clearly had no romantic interest in her at all until perhaps the very end of this ep.
The punch was just some silly anime humor to stop klein from stammering/lagging.

[David75]

Now, an interesting twist would be sachi=kirito's sister. But that would be an extreme stretch, since he should recognize his sister... After all the mirror worked for everyone when looking back at ep one. And I do not think the game did allow new players to enter after the initial ones. After all, there are nervgears and games ready available with the so many dead from the beginning. Would they have the mirror function, or be able to sport a different avatar?

So stretch it a little again and his sister is not dead after losing the game, she's there to wake him up when he's about to lose in game. After all, you can maybe with a monitor see a player's game...

[Kraco]

No, it wasn't his sister. No matter how big a nerd he is and how antisocial, he would have recognized his sister, and more than that, the sister would have recognized him, and I very much doubt she would have kept quiet.


He might've liked her on some loser virgin level, but he clearly had no romantic interest in her at all until perhaps the very end of this ep.

I have to disagree. It certainly is on some antisocial virgin level because that's what he is, but nevertheless I doubt, despite his past with Sachi, Silica, and the smith girl, he would have gone this much out of his way to dance to Asuna's whims unless he felt something. In fact it should be the contrary after the other girls: Surely he's already tired of endangering them. But he couldn't help it with Asuna, despite the fact there wasn't any special reason for partying with her (no mission like with Silica the Bait and the blacksmith girl).

[Buffalobiian]

No, it wasn't his sister. No matter how big a nerd he is and how antisocial, he would have recognized his sister, and more than that, the sister would have recognized him, and I very much doubt she would have kept quiet.



I have to disagree. It certainly is on some antisocial virgin level because that's what he is, but nevertheless I doubt, despite his past with Sachi, Silica, and the smith girl, he would have gone this much out of his way to dance to Asuna's whims unless he felt something. In fact it should be the contrary after the other girls: Surely he's already tired of endangering them. But he couldn't help it with Asuna, despite the fact there wasn't any special reason for partying with her (no mission like with Silica the Bait and the blacksmith girl).

She did threaten him at (butter)knife point...

[shinta|hikari]

He could have easily parried that with dual wielding (knife and fork) if her really wanted to.

[KrayZ33]

I take it that the major disadvantage of the two-sword style that went unsaid is that you can't parry well, if at all. That's why he uses such heavy swords, whereas Asuna uses light swords to take advantage of her speed. Kirito lost more life in during that brief 50-hit combo than he did the rest of the time, or against any other opponent we've seen (where he's not 20+ levels over).

Would have been nice if they had verbalized it, but you could tell from his expression during the fight, and the fact that he was getting hit on his sides. Earlier he was pushing the boss' blade much further away from himself.



skill description (as shown in this ep) says there is no disadvantage

attackspeed bonus 1.8
weapon defense bonus 1.5
cooldown bonus 1.2

offensive and defensive stats increase


I wonder what will happen if he respeccs to something like a 2h-build

DUAL WIELD HAND-AND-A-HALF SWORD!

[Ryllharu]

That would require Monkey Grip, duh. I don't know if Sword Art Online has that feat.

[Kraco]

DUAL WIELD HAND-AND-A-HALF SWORD!

He's already dual wielding two perfect longswords. They are very long and the grips are designed for two hands, if you have a look at the ep. But since he has the strength and endurance to use them single-handedly, why not. It's certainly more versatile. Not shabby by any means to use two at the same time.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 10 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=350298)

[Roko]

Duel was shorter than I expected; was hoping we could have seen more of Holy Sword, at the very least some more skill usage by Heathcliff.

The romantic relationship progressed a bit rapidly for my tastes, given how Kirito is a solo player and probably didn't spend much time hanging out with Asuna ever since the 1st floor boss. They've only been partying together for what, a couple of days at most? And now they're all lovey-dovey.

So avatars can do it in-game? VR must be a godsend for these virgin nerds.

[miyama_ryu]

So what happened in the battle with Heathcliff? One moment Kirito's sword is like an inch from his head then the world goes red. Then next moment Kirito is parried. Does Heathcliff have a slow time ability?

[Kraco]

Kirito should have marched to the commander's office and asked just what kind of a lousy guild tries to cowardly assassinate its new members during the first mission. That would have put the arrogant man down a notch or two. And Kirito could have used it to extort himself the right to use a black coat...

I don't mind the romance speeding this much. They have got through a few sticky situations together already, and seen life can be cut short abruptly in the game. Under such circumstances it's perfectly natural to take quicker steps. And it's not like they wouldn't have felt at home in each other's company.

[KrayZ33]

give him a hood, give him a hood! its Ezio!

prot warriors are OP in games where no magic is allowed :/

[Kraco]

prot warriors are OP in games where no magic is allowed :/

Poisons seem to work splendidly, though. A wise man would invest a few skill points in that area.

[fireheart]

Don't mind the jump in the relationship either but the transition from killing a person to going all lovey dovey just felt weird. Wish you'd have seen Kirito at least reflect on the fact that he just killed someone, this episode makes him come of as not caring one bit about it.

[Buffalobiian]

I thought it would have been more fitting for Kirito to remain an amputee. I'd have to try harder, which would only help Asuna fall for him more. It also adds to the relation as being a constant reminder (for the viewer) as to what Kirito was willing to sacrifice for Asuna.

The red intent thing was weird, but what I liked even less was that the dual was set to stop when you hit yellow and not red. It's a large safety margin, but also only lets you fight until you're "bleeding", let's say, and not incapacitated.

I'm still unsure about whether they had sex or not. You can say it's "implied", but Asuna could just be a nude sleeper for all we know.

[shinta|hikari]

How much are you willing to fool yourself to preserve the virginity of an anime girl?



I am not belittling you. I am asking because had Asuna been a loli, I would do the exact same thing.

[Buffalobiian]

How much are you willing to fool yourself to preserve the virginity of an anime girl?

I'm never comfortable calling out something as certain if I feel there's room for doubt, that's all.

My physics teacher must have hated me during exams since I'd call his butt off his chair about 5 times per exam to clear up any doubts about the way he's worded a question.

[shinta|hikari]

That feeling (that there is room for doubt) is the self delusion I am talking about. ;)




Asuna is physically still a virgin anyway, so don't worry about it too much.

[Kraco]

but what I liked even less was that the dual was set to stop when you hit yellow and not red. It's a large safety margin, but also only lets you fight until you're "bleeding", let's say, and not incapacitated

Actually it was in a first strike mode (at least in my watched sub), which would mean, I reckon, that the duel ends when the first real hit is made.

Edit: Now that you mentioned not liking about something, I'd say I didn't like how Kirito fought like a mindless berserk without any sense or tactics. Who the hell taught him to keep targeting the shield? Even the father of all bad swordplay impressions, Error Flynn, wouldn't have done that.

[Buffalobiian]

That feeling (that there is room for doubt) is the self delusion I am talking about. ;)




Asuna is physically still a virgin anyway, so don't worry about it too much.

You know, it's weird. I've long been tainted with thoughts about anime characters having hot, steamy cuddles.. but somehow I can't ever fit that image with Asuna.

Not even the plethora of doujinshi's out there can achieve that.

So perhaps you're right and the doubt lies within me instead.

On the other hand, why wouldn't they draw Kirito (half?) naked to seal the message? :S

At least Nanoha was << getting dressed when she got out of the bed with Fate still sleeping in it>>.

[shinta|hikari]

Because getting dressed in SAO is just a matter of clicking a (UI) button.

@Kraco - Kirito wasn't targeting the shield. The leader was simply blocking every single one of his attacks. The leader was moving his shield to block Kirito's attacks most of the battle.

[Archangel]

I'm still unsure about whether they had sex or not. You can say it's "implied", but Asuna could just be a nude sleeper for all we know.

LN answer: http://i48.tinypic.com/2v8041y.jpg

[Kraco]

@Kraco - Kirito wasn't targeting the shield. The leader was simply blocking every single one of his attacks. The leader was moving his shield to block Kirito's attacks most of the battle.

If you can't bypass that by dual wielding, you should drop dual wielding and grab the single sword with both hands and put more power to each swing. Otherwise you look like an idiot.

[Archangel]

LN answer: http://i48.tinypic.com/2v8041y.jpg
This isn't a spoiler by any definition of the word.

You're pathetic, Bill

[NeoCybercoin]

That made me laugh

[KrayZ33]

If you can't bypass that by dual wielding, you should drop dual wielding and grab the single sword with both hands and put more power to each swing. Otherwise you look like an idiot.


but its a game, and stats stay the same,

dual wield > 1h

[David75]

I'm pretty sure Asuna and Kirito had sex. The episode title leads us to think Asuna lost virginity too...

[Archangel]

I'm pretty sure Asuna and Kirito had sex. The episode title leads us to think Asuna lost virginity too...
Virtual virginity. Technically her hymen is still intact.

Maybe Bill can find some measure of peace on that fact alone.

[Kraco]

but its a game, and stats stay the same,

dual wield > 1h

Which brings us right back to the starting point of Kirito being an idiot by hitting the same spot with both swords.

Conclusion: Kirito is an idiot who can only fight like a berserk.

But then again, he still claimed the girl's virtual virginity, so who cares about one fight?

[KrayZ33]

im not quite sure how dual wield works in RL but I can't imagine its possible to bypass such a huge shield without leaving urself open

it was a back and forth in the beginning with both sides trading blows and parrying ...
in the end when he activated his Starburst-stream thingy he even managed to push the commander's shield to the side, so his technique was effective after all

[Roko]

Conclusion #2: Kirito is great at pve but sucks at pvp.

Edit: What Kray said makes sense.

[Ryllharu]

im not quite sure how dual wield works in RL but I can't imagine its possible to bypass such a huge shield without leaving urself open
That's because dual weild generally doesn't work for longer weapons. European saber/rapier, but with a dagger offhand, Musashi's style (longsword and short sword), and stuff like handaxe/tomahawk and knife (both smaller weapons to start with). That's about it. There are a ton of southeast asian martial arts that use them, but again, smaller weapons like eskrima's rattan sticks.

Longswords like Kirito's wouldn't work. They are too unwieldy in one hand, and would be very slow. His style is the thing of Dungeons and Dragons and other fantasy works. They don't have the mass to knock the shield aside and throw him off balance. A mace or hammer might do the trick. He could only ever get glancing blows in. Even his powerstrike was only so strong, it allowed Heathcliff to bring his shield back in line for a deflection. With a leaping attack, we notice, leaving Kirito even more off balance and without any leverage.

Also note that Heathcliff uses his shield for bashing Kirito in the face, preventing him from getting the proper angles, he's not just absorbing blows. He also only has one strap in hand, not both attached to his arm. That decreases his defense, but opens up a lot more options for offense.

Kirito's flashy style is horribly disadvantaged, that's probably why he challenged Kirito in that way in the first place.

Good video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Ms9RMH7IA) on viking sword + shield fighting demonstration from a historian's perspective. A museum lecture. You get an idea why it was so common on the medieval battlefield, because it worked.

[Buffalobiian]

This isn't a spoiler by any definition of the word.

You're pathetic, Bill

The fact that it was something from the novel that wasn't "revealed" as actual fact in the anime means it qualifies.

It's the same as all the other "spoilers" that people have been called out for in this thread when someone reveals a game mechanic/fact when it was still debatable in the way it was being presented.

And since I didn't remember removing those out of the posts, I didn't remove it out of yours either. The only difference is that those "spoilers" are generally preceded by the words "Well in the LN..", which at least gave the reader an option to ignore it. As such, I offered readers the same opportunity in the above edit.

edit: following up from Ryll, Japan's Nitouryu is the only style I know that dual wields longswords. It can work against a single katana wielder since it effectively lets you burst out two attacks in succession quickly from different angles, but also means you have to "reset" your stance afterwards. I can't see it being too effective against a shield, but I can't see a single sword being effective either.

I suppose with two swords you can actually jab with one while threatening to strike with the other while you wait for an opening.

[Hitokiri]

shenanigan aside, that's how you use a sword and board.

Godfrey's VA sounds like Gai from Naruto.

Laughing Coffin strikes again... Should be interesting to see if we get a retaliatory of some sort from the head guy seeing as Kirito gets to walk away again.

Asuna flashes a little T&A and Kirito wants to get hitched. Wow...

[David75]

I guess there's no way in SAO to keep a record of what happened between Kirito and the 2 other guys and also when Asuna appeared.
There's no way for an outsider to know precisely what happened when Sachi and her comrades died.

Also it seems Kirito and Asuna will be out of the guild for some time.

Wouldn't people think they are in fact evil PKs? Especially if some people spread the right rumors at the right time?

[Kraco]

Laughing Coffin strikes again... Should be interesting to see if we get a retaliatory of some sort from the head guy seeing as Kirito gets to walk away again.

I doubt this incident really changed much for Laughing Coffin. The head honcho must have been just using the loser guy, Asuna's stalker, and in the end I wouldn't be so sure Laughing Coffin even expected Kirito to fall.


Asuna flashes a little T&A and Kirito wants to get hitched. Wow...

If anything, Asuna herself has been wanting that for a longer time now. Kirito just took responsibility after the night, like they often say in anime.


I guess there's no way in SAO to keep a record of what happened between Kirito and the 2 other guys and also when Asuna appeared.
There's no way for an outsider to know precisely what happened when Sachi and her comrades died.

Also it seems Kirito and Asuna will be out of the guild for some time.

Wouldn't people think they are in fact evil PKs? Especially if some people spread the right rumors at the right time?

Considering the guild is held in high regard and Asuna is famous in a positive way, I doubt those rumours would amount to anything much. Kirito the lone wolf is of course the weak link, but even he was accepted into the guild in a flashy and popular manner, so most people should ignore plain rumours without any solid evidence backing them.

[David75]

Kirito's red thingy, Asuna's orange, 2 guild members dead. With well crafted storytelling you can really start something.

[Archangel]

Kirito's red thingy, Asuna's orange, 2 guild members dead. With well crafted storytelling you can really start something.
You don't get orange or red by attacking an already orange player.

[David75]

You don't get orange or red by attacking an already orange player.
I do not think it has been said in the anime yet?

[Kraco]

Kirito's red thingy, Asuna's orange, 2 guild members dead. With well crafted storytelling you can really start something.

Sure, but will it really matter? If they are ever confronted, all they would need to say is that it was self-defense. Only petty and jealous people or individuals that already had a grudge against them would actually take the lies to heart. And you can't live your life worrying about such people. Kirito and Asuna both are famous already, so they can't avoid having small-minded people hate them in any case.

