Sword Art Online - Episode 22 Discussion / Poll

[Netto Azure]

Ah it's pretty crazy how Kirito does such a crazy thing when entire armies can't even do it. xD

Also they included a bit more introspective dialogue huh. O_o

And oh jeez. You could see the exact moment where Sugu's heart breaks into tiny little pieces. :C

[ookamigirl]

So close, yet so far away...
The driven Kirito really is something special!
It's amazing what the power of love can do.
I was half surprised to see Leafa run to his rescue.
Well, the first attempt failed.. Sugu's cover got blown as well.
Her confessing love to Kirito was kinda sad.

[ellessarr]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I don't know what happens in the novel, but I highly doubt the author is going to repeat this sort of arc. This arc is a continuation of the first arc and a resolution to SAO. Once it's over, I should think the story will branch out into new territory. I highly doubt the author will keep playing the "separated from your true love" all over again.

Then again, like I said, I don't know the novels, so if you really want to know, you can ask there. It isn't something that can be discussed in this episode thread.

well like i told this is what i get after get some spoilers from anime and novel, i told this because this is what almost happened since the start, since SAO arc where many girls fall for him and him ended with asuna and some of then get heartbrake too, now the author used a excuse to have asuna kidnapped just to "pop up that non-blood related sister" to fall for him i dont know in japan this is normal but on mine country is not that common non-blood related brothers and sister falling in love especially when grown together, maybe more easy when they are totally unknown whose parents just got married and one of them was recently adopted, but the point is:

[mod edit: remove spoilers]

mine point who this type of "romance" is a very "shit", if in the end kirito and asuna gona end together why the author need put all that too much girls on the screen, and if the focus is the love of then, why he need "pop up' girls to prove they love are "more strong" than wonderful girls, like i told if the author want show many pretty girls he can do this without need this, or if him want do a drama have many others ways to do this, and if the focu on this arc is the rescue of asuna why he need make her fall for him... just more shit to make kirito the "harem master" of the invisible harem who gona grow more and more biger

[SilverSyko]

Well all those claims of Kirito being a Gary-Stu are really bunk now. If he was one he wouldn't have failed to get past the guardians alone in this episode.

My main concern with this episode though, didn't they say last week that the area around the World Tree is off-limits? Shouldn't that mean noone can enter that area without authorization? Odd how folks could just walk in and challenge the quest there then. I suppose maybe the enemies in the quest itself could be programmed to an unreasonable level though to assure noone being able to complete it.

And the revelation is finally made to Suguha. That should be the end of that relationship now. Time to go back to a friendship status which is much easier to take seriously.~

[The Green One]

Well hopefully this will satisfy the God Mode Kirito haters somewhat. It wouldn't be surprising if the guardians are meant to be unbeatable, after all you can't have random players wandering into the lab since the promise to change the winning race into ALFs is clearly a lie.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

My main concern with this episode though, didn't they say last week that the area around the World Tree is off-limits? Shouldn't that mean noone can enter that area without authorization? Odd how folks could just walk in and challenge the quest there then. I suppose maybe the enemies in the quest itself could be programmed to an unreasonable level though to assure noone being able to complete it.

I'm supposing they mean that, if you want to get up the tree, the only way in is through the giant doors. You can't try to go around the doors and climb up the tree from the other side or anything, and as we saw flying up doesn't work either. So there's only one way in, and yeah, it seems like something of a suicide run. I suppose this is why people wondered if there was some trick or special quest needed to actually make that quest achievable.

[RRW]

i want this arc to finish already

[Awrya]

Ok, Asuna hears Yui and decides to throw down that card she took last episode, and it conveniently falls down right in front of Kirito.
I wonder what would happen if she hears Yui, throws down that card but is on the other side of the world tree?
He says he wants to go to Asuna as soon as possible, but he lands in front on the gate and decides to walk up the last stairs like a boss.

If every light on that wall spawns one Guardian, there must be hundreds, if not thousands of them, from the ground to the top. Maybe the higher you go, more and stronger Guardians will spawn?

The awkward moment when you log out and your party member knocks at your door.
The cat is out of the bag, more emotional stuff next episode.

[Tsukiyomi]

Originally Posted by ellessarr

well like i told this is what i get after get some spoilers from anime and novel, i told this because this is what almost happened since the start, since SAO arc where many girls fall for him and him ended with asuna and some of then get heartbrake too, now the author used a excuse to have asuna kidnapped just to "pop up that non-blood related sister" to fall for him i dont know in japan this is normal but on mine country is not that common non-blood related brothers and sister falling in love especially when grown together, maybe more easy when they are totally unknown whose parents just got married and one of them was recently adopted, but the point is:

[mod edit: remove spoilers]

mine point who this type of "romance" is a very "shit", if in the end kirito and asuna gona end together why the author need put all that too much girls on the screen, and if the focus is the love of then, why he need "pop up' girls to prove they love are "more strong" than wonderful girls, like i told if the author want show many pretty girls he can do this without need this, or if him want do a drama have many others ways to do this, and if the focu on this arc is the rescue of asuna why he need make her fall for him... just more shit to make kirito the "harem master" of the invisible harem who gona grow more and more biger

Where have you been in the past 15 years of anime harem. If anything SAO's harem is toned down relative to other animes.

