So Sword Art Online has been an amazing series thus far. I want to admit though that SAO kinda steals some elements from the whole MMO coma thing from .hack// but definitely takes it a lot further with better plot/character development. I kinda of want to turn back time since its kinda funny how an anime of an MMORPG got me into the MMORPG community in the first place. I think animes such as .hack//(Insert Series Here) and SAO have probably depicted what we wish MMOs could be in the future or near future. Am I the only one who feels this way?
nope!
wish I'd made a relationship with a girl through the game and have it transfer to the real world.
but instead
I made some pretty cool friends from the game that I regularly keep in touch with. I like MMOs that have that nice community instead of the new ones that come out like GW2 or w/e. feels like when I play those games i'm constantly playing solo
Might have quit ffxi but sure glad i came back to check the website this is one gem of a anime for sure just finished episode 14 truly there is another episode coming right?
My only complaint is that it felt pretty rushed, they could have made it much longer arc, easily doubled the episodes, while giving more back story, not cutting out fights (Kirito vs Santa), etc.
My only complaint is that it felt pretty rushed, they could have made it much longer arc, easily doubled the episodes, while giving more back story, not cutting out fights (Kirito vs Santa), etc.
I agree but theres a chance it could have been over milked and presented too much filler as well... Filler ruins Anime too much for me anymore to enjoy it. I do think they shouldn't have skipped so many floors and cut out fights.
This anime is by far the best thing to roll out in a LONG LONG LONG time (Minus Korra but it barely counts if at all).
So Sword Art Online has been an amazing series thus far. I want to admit though that SAO kinda steals some elements from the whole MMO coma thing from .hack// but definitely takes it a lot further with better plot/character development. I kinda of want to turn back time since its kinda funny how an anime of an MMORPG got me into the MMORPG community in the first place. I think animes such as .hack//(Insert Series Here) and SAO have probably depicted what we wish MMOs could be in the future or near future. Am I the only one who feels this way?
No. I have to admit that years ago, a friend with a cd full of jpop/anime songs made me curious about .hack, and then .hack got me curious enough to pick up a copy of ffxi. I've been playing off and on for the last five years now and everytime I step away from the game I still end up missing it enough to come back because it's been so much of what I'd imagined I'd want in a MMO after watching that show.
I like how SAO is more in depth in how it portrays the playerbase though. It gives it a more realistic feel than .hack had imo.
My only complaint is that it felt pretty rushed, they could have made it much longer arc, easily doubled the episodes, while giving more back story, not cutting out fights (Kirito vs Santa), etc.
I agree. While I watch/read plenty of anime/manga with no violence at all, if there are weapons or martial arts involved I'm disappointed if there aren't lengthy, well choreographed fight scenes. If there's the implication of action, I want to see it. Not to say I want pointlessly drawn-out sequences like many shonen works have, but I would like to have seen more than we got here.
As for the story, looking more into their personal lives would have been nice, but I guess we were supposed to feel as disconnected from the "real" world as the characters were, so I can kinda see why they didn't show us how their families and the authorities were dealing with things for instance. Still some occasional flashbacks to help us figure out why certain people were the way they were would have been nice.
I would have liked them to maybe show more of the questing/leveling experience (sans pointless grinding scenes). Maybe show us something of the NPCs whose lives Kirto deemed valuable enough not to sacrifice. I don't know that we got the best view of the world Kayaba was so eager to create.
I know I sound highly critical, but I really enjoyed the series so I'm not putting it down. In show business you're always supposed to leave the audience wanting more right? They certainly did that, and I look forward to seeing it!
My review of the first arc: warning, long; spoiler intensive. And while I feel this was a great anime, this review is meant to be a constructive criticism, to explain where I think it could have been strengthened, not to knock it down.
I wasn't going to say anything, but Tiger brought up a really good point.
At the end of the day, this anime is a love story. Which is fine, I don't have a problem with the central plot of an anime being a love story. What I have a problem with is sacrificing the world of Aincrad and all the other characters in it to tell a love story (hear me out).
