My memory with these kinds of things is not the best, but if I’m not mistaken, then this was the first time in which Kirito actually killed a person, right? I mean, not indirectly like what happened with that one guild of his, but in which he was actually forced to strike down and kill a fellow player. This episode was stuffed with character-development, of which that was only the tip of the iceberg: Kirito was forced to join a guild and he and Asuna officially became a couple (including the two of them sleeping together, which is something you rarely see outside of the outright porn shows). But I do feel that this episode was rather forced…
Kuradeel… I get why he was used, but I didn’t really like him before, and this episode did not change that. I mean, I like that he’d try something, considering that he hates Kirito quite a bit, but I feel that he also could have done that without the overacting. In fact, I think that the points in which the characters in this show go mental are hard to buy and annoying, and it didn’t really help that this was followed by a badly covered “I nearly killed you but because I like to talk to myself your ally arrived just in time to save you”-twist. If you’re going to go with a twist like that: at least deliver it properly, because to be honest, at this point I have pretty much been programmed to exactly point out the moment in which these twists happen due to how bloody overused they are. You could have shown this from Asuna’s point of view, perhaps. that would have spiced things up a bit, and at the same time it’d also show that she actually did something… other than look at Kirito on her personal map. A few weeks ago I complained that we saw her do very little guild-duties, and that’s a problem that still hasn’t really been fixed here.
The direction on was on other points really good though. I mean, ignore the hapless overacting and I got quite a few chills from how Kirito and that one guy were killed off. I also like how the creators succeeded in making the first night between Kirito and Asuna rather awkward. One complaint to this however is that things moved incredibly fast. I mean, the end of the episode moved right from sex to marriage in an instant. Wouldn’t it have worked better if the creators put some time between that?
Rating: 4.5/8 (Good)
I also complain about the fast passing here, but the chapter has to epic moments to thing about that.
I thing Kuradell was really a good villain, really dangerous, no like the common talk bad guy. He planed his vengance, execute and nearly succed whit fast passing, i dont see him talking a do nothing, he talk and torture and killed at the same time nearly as fast as he could whit his actual skills. Is not his fault that Asuna got in time. Also Asuna cant killed him, and this nearly cost his life, this was a really dangerous situation and i aplaud the series for that. Kirito saved her and this follow the charm moment.
let pass the fast passing this was the best episode of the entire season for me. 7/8.
We already knew that Kuradell was a creepy stalker from before. I think that making him go mental here wasn’t that far-fetched.
Also, Asuna’s arrival was also a strange thing in the novel, not because she arrived in the nick of time like the usual trope but because of the time it took here to get to that place, it’s even described in the novels. She exceeded the human limits 🙂
Kirito has already killed several players, all of them being members of the Laughing Coffin Guild like Kuradeel.
As for the Asuna-Kirito relationship, that is a failure of the anime adaptation. They were together as a party for much longer than the second episode suggests so they have actually known each other and were friends since close to the beginning.
I pretty much have the same complaints as psgels does. I really don’t find this show outstanding or anything, I’m rather curious why it has such big buzz. Although buzz about a show doesn’t always have to do with the best animes out there….guilty crown anyone? Sword Art Online is nice. The episodes are better and I like how it used it’s side-stories to develop it’s characters further. I wish it was better. That’s pretty much all I have to say xD
….damn. that pretty much sums it up. Do you have any idea how long i’ve been waiting for a faantasy anime? and it comes up like this? ah well, back to waiting again.
Not that long? There was Legend of Legendary Hero 2010, Kemono no Souja Erin 2009, Shining Heart 2012. Do you mean good fantasy? then Kemono might be the only one that makes the list
I don’t care what anybody says about Legend of Legendary Heroes, it was friggen amazing, and I loved every second it it.
Minus the pilot episode. Nobody liked the pilot episode.