Plus I'm not sure the high-profile PK guild would bother with such a slow and roundabout way with no particular solid outcome. Using the loser stalker to poison Kirito was much more fitting, and quite a decent plot all in all, although I was a bit surprised Kirito swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. But then again, he's a loner so maybe he can judge people neither in good nor bad.

[Archangel]

I do not think it has been said in the anime yet?
The orange guild leader said something to that effect.

[David75]

Thanks, I seem to miss a lot of details these days ;)

[Xrlderek]

LN answer: http://i48.tinypic.com/2v8041y.jpg
I've recently started reading it and didn't even know that chapter existed until now. So the translators deemed the authors own chapter too explicit and just removed/deleted it? Seems so wrong but whatever.

I love the premise but hate that it goes so fast.. could be a huge epic story of this if it went through floors a bit more slowly and really built the world instead of this "suddenly more than half the game is cleared" stuff.

[Y]

I've recently started reading it and didn't even know that chapter existed until now. So the translators deemed the authors own chapter too explicit and just removed/deleted it? Seems so wrong but whatever.


The translators want to avoid people having the awkward realization that they are reading a fanfiction-level piece about fucking underage girls in the Matrix, and not some GREAT NOVEL.

[Kraco]

If the sentence in Archie's pic is truly a direct translation from the novel, I have to say most of the h-doujins I have read have had better writing. But yeah, I'm understanding better and better why Y hasn't been much praising the source.

[Archangel]

If the sentence in Archie's pic is truly a direct translation from the novel, I have to say most of the h-doujins I have read have had better writing. But yeah, I'm understanding better and better why Y hasn't been much praising the source.
Word for word.

Glop glop glop.

[Y]

If the sentence in Archie's pic is truly a direct translation from the novel, I have to say most of the h-doujins I have read have had better writing. But yeah, I'm understanding better and better why Y hasn't been much praising the source.

I read the first "novel" just to be able to talk shit to people coming into this thread huffing and puffing about how all the flaws are the result of a bad adaptation. The prose in the baka-tsuki translation is something that would get you beat up when the bullies were reading it out of your notebook in grade school. I think in equal measure the absolute worthlessness of the novels is due to them being the author's first longform work ever and the awful, direct transliteration done.

[shinta|hikari]

To be fair, it wasn't written under Reki's name, but another pen name used by the writer. It was supposedly only posted on the 18+ section of the author's website and was never published in Dengeki Bunko.

I have read that specific chapter and it was written very very badly, just like the line in question suggests. I found it hilarious at first, but then had to stop reading because it was so horrible. However, the writing style is quite different from the rest of SAO, so either it did not go through the usual editing process, or it was written by another person.

I am not saying SAO has good writing though. It is very amateurish even for a light novel.

[Buffalobiian]

We do have a comparison thread (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php/20966-Sword-Art-Online-Comparisons-between-the-Light-Novel-and-the-Anime) for everybody who wishes to make further comparisons between the anime and the LN, so I'll ask that further discussion here be more relevant to the anime.

So Asuna was allowed to leave the front lines with someone for an unspecified amount of time, but wasn't allowed to follow a guy to fight on the front lines. Blood Knights seem more possessive than anything else.

[shinta|hikari]

Was Asuna in any real danger when the idiot guy tried to slash her? Her HP must be full, and I doubt a single attack (it wasn't even a skill), even if taken full on, will even get her HP to the red zone. Kirito must have known this as well, yet proceeded to kill the stalker. Kirito's HP was full as well due to the healing crystal. This seems to suggest that rather than actually trying to save Asuna from death, he decided that the guy deserves to die. It wasn't self-defense or protection. It was punishment.

Don't get me wrong, the guy deserved it. I'm glad Kirito killed the bastard.

[Buffalobiian]

As you said, the two weren't in any real danger if you thought about it. The whole chopping hand thing was for effect I think.. in order to give us the impression of needing to kill Kuradeel. (all the reason why Kirito should have remained handicapped IMO)

Then again, with someone like Kuradeel you might not know. Poisoned blades should be something he (and the game engine) should be capable of.

[Yukimura]

I find it a testament to how soured I am on this series that even though it (nearly) gave me something I find sorely lacking in anime, namely teenagers who are developing feelings for one another getting to the awkward but determined sexual stage in their relationship rather than hovering indefinitely just beyond it to appease delicate sensibilities, but the execution was so lame and full of holes I couldn't really get into it.

Usually I can suspend my disbelief and let myself get into the mindset the author/creator wants me to be in even if I know the things happening wouldn't or shouldn't make sense in reality, but SAO seems especially determined to come off as forced as possible whenever any major 'emotional' developments come along and I just can't stop seeing it.

Item the first: The guy who died escorting Kirito and Kuradeel was given enough characterization to make him seem somewhat likable, but then when he was killed, rather brutally even, no one cared about him after or was affected by his death in the least. I can see how it might have been overshadowed in Kirito and Asuna's mind due to their focus on the feelings of nearly dying/nearly losing their love interests however this still bugged me. If you're going to do the whole kill a red shirt thing to show how serious things are, you shouldn't bother trying to make people like them or even notice them as an individual rather than a plot device and then treat their death as meaningless and not have any character acknowledge or be affected by it.

Item the second: Kirito just had what should have been a rather traumatic near death experience, and it should have been rather novel to him since he was completely helpless the whole time and stared death in the face without the benefit of adrenaline fueled tunnel vision to distract him, but of course he's fine b/c he's an anime hero not some whiny Shinji, but I couldn't make myself 'shut up and enjoy it' because the author has spent too much time bouncing the characters back and forth, and rather jarringly at that, between normal human mode and fantasy hero mode. So after very nearly dying Kirito just wants to have a nice dinner with Asuna because real badasses aren't affected by their emotions except to put on a show for girls that they do in fact have softer sides.

One thing that I did 'like', in the sense that I was able to keep my disbelief suspended anyway, was much of Asuna's behavior. I don't find this particularly surprising since she is so blatantly written to be the idealized female companion for a gamer nerd with a hero complex but I can accept judging her based on the role she has been assigned and admit that she is good in it.

[David75]

Bottling up everything inside so that in comes back with a vengeance is quite possible too. I don't know if that will happen here, but psychology can also be like that. Especially in teenage males still dreaming of being the ultimate hero.

Now it's entirely possible they wanted to keep the couple arc progressing and will come back to side characters in due time.

I like that you (and I too ) can't even name the guy that died.
Sure, to Kirito and Asuna, it should be far more important they remember because of the consequences and the reality they're in.
But on our level, we do not care that much either, for forgetting the poor guy's name so easily.

[Kraco]

The dead guy got what he deserved. It was partially his fault the whole thing happened. He didn't do it on purpose, but he cluelessly insisted on doing it plus even put the guilty guy in charge of supplies. He paid the highest price, so that's it, but he's in no need of a memorial service.

I agree with David on this thing breaking some dam inside Kirito so that he suddenly pushed forward. Who knows, without this incident their relationship could have remained Asuna making roundabout advances and Kirito half evading, half enjoying it for a long time. Now, I suppose, it struck Kirito that he might never get the chance to get rid of his virtual virgity unless he does it the first chance he gets. Well, actually he wasn't planning that far, being who he is, but maybe his balls already did even if his mind didn't.

[MFauli]

Awww, another gay hero, as this latest episode revealed.

Pretty girl gets naked, tell her "I only wanted to sleep in the same room, nothing else!"

:/

Anyway, I watched all 10 episodes in like two days. Question: Is the manga also this rushed? Each episode seems to make a big jump forward. Kind of my main complaint about this anime. Oh, and I´m a bit annoyed by some characters admiring Kirito´s skills, when he himself explained in earlier episodes that strength is wholly dependent on your level, "MMORPGs are unfair in that regard", were his words. So, watching him do cool moves may be eye-pleasing, but it´s totally NOT impressive. It´s the reason why I myself am not playing any MMORPGs, because they´re devoid of personal skills, except for abstract management-skills, sure.

[Y]

Awww, another gay hero, as this latest episode revealed.

Pretty girl gets naked, tell her "I only wanted to sleep in the same room, nothing else!"

:/

Anyway, I watched all 10 episodes in like two days. Question: Is the manga also this rushed? Each episode seems to make a big jump forward. Kind of my main complaint about this anime. Oh, and I´m a bit annoyed by some characters admiring Kirito´s skills, when he himself explained in earlier episodes that strength is wholly dependent on your level, "MMORPGs are unfair in that regard", were his words. So, watching him do cool moves may be eye-pleasing, but it´s totally NOT impressive. It´s the reason why I myself am not playing any MMORPGs, because they´re devoid of personal skills, except for abstract management-skills, sure.

Is it possible for this post to be any more wrong?

[MFauli]

Is it possible for this post to be any more wrong?

Enlighten me, master.

[MasterOfMoogles]

It is HEAVILY implied that Kirito and Asuna got it on.

[Y]

To elaborate on what MasterofMoogles said, not only did they obviously have sex, but MMORPGs typically have a very high skill ceiling as well as a grind, and the pacing of the show is actually glacially slow because despite the large passage of time between episodes, nothing of any account happens for like 8 or 9 episodes in a row with regards to the plot, it's all spent telling boring vignettes. IN addition I know your comment about "another gay hero" was just a joke, but there's a dearth of gay protagonists in every medium. So basically everything you posted was wrong.

[MFauli]

No, I actually thought they didn´t have sex. Of course, episode 11, which came out today, made it clear it happened.

And what I meant with "rushed" was the sudden jump. Episode 1 started on floor 1 and it is explained how there´s a dangerous boss at every floor´s end. We actually get to see how strong floor 1´s boss was. Then next episodes and they´ve conquered like 20 floors. That´s what felt "rushed" to me. And it kept happening.

As for the new episode, I dunno. Kritio and Asuna playing "home" feels weird. Also, what this anime unfortunately ignores is the reality of MMORPGs. The woman at the end of the episode and the three children ... um, what is that?! Children that young wouldn´t be playing MMORPGs, and such ab uptight woman wouldn´t play it, either. Sword Art Online kinda neglects its fantastic elements and simply puts real world-people inside its world. Kind of a missed chance to portray drama, but I guess it wasnt what the author was going for.

[MasterOfMoogles]

Arguably, most of what is skipped wouldn't be very interesting.
Do you want to see Kirito grinding solo for days on end? Most of the boss fights probably end up being pretty uneventful since they should be overleveling everyone and playing it super safe (though I would like to see the boss fights where they said they had trouble. They recently said they hadn't lost anyone since 67 or something, but we never get to see that fight).
Instead of showing all of that, we just get the side stories, little adventures Kirito had throughout the 2 years that show something about either the people he meets, the world, or himself.

If you released a virtual reality game, I'm pretty sure people of all ages and types would try it. Asuna isn't a gamer, for example.

I think you're crazy if you don't think there are little kids playing mmo's.

[Buffalobiian]

HorribleSubs - Episode 11 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=352685)

[Roko]

Is it just me, or did the pace suddenly slow to a crawl? Most of the episode felt like fanservice. I guess there was some fleshing out of characters in that we got to learn more about what kind of people those 2 are (seems like Kirito's only a cold bastard when he's fighting/on the front lines), but other than that, I thought this ep was aimed more at shippers. Hope they get back to the action soon. Yui hasn't really caught my interest.

[Buffalobiian]

The pace has slowed in that for the past 3 weeks or so, the episodes actually follow on directly from each other instead of jumping multiple levels.

I was watching this show with the expectation that it was going to go for 13 episodes.. but now that I've been reminded that it'll go for 2 seasons.. I'm unsure about how I feel about the way things are progressing.

[Kraco]

I really hope this Yui case and the interference looking aberration will lead to something bigger than just an individual arc for Yui. It's clear simply beating the level all the way to the top is the natural main thread of the story, but I wouldn't mind if there was something else going on, even if that's not really mmorpg like. But this isn't just another mmorpg anymore. Although another possibility would be that in RL cops and other officials are messing with the servers or some "test subjects'" nervegear and causing trouble inside the game.

[glitch]

It's also possible that the game spawned them a kid. Yui didn't have a cursor/interface.
But with the static and the other kids, I guess it ain't likely.

[MFauli]

It's also possible that the game spawned them a kid. Yui didn't have a cursor/interface.
But with the static and the other kids, I guess it ain't likely.

That´s what I thought, too. It´s an MMORPG, after all, so Asuna wouldn´t ever get pregnant in the typical fashion. Instead, a child would simply pop up out of nowhere. That it is possible to have such advanced AI was proven when the pet-revival-episode was shown.
Actually, it´s the most likely outcome, the more I think about it.

[Kraco]

Actually, it´s the most likely outcome, the more I think about it.

Which is exactly why I wouldn't want that to be the case. But on the other hand it could make sense. If death is present, why not life as well? Not that it could ever have the same impact. Kirito was all alone when the others were planning to distract monsters by allowing them to massacre NPCs.

[shinta|hikari]

Isn't it funny how Asuna mentioned that suddenly carrying an NPC should normally result in a sexual harassment warning? It makes sense though, since if that wasn't the case, every single virgin geek playing SAO would be raping the female NPCs left and right.

[Buffalobiian]

On the other hand, I thought that it wasn't a case of the system spawning them a child because they'd:

1) know about such a feature from info brokers,
2) be given a baby instead.

Edit: wonder what the harrassment warning encompasses..

[shinta|hikari]

I really wanted to see Asuna and Kirito trading places for the shoulder ride. It would have been hilarious if they were seen in that state instead.

[Kraco]

I really wanted to see Asuna and Kirito trading places for the shoulder ride. It would have been hilarious if they were seen in that state instead.

Kirito was so embarrassed and hesitant to carry even Asuna that there's no way he would have allowed himself to be carried after they were seen by the fishermen, in fact not even without that incident.

What I found funnier is that ghost stories scared Asuna inside a game full of monsters.

[Ryllharu]

This episode was so damn bad. "Nauseating" doesn't begin to describe it. "Contrived" almost nails it though.

I doubt the game randomly spawned them a child, considering this is the girl who flashed before Kirito's eyes as he was about to die in episode 9, before he and Asuna had sex. The one I (among most others) thought looked like Sachi.

Also, horrible voice acting by Itou Kanae (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=creator&creatorid=1443) playing Yui. You can really only do so much with dialogue written this badly, but she's better than this, and has played plenty of children before.

edit:
@MFauli: This is why neither of us recommended Sword Art Online (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php/15334-Anime-Recommendation-and-Suggestion-Query?p=518865&viewfull=1#post518865). It's just not very good.

