Sword Art Online - Episode 7 Discussion / Poll

[MrPopo]

"Hardcore" might have been the wrong word to use. However I do expect the primary target audience of this game are gamers and the majority of that subgroup are guys.

I'd be willing to give up on Sachi for the sake of argument. However I think it's not up for debate that Silica, Liz and Asuna all crush on Kirito to some degree. The show's done this 3 times already, that's pretty lazy and repetitive.

Still, that's not the focus of my complaint. What's important here is that there has been a skewed focus on Kirito developing...emotionally charged relationships with cute girls. Whether or not these relationships form in a realistic manner isn't all that relevant. The point is that these relationships shouldn't have had the chance to form in the first place. In an MMO setting such as this, cute girls should be a minority, yet a lot of the relevant characters introduced thus far fall into that category. That's a huge strike against the setting because it's not what the viewer expects, thus it makes it hard for them to suspend their disbelief.

[Znail]

Originally Posted by MrPopo

"Hardcore" might have been the wrong word to use. However I do expect the primary target audience of this game are gamers and the majority of that subgroup are guys.

I'd be willing to give up on Sachi for the sake of argument. However I think it's not up for debate that Silica, Liz and Asuna all crush on Kirito to some degree. The show's done this 3 times already, that's pretty lazy and repetitive.

Still, that's not the focus of my complaint. What's important here is that there has been a skewed focus on Kirito developing...emotionally charged relationships with cute girls. Whether or not these relationships form in a realistic manner isn't all that relevant. The point is that these relationships shouldn't have had the chance to form in the first place. In an MMO setting such as this, cute girls should be a minority, yet a lot of the relevant characters introduced thus far fall into that category. That's a huge strike against the setting because it's not what the viewer expects, thus it makes it hard for them to suspend their disbelief.

Even, if only 1 in 5 are girls, so does that still mean a random person have 20% of being a girl, so it's not that strange to meet one. And Lisbeth's gender wasn't random. Kirito went to her shop as she was a friend of Asuna and she has several female friends for obvious reasons.

Lets not forget that Kirito actually have some male friends too, so it's not like it's all girls around, just that the guys don't crush on Kirito. But this also kind of explains why there are more girls around then expected, it's because girls tend to like Kirito

But in the end so do you have a point, guys tends to like having girls in the story, that is why they show up. If this was aimed mostly at an female audience then we should expect only guys to show up in the story.

[KleenexGhost]

Can't we all just agree that the supporting cast of characters we've seen so far are pretty good?

[Adigard]

Originally Posted by KleenexGhost

Can't we all just agree that the supporting cast of characters we've seen so far are pretty good?

Dunno, this is the first time I've seen an anime viewer complain there were too many cute girls in the new show ^_^

But I agree, I like the supporting cast of characters.

[larethian]

Originally Posted by jcdietz03

I don't know Japanese question:
Is it true that 温度 / ondo can be "warmth" in Japanese in addition to "temperature?"

If so, someone really should submit a request for amendment to JMdict.

Ondo is indeed "temperature", which the official sub also uses (if I'm not wrong). But translation is not just about substituting words with meanings from J->E dictionaries. It's an art as much as a skill. Personally, if I bother (and usually I don't), I use a mix of J->J dictionaries and an English thesaurus; in fact I seldom use J->E dictionaries and prefer to use ALC for TL examples or (real) meaning illustrations because J->E dicts can be misleading at times. Using 'Warmth' is definitely more appropriate in context IMHO, but it will not be accurate to have it as a definition for Ondo.

Note this: When we talk about 'warmth' (how warm something is) or 'coolness' (how cool something is), aren't we talking about temperature? And it's in context, because this story is with regards to humans emotions, and using 'temperature' in English sounds rather awkward. Just my 2 cents.

[Flawfinder]

Originally Posted by KleenexGhost

Can't we all just agree that the supporting cast of characters we've seen so far are pretty good?

Nope. Don't like a single character in this show.

[Dengar]

Originally Posted by Znail

just that the guys don't crush on Kirito.

Are you sure about that?