I was mostly talking about Shining Heart. I pretty much only watched it for the tasty looking bread
Though LoLH is not that great for me, kind of spread itself too thin and kind of slow to catch on
Yeah I just liked it for what it was. Should have been so much more I think, but I’m fine with what it was. I doubt I’ll see a story like that any time soon though.
well it’s popular enough that the Novel is still going on, just dont know if it’s ll ever get another anime since that one drew just awful ratings
I might just read that if I can find translations. It’s a pity, I heard that’s what happened to Deadman Wonderland, even though the anime itself was magnificent, and to be honest, a bit heart wrenching.
I watched Legend of Legendary Heroes. I liked it, but left me hanging with that cliffhanger. Was disappointed by Tears to Tiara, but I’ll check Kemono. Thanks for the tip.
Can anyone tell me why the hell Kirito was defeated in de duel? His sword was about to cut the Shield guy and, then… What happened there? Was that his unique skill? Like stop time or Haste in near death situations?
It is his special skill, but anymore beyond that is spoilers
I wouldn’t call it special skill. Did you really read the novel? He CHEATED.
Gustavo,
You can see that time kind of stops for a moment. That’s from the point of view of Kirito. He’s unable to move while Heatcliff moves his shield at superhuman speed…
Time Alter:…Square Accel!
So he is Kiritsugu.
Not fair, where did he get Avalon to heal himself
That shield of his is Avalon itself. Little bit of a paint-n-body job, of course.
I guess sleeping together rarely in non-mature themed anime, because I think I quickly came up with half a dozen instances of people sleeping together, off the to of my head, Rokka and her man in boytoy body, Kiritsugu with his assistant, Jin and his monster girlfriend, Mine Fujiko with practically everyone not name Lupin, Ole Yandere fav Yuno and her object of obsession Yuki. Unless you mean the main couple getting it on, then that number dwindles back down to next to zero.
I dont really critique, just liked to poke fun. What’s Kuradeel’s beef with Godfry? Kuradeel must had some real deep hate of Godfry to ignore the stronger Kirito who drank less poison and humiliated him before and kill him first. Failure at villain 101 unless you took that course in Shounen academy.
Is there a more overused phrase in anime than “xxx-kun, BAKA”?
I guess with all the hoopla with Kirito “almost dying” everybody just decided not to talk about Heathcliff might be a cheater?
I dont play online games, but what exactly do you do in a guild really on non-raiding days?
It seems like every anime this side of School Days. Man, if only School Days would’ve had some good ol’ hanky-panky in there. Maybe with a Nice Boatload of that, the resulting melodrama would have screwed the cast over in the end or something. Oh well.
😉
I’ve read books, memorials and diaries of young people who took part in uprisings in my country during the second world war and SAO feels very similar to those. The constant rush, battles, focusing on things important for the protagonists only, fast character development – it was all there as a result of not knowing if you will survive another day or month. The fact that they crammed so many things in such short time – from almost dying, killing traitor, spending night together and deciding to get married – feels completely natural in case of Kirito and Asuna, because they experienced the fragility of their lives and want to live as strong as they can. Rather than about fantasy rpg, for me this story is about war and a couple that found each other during that time.
The light novels have Kirito killing more of the coffin group. Somewhere else I saw someone complain that it was out of character for him not to feel remorse over killing. The anime could have dealt with this better. They still might, given the subtle feel at the end of this episode. Kirito was brooding in it, sitting on the bed, fully dresses… It had an odd feel setting up more undercurrents than just the marriage proposal.
On the side of the fast moving relationship. I don’t think it was rushed in the plot sense. Kirito thought he was dead. He thought Asuna was going to die. These things piling on you, change your perspective. It is rushed, but these are kids. Kids in love and facing imminent death. You also have to consider what ‘marriage’ means in this game. In the end I think it fits in character wise perfectly.
Yes it is rushed. That is the point.
Doug,
Kirito’s inner conflict about PK is explained in the Gun Gale Online arc. Basically the whole arc deals with the inner conflict of killing another person… Unfortunatelly we wont be able to see it animated, unless they’re already planing for another season.
I was very pleased with this episode, sure it had flaws, but so did the rest, and I’d have to say this was the best so far. I am still quit mad however, about the fact that this isn’t being adapted better! I’ve never even read any of the light novels yet and I can tell that so many details are not being adapted!!! It’s been 2 years! Kirito and Asuna have known each other for a long time! There are likely so many moments between their friendship and development we’ve never gotten to see! Psgels I feel like we are only seeing glimpses of the story when we should be seeing the mass bulk of it! I’m actually very tempted to read the light novels if I can find good translations.