[MasterOfMoogles]

When Kirito almost died in episode 9, it really looks like Sachi to me. Matching hair color, short hair, mole, and voice. She doesn't look anything like Yui to me.

[Ryllharu]

I looked at it again, I stand corrected.

[Ryllharu]

[HorribleSubs] Sword Art Online 12 [720p] (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=354880)




---------------


Words cannot quite describe how horrible this series is, but I'm going to try. "Overhyped" doesn't quite excuse SAO anymore. It's not a matter of expectation versus "a sub-par adaptation". I can sincerely no longer fathom what led the novel readers to believe Sword Art Online is good. Don't get me wrong, I believe the author can write, Accel World proves that.

The problem is this: I can no longer sustain suspension of disbelief. I'm not sure that has ever happened to me before with anime, since I give it even more leeway than movies. Maybe at the often-terrible abrupt endings to series, but never in the middle. That is how terrible Sword Art Online is.


Let's take some highlights from this episode:

- Yui announces that she is a psychological sub-routine of the primary balancing system, intended to keep players sane while they enjoy SAO. How that is accomplished in the body of an 8 year old is beyond me.
- Oh, but the system that the creator has complete control over went rogue, and didn't allow it to run. While it is far more believable that he just blocked it from running for his own sadistic experiment, why the hell write a complicated psychoanalysis program if you ban it from running? Just make it equally sadistic for that end. You know, like Left4Dead's Director.

But it gets better:
- This psychological sub-routine is drawn to the blatantly disillusional, hero-complex exhibiting Kirito and his (now) hollow shell of a ultimate stereotypical heroine girlfriend/wife...and cites them as the two players in the game with..."normal parameters."

I had to pause the episode at that point and cackle maniacally. Kirito especially, but Asuna as well, are pretty obviously the single two most insane characters in the game. Kirito is happier here than in real life, and Asuna has announced the same. That alone isn't sane, and we've got plenty of other evidence that the two have substantial mental issues.

Then they try this:
- As Yui is being deleted, Asuna says, "I can't smile without you."

To the program she became a mother figure to literally 24 hours ago. What a lame-ass attempt at an emotional pull. It is utterly impossible to believe that she could have gotten that attached to Yui in less than a day, particularly if she is as "sane" as Yui claims the two of them are.

Then we round it all out with Kirito suddenly becoming an elite hacker on the game that he can barely even know how it functions (else they wouldn't actually be trapped here, would they?), much less be able to fire off such quick and bug-free code in milliseconds to not only convert Yui's program to an in-game item, also store her AI sub-routines within the data of his own NerveGear...the device that the creator continues to have complete access over.

But I could be wrong, Kirito clearly reverse engineered the NerveGear during beta testing and has complete access to its functions....right.




Without suspension of disbelief, it will be close to impossible to continue to enjoy this series. But I'm going to keep watching it so I can continue to point out how terrible it is.

[darkshadow]

http://www.imgjoe.com/x/sao.jpg

[MFauli]

What Ryll said.

And yeah, Kirito´s sudden super-hacking skills were my personal worst moments in this episode. I kept asking myself "what the hell is he typing?! He knows shit about the games program code! And when did he learn to hack anyway?!"

Not to mention the ridiculousness that Yui was. I mean ... I ... no. No words. Well, one thing: NEVER in this anime was advanced AI a topic. And guess what - Yui´s story didn´t contribute anything to SAO´s plot. It was complete and utter filler. Unless, of course, we´re about to encounter more AI-characters. Which would suck. A lot. This is a story about real human beings being suck inside a virtual world. That is plot enough. If you want to touch the subject of AIs ... please create another manga/anime for that.

Another dumb moment: When the grim reaper-monster appeared ... why didn´t Kirito and Asuna just run to the rest of the group and use teleport crystals? Made no sense to engage in this fight.

[shinta|hikari]

- Yui announces that she is a psychological sub-routine of the primary balancing system, intended to keep players sane while they enjoy SAO. How that is accomplished in the body of an 8 year old is beyond me.


I think she was made to actually appear and talk to players. The child appearance is probably to make it easier for people to trust and connect with her. People like lolis cute things, after all.



- Oh, but the system that the creator has complete control over went rogue, and didn't allow it to run. While it is far more believable that he just blocked it from running for his own sadistic experiment, why the hell write a complicated psychoanalysis program if you ban it from running? Just make it equally sadistic for that end. You know, like Left4Dead's Director.


The game was supposed to be a proper MMORPG so Yui was there by design. Kayaba just turned it off. Cardinal should still be under Kayaba's control anyway. It was probably easier than modifying it.



- This psychological sub-routine is drawn to the blatantly disillusional, hero-complex exhibiting Kirito and his (now) hollow shell of a ultimate stereotypical heroine girlfriend/wife...and cites them as the two players in the game with..."normal parameters."


I think "normal" in the AI's perspective is how people should have been in the game without the death game modifications. People should be enjoying SAO after all. I agree that Kirito and Asuna are not normal considering the situation.



- As Yui is being deleted, Asuna says, "I can't smile without you."

To the program she became a mother figure to literally 24 hours ago. What a lame-ass attempt at an emotional pull. It is utterly impossible to believe that she could have gotten that attached to Yui in less than a day, particularly if she is as "sane" as Yui claims the two of them are.


I absolutely agree with you. Forced drama sucks.



Then we round it all out with Kirito suddenly becoming an elite hacker on the game that he can barely even know how it functions (else they wouldn't actually be trapped here, would they?), much less be able to fire off such quick and bug-free code in milliseconds to not only convert Yui's program to an in-game item, also store her AI sub-routines within the data of his own NerveGear...the device that the creator continues to have complete access over.


This is probably one of the worst things in the story. It is utterly stupid and could have been done in a more believable way, like Yui managing to save herself after being convinced by the couple to stay with them or something. An AI doing it is more believable than Kirito who was never shown to have programming capability. Why the hell would the admin access still be there anyway if the AI itself visually disappeared?

This has always been my most hated side story retcon in the novels. The entire Yui thing should have been scrapped.

[David75]

Grim reaper was lame, why the hell did its eyes rotate like in a comedy anime when it first hit Yui?
Why the long fire sword, when Yui then states she erased grim reaper? We now have an AI little girl with big fat ass fire sword that puts to shame any phallic sword in the game. How's that for your average geek mental stability?

I also reacted to the statement that only Kirito and Yui are "stable" or "sane".
Well, they mean to say they're the only ones not caring about the real world AND/OR being in love?
Because Klein seemed to be quite sane last time we've seen him.

The hacking:
Why the hell does he need a keyboard and screen in game when everything is connected to his real brain already?


Yui's arc overall:
How's that Kirito and Asuna can't even think for a second this was all some kind of manipulation?
Everything can be faked, from the first second they meet Yui to the item they got.
They even got a great help in having an unidentified over 90 monster wiped for them. Nothing comes for free!


I'm still wondering if there's some kind of relation between Kayaba and Kirito.
After all he was a beta player. He's even the only beta player we know, kinda strange he never had to fight/meet at least another one.

As other said, SAO world is pretty decent with a nice setting and all. There's great potential for nice stories/plot (Accel world I do not watch yet seems to be proof of that).
But clearly, having multiple side stories/arc with no real connection sucks a lot. Even if in the end there's a closing arc that will somehow try to connect everything, seems like it will suck a lot.

[Buffalobiian]

Yui´s story didn´t contribute anything to SAO´s plot.

It serves as another reason to get the duo to fight again. (If you argued that Kirito/Asuna only needed each other in SAO and felt comfortable staying here forever, then Yui becomes a reason for them to exit SAO and live out their lives IRL instead. I guess it also gave an opportunity to explain some more game mechanics..).

Because the definition of "normal" is what the "norm" or "the majority" is, Kirito and Asuna do not qualify. However, I would say that they're psychologically functional in that they're not suicidal and shit like that. But as mentioned by previous posters, there seems to be plenty of other characters enjoying themselves who also fit this "abnormal" mentality.

Unless the pair are the first to have sex in this world or something..

[MasterOfMoogles]

Hacking scenes, as always, are ridiculously silly. He couldn't be writing code, so he was probably just figuring out and using whatever GM tools were installed in the console. GMs can usually spawn items and do stuff to people's accounts. If Yui is some kind of property that can be applied to an item (previously applied to her body) and then he gave the item to himself.... Still pretty ridiculous. The binary matrix stuff they showed and super fast typing, lol.

Yui was drawn to their happiness and joy, something nobody else in the game really has. After 2 years of fighting for their lives, are they really that insane to want to take a break and just enjoy each others' company and live life without being under stress for every second? Especially with their recent near-death experiences. I think it would be a lot more unbelievable if they just went back to clearing the game. Just because they're in a game doesn't mean they don't want to spend time with the person they love.

At least this series doesn't require as much suspension of disbelief as Accel World. The internet doesn't work that way. It has a lot less whining, too.

I don't think anyone would disagree that Yui's arc is the weakest by far.

[David75]

Also, a defective unstable and discarded subroutine judged the pair normal and sane. There's a lot of LOL in that statement :D

[Dark Dragon]

[HorribleSubs] Sword Art Online 12 [720p] (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=354880)
Words cannot quite describe how horrible this series is, but I'm going to try. "Overhyped" doesn't quite excuse SAO anymore. It's not a matter of expectation versus "a sub-par adaptation". I can sincerely no longer fathom what led the novel readers to believe Sword Art Online is good. Don't get me wrong, I believe the author can write, Accel World proves that.

The problem is this: I can no longer sustain suspension of disbelief. I'm not sure that has ever happened to me before with anime, since I give it even more leeway than movies. Maybe at the often-terrible abrupt endings to series, but never in the middle. That is how terrible Sword Art Online is.

I can't speak for anyone else, but i started reading SAO after the first episode, which i thought was pretty good. I read through volume 1, which consist of episodes 1,8,9,10 and probably 2-3 more episodes worth of content. I thought it was ok and continue onto volume 3 (skipped 2 when i found out it was all side stories). I got about half way through 3 and went back to read 2. I didn't mind it too much, but i did get annoy with Kirito's magical hack power too. I then went through 3 and 4, which i thought were better than volume 1. I didn't really start to like the series until i went through volume 5 and 6.

As far as adaptation goes, i still really don't like the way that they went with this series. You can blame the source material for being bad and what not, but that just means that they took materials that was already not good to begin with and made it worst.

I actually went through volume 1,3 and 4 again to see if i simply excused too many things my first time through.
I honestly feels that it's not terrible. It's definitely passable enough to where people could like it because of the additional mmo element.



Without suspension of disbelief, it will be close to impossible to continue to enjoy this series. But I'm going to keep watching it so I can continue to point out how terrible it is.

I'm curious as to why you want want to do that. It's one thing to hate certain elements of a show and continue to watch it for the things that you like. I don't see why you would want to waste half an hour every week and then more time posting just to watch something that you clearly hate.

[Ryllharu]

Yui was drawn to their happiness and joy, something nobody else in the game really has. After 2 years of fighting for their lives, are they really that insane to want to take a break and just enjoy each others' company and live life without being under stress for every second? Nobody else has? What about Klein? He's pretty content with his guild buddies on the near-front lines. Or the other shopkeeper dude? Silica now that she's got her dragon back? What about Lisbeth, even if she's a bit down that she can't ride Kirito's bologna pony? I got one...the assassin guild. I bet they're super happy, they get to live out their fantasies of murdering people. Happiness and joy is really not the correct thing to be drawn to here.

The case for Kirito's lack of sanity is well documented in this thread. Refuting what has already been discussed requires spoiling with Kirito's thoughts, so it remains a valid interpretation. Furthermore, he's gotten worse. The two of them prefer this world to the real one. Kirito has always preferred it, as he told to Silica, confessing about his sister/cousin. He has a serious hero-complex, sympathizes with a madman (Kayaba), and the longer they spend here, the less he remains connected to reality. We've already seen him claim that NPCs are the same as people, when he refused to play along with Asuna's plan.

Asuna has started to admit much of the same, because rather than continue to develop the personality she had, they've decided to warp her into the perfect girlfriend for a sociopath like Kirito.


At least this series doesn't require as much suspension of disbelief as Accel World. The internet doesn't work that way. It has a lot less whining, too.I never said it requires more suspension of disbelief, just that it decides to shatter its own. For Accel World, that is probably true, but there, you have the advantage of it being another 20 years down the road. A lot can change in two decades, and a story set that far in the future lowers the bar accordingly. The other advantage Accel World has is that they never tell you how the Neuro-Linkers work. That leaves the only thing that needs to be accepted is that brains can be accelerated to that rate. Augmented reality is nothing, we can do that (albeit badly) today, and full dives aren't any larger a leap since you already accepted that the Neuro-Linkers augment/stimulate brain activity somehow. I'm curious to see what else you think is needed with that series.

So does SAO really have a lower bar than Accel World? At first, all that was required was accepting that a device like NerveGear exists, that the brain could actually be controlled by microwaves, and a device as small as NerveGear could produce enough output to fry a brain with those same microwaves in a matter of seconds. It's not too bad.

The problem is they completely squandered it with downright terrible plot points, largely due to terrible forced drama, horrible inconsistencies, outright contradictions, and a complete and total lack of foreshadowing. Things the author got a great deal better at.



I'm curious as to why you want want to do that. It's one thing to hate certain elements of a show and continue to watch it for the things that you like. I don't see why you would want to waste half an hour every week and then more time posting just to watch something that you clearly hate.
The inherent value of a dissenting voice. There can never be any valuable discussion when everyone agrees. Nor was it the first time I finished a show I grew to hate. Guilty Crown anyone?

edit: What I do find intriguing is how defensive Sword Art novel readers are of this series. Not just here, everywhere.

[shinta|hikari]

I wasn't defensive. I loathe this arc. I only gave possible explanations to some of your questions.

If I had to give an explanation for those who are, it's because they are privy to some information that makes some of the worst parts of the anime acceptable. Like you said before, we are already coloured by information, and cannot really give perfectly objective appraisal like if we had not read the novel.

[Ryllharu]

...the comment wasn't targeted at anyone specifically (I deliberately referred to places besides gotwoot), but you're certainly being defensive now.

Way to prove the point, I guess.

[shinta|hikari]

I was defensive at being called defensive because it is untrue. I replied because I am a novel reader, and as such included in your accusation. If you had said "most Sword Art novel readers" I wouldn't have even bothered.

