Quote:
Originally Posted by relentlessflame
Uh, well, that was exactly what the rest of my post did, so... 
I think there's a middle ground between these two extremes (that I strive, perhaps fail, to get at), which is: what is the underlying point the author is trying to get at by depicting this element? This element doesn't exist randomly nor in isolation; it's fundamentally connected to all the rest of the messages in this story about Asuna's identity, those who seek to abuse/manipulate her, and why humans are more than just dolls to be toyed with and experimented upon. These are elements that the author of the story has placed there deliberately as he tries to convey the overall message. (The parallel between scientists who find nothing wrong with manipulating human brains in secret, and who would be willing to sexually assault a girl in the game world are obviously there on purpose, and connect to previous scenes.) So we have to ask ourselves: what does this scene tell us about the scientists? What does it tell us about Asuna? What does it tell us about Sugou? What is the theme being developed here? To answer these we have to listen to the dialogue carefully, place it in context, and understand what's happening beyond just "tentacles!" I reject the argument that this is supposed to be just "lol fanservice", and there's more to the scene than being just a simple plot device to bring her back to the cage. I'm not trying to say that it's totally "deep" either... but it's at some point in the middle.
In other words, what matters most (to me anyway) isn't "what happened", it's "why" (or "what does it mean"/"how is it connected"). Too often the answer you get is just "Because the author." (period). Well okay...
Edit: To be clear, I have no problem with people who dislike the scene, or who find it to be not necessary to communicate the author's intent (as long as they've given at least a bit of real thought as to what the author's intent might have been). The author is certainly not infallible or beyond making decisions we might find questionable. But I personally do try to place everything in context of the big picture. Again, that's just my own personal philosophy. |
Very good points. It's worth noting that a strong theme in this story is the exploration of how different people will deal with virtual reality, virtual games, the death game of SAO and the non-lethal ALO etc. This goes for both good and bad guys.
Asuna has also developed quite a lot during her time in SAO, so much that her parents may have trouble reconciling the difference. She started out her life in SAO by hiding out in the starting village for weeks, then she decided that she rather die then huddle in fear and thus decided to go out while fighting. This is where she met Kirito and he tought her that there were a way to beat the game rather then just suicidally fighting against mobs until you drop. She then started to 'play' the game for earnest, progressed herself, joined a guild etc. Later Kirito taught her that you could also enjoy SAO some despite it being a death game. All of those experiences have left Asuna in love with Kirito and rather emotionally dependant on him. So this latest arc actually helps her develop further as she has to rely on herself to stay sane. She rightly assumes that Kirito is doing everything he can to try and free her, but she has to resist Suguo's break down attempts on her own. Thus when this is over so is it likely that Asuna will be a stronger person then before. That is also quite a few stages of development of one character over time in one story.