I really liked the duel. The unique skills were great, and the time stopping thing might be hinting at something in the future, perhaps he is cheating or hiding something, maybe it’s a part of his skill, not sure where that will go though. As for the villain, he wasn’t that bad I don’t think, however with only a few lines they could have made him much more solid. “I’ve been hiding under your noses all of this time, hunting as I please, Asuna was next, you got in the way, now I’m going to kill all of you.” I just made all of that up but seriously, a few lines like that or even that one line would have made him a million times more viliany, better, and more likable.
And Yes! Kirito and Asuna actually had sex! Found that pretty awesome actually. While most poeple hate cliches in anime what I really really really hate are the taboos. No alcohol, no sex, no disrespect towards authority, you know that sort of thing. I’m sure you guys know what I mean. I’m actually rather pleased at the direction that was taken, but I’m still quite mad about all of the stuff the adaption isn’t covering.
As for the time span between that and marriage, it’s not so farfetched. Kirito finally got over his issue of holding himself back, from what I’ve seen that’s the first time he held her back or acknowledged her, and that was probably do to his brink with death. Which changed him. I actually thought he might die for a second, or that something else would happen. As for Asuna arriving in the nick of time, since her nickname is lightning or whatever, I know that she specializes in speed so it’s not that crazy though it could be executed better as you say. Back to point, maybe Kirito is being hasty since he almost died, and sacrificed a hand temporarily. A brink with harsh reality as it were.
I just hope the rest of SAO has as much plot/cool things happening/story development as this, I also hope the execution gets better on everything.
Disappointing. I really glopped to glop some glopping, yet they just glopped away the best part. What a shame.
“I mean, the end of the episode moved right from sex to marriage in an instant. Wouldn’t it have worked better if the creators put some time between that?”
Asuna and Kirito have known each other for more than two years. And they kind of have been in love for more than a year.
Show, not tell. It can’t just tell us that the main character and the female lead are suddenly in love with each other nine episodes in without any sort of build up.
I dont know, outside of episode 2, when have we not seen Asuna being absolutely smitten with Kirito? Making him dinner and sandwiches. Taking a nap with him. When Kirito almost died to save her, she pretty much hung onto him for a solid 5 minutes. I feel like that side of it is pretty well established. Kirito is really the one hesitant most of the time. Escalation after a life altering event is perfectly reasonable.
Well yes. They did develop a crush on Asuna’s part, but not on Kirito’s part – when she stripped what I thought was ‘lol she completely misread the situation he’s not into her- o wait’. And they also didn’t develop their bond at all.
If they got together in the first episode, that would have been one thing and we could have safely assumed that stuff happened in the backstory. But they only just met in the second episode, they barely ever interacted.
I’ve heard that two years passed in the show, but as far as we viewers are concerned it might as well have been two weeks with how little happened. And in a way two years makes it worse, how much time have Kirito and Asuna spent together? A few days?
you mean grabbing her boobs while she falls on him is not enough development for you? gasp*
That’s the problem with doing all the side stories first without trying to weave the main story into them, because they would have gone from episode 2 to the time skipped 2 years later, you would have safely assume well they’ve been flirting this whole time. I think that falls on the people that worked the script adaptation
With Kirito, they really gone with focusing on how much he tries to not connect with other after Sachi, so I’m not sure how much you can get him showing much being so passive. It’s a romance novel archetype when you break it down. The aloof loner and the outgoing girl that melts his heart. The payoff of that scenarios is almost always a drastic switch flip, but the setup may vary. What would’ve been very easy to do was to basically have some flashback still of the time they spend together, you know while he’s “dying” and all, but they didnt.
also I’m surprised that you thought he wasnt into her at that point. Since the previous scene was them two spouting off this huge confession
Yep, can’t say this episode impressed me. They should have toned down Kuradell’s insanity a bit. Sure he’s a throwaway villain but come on.