I am not defensive of the anime at all. I try my best to be fair in my assessment, and for some reason people keep attacking my opinions just because I read the novel. I say something sucks when I think it sucks, and say it seems fine when I think it is.

[MasterOfMoogles]

We've never been shown that any of those people you've mentioned are happy.
Klein is shouldering the lives of his guildmates every day, working to clear the game. We've never seen him take a moment to relax or enjoy himself. In fact, most of the time we see him is in the middle of some big fight.
Scilica wasn't very happy at all when we first see her. While her attitude may have changed after meeting Kirito, that isn't going to make her daily life much better.
We don't really see much of Agil except when he's running his shop or fighting. There isn't any evidence he's enjoying himself at all.
Lisbeth is kind of crazy, falling for Kirito in one day. We do see a picture she has of some people, but again, not really enough information here.
I don't think crazy psychopaths murdering people count as joy and good feelings that someone would be attracted to. Maybe that is just me, though.

Regarding the technology/sci-fi aspects:
SAO, given NervGear, at least works.
Accel World needs more than just giving it the NeuroLinker. I can believe there is some way they can accelerate their brains, but that doesn't accelerate the Internet, unfortunately. I could even pass it off if you had to be wired up to use it, but we just saw one of the characters using it across the country in real time. That's a little much. The network speeds you would need to sustain accelerated gameplay are just ridiculous. The amount of forced drama, nonsense characters, and whining doesn't help, either.

I'm sorry you've been tricked into thinking the main characters are insane. I don't think there's any point in arguing this point further, since most of it has been discussed and the refutations were ignored. The biggest reason you see people defending SAO here is because the arguments against it are just so opposite to what people who've enjoyed the series think, it is impossible not to jump in and say something.

What I find intriguing is how pretty much everywhere else I look, people generally like SAO. You could argue it is one of the best shows this season, yet on this forum there is so much absolute hate for it. I've seen another blog or two that also don't like it, so it obviously isn't just here, but the reviews I've seen are generally positive.


The inherent value of a dissenting voice. There can never be any valuable discussion when everyone agrees. Nor was it the first time I finished a show I grew to hate. Guilty Crown anyone?
I actually really enjoy reading your dissenting opinions, even if I disagree completely. Well, Guilty Crown was terrible. I'm just talking SAO here.

[David75]

It's not I like it, I just feel good parts are not shown and we get only everyday mmo life drama rather than a well written show. It"s even more frustrating when you feel the SAO universe feels pretty nice and has good material to create strong stories.

[Kraco]

This was really terrible. Up until now I've been able to simply enjoy the story... show for what it is, mainly because of Kirito's amusing insanity and the nearly unfathomable fact that in a shounen show the male protagonist actually managed to get a girlfriend, get laid, and marry. However, so little in this arc made any sense and seemed to serve any purpose whatsoever that I simply watched this conclusion half the time laughing and half the time wondering what the heck I'm watching at all. I feel pitiful for hoping this would actually turn into a second, more solid, more long-lasting plot element running parallel to the main theme of beating the game and getting out.

The distortion in the previous episode wasn't really explained further, so I suppose there's a little chance something will come out of it... Oh, well, who am I kidding?

[fireheart]

sympathizes with a madman (Kayaba), and the longer they spend here, the less he remains connected to reality.

Not really meant to argue against you since I agree with most of it but thought he respects/respected Kayaba, if anything this episode showed that Kirito at least have some levels of anger aimed at Kayaba. Though I could have missed it but wouldn't sympathizes mean that he agrees with what Kayaba is doing? As for the second one it feels kinda normal, most would probably get less connected to reality after spending 2 years completely immersed in something.

At first judging by the intro I figured Yui was something similar to Aura in .hack but apparently not which leads me to wonder again, what exactly is Kayabas reason/point in doing all this? If the only reason is to force people to play/clear the game then this is utterly stupid.

[Y]

I was defensive at being called defensive because it is untrue.

I giggled.

[Yukimura]

I'm going to take a page out of Arkangels' book and say 'Shit was bad, son'. I agree with everything Ryll said in his initial post on this episode. The show had already straining my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point for a while and it was mostly gone by the time episode 11 rolled around but this Yui arc dragged it outside and shot it in the head with both barrels for me.

Similar to Ryll, I continue to watch the show despite thinking it is of poor quality because 1) as I am now completely broken of the mindset that this story is 'happening' I can now enjoy the metastory of 'some guy wrote this glorified fanfiction called Sword Art Online and lots of people think its awesome but I disagree'. 2) It's fun to be a part of such a controversial event/discussion and I don't think another dozen 25 min slices of my life are too much to give up to keep being a part of it and 3) the animation and world have enough potential to be interesting that I can let my imagination write a better story in my head while the main characters aren't completely stealing the focus with their Mr. and Mrs. Marty Sue shenanigans.

To offer a new? critique for the SAO defense league, I find that the show continues suffer from the way it tries, but fails, to blend its traditional fantasy elements (the medieval heroic setting) and its sci-fi/tech elements (the 'it's all just a high tech game' setting). They are both executed rather typically but they just aren't meshing properly with one another. For example, why should children in the game be behaving all that differently than the teenagers and adults in the game. They have been there the same 2 years as everyone else and could have learned the game, leveled up, and maybe even fought on the front lines just as well as anyone else, perhaps more as they should have an even easier time adapting to their new reality than older folks with more strong ties to 'reality'. Innocence can be crushed out of kids quite handily under pressure, just ask any former child soldier. But instead we have a scene with a 'nun' caring for an orphanage full of plucky kids with no real power who need the heroes to save them and their orphanage from big brutes who are bullying them. It's a textbook scenario pulled straight out of any fantasy setting but sitting smack dab in the middle of a sci-fi tech setting where it requires significantly more suspension of disbelief, unfortunately no effort was made to smooth over the rough edges of the transition and the whole narrative suffers for it.

To beat the dead horse some more, Accel World handles the fusion of these elements far better, though I am by no means calling it perfect either.

[MasterOfMoogles]

Thousands of people haven't left the starting city. Do you really expect every little kid to be out there risking their lives? Fighting monsters that can kill you is terrifying. And basically if you're not on the front lines clearing the game or supporting people clearing the game with crafting skills or items, you're pretty much risking your life for no reason at all.
People with power picking on those without, that happens all the time. Is it unrealistic that someone feels the need to watch over the children?

The scenario is extremely cliche, but I don't think it is as far-fetched as you're making it out to be.

[Kraco]

Sure it is. These kids went through the same effort as anybody else to get the game and thus one would think they aren't playing an mmorpg for the first time. Playing this game doesn't require the body of an adult or anything of that sort. Just fight and the avatar gets exponentially stronger, accumulating skills one wouldn't dream of in RL. Nothing at all is stopping these kids from advancing. Well, nothing aside from the lousy plot.

[KrayZ33]

are you serious about that?

its like giving a kid a gun and expect them to handle it carefully
in the end they just end up killing themselves.... or others


there are like thousand reasons for them not being at the frontlines... the most obvious ones should be clear for anyone who ever played MMOs before.
they suck, they are annoying, they are greedy, they don't know their place etc. etc.

I'd hate to trust my life on some cheecky child and I'd h8 to have children do the job for me too

[Dark Dragon]

I actually agree with a lot of the criticism given for this story arc. As a whole, i thought volume 2 was pretty terrible and it would've been better if the author left some things ambiguous.

The thing is, whether you like to admit it or not. Kids tends to be better at video games than most adults. Another thing to remember is that most of these kids do not have any guardians at the start of the game. It wouldn't be far-fetch that some of them went out adventuring anyways, despite the risk of death. It also wouldn't be too hard to believe that some if not many would survive since most kids tend to grasp new concept much faster than adults. It's always annoyed me that pretty much every "end game" characters are teenagers to guys in their 20's.

[Kraco]

are you serious about that?

its like giving a kid a gun and expect them to handle it carefully
in the end they just end up killing themselves.... or others


there are like thousand reasons for them not being at the frontlines... the most obvious ones should be clear for anyone who ever played MMOs before.
they suck, they are annoying, they are greedy, they don't know their place etc. etc.

I'd hate to trust my life on some cheecky child and I'd h8 to have children do the job for me too

I think you are missing here something, nah, you are missing here a lot. Nobody forced the kids there and nobody took responsibility for them, nobody looked after them, nobody told them what to do or not. They were there in the first city like everybody else in the beginning. Maybe some had friends also logged in and with whom they had agreed to meet, but that's it. It's of course reasonable that some of them were completely lost and crying when the grim announcement was made and then some nun (who was playing the game for god only knows what reason) gathered them. Then the kids suddenly became NPCs, from the looks of it.

Well, it's entirely reasonable some n00b kids would be like this, but most should be out there gaming, even if not all were on the front lines (there's no single demographic that would). However, some of the kids most certainly would qualify up there, the hard core gamers. Many would be anywhere between the first and the last conquered level, just like all the other players.

[MFauli]

are you serious about that?

its like giving a kid a gun and expect them to handle it carefully

You mean ... like allowing little, clearly underage children to play a full-on the-Matrix-is-real game?!

[KrayZ33]

I don't get what you are trying to say kraco

I say its not to far fatched that some kids don't go hunting and that someone takes care of them
just like MasterOfMoogles said ... and I see no reason why it shouldn't be that way.

its one of the most unimportant points of the anime anyway, why are we even talking about that?
so some kids stay in Town of Beginning because they lost their parents who went hunting and died or something like that, who fucking cares, its plausible and... thats it, done
who knows maybe they weren't even allowed to play the game but bought it because of the hype and now they don't know what to do and shit




@ fauli

wtf?

[Kraco]

I don't get what you are trying to say kraco

What I'm trying to say is that it makes far less difference if you are an adult or a kid in a game. Kids these days learn to game before they learn to calculate. So, if they entered the game willingly, I don't see why they would stick to some orphanage instead of playing. This is nothing but another detail akin to Asuna the Perfect Wife; If there are kids, surely they must be collected and a responsible adult must take care of them full-time so that they can play and run around like children should.

[Ryllharu]

there are like thousand reasons for them not being at the frontlines... the most obvious ones should be clear for anyone who ever played MMOs before.
they suck, they are annoying, they are greedy, they don't know their place etc. etc.

I'd hate to trust my life on some cheecky child and I'd h8 to have children do the job for me too
Are you kidding me?

The breakdown of demographics that are the most skilled at MMOs, in order:
1) Housewives
2) Children
3) No Life Kings
4) The unemployed that are not included in 1 or 3.
5) College students
...
9,999)Everybody else

Housewives have a ton of free time, but are prudent enough to use legitimate tactics and focus on cooperation and organization. They also make the best guild leaders, by far. Children have a ton of free time, and are generally more good natured about playing than No Life Kings, who are usually gankers. The unemployed and college students who are not Housewives and No Life Kings fall somewhere in the middle, and everyone else is average to terrible.

Kirito is a No Life King. Asuna is more or less a Housewife. That's why her strategies are a bit more involved than "Use my Twin Swords to Overwhelm It," since we've actually seen evidence of her planning stuff out.

The children have certainly a fair amount more experience than the average player, mostly because unless they're NEETs (also No Life Kings), they probably play more games than anyone else. They'd also be much happier with cooperating or at least working in groups. They're Japanese children FFS.

They should be utilizing the children, and it is frankly ludicrous that we haven't even seen one on the field. Silica is like one of the youngest active players we have seen, which is unbelievable.

[Yukimura]

I guess the defense league missed the point since they're still suspending disbelief and accepting whatever the author says as well thought out and plausible. I was not arguing that the scenario of kids and nun needing saving couldn't have reasonably come about in universe. What I am saying is that the execution of the "our heroes save some helpless kids and a nun/teacher/older sister from some bullies'' cliche was poor because there wasn't enough effort put into modifying the trope to account for the differences between the setting it's being used in and the setting it's normally used in. It shouldn't have taken more than a handful of lines to create some sort of canonical reason why those kids should need that nun to look after them even given the parameters of the world which should have lowered the relative dependency level of children upon adults significantly. Can players younger than 12 not level up skills for some reason? Why would a 25 year old make a better smith or carpenter or shop owner than a 12 year old in this world...

[MasterOfMoogles]

Maybe they don't want to risk their lives? Kirito estimates that around 2000 of the remaining 6000 players are still in the starting city and don't venture out because they don't want to die.
They still need food, because while it is irrelevant to their bodies' condition, they still have the urge to eat. They also need somewhere to sleep where they won't get murdered. This all costs money, and somebody has to go earn it.
Kids might be great at video games, but I don't think I've seen kids play under threat of death. Realistic looking monsters trying to eat you would only make it more terrifying.

The best way to ensure that you live is to not leave the starting city at all and wait to be rescued, either by people outside the game or those clearing it.

The fact that you guys say your suspension of disbelief is blown away because there are 10 kids who don't want to die and someone willing to look after them just boggles my mind. You don't even need to suspend disbelief to accept this scenario, just common sense.

[Dark Dragon]

Maybe they don't want to risk their lives? Kirito estimates that around 2000 of the remaining 6000 players are still in the starting city and don't venture out because they don't want to die.
They still need food, because while it is irrelevant to their bodies' condition, they still have the urge to eat. They also need somewhere to sleep where they won't get murdered. This all costs money, and somebody has to go earn it.
Kids might be great at video games, but I don't think I've seen kids play under threat of death. Realistic looking monsters trying to eat you would only make it more terrifying.

The best way to ensure that you live is to not leave the starting city at all and wait to be rescued, either by people outside the game or those clearing it.

The fact that you guys say your suspension of disbelief is blown away because there are 10 kids who don't want to die and someone willing to look after them just boggles my mind. You don't even need to suspend disbelief to accept this scenario, just common sense.

I think you're missing the point they're trying to make. The problem isn't whether or not it's believable for kids to not want to die. The problem here is SAO is a video game in which every character is equal.

There's several issues as to why this story arc is just stupid.
1. The author has never introduced any children characters at any point during the story before this.

2. It is expected for everyone to believe that the orphanage is run to help a bunch of kids survive in this world, yet that doesn't make sense in a video game context. The only thing that matter is stats, as Kirito has demonstrated in Silica story arc. The fact that all of the players here are children shouldn't make a difference as to whether they're weak or strong. A bunch of level 1 adults wouldn't be better at fighting a bunch of level 1 kids in a video game. This could've been easily remedied by adding a few meek adults and just say it's a safe place for people who don't want to risk dying.