I personally feel that this anime could have been amazing if they took the extra 8-10 episodes and made a 24 episode season. The vast majority of the series is dedicated to developing Kirito, and later Kirito and Asuna's relationship. As a result, all the secondary characters along the way (Klein, Agil, Sachi, Heathclif, Silica, and Lizbeth) all feel hollow as characters in comparison. If the writers used the additional 8-10 episodes to flesh these characters out, give them some back story, develop a relationship with Kirito, I think they would have built a fantastic anime and online world, and not just a fantastic love story.
If you feel that the secondary characters were given enough screen time, look at the roles of Yui, and the Golden Apple guild. These were the two groups that were given more than one substantial episode of screen time, and their primary purpose was to drive the relationship of Asuna and Kirito to new levels. The Golden Apple introduces the idea of marriage, Yui, the possibility of a family. In the end I feel I understand Yui only a little, and the members of Golden Apple not really at all.
The rest of the characters really feel like filler to me. Klein is a nagging reminder that while there are those who are dedicated not everyone is as strong as Kirito. I don't understand the friendship built there. Agil fills a variety of roles, but I feel like I could have understood him, and their friendship better. Silica and Lizbeth help develop Kirito, but I don't understand why they are title characters. Sachi is important, but I feel her haunting Kirito the entire series after one episode is a little much, especially considering the amount of screen time given other characters. At the end of the day, these characters to me seem more as vehicles for develop Kirito and his romance, and not as vehicles for fleshing out the world of Aincrad.
Did I forget someone? Heathclif, oh Heathclif, the aloof leader of the Knights of the Blood oath. I really wish his character was examined more than any other supporting character. At the end of the game, I felt like Kuradeel made a more convincing villain than Heathclif. I knew next to nothing about him, so his ultimate act of betrayal really felt like they just walked in on another boss. Asuna's sacrifice completely out-shined any feelings of betrayal for that episode. If I started to believe in Heathclif, and then the events unfolded as they did, the betrayal would have felt so much worse.
Now I understand the dichotomy between Kayaba and Heathclif, and the importance of it, be even Kayaba isn't truly a convincing villain at the end. He seems more interested in understanding the human spirit and Kirito's forgivness him doesn't give him the same evil factor that they imbued in him the first episode.
At the end of the Aincrad I feel like the writers developed a fantastic love story instead of a fantastic anime. I understand the need to keep the story moving and the fear of filler, but I don't see developing the world in which Kirito and Asuna live as being filler. The writers do a good job to show Aincrad is a believable world, but to me, it feels full of Kirito and Asuna, with the other characters acting as scenery rather than occupants and friends. Taking a few episodes to convince me that there were more to these characters would have made the world seem a lot more genuine to me.
Going by the original work Liz and Sillica were added after the fact, mostly due to the fact that SAO was originally written for a novel contest however being too long was instead posted online.
The brevity of the SAO arc of the exsisting story is due soley to that, he latter added Liz, Sillica and Yui as side stories, to elaborate they did flesh out a bit more then even the novel included, the whole floor 1 boss episode not canon along with the whole murder mystery.
Not to disagree however there were plenty of opportunities to expand on the SAO story based on events that were hinted at such as the suppression of the PK guilds.
Its almost a bit sad that the original work was created for the contest and not made from scratch with the intent to publish because i'm pretty certain SAO would have extended to floor 100 and detailed more then just a few key events and even developed the supporting characters.
Thanks, it explains a lot. I still think there could benefit from some addition (anime writers are often given a little leeway), and that makes it doubly confusing why Lizbeth and Sillica are shown in the opening theme.
But that does help explain why the story ended where it did.
And yeah the PK/murder/army guilds kept popping up but never amounted to much, I'd be interested in learning a little more about them.
My review of the first arc: warning, long; spoiler intensive. And while I feel this was a great anime, this review is meant to be a constructive criticism, to explain where I think it could have been strengthened, not to knock it down.
I wasn't going to say anything, but Tiger brought up a really good point.
At the end of the day, this anime is a love story. Which is fine, I don't have a problem with the central plot of an anime being a love story. What I have a problem with is sacrificing the world of Aincrad and all the other characters in it to tell a love story (hear me out).