Everyone else already said everything I would have said but did anyone else notice how obnoxious the soundtrack was here? Really when the violins kicked in at Kirito and Asuna’s “tender” moments it just was cringe worthy. Now I would expect this from some ordinary composer. But Yuki? For shame Yuki. For shame.
Blame the director.
What I think is funny is that it’s actually possible to have sex within the game LOL
Not less plausible than anything else, maybe more plausible. Presumably you can control and feel in the game by machine feeding signals to your brain, so all it comes down to is having anatomically correct avatars and stimulating the right nerves.
There is an actual explanation for this in the novels. Basically there’s a secret function called ETHICS CODE: OFF.
is it really a secret function? It’s just a detail wasn’t divulge to us. Certainly no secret to them
I see, that makes sense. I was wondering why the game would decide to feed these particular sensations to neurons
if you think this part of their love was somthing rash just wait becouse the next episode will be the side story of yui which take time after the marrige
another side story?
Great! Who cares about a plot anyway!
let’s just continue with fillers, featuring:
‘kirito is soooo badass’ scenes – including some cute girls,
more Asuna random tsundere phrases towards kirito, even more useless characters with incredibly stupid character design, some blatant fanservice shots here and there (I especially loved the tentacle monster in ep 4) packed alltogether with the horrible pacing we like so much.
Simply put: SAO is definetly the worst anime of this year.
Wanna know why?
It’s NOT because the anime itself really is horrible.
It’s because a LOT of YOU GUYS try to TALK this shit into gold.
And on MAL it’s ranked 41. After 10 episodes of fillers.
I have NEVER experienced such a bullshit of an overhyped series. Can’t you just WAIT in giving a score AFTER you’ve watched the series? I am really shocked to read that much of fanboyish comments, looking at MAL it’s like the plague, infecting a mass of people and killing good taste.
Guess what will happen if this series is going to be a success?
Right. There will be more and more shounen clique crap series without a serious plot.
If that’s what you want – go ahead.
I think people just tries to pick it apart because of its buzz. I mean if you talk about confusing and unexplained plot, Horizon’s got this beat by light years(Though Horizon doesnt care, it’s really made for the novel readers that knows what is up). If you talk about poor adaptation Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai and Champione pretty much changed the plots completely.
It’s not great, but it’s not as terrible as people makes it out to be
I don’t think it’s that bad. I’ve watched some crappy overhyped anime which I really hated, but SAO doesn’t come near that level of displeasure. Examples? Penguin Drum (That ending wasn’t art, that story was barley tolerable) Darker Than Black (Another bullshit ending/nothing explained)Love Hina (Not even going to comment) and Full Metal Panic (Meh).
SAO is fraught with issues, but I think it’s a good watch.
You can’t always get caught up in what people think man.
Yea, this anime is overhyped. It also sounds like you just want to hate it though. Get over it.
actully yui wont be one of the girls that fall in love with kirito and all that she will be somthing very importend to asuna andd kirito also asuna wont be tsundere anymore becouse this story take place after their marrige
@castlevaniapro9 yui will not fall in love with kirito asuna wont be tsundere nothing what you said above that you think will happen is wrong yui will play a very big part of the end of sao and you will be shocked when you will discover what she realy is.she not what she looks like.this story will be completly diffrent from what you seen until now
Are u joking penguin drum was amazing but I guess you wouldnt know an amazing anime if it hit ya considering you seem to like the train wreck known as code geass
Bunny, this may be inconceivable to you but maybe Penguindrum was just as much train-wreak. Hell it used the exact same storytelling technique as code geass of placing a twist at end of each episode. But hey at least Code geass didn’t try to disguise itself as deep with bullshit symbolism.
@Aidan:I’m in agreement a bit Aidan on Penguindrum but in my case I did enjoy penguindrum upon a second watch. I agree with you on the symbolism disguising things, being nonsense, but stylized and pretentious as it was I liked the look of it. The plot to penguindrum I did like but I acknowledge it isn’t as smart as it lets on.