3. It is again expected for everyone to believe that not one single kid that play SAO is capable of learning the game and getting to the "end game". That is bullshit if you've ever seen any children play video games. My 8 year old cousin beat Megaman 10 in about a week, i'm pretty sure you'll find that many adults would be unable to beat that game even in 10x that amount of time. Another thing is the fighting system in the game uses the system to auto-finish attacks so any advantage that an adult might have over a child is invalid.

4. This is part of 2, but there is a big problem with no actual adults being there. That's like saying she'll only help kids and anyone over a certain age is screwed and should go fend for themselves. With 2000 people living in that city, it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief to think that not a single adult there needs help in some way.

[Y]

The plot is very obviously a bog-standard fantasy quest stapled onto the scenario with no regards for integrating it. Not coincidentally that is also Every Single Plot In The Show.

[MasterOfMoogles]

I think you're missing the point they're trying to make. The problem isn't whether or not it's believable for kids to not want to die. The problem here is SAO is a video game in which every character is equal.

There's several issues as to why this story arc is just stupid.
1. The author has never introduced any children characters at any point during the story before this.

2. It is expected for everyone to believe that the orphanage is run to help a bunch of kids survive in this world, yet that doesn't make sense in a video game context. The only thing that matter is stats, as Kirito has demonstrated in Silica story arc. The fact that all of the players here are children shouldn't make a difference as to whether they're weak or strong. A bunch of level 1 adults wouldn't be better at fighting a bunch of level 1 kids in a video game. This could've been easily remedied by adding a few meek adults and just say it's a safe place for people who don't want to risk dying.

3. It is again expected for everyone to believe that not one single kid that play SAO is capable of learning the game and getting to the "end game". That is bullshit if you've ever seen any children play video games. My 8 year old cousin beat Megaman 10 in about a week, i'm pretty sure you'll find that many adults would be unable to beat that game even in 10x that amount of time. Another thing is the fighting system in the game uses the system to auto-finish attacks so any advantage that an adult might have over a child is invalid.

4. This is part of 2, but there is a big problem with no actual adults being there. That's like saying she'll only help kids and anyone over a certain age is screwed and should go fend for themselves. With 2000 people living in that city, it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief to think that not a single adult there needs help in some way.

I agree that if they had worked in some people of other ages here it would have been more interesting. However, just because they don't have them doesn't somehow make the situation unbelievable. Maybe that person just likes kids and wants to take care of them and it was really awkward for other adults to be there. Does every place where people are living in this city have to have an even distribution of people or it just can't be plausible?

I don't really see what the fact that kids are good at video games has to do with anything. Some are, some aren't. It isn't like we've seen every single person in the game. There might be kids in the high ranking guilds, we've only seen like 10-20 people from any of them anyways. Maybe they all died, though. It is a shame the setting wasn't more thought out and shown like this.

[Dark Dragon]

It goes back to my first point that the author has never bothered to show any kids up until this point. Then you suddenly find out that there are a bunch of kids playing SAO, and they all happens to be helpless. This doesn't make sense when you put it into context of an online MMO.

The author clearly doesn't have a strong understanding of the environment that goes on inside an MMO game. It just feels to me like he somewhat got the concept of how an MMO is, but hasn't spend enough time on one to see what it's really like. This story often times feel like it's written from an outsider perspective of how an MMO is suppose to work.

The main gripe a lot of people in this thread seems to have is that SAO is using a lot of typical fantasy tropes and scenario without regard to the fact that this all takes place inside a video game, not some magical world. This situation could've been handle a lot better, but instead it was a mess and in my opinion probably the worst story arc in SAO.

Another thing is there is just a lot of hostility from some of the anime only viewers toward novel readers, while some of the novel readers are way too defensive about criticism made toward this show. I read and enjoyed most of SAO (exception being volume 2) while being aware of the many flaws that exist in the story. I even went back to read the volumes i like again being aware of a lot of the criticism made in this thread, and that didn't reduce my enjoyment of the novels anymore than the first time. It's possible to like something even if it's not what you consider to be great. It's really unnecessary to defend every aspect of the show. There are obviously elements that is missing from the anime that made it much harder for me to enjoy the show as i did the novels. You guys are giving too many excuses and what-if situation instead of admitting that some of it is just from lazy writing.

[Kraco]

I don't really see what the fact that kids are good at video games has to do with anything. Some are, some aren't. It isn't like we've seen every single person in the game. There might be kids in the high ranking guilds, we've only seen like 10-20 people from any of them anyways. Maybe they all died, though. It is a shame the setting wasn't more thought out and shown like this.

Well, that's exactly the problem. While it's entirely possible that there are hordes of badass kids around and we just haven't seen them, it would be the exact bad writing we are talking about here. The author should have shown them occasionally. If we had seen them, we would have thought nothing of these particular kids. They would have just been the bottom of the barrel who lost their nerve, to put it bluntly. Just like the multitude of older players who even killed themselves because they couldn't take it.

[miyama_ryu]

Its obvious there aren't kids in the front lines because in this game, you DIE when you die. Exposing kids to these situations no matter how good they are is unethical! Can you imagine a guild like the knights of the blood having a 10yr old in their ranks? Ethics aside, it would be super demoralizing seeing a 10yr old die. No respectable guild will take them, and you can't advance much without a guild (have you heard of any solo players apart from Kirito?). But I can imagine a guild like the laughing coffin using them though, as they could make quite excellent assassins.

[MFauli]

@ fauli

wtf?


What is it you don´t understand? A hyper-realistic game like SAO should never be allowed to be played by children. And it wouldn´t, if we ever reached that level of technology irl. Ffs, mere first person shooters are rated 18 just because of the realistic visual depiction of violence. SAO is a full-on simulation. 10-year old kids would have ABSOLUTELY no business playing this "game".

[KrayZ33]

yes of course, thats why cod is played by people who are 18+ exclusively

[Yukimura]

I know children are extraordinarily well behaved and have no rebellious or anti-authoritarian tendencies in Japan but the notion that 'omg this game is real and risks death so children can't/won't/mustn't risk playing it' seems like quitea stretch. On the whole children are less likely to be afraid of death than adults because they have more trouble conceptualizing that they could cease to exist as a consequence of a particular behavior. Additionally, children are generally more solipsistic and would be comparatively less inclined to believe that 'it could happen to me' in the face of seeing other players die, plus they could very well just not believe that they will die if they die in the game. I wonder if the starting town has a silk cage to keep all the poor helpless children from facing the big scary fake world whether they want to or not despite the fact that the kids are ultimately in no more danger from the world than any of the adults 'guarding' them given the setting.

[fireheart]

yes of course, thats why cod is played by people who are 18+ exclusively

The fact that people buy these games for their children/siblings/whatever or store employees that don't care who they sell games to doesn't really refute his point that it would have an age restriction that don't allow kids to play it. More so because it's just one side there's also the new technology that's being introduced and I think most parents would be iffy about letting their kids use something that basically hacks their brains and cuts of all other stimulations.

There's also the issue of how they got the game in the first place. Considering how big and sought out SAO was I doubt normal parents would stand in line for hours before a store opened to buy this game and why would a store employee sell the game to a kid in the first place when the game is guaranteed to sell out?


There might be kids in the high ranking guilds, we've only seen like 10-20 people from any of them anyways.

Since Asuna questions what a little girl like Yui is doing in a game like SAO then at the very least there's no kids in the front-lines and most likely not a lot of kids/none in the middle levels either since they were on the 22nd floor and the front line was at 75th floor. The only exception we've seen is Scilica and she seemed older than whatever age Yui is suppose to be and seemed to be rare in the first place.

[Kraco]

It's certainly possible there could be all manner of methods present to prevent kids from ever entering the game. Although at the same time we are talking about a game that purposefully locked players in and at least claimed they will die in RL if they die in the game. So, I wouldn't really trust any system meant to keep children out in this particular case. On the other hand, if we assume there was some effort to prevent kids from ever acquiring the game even if there was nothing to stop them from entering, then it does explain their lower numbers, but it absolutely contradicts with what we saw in this episode: if they had to be crafty enoug to get the game, they definitely shouldn't be the losers we saw here. They should be either HC or wannabe HC gamers already, despite their young age. Surre, there might be an occassional spoiled brat... But all of them? No way.

Asuna being surprised amounts to nothing. She's a part of the same poor writing, after all.

[fireheart]

I don't doubt that there would be kids that managed to get the game and log in at all, merely stating that Mfauli has a valid point that it would have an age restriction. That, the popularity and the new tech involved simply means there shouldn't be that many and as you said they should be well versed in gaming and not go all "I've never seen anything like that".

True Asuna is part of the poor writing but given the fact that we haven't seen any kids on the front-lines the only other thing we have to go on is Asunas statement. If there had been kids in the high level guilds she shouldn't be surprised since she's planned and seeks out the front liners when it's time to fight the boss. If there indeed are kids in the high level guilds it just reinforces the idea that it's badly written.

[David75]

The creator clearly was wicked to allow children at all.
After all, it seems pretty clear it's possible to prevent children from playing the game.
Nervgear being able to digitize the face appearance, interacting with brainwaves and also the calibration (Klein/Kirito explanation)
With those 3 key sources of data, you can clearly exclude children, it might be a little more difficult for people around majority (16 to 20) but under 10 or even 15 should be fairly easy.

So that guy then locks everyone in a deathgame, without even taking children into account.

Gives another angle to judge the creator of the game.

[Y]

I love that killing innocent children in this case is somehow much worse than killing almost 10,000 innocent teenagers and adults.

[Kraco]

I don't know what kind of a buddha one needs to be to still count on the decency and humanity of somebody who is willing to risk 10,000 people to die for his own little game, yeah.

[KrayZ33]

Would somebody PLEASE think of the children!?

[David75]

[HorribleSubs] Sword Art Online - 13 [1080p].mkv (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=torrentinfo&tid=356976)

So they finally get the reality of their bodies that might not remain in a good shape for ever.
I guess being younger helps when you get out of coma, provided you have no disabilities left. I guess it could be the same.

Other than that, it was a much better ep, with a nice escalation and all.

[MFauli]

One-hit-death is just stupid. An MMORPG wouldn´t work like that. It´s also pure elitism, no no-name character could even dream of beating that thing. Also, if that´s, what, floor 77´s boss, just how strong are the remaining 23 going to be?!

As for the real-bodies-topic: What exactly did Asuna mean when she said, there was real world time limit? I´m pretty sure that, unless you have some other kind of illness, staying in coma can be done for several decades. There is no need for you to move your body to stay alive.

[einbreaker]

As for the real-bodies-topic: What exactly did Asuna mean when she said, there was real world time limit? I´m pretty sure that, unless you have some other kind of illness, staying in coma can be done for several decades. There is no need for you to move your body to stay alive.

There may come a point where families lose hope and take the life support off. Given its not like they are brain dead, but after two years and no one seems to be able to clear the final level families and governments may begin to wonder if it is even possible.

[MasterOfMoogles]

What a place to cut the episode. Pretty epic boss fight for the 75th floor.

[David75]

There may come a point where families lose hope and take the life support off. Given its not like they are brain dead, but after two years and no one seems to be able to clear the final level families and governments may begin to wonder if it is even possible.

Do they even know what really happens?
It's fairly possible the only thing they know is:
-that players die if they try to take the nevergear out
-that some players die at random times, should take a while to get that in game death=real death.

And IRL, it generally takes a lot of time for people and med teams to decide to stop life support. For all we know, these players are soundly alive by the definition we have: Brain and heart are fully functionnal.
They'd be murderers, should they stop life support.

[Roko]

That was definitely a much better episode than the Yui fiasco, though I was still rolling my eyes/laughing at some of the blatant romance fanservice. I guess I just have an issue with how their characters seem to completely change depending on the context: strong and individualistic when it comes to battles, yet all needy when it comes to the relationship interaction. Yes, I get that people can be different when it comes to love, yada yada, but how it's been portrayed here so far makes it seem to be too extreme. It's like the characters are complete 180 opposites, a.k.a. unrealistic. Another fault of the writing, I suppose?

They finally addressed the real world questions. I really wish that they had explained the whole disconnection thing a lot earlier though. We're what, halfway through the series now, and they only address it now? That's just shoddy writing/world-building, especially given this bit of information seems to be quite crucial to explaining the SAO world.

This fight is looking to be epic; will be fun to watch. I feel like the last third of this episode really reawakened some of the feelings I had when I first watched the 1st episode/the previous bossfight, and peaked my interest in the series yet again. It's been a while since I've looked forward to the next episode.

Every series has its highs and lows, but SAO really seems to bring you on a roller coaster ride that reaches the heights of Everest yet drops you back down to hell immediately after and stays there for a while. The premise of this series has so much potential; I can't help but feel that so much of it is squandered on the crappy side stories and amateur writing in some parts.


Edit: Response to David above
You have to realize though that we're talking about 6,000-10,000 comatose bodies over a 2 year span. That is a lot of resources and money to support so many bodies. Yes, morally it may not be right to "kill" them, but practically? If no one was able to clear the game over a long period of time, there has to come a point in time where you have to accept the reality that in all likelihood, it won't happen, pull the plug and apply those resources to better use. Of course, when that happens is the question we all can't answer, and which the characters are wondering about as well. So I think this was quite a realistic dilemma.

[Buffalobiian]

That is a lot of resources and money to support so many bodies. Yes, morally it may not be right to "kill" them, but practically?

When we're talking about "murderers", that's in a legal context. Same with brain/cardiac death.

I like the lovey-dovey shit, but was somewhat disappointed that the man who oversaw the network security couldn't help them out with any real information.

[Roko]

When we're talking about "murderers", that's in a legal context. Same with brain/cardiac death.

I understand that. But with how widespread and unique this particular situation is, I wouldn't be surprised if an exception was made. But here we're just striking out into speculation territory, so I'll just leave it at that.

[MFauli]

Ok, real-talk: NOBODY would turn off life-support for a comatose patient with perfectly fine heart- and brain-activity. It´s stupid to assume otherwise.

I totally forgot about the temporary disconnection. Wonder what happens if you´re disconnected during, well, a bossfight like the one right now. Are you screwed, or do you enter some kind of invincibility mode for the period of your offline-time?

[Kraco]

It's useless to speculate about pulling plugs in a realistic perspective, since in reality it would have taken at max a month or two for an elite team of specialists to disable the nervgear safely, possibly much less if raiding the game company's offices had produced any results.