Anyway, re: Crushes

Pardon my temporary sullying of her memory, but Sachi looked like she was ready to fall for anyone who could protect her from the scary outside world (both literally and figuratively).

In the case of the other two girls, Kirito has been acting a lot like a badass, saving their lives and shit, it's not THAT unlikely for them to get a bit flustered. In either case there wasn't enough time for it to develop beyond a simple crush, so the point is moot.

The only thing I'll say about Asuna is: The point is moot.


As for all of these girls being cute, well, it's TV, what do you expect?

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Dengar

As for all of these girls being cute, well, it's TV, what do you expect?

Yeah, that's a good angle. If this were a live action adaptation, I would think they would still choose generally-attractive actors for all the roles. And in that scenario, I'm not sure you can really say "it breaks my suspension of disbelief that this movie is full of good-looking actors, which is so unrealistic for a story featuring gamers!" And besides, it not like female gamers are necessarily unattractive either (then again, I'm biased because I'm older brother to two of them ).

I sort of take this "so many girls, and they're all attractive!" as a bit akin to an earlier conversation about the way the story is choosing the scenes to showcase. If you think of these last episodes as "Kirito's selected highlights from the game 'till now"... it may be that his most significant moments in the game "just so happened" to all involve attractive women. I'm not sure if that's all that unlikely a view for a boy his age...

[anigu]

Originally Posted by KleenexGhost

Can't we all just agree that the supporting cast of characters we've seen so far are pretty good?

No, I don't like Lizbeth. The others are fine, though. Especially Silica. Then again, maybe that's because I'm a lolicon at heart.

[Julio C]

Just watched this episode. That Lizbeth is such a cutie.

Are we we ever going to get to the main storyline or is this show going to be like this all the way? If it does get to the main storyline will it take place after episode 2 or continue forward in the timeline?

[Krono]

Originally Posted by Julio C

Just watched this episode. That Lizbeth is such a cutie.

Are we we ever going to get to the main storyline or is this show going to be like this all the way? If it does get to the main storyline will it take place after episode 2 or continue forward in the timeline?

Yes, we should get to the main story line, and yes, it'll continue forward in the timeline.

[Somnus]

Originally Posted by Julio C

Just watched this episode. That Lizbeth is such a cutie.

Are we we ever going to get to the main storyline or is this show going to be like this all the way? If it does get to the main storyline will it take place after episode 2 or continue forward in the timeline?

Funny you ask this, the "main arc" should be starting right away IIRC. Everything is being done in continuity, so besides the usual anime flashback, there'll be no jumping back and forth in the timeline.

[Deltaray]

Originally Posted by Julio C

Just watched this episode. That Lizbeth is such a cutie.

Are we we ever going to get to the main storyline or is this show going to be like this all the way? If it does get to the main storyline will it take place after episode 2 or continue forward in the timeline?

Main storyline starts with next episode, and it will continue forward in the timeline, everything is in chronological order.

[MrPopo]

Originally Posted by Dengar

As for all of these girls being cute, well, it's TV, what do you expect?

Yes, that's precisely what my issue is about. The knee jerk counterargument is "this stuff isn't unusually because it's TV", but that's precisely my point. By acknowledging that "it's TV", suspension of disbelief is broken right there. If the viewers can't buy into the credibility of the setting, which is the main selling point that separates this show from just another generic fantasy, then the show is doing itself a disservice from a storytelling perspective. The fact that the payoff for this disservice is to steer this show closer to harem territory is salt on the wound. I may be optimistic for saying this, but I feel that the show's core concept has enough appeal that it doesn't have to incorporate harem elements to raise sales (notice I said harem elements, please don't accuse me of labeling this show as a harem).

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I sort of take this "so many girls, and they're all attractive!" as a bit akin to an earlier conversation about the way the story is choosing the scenes to showcase. If you think of these last episodes as "Kirito's selected highlights from the game 'till now"... it may be that his most significant moments in the game "just so happened" to all involve attractive women. I'm not sure if that's all that unlikely a view for a boy his age...

I guess that does make sense and each episode was significant in it's own way. Still doesn't mean I have to like the pattern I'm seeing here.