As for Geass I regret re-watching it, alot of the praise I can give it for doesn’t apply second time round and late in season 2 it gets way too rushed and the twists become a bit harder to buy, whereas it was fine before. A re-watch and knowing what happens kills the suspense for me in it which Code geass thrived strongly on. The action and production is still great though a lelouch is very charismatic and I await the new Geass ovas because the story will be fresh and new.
Simply put stylized bullshit it may be but stylish it did look to me.
Code Geass was “it” for me. The perfect anime, the ultimatum, the one hit wonder, the masterpiece. My favorite anime, the most satisfying meal I’ll ever have. I’m aware that many critiques and poeple hated it, and there are a million reasons for that. I never once considered it a train wreck though. Plot twists? Bad writing? Yeah right, try living life, crazy shit happens, things go out of whack, friends become enemies and enemies friends. In fact I find it far more realistic than any of the bullshit “slice of life or normal life” stories that you normally see. Honestly, who lives like that? I sure didn’t! Most people I’ve ever known didn’t. Reality is stranger than fiction. And sure it was juvenile, rebellious and cliche ridden, but I loved it for all of those reasons.
The main character had a interesting personality type, probably the same as the writer. According to personality tests I’d bet that it’s “Mastermind” a very very rare personality type, most people are the more common personality types, therefore, they would hate the ideology/show for those reasons. Same with Yagami from Death Note. Everyone likes L because most people are the same sappy non Mastermind (Basically the top tier of rational personalities)
At anyrate, everyone has their own personal tastes and views. We all get angry for different reasons, and we all see things in different lights. Our experiences have molded us with bias. Others are more open, some are as focused like a powerful laser beam. But in the end I believe we should all enjoy what we love. No matter how different we experience that love.
This’ll sound strange reaper but I don’t like code Geass for the reason that I do like it. I loved it and judging on first time watch its fantastic and I still consider it as such based on that first viewing but at the same time I’ve a bone to pick with it from re-visiting it.
I’ve watched it twice, never had an issue with it. But I can feel where your coming from. Watching any anime is never the same the second time, especially when you know everything that’s going to happen. Its like watching a movie over again, The Other Guys was amazing the first time I watched but once you know all the jokes it’s not the same anymore. It’s the same with mystery stories, its really not as fun if you already know the answer. This isn’t exactly what you mean is it? You notice the flaws the second time around and it bugs you? Thats understandable, *shrugs*. Not much more I can say.
I meant both actually come to think of it. And I totally agree on mystery stuff, thats definitely the sort of thing you watch/read once.
That’s kind of sad if you think about it. If you have seen the ultimate anime, then what reason do you have to watch any other anime at all? To find another like it or surpass it? but then it would not be the ultimate anime anymore.
I dont know what getting people’s knicker in a bunch. Sometimes bad stuff is still fun to watch, dont let logic and “refine” taste ruin your enjoyment. So what penguindrum is crazy “symbolic” nonsense, it’s got style and Seizon Senryaku is the best anime meme I’ve heard for a long time. If you dont enjoy it, and it’s so bad you have to bashed the hell out of it, why put yourself through this torture.
@Wicked:Thats precisely why I don’t want to watch sword art anymore I’m sick of “try one more episode” or “it gets better”. Whatever else I complained about it before its in the end another shounen action and those really just aren’t for me and never were.
Look at Leonardo Da Vinci. He didn’t paint one masterpiece, he is known for far more than just the Mona Lisa. Same with Beethoven. It’s the same when you see an awesome movie of epic proportions. Are you done? Are you satisfied? Is that hunger for more gone? See I NEED to consume more. I want to create things too, poetry, art, literature.I love the concept of creating something new, adding to this world, creating meaning and brilliance. Which means I in turn love creations, I want to taste more of humanities delectable creativity.
Well thats enough being dramatic for one night. I actually enjoyed Peguindrum, but the ending seriously botched it for me. It made me feel so terrible, same with Darker Than Black. I don’t think I was ever more depressed than that… I can’t even call it an ending.