But yeah, I'm immensely pleased we got back to action (I won't count the stupid Yui arc action). As glad as I was that Kirito and Asuna got together, I'd have preferred battlefield romance instead of the filler feeling episodes. This was quite a badass boss, and I reckon it indicated that the bosses either don't level up linearly (there might be weaker bosses after this) or this one has some fatal weakness nobody in the company just hasn't figured out.

[David75]

2 years to get a player to a 75 level boss out of 100 levels.
IRL time limit warning
Is it even possible to clear the game in their universe?

[MFauli]

Oh, and one scene I found mightily stupid: When Asuna killed the fish and everyone went "OHHHHHHH, sugoiiiii!" :/ There´s no skill involved. She grinded to a higher level, therefore gained this strength. Anybody can do the same. Don´t be so impressed, please :/

[MasterOfMoogles]

Those people couldn't achieve that level in the same amount of time.

[Ryllharu]

I actually liked the fishing part. It reminded me a bit of Summer Wars with the whole festival air to it. This was a side story done right, and it even pulled in game functions as a part of the micro-plot.

Lakes have different skill requirements, and for a game, the largest lake unsurprisingly has the highest.

Kirito wasn't aware of something about the game, that's huge. He didn't know that you could Switch on secondary skills. It makes sense because most of his secondary skills we know about (Listening, other detection abilities, stealth?, etc.) were totally focused on combat until just recently. Skills that can only ever benefit oneself.

It fits because he is so anti-social and "I'm going to survive!" that he never for a moment thought he might enjoy himself in the game, the whole reason he should have been playing for in the first place. Being in the beta, he would have had a chance to try it out, but never did. This leads us to believe he was only in it for the grind. Perhaps he finally learned something this episode, instead of just throwing out soundbites that were meant to somehow imply he grew as a person.

[David75]

Nice ideas.
It might also lead us to other ways of beating the game.
After all, all players think it's all about fighting skills and coop.
But maybe there's more than that, like checking for the ecosystem?
That huge monster fish was hard to beat in that lake, but once outside it became easier to target and kill.

As of yet, bosses are always locked in their room, their own territory they fully master. What if there's another truth than this one?
Like soyu? Nobody thought it was possible or even thought of trying to create the flavor before Asuna decided she'd just master all cooking skills.

I do not say that cooking of fishing skills will help you beat the game, just it might give more material for thought and creativity.
At times, you get solutions for problems after thinkg about totally unrelated ideas. A reason for that could be it's good to lower stress levels and you have a clearer and fresher mind when you do easy/passionate things. In short take a full break.

[KrayZ33]

woah that boss scared the shit out of me, it sure feels different when you know a "wipe" has serious consequences and you have no knowledge about his abilities or phases whatsoever.



being a tank right there in that kind of a situation must feel awesome... or very frightening


I liked this episode very much overall, the only thing that bothered me were those (what looked like) low-level dudes among the raid.... they had their start equipment on, wth?

[Hitokiri]

I'm digging the design of the boss. Head looks like it's from the Alien movies.


woah that boss scared the shit out of me, it sure feels different when you know a "wipe" has serious consequences and you have no knowledge about his abilities or phases whatsoever.



being a tank right there in that kind of a situation must feel awesome... or very frightening


I liked this episode very much overall, the only thing that bothered me were those (what looked like) low-level dudes among the raid.... they had their start equipment on, wth?

If the recon team got wiped out, I hardly think Heathcliff would ask newbies to attend. Maybe the director wanted it to be clear that those guys were just extras and to only focus on the ones with names or look like they work for the Red Cross?

[KrayZ33]

Maybe the director wanted it to be clear that those guys were just extras and to only focus on the ones with names

Its like cancer going through the anime/movie industry, I hate that.
Gundam Unicorn is one of the few animes that allowed "grunts" or no names to do some awesome stuff.


they should be around lvl 90 too, they probably fought several boss-monsters already and all they can do is die a meaningless death

[David75]

Why would those grunts be level 90 when they die so easily against a boss on the 75th level?
Shouldn't we assume the floor where the boss is, also represents a fighting level? Then players would be evaluated on the same scale: able to kill a boss who is on the 75th floor->Level 75.
But it sure doesn't work that way, as the underground monster yui defeated in the town of the beginnings seemed to be incredibly strong.

[Inazuma]

Powerleveling - Critical hits - Greedy players - Heroes wanabee - Suicidal players ... You name it. I've read past arguments on both sides and my two cents is as follows : The SAO world is going to bad and beyond, collapsing upon itself, things don't make sense, and everything is unfair.
Maybe thats the point of this social experiment - through a proxy, realize that no matter how many rules and convention exists nothing will feel right in a system. Be it the SAO's Cardinal or reality's society

[KrayZ33]

Why would those grunts be level 90 when they die so easily against a boss on the 75th level?
Shouldn't we assume the floor where the boss is, also represents a fighting level? Then players would be evaluated on the same scale: able to kill a boss who is on the 75th floor->Level 75.
But it sure doesn't work that way, as the underground monster yui defeated in the town of the beginnings seemed to be incredibly strong.

because they are frontliners, they should have some experience fighting boss monsters at least

[Kraco]

I don't really feel like defending the mine stompers dying in great numbers, but who knows, for most of them this might be the first boss fight that began and largely continued in a totally chaotic manner. It was also evident the switch method was of limited use in this case as the enemy one hit killed if they didn't parry successfully. So, it's no use fighting in waves with one portion of the soldiers taking a break when their HP gets too low, while fresh troops keep the enemy busy. This boss ran here and there, killing the players left and right, without allowing them to use any battle formations. Until the mofo guild leader showed it was possible to parry.

[MFauli]

Powerleveling - Critical hits - Greedy players - Heroes wanabee - Suicidal players ... You name it. I've read past arguments on both sides and my two cents is as follows : The SAO world is going to bad and beyond, collapsing upon itself, things don't make sense, and everything is unfair.
Maybe thats the point of this social experiment - through a proxy, realize that no matter how many rules and convention exists nothing will feel right in a system. Be it the SAO's Cardinal or reality's society

I´d like to agree.
Past battle situations were arguably fair. This latest boss battle isn´t.
One-hit KOs in a MMORPG. Seriously, anybody who´s ever played one KNOWS that a mechanic like that would not work. It´d ruin the game. And that´s just in game situation. Try imagining it in a life-death situation. Yeah, fuck.

[Y]

One-hit KOs in a MMORPG. Seriously, anybody who´s ever played one KNOWS that a mechanic like that would not work. It´d ruin the game. And that´s just in game situation.

Just about any MMO raid boss has a mechanic that if your raid fucks up results in instant death.

[Ryllharu]

I´d like to agree.
One-hit KOs in a MMORPG. Seriously, anybody who´s ever played one KNOWS that a mechanic like that would not work. It´d ruin the game.
I guess the dozens of MMOs launched in the past ten years that were successful for many years on their own were "ruined" from the start. I'm not even talking about special bosses or events. Regular quest/mission bosses easily one-shot any non-tank. Even the MMOs that don't have classes have on occasion some obviously telegraphed move that if hit with, results in a one-shot.

There's obviously some trick to this bone-centipede. They just haven't figured it out yet, since they're not doing any damage to it.

Not to mention that this isn't even the first time we've see this. Remember the Floor 1 boss? If you didn't learn to parry attacks due to that particular weapon's fighting style, you died. Oh wait, here they just have to learn to parry as teams or parry with a shield like Heathcliff is doing.

The only thing they haven't found is where to hit the weakpoint for massive damage.

[shinta|hikari]

I think the reason why the others are dying is because they suck, not because they have a low level. It seems reasonable to assume that taking a solid hit would result in death, but the main characters are not getting hit like that. It is all because they know how to dodge and not just stand around in panic. I think reflexes and coordination play a big part here, much like a fighting game. If the game allowed for easy automatic dodges then everyone would be avoiding those blades.

[KrayZ33]

One-hit KOs in a MMORPG. Seriously, anybody who´s ever played one KNOWS that a mechanic like that would not work. It´d ruin the game. And that´s just in game situation. Try imagining it in a life-death situation. Yeah, fuck.

back then, when I played WoW, every boss would 1 hit me.
in GW2 there are several boss abilities which will one hit you too if they managed to hit

it doesn't destroy the game as long as you have mechanics which allow you to bypass the 1-shot kills
dodgerolls, active parry/blocking etc.

[David75]

[HorribleSubs] Sword Art Online - 14 [1080p].mkv (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=torrentinfo&tid=359490)



--------------------------
Felt like a last ep, but isn't?
gosh...

[Ryllharu]

If there was ever any doubt that Kirito was the worst kind of Wesley Crusher/Gary Sue, it should be removed with this episode.

- Arbitrarily deciding that something was off and "Heathcliff" was worth attacking. No build up at all, no comparison of his barely lost life to Kirito or Asuna's own, etc.
- Kayaba/Heathcliff actually uttering a line to the effect of, "Yes, Kirito, you are so wonderful and powerfully amazing that I actually had to cheat against you. There is no one else in the world nearly so intelligent, skilled and powerful such that I would have to do this against anyone else, with the exception of a super powerful boss. I always knew only you would be the one to stand up against me at the end, because I would only give such an amazing ability to the best player in the game. But wait, you're even better than I thought!" Ugh...really?! It only gets worse from there.

Honestly, you have got to be fucking kidding me. I can't believe that they actually stooped this low. Kirito is more of a Wesley Crusher than Wesley Crusher himself.

The only way they could possibly make it worse is if he stole Asuna, locked her in a castle, and dared Kirito to save her, because only Kirito could possibly have such a perfect wife/girlfriend to the point that everyone else would want her, wishing they could be Kirito. Oh, but they let her play the noble sacrifice card instead, because every woman would die for her man.

- But I guess we're supposed to ignore the fact that Asuna's rapier was left behind as "loot" despite the fact that that has never happened ever before in the series, all the deceased player's equipment gets destroyed along with them in every prior instance we have witnessed.

And no, Klein did not use the resurrection stone on Kirito or Asuna, Kirito's Gary Sue power allowed him to insta-hack the game, and create a phantom that could kill Kayaba. Completely ignoring the fact they spent a good chunk of an early episode creating the possibility that either of the two could be rezzed at a critical moment (i.e. right then).


The only silver lining to this entire episode was that they at least gave them severe muscle atrophy.

[Archangel]

- But I guess we're supposed to ignore the fact that Asuna's rapier was left behind as "loot" despite the fact that that has never happened ever before in the series, all the deceased player's equipment gets destroyed along with them in every prior instance we have witnessed.

They were married. Be more concise with your criticism, you go off on tangents.

Like this:

- This was a shit episode, SAO is a shit series and you're all shit for enjoying it.

[Ryllharu]

Did they ever explain the benefits of being married in game? I don't remember it being in the anime, but I know some novel reader mentioned it elsewhere (not gotwoot).

If it is something like shared inventory, that it quite a big deal to not mention it.

(If it was in the anime, someone give me a timestamp.)

[Archangel]

It is something like shared inventory, and it was mentioned.

[MFauli]

The ultimate cop-out episode. What the ****?!

For starters, what happened to the super tough boss from last episode? We only see how they "somehow" defeated it, with only 14 of them having died. YOU HAVE TO SHOW THAT, dammit.

And then, surely, the worst part: A 100% deus-ex-machina ending. So much bs going on, dunno where to begin. Kirito not dying, when he should. Asuna throwing herself in Kabaya´s attack and being one-shotted - her defense shouldn´t be that much worse than Kirito´s, and he survived being f*****ing pierced through his body. Then Kirito and Asuna sitting in the sky and expecting to die for real - WHY? Why would they assume that? They just saw a perfectly reasonable Kabaya who spoke to them. Did they really think "oh, and just to screw us, this guy will still fry our brains, even though we beat the game and are still alive right now. Oh well, sucks, but what can you do." Seriously?!

Also, ... you cannot get up and walk after 2 or so years of lying in bed. Not possible. Maybe wouldn´t have granted as pretty a scene, but at most Kirito should have been crawling on the floor.

[Ryllharu]

Also, ... you cannot get up and walk after 2 or so years of lying in bed. Not possible. Maybe wouldn´t have granted as pretty a scene, but at most Kirito should have been crawling on the floor.
Walking the way Kirito did after two weeks bedridden in the hospital is about right (after a major surgery anyway). I'd be amazed if he could sit up after two years.

[Archangel]

It's amazing how you guys can predict what medical science will and won't be able to accomplish in 2022.

[fireheart]

(If it was in the anime, someone give me a timestamp.)

Episode 6, around 14:50

Was hoping that the end would reedem the show or at least go out with a bang or something. No real continuation on the boss fight was disappointing. And I still don't get why he locked them all up in this life or death game, did anyone get anything useful out of his speech other than he's been dreaming of that world forever? That doesn't explain anything really.

[Lucifus]

Seriously disappointing wrap-up. I just couldn't suspend my disbelief from the start of the episode enough to enjoy it. Why do producers insist on asking the audience to just shallow their flat-bread sandwich? Is it too much to ask to remove the filler and spend a little time animating a non-cop out ending?

Why the f*ck are we asked to believe Asuna was magically able to undo the GM's absolute paralysis and get one-shotted throwing her body in front of Kiritos.....and so much more.

And Akihito (or whatever the designers name is); what the hell was is purpose in executing all this.


Then Kirito's return; tell me, why are you even able to lift your goddamn arm with your muscles atrophied over a period of two years, much less pull off getting up and walking down that damn corridor.

./sigh

Rant end.

[glitch]

15 "Return" "Kikan" (帰還) October 13, 2012
16 "The Country of Fairies" "Yōsei-tachi no Kuni" (妖精たちの国) October 20, 2012
17 "The Captive Queen" "Toraware no Joō" (囚われの女王) October 27, 2012

There'll be 25 episodes total.

...as for what just happen... wtf? This easely the worst put to getter anime I've ever seen.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm amazed the game company is still around after financing the medical bills that they would have been sued for.

[koppayana]

Guessing the first 14 episodes are to show the player's addiction to the world. next episode is where they want to go back.

What was up with the yellow light before and in Kirito's eyes during the end of the fight? Is he the One now? We gonna have him bend swordplay?

[Kraco]

I'm such a horrible person. I was snickering during the oh so moving scene of Kirito and Asuna saying their good byes.

Too bad the show isn't ending here. This wreck of an episode would have made a perfect ending for a wreck of a show.

At the very least the dude got a fine barbarian hairdo to reflect his berserk fighting style.