[Znail]

Originally Posted by MrPopo

Yes, that's precisely what my issue is about. The knee jerk counterargument is "this stuff isn't unusually because it's TV", but that's precisely my point. By acknowledging that "it's TV", suspension of disbelief is broken right there. If the viewers can't buy into the credibility of the setting, which is the main selling point that separates this show from just another generic fantasy, then the show is doing itself a disservice from a storytelling perspective. The fact that the payoff for this disservice is to steer this show closer to harem territory is salt on the wound. I may be optimistic for saying this, but I feel that the show's core concept has enough appeal that it doesn't have to incorporate harem elements to raise sales (notice I said harem elements, please don't accuse me of labeling this show as a harem).


I guess that does make sense and each episode was significant in it's own way. Still doesn't mean I have to like the pattern I'm seeing here.

Just for the record, you are one viewer not several viewers and deffinitly not the elected voice of all viewers. That your personal suspension of belief is broken isn't really a problem. A lot of people have their own personal viewes about how things should be and this is yours.

[Adigard]

Originally Posted by MrPopo

Yes, that's precisely what my issue is about. The knee jerk counterargument is "this stuff isn't unusually because it's TV", but that's precisely my point. By acknowledging that "it's TV", suspension of disbelief is broken right there. If the viewers can't buy into the credibility of the setting, which is the main selling point that separates this show from just another generic fantasy, then the show is doing itself a disservice from a storytelling perspective.

You're prob. not winning this one in the real world where profits are required and DVD/BD sales are king.

It's a fair point, but not at all realistic.

[MrPopo]

Originally Posted by Znail

Just for the record, you are one viewer not several viewers and deffinitly not the elected voice of all viewers. That your personal suspension of belief is broken isn't really a problem. A lot of people have their own personal viewes about how things should be and this is yours.

You're right, I phrased that part badly. I do have arguments for my opinion, but it is just my opinion.

[dmaxzero]

I don't think it has anything to do with being a "casual viewer" or not. I've never so much as glanced at the light novels, and I don't think I'm having any problem following the show or appreciating it the way it's presented, nor do I think it's "awkward" this way. I actually like the "short story" presentation for the most part. Anecdotal evidence in the thread suggests that some feel this way as well, but others do not. Like every show, there will be people who don't like the way it's presented, keep being weighed down by the things they consider flaws, or want the show to be something different than it is. But I'm sure there are some people who had similar complaints even when reading the novels, but they probably aren't here to talk about the anime (because they weren't anticipating it).

In the end, I wouldn't take the fact that some people have issues with the presentation to mean that it isn't friendly to the casual viewer. I don't think the issue is that it's hard to follow, understand, or appreciate for what it is, it's simply that some people were hoping that it would be something else. That's a normal part of the discovery process.

I would elaborate some more but most likely you ll gonna infract me again... so I wont.. ^_^

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Yeah, that's a good angle. If this were a live action adaptation, I would think they would still choose generally-attractive actors for all the roles. And in that scenario, I'm not sure you can really say "it breaks my suspension of disbelief that this movie is full of good-looking actors, which is so unrealistic for a story featuring gamers!" And besides, it not like female gamers are necessarily unattractive either (then again, I'm biased because I'm older brother to two of them ).

I sort of take this "so many girls, and they're all attractive!" as a bit akin to an earlier conversation about the way the story is choosing the scenes to showcase. If you think of these last episodes as "Kirito's selected highlights from the game 'till now"... it may be that his most significant moments in the game "just so happened" to all involve attractive women. I'm not sure if that's all that unlikely a view for a boy his age...

... I can totally seen Klein going "Kirito, remember when we went into that dungeon and fought a boss and then 20 red players, just the two of us?"
"So many dungeons... Nope, that one doesn't ring a bell. Was there a girl involved?"
"... No."
"That'd explain it, then."

[Znail]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

... I can totally seen Klein going "Kirito, remember when we went into that dungeon and fought a boss and then 20 red players, just the two of us?"
"So many dungeons... Nope, that one doesn't ring a bell. Was there a girl involved?"
"... No."
"That'd explain it, then."

It's a bit extra funny as one of the side stories that was left out of the anime involved Kirito teaming up with a guy