I agree though if you hate SAO just stop watching it. I’m loving it, if you had to criticize it “Sword Ass Online” is probably a better fit. Something that has fan service, a touch of cliche and flaws. Despite that I think it’s enjoyable, and a good (enough) show, it’s fulfilling my hunger, obviously if you don’t like it than it’s not fulfilling yours, so what are you waiting for? Go out there and devour something else.
Code Geass is garbage. Deal with it
Wow that was really rude of me sorry I mean I don’t even know if your favorite anime is code geass and I’m just pissed coz of tari tari. I still think Sao stands for shit anime online.
Whatever Aidan
Paralysis is the ultimate weapon! You can kill one of the most powerful players just by paralyzing them. YEHEY! I’ll put paralysis on all of my gear, swords, shields, gloves, and boots. So if I hit an opponent with anything, he will be paralyzed. Again, where is his regen? Dafuq happened to his regen?!!! I don’t get the duel, either. He chose 1 Strike Mode, right? He was already hit with his shield. Does that not count? WOW. I don’t wanna play this MMO, it has a lot of inconsistent rules.
Yup. He’s definitely in pain when the shield struck him, his face was in agony and his body was bend over. Come to think of it, Accel World also has super inconsistent rules.
His auto-regen only worked when he was facing against low-level idiots, and he had to calculate how much auto-regen he has and compare it to their damage output to make sure they can’t really hurt him, but a freaking Floor Boss at the highest dungeon they reached or a person with a high-level character (clearly Kuradeel is since he is fighting on the front-lines with the game’s best guild) can easily out-do Kirito’s auto-regen and make it obsolete .. it’s very simple and clear.
And Kuradeel never stopped damaging Kirito .. and even if he did .. whatever HP auto-egen might have restored would be insignificant compared to Kuradeel’s damage output (or that Floor Boos damage output which was clearly very high)
I totally got the feeling that Heathcliff was the game-creator, taking part in his little experiment. After he stopped time and avoided Kirito’s attack, that look of “oh no you didn’t!” he gave him was interesting… Like he was annoyed he had to use that god-power.
Anyways… after the paralysis-fight.. the resolution was completely skipped! What happened with Kirito’s hand? I thought in this game, once things were “lost,” that they couldn’t be regained. And how did they explain everything to the guild? HMMMM???
Maybe there is a regen item/spell of some sort that they have. Remember, Kirito found a way to resurrect a comrade but only upto 10 seconds from dying. So, it is not far fetch to have a regen body part item/spell.
The one thing that is pissing me off is the auto-heal that was missing. They used it in a story and then removed it for the benefit of the story. That is just bad writing.
Not really. Regen-type abilities tend to be useless as far as JRPG go (from what I’ve seen). They always only restore certain percentages. I don’t know what Kirito’s HP is, but I’d randomly guess it in the ten thousands. His damage output ought to also be in the thousands, at the very least.
Let’s say he has 20 000 HP. 5% in 5 seconds is a reasonable value for a Regen type spell (it might even be a bit high). That’s 1000HP/5seconds. If a mid level players hits for 500 damage, Kirito’s health will recover fast enough that the guy will have trouble putting adent in him; if a low level player hits for 50 – well, he won’t even feel that. But if a high level player (and we can assume Heathcliff was at a higher level than him) – or a boss – hits for 5000 (and this is a low estimate), the Regen won’t be able to keep up.
By your explanation, Kuradeel is a high level player?
His regen must be pretty low if it only adds 5% in 5 secs.
It is not that his regen is pretty low but his regen is non-existent. Gone. He has to heal/be healed. Remember the boss fight (blue-eyed demon, i think) and now with Kuradeel.
Well one could say the regen attribute comes from that cloak he wears until he joins the guild, which would explain anca’s view and also explain why he wasn’t regaining HP under kuradeel’s attack.
Or we could just say the anime’s accountability system is one fustercluck of a mess. Yeah, I’ll do just that.
My estimate was not low, it was high. As I said, that type of ability is close to useless in other games. The only thing it would be good for is dungeon grinding (if it doesn’t need to be cast every skirmish) and showing off, but it’s fully in the realm of possibility that it might add 1000 HP (that’s like 10HP at 200 total) right before Kirito at 7000 gets hit with 7300. I wouldn’t deactivate it unless there are limited skill slots.