[Inazuma]

I'm enjoy this - not only I'm enjoying the show as it is because of what it is - but also because you guys are freaking over little things even though that the show is pure science fiction.
At least, they are not out because of the power of love, Asuna didn't sing Kirito into a flying Mecha, Kiritos eyes' didn't have the reflection of a nutshell splitting open ...
In the anime world, you are being faced with a load of crap every single frame - The OP spoils the ending with the first episode, you get flashback, troll arcs, unbearable voice acting, ... let's all be friend and have a beer because in the end we got ourselves a decent half season. Of course, plotholes everywhere - but isn't pointing them out another way of saying you loved it and you just want an OVA remake ?

[Ryllharu]

Being, "pure science fiction," doesn't excuse it from terrible characters, bad storytelling, and the frequency of contradicting its own arbitrary rules.

There are a lot of great "pure science fiction" stories out there. This ain't one of 'em.

[Y]

Also there's almost no exploration of the scifi conceit of the series, as has already been extensively discussed.

EDIT:

Wow the rest of that post is ludicrously stupid.

[MasterOfMoogles]

For everyone that doesn't like the series, this is probably the best stopping point. I doubt you'll find anything you like in the rest.
Unless, of course, you're actually just tsundere for SAO.

[Y]

I haven't watched the series since episode 10, where I just gave up even watching it to make snappy posts and read the first volume instead.

[lilphatboi88]

I thought it's been rocking, this was a good episode too.

[deathnightwc3]

I dunno, I think this would have been a better series if this part was stretched out a bit more for more depth instead of cramming everything in a short time frame.

[lilphatboi88]

I liked the fast pace. Most animes with a lot of depth also tend to be too drawn out and coupled with filler scenes.

[Deight]

not only I'm enjoying the show as it is because of what it is - but also because you guys are freaking over little things

Been using Gotwoot for anime recommendations for years and never seen so much nerdrage over a show as this (well perhaps The second season of Darker then black). For a show that "sucks balls", according to the general consensus, it's pretty impressive to get twenty-three forum pages halfway through the show.

On another note i'm totally
tsundere for SAO

PS. And no, it's not a troll account

[Yukimura]

Ha! You've been around for years but you don't seem to have learned a fundamental lesson of the forums. Controversy is probably the second best way to get long passionate threads like this. People can only go around agreeing with each other for so long before it gets boring and they stop posting. No one bothers discussing the merits of Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai because we can all agree that it was nothing special and not worth talking about and move on. SAO on the other hand is a hotbed of controversy with several people thinking the show (or just the source material) is firmly on the the positive side of the scale with opinions ranging from decent to fantastic and several others that think the show (or also the source material) is firmly on the negative side of the scale from lame to garbage. The strength of belief at both poles is what continues to drive this thread's post count up.

[MFauli]

Horrible Subs - Episode 15 (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=362050)
-----------------------

Incredibly ... how an author can choose such an interesting setting and then take a gigantic dump on it all.
I don´t know where to start with calling him out on his bullshit plot.
Maybe I´ll choose just one (though not the worst one): Yes, girl, the boy you grew up with for your whole life turns out to be your cousin instead brother. It´s totally okay to fall in love with him now.... WAIT, WHAT?! (And that reaction is leaving aside the confusion over WHY SAO needed an incest subplot. sigh).

[Ryllharu]

Watching the majority of this episode, I was surprised to discover that it was in fact, not terrible. They hit on the right points of the aftermath of such an event, Kirito recovering, having a bit of an "I know Kung-fu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmEPXXJ4sKw)" moment (which given the circumstance and immersion of the NerveGear, makes sense), but it partially failing thanks to him being used to auto-assist, etc.

And then...


The only way they could possibly make it worse is if he stole Asuna, locked her in a castle, and dared Kirito to save her, because only Kirito could possibly have such a perfect wife/girlfriend to the point that everyone else would want her, wishing they could be Kirito.Son of a bitch!
(and no, I had not read this far.)


Yes, girl, the boy you grew up with for your whole life turns out to be your cousin instead brother. It´s totally okay to fall in love with him now.... WAIT, WHAT?! (And that reaction is leaving aside the confusion over WHY SAO needed an incest subplot. sigh).Cuz.

What mediocre-at-best harem series would be complete without an incest option?

[Buffalobiian]

Romantic attraction isn't limited to non-blood relatives. (though I think there are studies which show animals generally preferring to mate with non-siblings so you can argue that there's at least no affinity for mating with those with close blood).

The whole idea that you can't fall in love with your brother is because any detrimental/recessive genetic material is more likely to be expressed as a phenotype in your resultant offspring.

The natural order in which things should actually happen would be:

1) fall in love (implusive, involuntary)
2) decide whether you should act on that (logical, voluntary)

Even if we swap the order around, #2 is simply done in advance to suppress #1 when it happens. The purpose of #2 is still dependant on the existence of #1.

That said and all, I like the sister. What I don't get is how Asuna's "soul" is maintained at the moment. SAO's data is supposedly deleted.. so what is left? The Nervgear's connected to somewhere, and assuming Fairy Land is Akihito's "SAO v2", they'll have to link the two together somehow (and thereby expose Akihito's whereabouts/trail).

I can see the sister following him into the dive this time.. and having a run-in with Sachi? Asuna won't be the only one they're trying to save I'd imagine (though she'd be the top priority no doubt).

Kirito could show Asuna's dad the picture and get him to post-phone the "wedding" until she's rescued.. but with that scumbag controlling the virtual servers things could get pretty dangerous for the both of them (Kirito, Asuna).

[Kraco]

They hit on the right points of the aftermath of such an event, Kirito recovering, having a bit of an "I know Kung-fu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmEPXXJ4sKw)" moment (which given the circumstance and immersion of the NerveGear, makes sense), but it partially failing thanks to him being used to auto-assist, etc.

This was the only genuinely good part of the episode. While Kirito has past experience of RL kendo, he still thought a bit too much of himself based on his long game experience (although he was wise enough not to boast aloud).

However, the scumbag dude wanting to marry a girl in a com was the weakest part. He must be thinking he's still living in the feudal era. Even if he did bribe some judge to be able to wed her, surely he should understand the first thing Asuna would do upon waking up is a divorce. That ought to be an exceedingly humiliating fact for anybody. Unless he intends to make sure she will never wake up. But if that's the case, he should have a concrete plan of silencing Kirito as well. But being stupid enough to talk to Kirito about his plans speaks against his level of intelligence.

[Buffalobiian]

Even if he did bribe some judge to be able to wed her, surely he should understand the first thing Asuna would do upon waking up is a divorce. That ought to be an exceedingly humiliating fact for anybody. Unless he intends to make sure she will never wake up. But if that's the case, he should have a concrete plan of silencing Kirito as well.

I brought up a topic similar to IRC by raising my confusion about that dude's primary objective with all this. Is it:

a) Wanting to bang the comatosed Asuna, or
b) Wanting the unofficial title of "husband" and being heir to the Yuuki corporation empire.

He could secure his position well enough given some time if it was B, even if Asuna wanted to divorce afterwards.

Given that this isn't "medical" and that her coma is due to her "dying" in some death-game with unknown mechanics, he's probably putting his money on her not waking up for a long, long time with Akihito (assumingly) on the run.

[MFauli]

Since several people are actually praising the way Kirito´s rl-kendo skills have been portrayed, I guess I´ll have to elaborate on why I hated it:

ALL skills within SAO were just that: "skills". RPG skills. Automatic skills. We had an episode where Kirito himself said that level is everything. THe higher your level, the stronger you are. Whatever fancy moves he showed within SAO were move patterns the game granted his "game character" due to rising in level. There is ZERO he could have taken to reality from that, because he didn´t learn how to move like that - he learned to activate the skills that MADE him move so.
When the episode started, I kept thinking "please don´t go there, please don´t go there", as I feared they´d put such a bs stunt and have him use his in-game skills in rl. And then it happened. Kinda disheartening that I´m the only one who found this to be ridiculous.
Of course, it´s made even worse since he spent 2 years in coma. He keeps telling his sister that he needs to re-grow muscles, but he certainly didn´t show - moving lightning-fast and almost beating the girl that´s a highly skilled Kendo-fighter herself.

So, that´s that. Guess it´s only me who had a problem with that scene. *shrugs*

Then there´s the whole "guy who´s planning to marry comatose Asuna"-plot line. WTF?! Agreed with Kraco: How does this guy picture his plans to work out? Unless he´s into corpse fucking, there´s no way Asuna would ever accept him. Though it´s similar ridiculous that Asuna´s father agrees with these marriage plans.
Oh, but that was not enough: The author had to make this guy into some super evil, disgusting pig, licking his tongue in best Orochimaru-manner, sigh. That is leading to my general criticism for how things went:

WHY was it necessary to fill this anime with about all existing anime tropes? Even though there were a lot of silly things during the SAO-part of the anime, the rl-aftermath had such great potential. Why go with these already-been-there-elements (incest, evil guy, transferring vr-powers to rl), when this could have portrayed a realistic world and how these characters that we´ve only seen as their online-personae interact within this different, less fantastic environment?

To give some details as for what I would have liked:
Kirito being physically frail, mentally depressed, and showing what a nerd he is (which I totally don´t get, when he has such a sweet, caring sister. Whatever). Trying to find Asuna. Asuna not being in a coma, but also looking for Kirito. Them meeting and feeling awkward. From here, the show could turn into something like CLANNAD After, where we see how the both of them manage real life, experiencing weird situations again and again due to their SAO-past. Then, at some point, when we´ve seen how different rl is for the hero-couple, the main plot could return, being about finding Kabaya, involving new virtual worlds, but without being trapped inside them. Would have been extremely neat to have both rl- and vr-events intervine, like ... Asuna fighting her way in some new world created by Kabaya, whil Kirito is somewhere in Tokyo or whatever place and investigates stuff. They could then communicate through emails and such. Over time, the lines between rl and vr would start to fade and it´d all became just one big playground.

Yeah, that´s what could have been. Instead the plot takes turns that make me even angrier than Sasuke´s weekly Sharingan-upgrades. :/

[Ryllharu]

This was the only genuinely good part of the episode. While Kirito has past experience of RL kendo, he still thought a bit too much of himself based on his long game experience (although he was wise enough not to boast aloud).

It wasn't all past kendo experience though, and he gained a considerable skill thanks to the game. Kirito has become quite good at dodging attacks by the narrowest margin (a key to any martial skill). Due to his lack of muscle, his weakness is in attacks, parrying, and clashing weapons.

At least he's not so much of an ass anymore. He was actually willing to start up sparring with Sugu, something he selfishly forced her to do so that he wouldn't have to (per the Silica episode).


I can see the sister following him into the dive this time.. and having a run-in with Sachi? Asuna won't be the only one they're trying to save I'd imagine (though she'd be the top priority no doubt).Sachi? That's a tiny Yui sprite in his pocket during the OP.

The only question is who the blond in the elf game is played by, but it's probably quite obvious given Sugu's line after they finished sparring (around 8:50). He was willing to restart kendo, and Sugu also started an activity that she's keeping a secret for now. Oh...whatever could it be in an anime about online games?

edit:

ALL skills within SAO were just that: "skills". RPG skills. Automatic skills. We had an episode where Kirito himself said that level is everything. THe higher your level, the stronger you are. Whatever fancy moves he showed within SAO were move patterns the game granted his "game character" due to rising in level. There is ZERO he could have taken to reality from that, because he didn´t learn how to move like that - he learned to activate the skills that MADE him move so.Wrong.

As much I have criticized it previously in this thread, they were quite clear that regular attacks and dodges are all the player's own movements, and skills are activated by rudimentary mimic movements of what you want to accomplish (basically, an appropriate waggle on a Wii game). It was only a skill when the weapons glowed. That's why Kirito's line made sense. He's good at the dodging, but the actual skill attacks are his new weakpoint. He got too used to being lazy and doing them only partially. The foundation is there, but he can't follow through because of the auto-complete once a skill is activated.

He could dodge and swipe at Sugu, but once he tried something fancy, he sucked.

[Buffalobiian]

Sachi? That's a tiny Yui sprite in his pocket during the OP.

When I wrote the post I meant Sachi. Since she died in SAO, they would probably run into her in whatever game world Asuna is in right now.

But that doesn't matter now because the "one who looks like my sister" character was actually Silica..

[Ryllharu]

Nah. It's been years. She's probably dead. It is my understanding that Kirito didn't die and was able to log out only because they beat it right then. The Brain-Fry Timer was a minute longer than the Auto-Logout timer due to victory. Asuna was also spared the Brain-Fry Timer too, but didn't get to log out.

We know there was a difference between in-game death time and brain-fry time thanks to the Never Used Resurrection item. With a key restriction that it must be used within a couple minutes after death.

[Buffalobiian]

Which reminds me... they didn't specifically talk about any SAO-attributable deaths this episode. The "news" segments were shown in earlier episodes, but there has been nothing so far to confirm whether or not it actually happened.

If they really died.. you would have thought we'd be shown a segment with Kirito visiting Sachi's grave or something.

[Ryllharu]

I wonder if he even cared at that point. He said he traded all the information he knew in order to find Asuna's whereabouts.

They have plenty of good reasons not to give out anyone's real name and location now that they've gotten out, unless there was a very good reason, or they brokered an information deal. I'd bet there are a lot of people who would happily murder each other for actions taken in the game.

Hell, people do that IRL. Rarely enough, but it happens. They usually get arrested before they do anything though.

[MasterOfMoogles]

Kayaba confirmed that the dead people are dead. About going to find Sachi, Kirito doesn't even know her real name. I bet he could find her name if he really tried since he knows that whole computer club died at whatever school those kids went to. He has more pressing issues at the moment, and I don't think you can really blame him for not wanting to dig up those painful memories.

Regarding his imouto, at least Sugu is way more mature about her bro/cousin-con than just about every other anime involving little sister romances. She's trying to deal with her feelings and not trying to jump his bones, like the standard trope.

Even though the sword skills are all automatically triggered, after doing something thousands and thousands of times and having your body move that way, you're going to be able to reproduce it. It might not be fast or perfect, but you could do it.

Suguo Nobuyuki is definitely made to be hated. It is a shame he plays the classic "Nothing you can do to me, hahaha" type villain.

[Roko]

They have plenty of good reasons not to give out anyone's real name and location now that they've gotten out, unless there was a very good reason, or they brokered an information deal. I'd bet there are a lot of people who would happily murder each other for actions taken in the game.

Hell, people do that IRL. Rarely enough, but it happens. They usually get arrested before they do anything though.