[LunaToned]

Suguha ima let you finish, but Asuna is the best female of the show ( and possibly out of all the shows out there )

But srsly, Suguha's character was okay to me except the whole I'm in love with ma brotha thing. Glad that's over

[Lender]

Awesome Fight! and very good episode, after this episode i think people will stop complaining that Kirito is immortal/invincible/unstoppable .

About Sugoha, poor girls but....everyone saw this coming.
There was really someone expecting that Kirito could break up with Asuna and stay with Sugoha? seriously.....

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Awrya

Ok, Asuna hears Yui and decides to throw down that card she took last episode, and it conveniently falls down right in front of Kirito.
I wonder what would happen if she hears Yui, throws down that card but is on the other side of the world tree?

Yeah, this was a bit funny in terms of the way it was portrayed -- he didn't even have to shift at all. But in terms of the position, keep in mind that Yui had told Kirito the coordinates that were right above them. So he could have been positioned pretty close to the right place, assuming she dropped it straight down and didn't throw it -- he probably wouldn't have been on the wrong side. But I do think he should have had to move a little bit to catch it.

[Phoenix6000]

Originally Posted by Netto Azure

And oh jeez. You could see the exact moment where Sugu's heart breaks into tiny little pieces. :C

Agreed. Those last few minutes were especially harsh, doubly so because we know she never had a chance. Poor Sugu.

[The Green One]

Originally Posted by Phoenix6000

Agreed. Those last few minutes were especially harsh, doubly so because we know she never had a chance. Poor Sugu.

I actually felt the opposite. It was brutally clear from day 1 she was introduced that her feelings for him were 100% hopeless. It was impossible for her to be a serious love rival as Kirito would never look at her in that fashion. As a person I feel sorry for Sugu, I mean no one should have to go through that kind of heartache not once but twice from the same person no less, but the fact that this never was serious kept me from any real investment.

If anything I'm glad this pointless diversion is out of the way. This doomed romance was meant for drama but all it accomplished was filling in time during the episode.

[kk2extreme]

Why does the battle reminds me of Kingdom Hearts in a strange way?

[Ariox]

Meh... At the end of this episode were Suguha's mad at Kirito... I mean seriously come on your cousins and plus she should of knew from when she saw him holding her hand while they were at Asunas hospital room... The end was so annoying

[Aqua Knight]

I thought Sugu knew that Kirito was her brother , omg.

[Methuselah]

I find that this romance is quite appropraite given that this ALFheim Online has references to Shakespear (Fairy King is the Jester, Titania is the princess that fell in love with a monkey which the monkey being Kirito)

We can't have Shakespear without a little bit of taboo: Leafa and Kirito.

Quite entertaining. Though I wish Kirito could explain himself a little more to Leafa, being that Kirito regret not making amens towards his sister during his time in SAO and tries to redem himself through changing his ways and help others (the dragon tamer girl), etc etc.


Honestly, I think Leafa and Asuna should make an agreement to share... ==

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by The Green One

I actually felt the opposite. It was brutally clear from day 1 she was introduced that her feelings for him were 100% hopeless. It was impossible for her to be a serious love rival as Kirito would never look at her in that fashion. As a person I feel sorry for Sugu, I mean no one should have to go through that kind of heartache not once but twice from the same person no less, but the fact that this never was serious kept me from any real investment.

If anything I'm glad this pointless diversion is out of the way. This doomed romance was meant for drama but all it accomplished was filling in time during the episode.

I wouldn't say that this "diversion" is any more "pointless" than the arc itself, to be honest. This "romance" was doomed to fail just as much as our arc villain is doomed to be brought down. If you eliminate the one "pointless diversion" you're just left with the other, and it's not as if Kirito chasing after Asuna is all that compelling on its own (I mean, not the relationship, but the overall circumstance they find themselves in).

That may seem like a knock on the show, but if your engagement is limited by whether or not the destination is foreseen, I'm not sure there's much to this whole story arc. I think you have to enjoy the journey. I thought the journey of Suguha's feelings and how it wove through the story was fairly-well realized for what it is, even if a bit more of it came together at the end of this episode than might have otherwise. I also don't think this is the end of her journey either -- now that her feelings are out, she has to decide what to do next. This too isn't so unpredictable, but we'll still see how she is able to stand herself back up again. That's really the emotional core of this arc: Suguha learns to accept her doomed feelings for Kazuto and move forward, as he remains fixated on his one true love. I'd say she's really more the focal point than he is, to be honest.

Originally Posted by Methuselah

Though I wish Kirito could explain himself a little more to Leafa, being that Kirito regret not making amens towards his sister during his time in SAO and tries to redem himself through changing his ways and help others (the dragon tamer girl), etc etc.

Agree with this, by the way. The story isn't over yet, so it'd be good for them to have this chat to close these open plot threads.

Originally Posted by Aqua Knight

I thought Sugu knew that Kirito was her brother , omg.

I'm still surprised that people thought she knew. Wasn't the whole point all this time that she didn't?

[Methuselah]

Can't wait for those doushinjis