And 5 seconds is a lot in a fight.
Or maybe it restores HP continuously at a 100HP per second rate or something like that, which would be even less useful against strong opponents.
What I’m saying was that it was still there, but made no difference.
If Kuradeel was really a seasoned killer, you’d think he’d know to be quick and efficient, especially in a game where your luck can change in an instant (and stripping down to underwear is equally quick and workmanlike!).
We liked his initial apology and apparent willingness to party with Kirito, even knowing he’d probably backstab. Ultimately Kuradeel was a wild, crazed plot device to get Kirito and Asuna into a situation where they’d save each others lives and then take their relationship to the next level. He served his role as pawn well.
Also, note to Kuradeel: it’s not murder if Kirito killed you in self-defence, brah. It was clearly a ‘him-or-me’ situation. It’s in Kirito’s nature to feel bad for taking any life – but he really didn’t have a choice here and he shouldn’t lose sleep over it. He should learn from the experience and watch his back – and Asuna’s.
This episode…Definitely left a lot to be desired. As most everyone has been saying here the pacing was horribly off for such a monumental event. This really should have been split into two episodes to have 1:more time to develop, and 2; more of an impact. I mean, these were not tiny little events, but huge in terms of character development and plot progression. I thought Kuradeel was also too stereotypical and lame brained to be much of a threat (so, why not kill Kirito first and get things over with?) and the aftermath of the battle was just too rushed to make me care about what just happened to both Kirito and Asuna. Luckily, with this episode it proved that the creators had done the right thing in having all of the side stories before this episode as it wouldn’t have made nearly as much of an impact without the adequate character development(such as the development of Kirit’s and Asuna’s relationship). The fight scenes were also very nicely done, however comparing this episode to the last two was a letdown. I still think this series is good, but it is obvious that it could really have been so much more…Maybe the director of the 12 Kingdoms helming this could have made the series really reach its potential…
I’m also pleased that after so much time together and what was obviously a mutual attraction, Kirito and Asuna act on their feelings. Too often in these kind of series, a confession or a peck on the cheek is as far as things go.
On first viewing, we actually took Kirito’s embarrassment at Asuna suddenly stripping after dinner as him not wanting to go quite that far yet (though admittedly we were a bit sleep-deprived). The progression from before to after their sleeping together could have been a bit clearer and less sanitized – while still obviously not resorting to porn.
Though for all I know, perhaps the producers couldn’t/didn’t want to show Kirito actually IN bed naked with Asuna – so instead we got the less overt scene of him (in clothes) waking her up later.
I haven’t watched SAO past episode 2, but this was pretty the scene in the novel? Chapter 16.5 (glop glop), the sex (two! years! of! glop!), wasn’t published.
It is odd that he was fully clothed when he does not appear to be in a hurry to go anywhere.
To be fair, it’s a game. Fully clothed is “Item Storage -> Clothes and Accessories -> Equip” (or something like that), rather than “Locate clothes -> Shit where are my pants -> How did my socks get under the bed?! -> Uch maybe I should take a shower first -> [etc]”
I liked the fact that yes, a couple finally had sex in an anime, instead of never-ending will they won’t they. However, I feel like the pacing of the anime is so weird that some episode take too much time and others are rushed. I felt like this one was rushed and the relationship between Asuna and Kirito felt victim to that.
I agree with the super fast-pacing of this episode and the way people get mental breakdown to be annoying. Especially in this last episode…
Yes, from the beginning we can notice everything does happen real fast because apparently they have a lot to do in little time, but in this episode it felt more rushed than usual.
I’m in conflict with myself as I watch this series. There are moments that really appeal to me, but at the same time there are a lot of things that disappoint me.
From the way I see it, this show had a LOT of bad decision with directing, which made the pacing and progression of the plot feel really bad.
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TL;DR
Why is this show so shitty?
Shitty now. I liked the idea of getting stuck in a MMO game that you have to finish to exit. I liked the idea that in a game where most people play in groups, Kirito plays solo. And the idea that if you know almost all of the rules, you can exploit it (I first started doing that in Diablo II, example: teleport ready in a boss fight). I loved some of the ideas because I do them, too. But now, I don’t know what to think.