Makes you wonder about the red guilds and "murderers". Are these people actually trackable, and can you bring them to trial for their in-game crimes? (If there are trials, how do you protect any witnesses while still making sure a group of witnesses aren't making stuff up out of spite for a particular player?) Or are any surviving members out in the public? If it's the latter case, that's kind of scary.

[Ryllharu]

SAO and all the data associated with it got deleted like Kayaba set it to when he died, so I'd guess no. They're still roaming about, and there's no proof they had ever murdered anyone at all.

I'm sure the police blame every death on Kayaba.

[Inazuma]

SAO and all the data associated with it got deleted like Kayaba set it to when he died, so I'd guess no. They're still roaming about, and there's no proof they had ever murdered anyone at all.

I'm sure the police blame every death on Kayaba.

So it's safe to assume that everything that has been done in SAO is considered actions under duress by the authorities ?
In that case a whole lot of SAO PKers got out with the taste of blood and that could make an interesting detective oriented sequel.

[Ryllharu]

It's more of an issue with lack of evidence. The only data they have is information provided by the players themselves. While their appearances were reverted to their physical ones, their names were never revealed to each other. Any data logs of:


- Player 09245 "Kuradeel" killed Player 08121 "Bearded dude" at time hh:mm:ss on Day/Month/Year with regular attack.
- Player 00157 "Kirito" killed Player 09245 "Kuradeel" at time hh:mm:ss on Day/Month/Year with ____ skill.


Went with Kayaba and all his server data. Evidence like that would be extremely damning. One player with a grudge against another with a claim that they murdered their friend is less so.

Then again, this is the Japanese justice system we're talking about. Prone to over-reliance on confessions extracted from suspects under duress at police stations and prosecutors with unbelievable 95+% conviction rates (with a certainty of some innocent people sent falsely to prison).

[fireheart]

I'm not so sure that all the data surrounding SAO would just disappear like that, even if the people on the outside wasn't able to do anything to influence the game it's not impossible that they at least made backups of the data or analyzed it. Another thing would be the knowledge of Kirito, granted it's just Suguo that's mentioned it but even so if some people know about him and that he ended the game it's not too much of a stretch that there's some kind of record of every character. Lastly this new MMO should at least be partially built upon SAO since I doubt they made a new VRMMO from scratch also since Asuna seems to be in that game there should be a connection between the two games.

[Buffalobiian]

I'm not so sure that all the data surrounding SAO would just disappear like that, even if the people on the outside wasn't able to do anything to influence the game it's not impossible that they at least made backups of the data or analyzed it.

They could try.. but it doesn't sound like it lead to any beneficial results.


Another thing would be the knowledge of Kirito, granted it's just Suguo that's mentioned it but even so if some people know about him and that he ended the game it's not too much of a stretch that there's some kind of record of every character.


The fact that people know about Kirito doesn't mean anything about remnant character profiles. Kirito gave up all the information he knew about SAO. It's a given that all those interested would know about the "Beater" Kirito.

I think the new MMO would be built on SAO as well, but I don't think that means SAO's data is available to anyone other than Akihito. There the question of whether this new MMO will be an underground project by Akihito-in-hiding, or something by the current server owners. I would guess it's the former.

[fireheart]

They could try.. but it doesn't sound like it lead to any beneficial results.

True it may not lead to anything but having backups of the data is a natural thing to do, if nothing else because that's what you do for an MMO game incase something happens to the data so not everything gets wiped. For example if the servers for some reason malfunction so that not every player gets killed they should have a backup. Also not trying to analyze the data to find a way to get them out would be irresponsible unless Akihito made it perfectly clear that if they tried people would die.


The fact that people know about Kirito doesn't mean anything about remnant character profiles. Kirito gave up all the information he knew about SAO. It's a given that all those interested would know about the "Beater" Kirito.

I think the new MMO would be built on SAO as well, but I don't think that means SAO's data is available to anyone other than Akihito. There the question of whether this new MMO will be an underground project by Akihito-in-hiding, or something by the current server owners. I would guess it's the former.

No it merely opens up the possibility of character records, it doesn't have to be that way like you said but why would they listen to Kirito? Especially since he's known as a "beater" they would hardly have the most positive attitude towards him, testimony's as Ryllharu says isn't the most reliable and Kirito as the biggest beater would have more of a bad rep to him so it wouldn't really do him good.

I'm mostly assuming based on the fact that it's only been 2 years, so someone would have to made the game in this timeframe despite the huge backlash SAO generated and I doubt many would jump at the chance to do that. Probably useless to discuss it since they probably won't ever touch on how these games are made and the process but making a MMO shouldn't be that easy given the new tech but if they had the SAO engine and NervGear tech making the graphics should at least be a lot easier than designing/making one of their own, which would explain how the game came out within the 2 years. But yeah it seems more plausible that it's Akihito since he made the whole game on his own in the first place.

Edit: Thinking about it the plausibility of a random company making a new VRMMO without any code from SAO in that timeframe doesn't matter considering what we've seen up till now.

[Kraco]

Episode 16 - HS (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=364684)




- - - - - - - -





I didn't foresee myself posting such a thing, but in order to be objective, I have to confess I found this episode quite decent, and above all fun. Maybe it's because not too much didn't make any sense and I really like scarce scenes of a (hidden) badass character kicking ass when nobody expects it. Despite the fact I disliked the whole Yui arc, her tiny pixie form was cute, as well.

I do find Kirito's profile accidentally being carried over something of a stretch, but for all we know it could have been perfectly intentional or it was a real accident created by the whatever process that transferred Asuna from SAO to Alfheim. Either way, that didn't trigger my unbelievability-o-meter.

Regardless, Kirito still seems to be an MMO girl magnet.

[MFauli]

I didn´t have much of a problem with this episode ... except for one biggie: WHAT mother would let her son play this kind of game again, after he was trapped in VR for over two years? Bull-fucking-shit!
At least work out some elaborate plans of how to hide your NervGear-usage from other people.
Also, of course, Kirito is the only person to realize that this game is basically a copy of SAO. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG, using the data of a well-known death-game?!

Other than that, fun episode. Well, Kirito showing off at the end seems unnecessarily risky, but whatever.

[Ryllharu]

I do find Kirito's profile accidentally being carried over something of a stretch, but for all we know it could have been perfectly intentional or it was a real accident created by the whatever process that transferred Asuna from SAO to Alfheim. Either way, that didn't trigger my unbelievability-o-meter.
I actually found this element to be quite plausible. The new company that acquired SAOs old developer was a lazy/greedy piece of shit. They fixed the hardware in the years SAO was running, but aside from that, they didn't just reuse the game engine, or graphics assets, they imported the entire SAO data and reskinned it, slapping on a magic and flight system while scrapping the sword skills. It's not like they're going to get sued, they bought the company.

It would have been better perhaps, if it was a slightly out of date version of Kirito (a few months off or something), but like you said, I'd guess the up to date stats are due to the process of pulling Asuna over instead of letting her log out. They just grabbed all the data and refused to let her log out. That brought over all of Kirito's stats, and Yui as an item.

[Archangel]

Report Kirito plx, haxxor.

I'd also like to thank the opening for making it so blatantly obvious that's Kirito's sister/cousin. Although i guess the voice would have given it away regardless.

[shinta|hikari]

Against people who are playing a skill based copy of SAO for only a short time versus a 2 year veteran with supposedly the best reaction time out of 10,000 players and all his skills practically maxed out, I don't think showing off was risky at all.

I just wish they don't do the disappearing slash thing. It is always lame, no matter how it is done.

Lyfa shouting Sei! on her first strike is a dead give away, even if they changed the voices.

[Archangel]

Asuna and Kirito are probably still married by the way, i wonder if she can see his inventory.

[David75]

Didn't the nervgear store user data? I guess that explain why part of Kirito's profile has been transfered. And it probably is because he didn't change his in game name. Then the game read that data and transfered everything compatible, that is everything that has been made compatible for Asuna to be transfered.

[Buffalobiian]

Report Kirito plx, haxxor.

Hell no, I prefer Haxxor > Underlevelled MC.

As for marriage, it depends on whether ALF supports marriages. Otherwise, it'd just be ????? like the rest of the incompatible stuff.

[Roko]

That was an enjoyable episode; been some time since I haven't had an issue with an SAO episode. Wonder if we'll see any other SAO players in Alfheim. Too bad Agil didn't join Kirito--I think I've always enjoyed their banter/relationship.

Does anyone else think it's weird we haven't seen the mother/aunt anywhere except for flashbacks? Where is she? Highly unusual for her to be absent so much especially considering how omnipresent a mother is in Japanese culture.

[Kraco]

Didn't the nervgear store user data? I guess that explain why part of Kirito's profile has been transfered. And it probably is because he didn't change his in game name. Then the game read that data and transfered everything compatible, that is everything that has been made compatible for Asuna to be transfered.

That could be an explanation, especially since it seems like the new company might have left a lot of the metadata untouched when they built the new game using SAO's engine and assets. Maybe they just changed a few strings and graphics displaying the game name, but internal headers still say Sword Art Online, and thus the nervgear would actually believe he's in the same game, and loaded the wrong profile automatically.

[NeoCybercoin]

Using what the game itself has given him. Hardly cheating. Just...very convenient

[Kraco]

Episode 17 - HS (http://www.nyaa.eu/?page=download&tid=367356)





- - - - - - - - - -






I guess a greedy megalomaniac is much easier as an opponent than an unpredictable nutcase. This dude is so sure and proud of himself he feels like boasting by spilling his secrets, plus the game he intends to use for brain washing has serious holes, like Kirito proved, but he's too busy mentally raping a girl to pay attention. He's really in no position to call Kayaba a fool.

[Archangel]

This goddamn shit again, present a whole new world and don't take the time to explain its rules.

And why the hell would you create a passcode lock for Asuna in a MMORPG and not some key item? Why?

[Kraco]

And why the hell would you create a passcode lock for Asuna in a MMORPG and not some key item? Why?

Isn't that obvious? Because it gives Asuna hope that she or somebody else will crack the code and open the door. Give hope and then crush it belongs to the torture 101.

Although clearly this guy isn't crafty enough to actually pull it off.

[Buffalobiian]

Illusion and treasure-hunting (opening locked doors/chests/cages?) seems to work perfectly for a rescue mission.

[Inazuma]

I'm surprised no one here speaks about the villain admitting to perfect brainwashing technology.
I mean - the guy just pulls the James Bond villain rookie mistake. Get the girl, reveal your plan to her. Atop of that he wants to break her will through some passive aggressive techniques.
This is no supervilain - he doesn't even deserve to be a low level henchmen. Things would have been so much more interesting if the system itself was the bad guy, if somehow Cardinal backed up it own self into a different game taking some players together in the process in order to challenge Kirito he whom defeat it's father.

Please SAO, don't go Kubo on me now.

[Kraco]

Illusion and treasure-hunting (opening locked doors/chests/cages?) seems to work perfectly for a rescue mission.

Yeah. Like I said in irc, offensive magic wouldn't do much good for Kirito with his haxor level physical offensive skills. However, the particular type of magic available for his randomly selected race is just the type that will complement purely physical prowess. How amazingly surprising Kirito got lucky in a game...


I'm surprised no one here speaks about...

Is this some empty discussion starter phrase in English, because I already did write it all up there?

[Buffalobiian]

I'm actually expecting Kirito's skills to push the sysadmin into using the system to give himself a really unfair advantage, then have Akihito Kayaba come into the game and hack his system instead to level out the playing field.

I'll serve to show how much of a douche the current villain is (if he hasn't done enough already), redeem Akihito in the eyes of the audience (he put Asuna into that position in the first place with SAO) and maintain the difference in power between a mere player and an admin.

If Kirito just went up there and cut up the elf king without any real trouble, that would just be stupid.

I also hope we continue to have the real life Sugu segments. Her youthfulness is mighty attractive. I want Kirito to be paired with Asuna, but I like Sugu (though not Leafa yet) as a girl.

edit:


I'm surprised no one here speaks about the villain admitting to perfect brainwashing technology.
I mean - the guy just pulls the James Bond villain rookie mistake. Get the girl, reveal your plan to her. Atop of that he wants to break her will through some passive aggressive techniques.

It can't be helped. Male villains like them want to flash their epeens as much as possible, (and have the girl say they like it on their own accord), only to have it kicked hard at the end.

[Ryllharu]

I'm surprised no one here speaks about the villain admitting to perfect brainwashing technology.
...
Please SAO, don't go Kubo on me now.
It could be because it is a really stupid plot development, another display of very poor writing.
It doesn't merit any discussion, just like the scene:


'Oh, Kirito, man I just met in an online world and immediately want to have sex with, I am surprised that anyone else can handle this flight speed, no one else has been able to before, yet somehow I alone can, so I can make this juxtaposition that you are instantly good at any online game, only faltering slightly for comedy relief.'


SAO started badly written, that made up term for a series jumping the shark doesn't apply here.

[MFauli]

i love how in the world of sao (the anime) it is peeeeerfectly fine to continue this kind of virtual reality-games, when you just had a case of hundreds of players dying because of the dangerous hardware parts. no, do not narrowly investigate how dangerous this stuff really is, instead just have the next couple of thousands of people log in. seriously lol.

and then the villain has the most dangerous tool of all times at hand. i mean ... altering one´s memories? that´s more powerful than simply being able to kill somone. you know, some postings above discuss how foolish of a villain he is. but that´s still giving him too much credit. can alter every player´s memories? well duh, you already have all you need to go for world domination. just make it so all the players recruit new people to log in, make them your slaves, too, and continue. this idiot can´t even properly rape asuna because of his incompetence and pseudo-pride. and totally lost sight of what could be achieved far beyond one girl...

[Buffalobiian]

He says be can alter people's memories, but aren't the hardware security upgrades supposed to prevent stuff like this happening? The older nervgears might be susceptible, but you'd think the new hardware would be triple-checked and made sure to be safe before governing bodies allowed it to be used by the general public.

[MFauli]

i guess in the end it is of not much use to give too much thought to this series. i mean ... this is a world where the matrix is real. people can log in to perfect vr-games and do whatever they want. there are so many socio-economic factors that SHOULD be at play here, that it is absolutely ridiculous how the real world in sao seems to be the same as ours.

EDIT:

As for ep 18: I dont get it. So does his sister know she´s playing together with her brother ... or not? When she pauses the game, she knocked on Kirito´s room door, fully expecting him to answer. After leaving him dinner on the kitchen table, she returned to the game and called the Spriggan "Kirito".
So ... what am I missing here?