I personally feel that this anime could have been amazing if they took the extra 8-10 episodes and made a 24 episode season. The vast majority of the series is dedicated to developing Kirito, and later Kirito and Asuna's relationship. As a result, all the secondary characters along the way (Klein, Agil, Sachi, Heathclif, Silica, and Lizbeth) all feel hollow as characters in comparison. If the writers used the additional 8-10 episodes to flesh these characters out, give them some back story, develop a relationship with Kirito, I think they would have built a fantastic anime and online world, and not just a fantastic love story.
If you feel that the secondary characters were given enough screen time, look at the roles of Yui, and the Golden Apple guild. These were the two groups that were given more than one substantial episode of screen time, and their primary purpose was to drive the relationship of Asuna and Kirito to new levels. The Golden Apple introduces the idea of marriage, Yui, the possibility of a family. In the end I feel I understand Yui only a little, and the members of Golden Apple not really at all.
The rest of the characters really feel like filler to me. Klein is a nagging reminder that while there are those who are dedicated not everyone is as strong as Kirito. I don't understand the friendship built there. Agil fills a variety of roles, but I feel like I could have understood him, and their friendship better. Silica and Lizbeth help develop Kirito, but I don't understand why they are title characters. Sachi is important, but I feel her haunting Kirito the entire series after one episode is a little much, especially considering the amount of screen time given other characters. At the end of the day, these characters to me seem more as vehicles for develop Kirito and his romance, and not as vehicles for fleshing out the world of Aincrad.
Did I forget someone? Heathclif, oh Heathclif, the aloof leader of the Knights of the Blood oath. I really wish his character was examined more than any other supporting character. At the end of the game, I felt like Kuradeel made a more convincing villain than Heathclif. I knew next to nothing about him, so his ultimate act of betrayal really felt like they just walked in on another boss. Asuna's sacrifice completely out-shined any feelings of betrayal for that episode. If I started to believe in Heathclif, and then the events unfolded as they did, the betrayal would have felt so much worse.
Now I understand the dichotomy between Kayaba and Heathclif, and the importance of it, be even Kayaba isn't truly a convincing villain at the end. He seems more interested in understanding the human spirit and Kirito's forgivness him doesn't give him the same evil factor that they imbued in him the first episode.
At the end of the Aincrad I feel like the writers developed a fantastic love story instead of a fantastic anime. I understand the need to keep the story moving and the fear of filler, but I don't see developing the world in which Kirito and Asuna live as being filler. The writers do a good job to show Aincrad is a believable world, but to me, it feels full of Kirito and Asuna, with the other characters acting as scenery rather than occupants and friends. Taking a few episodes to convince me that there were more to these characters would have made the world seem a lot more genuine to me.
I think most of what you said in your analysis gets added into later episodes. If you read into the novels most of the stuff gets explained, but yes this story definitely revolves around Kirigaya Kazuto and Yuuki Asuna.
I cant say for certain because i haven't made it very far (just hit volume 4) but Yui at least is part of the follow on story line, means liz and sillica aren't exactly out of the picture for sure, the side stories were by the author, what i had meant as not canon was only the floor 1 episodes (boss prep) and the murder mystery ones.
Edit: Also thanks for posting a theme teaser now i have to go look them up and listen >.<
I'm currently uploading the actual book novels on my website, I'll post the links to all the novels and side stories for people to read in a PDF format soon. I think that's better than reading off the wiki anyways.
I'm not sure what one is the better translation, so that would be up to the user to choose which they would like to read so I'll still provide both links.
It makes me a bit mad that this show is this short.I want to see more of this show and its story.I feel so much like this is a world i could live in and that i see a part of what i have done on ffxi in this show in my own way.
Are they keeping the main character and main cast when season two comes out.
So far the only reoccurring characters for the novel are Yui, Asuna, Kazuto (Kirito), Suguha (Kazuto's sister/cousin, this time she is actually part of the story instead of a referenced character) and Agil
Man, our grandchildren are gonna love MMO's to death. I know once the technology is made for this; some JP will make sure to make the series into a game. Hell, he'll probably name it the same too.
It also makes me wish we had that level of tech right now. (and we'd all be playing that instead of ffxi)
I hope the author is contracted to make a far more lengthy novel series and subsequently anime series based on his original works. That light novel crap is far too short.