I never played an MMORPG in my life. Closest I ever got was LoL, but that’s a stream of 40-minute RTS combat sessions.
BUT! I like it for the same reason: the setting. What if everyone HAD to play the game you loved for whatever societal reason? I’m sure most kids/YA nowadays fantasize likewise. Remember the ever-popular “why can’t my life be like games/anime?”
BAM! Wish fulfillment with a helping of chicks and near-death battles around our lead, the ever wonderful Marty Stu (trope). But this story is older, written in 2002 before WoW “changed the [whole] game.” And it seems like the elements of realism people were expecting were significantly downplayed.
But the show remains decent — It simply can’t encompass or live up to these wishes as we like while maintaining a modicum of (believable) intrigue at all times.
Why are you still watching it ? (and commenting about it too) ..i really hate illogical and pointless comments like yours.
here the next episode preview http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eew1eoqTKsw finally it yui side story this is the most great side story ever in the novel
I think SAO is fairly solid. Maybe even better, by shounen standards.
I agree — if the timescale was compressed to that of a “modern” MMORPG (aka 2 weeks to hit the level cap), their seemingly short relationship-building phase would have seemed more reasonable (although her past as a depressed recluse wouldn’t have made as much sense).
Of course, differences in cultures worldwide notwithstanding, the reverse could have happened just as well. In-game marriage is fairly common before players sleep together, I daresay. Shared item storage would arguably precede IRL promiscuity by at least a couple days.
Quite a fantastic episode, specially the moments when Kirito was an inch or less away from death .. phew .. that was tense even though anyone can tell he was going to be saved somehow (although i expected it to be the paralysis effect ending in the last moment, but the decided to used this event to develop the relation between Kirito and Asuna .. can’t object to that).
And Psgels, it seems you missed something about Kuradeel, he could have been a typical cliche guy-with-a-grudge-went-mental case if it wasn’t for the fact he was working with Laughing Coffin and had their Guild insignia on his arm (meaning he didn’t just buy the poison from them … he is one of them), and frankly anyone who joins a PK guild like that in SAO is clearly mental and a psychopath long before this episode(considering the amount of pressure a lot of people have been through being trapped in SAO a lot of mental break-downs surely happened among the population) .. he was just good at hiding his lunacy while around others, but when he set up both Kirito and the other guy (whom he clearly had a grudge against for some reason) and they were alone he had no reason to hide that anymore (and i can guess he might have done the same thing before to other guild members) and came back crying claiming bandits killed them.
And he didn’t waste time at all, he killed the first guy and proceeded to stab Kirito lowering his HP immediately after that .. he didn’t waste any time standing there while talking and doing nothing .. but being the lunatic he is he surely savored every moment of Kirito’s near-death experience (and gave me the chills in the process .. i wouldn’t want to be in Kirito’s shoes in that situation) .. IMO actually it happened too fast .. one second they were sitting there resting and a moment later one of them was killed off and the other was being drained of his HP faster than a water tank with a major leak XD
Some people might have commented on
As for Asuna’s guild duties .. she mentioned many items that she needed some time off with Kirito .. also .. they did show her guild duties to us .. they don’t have to waster time every episode showing it to use again unless it progresses the story .. otherwise you can imagine it happens off screen (they don’t need to show us the characters eating or going to sleep every episode … we know they do off-screen).
As for moving from sex to marriage .. what’s wrong with that, they have been warming up for each other for quite some time, also sex and marriage mean very little in SAO physically since it’s a virtual world .. it’s all about the two of them wanting to be together all the time and committing to each other .. and the best way to achieve that in SAO is through the marriage system in the game, again it was nicely done.
And finally .. for the people who just write to bash the show without contributing anything meaningful to the discussion, at this point you are clearly nothing but trolls, if you didn’t like the show you would have stopped watching it a long time ago, so please spare us and yourselves the trouble and go look for your masterpiece anime elsewhere and let us enjoy the show we like to watch.