Already a game in the works, think some one linked to an article on it earlier in this thread, its .hack// style where the setting is a single player game in an MMO, also its a non-canon story line chronicling SAO floor 75+ if i read the article right, you get to play a kirito and are not limited to 1h swords or the dual sword style either, hopefully they do a good job of recreating SAO elements, either way if it hits states side totally playing it.
Also putting into context loving MMO's to death considering SAO might be a bit more literal then you intended!~
So far the only thing I don't agree with is the character names... If they really wanted to base it on MMO's, throw a few sephiroth/sefiroth/xxsephirothxx and cloud variations in it =P
Man, our grandchildren are gonna love MMO's to death. I know once the technology is made for this; some JP will make sure to make the series into a game. Hell, he'll probably name it the same too.
It also makes me wish we had that level of tech right now. (and we'd all be playing that instead of ffxi)
I hope the author is contracted to make a far more lengthy novel series and subsequently anime series based on his original works. That light novel crap is far too short.
Not just instead of ffxi but instead of life we would be playing that game i know i would.
In the year 2022, the Virtual reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) Sword Art Online (SAO) is released. With the Nerve Gear, a virtual reality Helmet that stimulates the user's five senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds.
On November 6, 2022, all the players log in for the first time, and discover that they are unable to log out. They are then teleported to a place where Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of SAO, issues them a challenge; if they wish to be free and log out of the game, they must reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if their avatars die in game, their bodies will also die in the real world. The story follows Kirito, a skilled player who is determined to beat the game.
Setting
The light novel series spans several virtual MMORPGs, not exclusively the titular world of Sword Art Online.
Sword Art Online
The first virtual game world, and the setting of the first and second novels of the series. It consists of a giant floating castle called Aincrad, with 100 floors in it, each of which contains a slightly different medieval setting and dungeon with a boss. If the boss is killed the players can proceed to the next floor. It is turned into a death game by its creator Kayaba Akihiko in hopes of creating a true virtual reality. It implements a level based system. Thus, in cases where players with an overwhelming difference in levels face off, one side could very well be invincible compared to the other side.
Alfheim Online
The setting for the second arc of the story. It implements the first unique flight system that allows players to fly via wings. Players must choose out of nine different races, known races are: Spriggan, Sylph, Undine, Gnome, Salamander, Cait Sith, Leprechaun, Imp and Puca, each possessing their own strengths and weaknesses. ALO implements a skill based system as opposed to a level based system, in other words all experience is used to increase the skill level with only small health increases. Thus, even lower level players have a chance to win against higher level players.
Gun Gale Online
The setting for the third arc of the story. It is a virtual game world with its main focus on guns, although melee weapons like lightsabers and knives also exist.
UnderWorld
The setting for the fourth arc of the story. According to Kirito it is, graphically, the most realistic of all VRMMOs to date. The flow of time in UW is faster than the real world (probably a prototype of the accelerated world). Even so, it seems that even Kirito was mislead as to the actual rate of the flow of time so an accurate ratio of the flow of time is, as of yet unknown, or whether the rate changes during the Alicization Arc. However, in the "There is but one ultimate way" side story, the rate is said to be 10000 times that of the real world.
Light Novels
Reki Kawahara wrote the first volume in 2002 as a contribution for ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Game Novel Prize (電撃ゲーム小説大賞 Dengeki Game Shōsetsu Taishō, now Dengeki Novel Prize), but refrained from sending it in due to exceeding the page limit. Thus he published it as a web novel using the pseudonym Fumio Kunori. Over time he added three further volumes and several short stories. In 2008, he tried again for the prize by writing Accel World and this time won the Grand Prize. Aside from Accel World he was also asked to get his prior work Sword Art Online published by ASCII Media Works. Kawahara agreed and withdrew his web novel versions. The republication as a paper novel began on April 10, 2009. The paper novel excluded chapter 16.5 of the web novel, due to its explicit scene.
:: WARNING ::
Clicking these links bring you to the
baka-tsuki sub group wiki where you can
read the novels fully translated but will contain spoilers.
Side Stories Note: Please be advised that these stories might or might not be canon and might also have details that are slightly different than the volumes above.
Sword Art Online: Material Editions
The Material Edition (ME) series is a series of doujinshis created by Kawahara Reki himself using the pen name "Kunori Fumio" (the same pen name he used when he wrote the web novel of SAO).
