Sword Art Online - Episode 3 Discussion / Poll

[willx]

Originally Posted by Clarste

They do want to get out of the game and back to their real lives you know. If the "slow but safe" way takes 30 years then they've already lost their lives before they started.

And modern MMOs tend to cut down on the size of parties in order to focus more attention on the boss mechanics. SAO in particular is about "swordfighting". They don't have ranged weapons for a reason, and the reason is that they want to emphasize the feeling of moving your body around in VR (since that's obviously the selling point compared to other games). Gameplay is mostly dodging and parrying and looking for a good moment to counter. Zerging doesn't work too well because in the worst case you might even accidentally hit your allies.

Regarding the boss fights, this is perfectly correct. Remember in Ep 2, they were cycling groups in and out to rest and heal, instead of trying to simply "Tank and Spank" and DPS the boss down with the whole raid

[Julio C]

I never read any of the novels, but I thought the pacing was horrible in this episode so far. Already one year has passed since the game started? The episode was good overall, but the pacing was just horrible. You get introduced to some cool characters yet only to get killed right away?

[ttdestroy]

Originally Posted by Julio C

I never read any of the novels, but I thought the pacing was horrible in this episode so far. Already one year has passed since the game started? The episode was good overall, but the pacing was just horrible. You get introduced to some cool characters yet only to get killed right away?

The pacing is much better in the LN. But obviously they have a lot of ground to cover in each episode. Personally I'd have preferred for RNR to be 2 parts. But my expectations and what we actually get are probably vastly different things.

[Esebian]

Originally Posted by ttdestroy

The pacing is much better in the LN. But obviously they have a lot of ground to cover in each episode. Personally I'd have preferred for RNR to be 2 parts. But my expectations and what we actually get are probably vastly different things.

Imo the pacing for RNR is exactly the same in the LN

Originally Posted by Julio C

I never read any of the novels, but I thought the pacing was horrible in this episode so far. Already one year has passed since the game started? The episode was good overall, but the pacing was just horrible. You get introduced to some cool characters yet only to get killed right away?

Well, u will have to deal with the timeskips for now, but pls think about it: would u watch this anime if every floor of the 100 would be animated, so that there would be no main story line at all and it would be mostly the same for every floor?

Spoiler for Spoilers for specific novel comparison:

Despite the fact that floor 4-73 would be anime only (with some of the SS between them) as the author didnt write about them (he now tries to do this but has only finished up till floor 3 till now)

[Boduar]

I didnt mind the episode all that much despite being a LN reader. Sure the pacing is fast but TBH I cant wait for the short stories to be done and get on with the real deal. The only thing that I thought was really missing is the fact the episode didnt really convey why Kirito was feeling so guilty about everyone dying. In the episode it was kind of " .... oh sh*t they better not open that ... oh wait its too late" .. compared to the novel where he pretty much had the chance to warn/stop them but decided not to I believe?(memory is a bit fuzzy and TBH I hated everything to do with Black Cats because it was pretty sad).

[anigu]

Originally Posted by Boduar

I didnt mind the episode all that much despite being a LN reader. Sure the pacing is fast but TBH I cant wait for the short stories to be done and get on with the real deal. The only thing that I thought was really missing is the fact the episode didnt really convey why Kirito was feeling so guilty about everyone dying. In the episode it was kind of " .... oh sh*t they better not open that ... oh wait its too late" .. compared to the novel where he pretty much had the chance to warn/stop them but decided not to I believe?(memory is a bit fuzzy and TBH I hated everything to do with Black Cats because it was pretty sad).

Personally, as someone who have already read the novel, I feel this part is actually made quite well. It would be better if they can somehow expand it more, though.

[Aerii]

I cried.

I cry easily, and things went a little fast (he sure cared a lot about Sachi--why?), but still. During the part where they were assaulted by two dozen monsters after opening that chest, I was yelling at the screen in frustration. Thought Sachi would be the only survivor, along with Kirito, since she's in the opening. Nope. Only problems were:

1) Have to admit I was supicious of Sachi at first. Seemed too... nice. Cuddling up with him, sharing her innermost thoughts and what not.

2) Why didn't they show Kirito fighting Nicholas? Was sorta weird that they completely skipped it. My immediate thoughts: "Lol, they sure are conserving that budget."

3) How did Kirito know which fir tree the boss would spawn at? I bet that was in the light novel. (Thought it'd spawn under that huge Christmas tree and everyone would run for their lives and huge massacre.)

4) Kirito being in denial about how death in the game works was weird. He's Kirito.

Also, music still overdramatic. Overall, despite all these flaws, would consider the episode a success.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Aerii

Why didn't they show Kirito fighting Nicholas? Was sorta weird that they completely skipped it. My immediate thoughts: "Lol, they sure are conserving that budget."

I'm assuming it was because the studio thought there'd be no point in animating that scene, as it was also skipped in the L/Ns.

[~Yami~]

excellent and painful episode for me....
I need a month to prepare my heart before watching this episode

yeah! Sword Art Online is amazing
killing a whole guild (except Kirito) near Christmas Eve is truly unpredictable for me.... and Sachi's last word... omg... T____T

[chaos_alfa]

Originally Posted by ~Yami~

excellent and painful episode for me....
I need a month to prepare my heart before watching this episode

yeah! Sword Art Online is amazing
killing a whole guild (except Kirito) near Christmas Eve is truly unpredictable for me.... and Sachi's last word... omg... T____T

It was not near Christmas Eve. There was a time skip if I remember it correctly.

[Theo]

I have some real issues with this episode, namely the first half and the lack of emotional attachment. They should've shown the house buying, moving in, dinner together etc. in order for the audience to feel their growth as a family...but it didn't happen here. The deaths should've come at the very end as a dark ending. Then episode 4 would've been the 2nd half. Still, I felt some pangs of sadness at the very end.

I'm not even going to address the unintentional hilarity that is the Santa Claus battle. Sleigh-bells jingling and crossed eyes combined aren't scary, Japan.

"Your mistletoe is no match for my TOW missile!"

Also disappointed that Klein isn't going to be a secondary protagonist.

[kitten320]

You must be kidding me... it felt like if I have missed bunch of episodes in first half and then another bunch in second half...
a) where is the ginger haired girl?
b) They barely managed to get to floor 2 last episode and now it is floor 28 or something?
c) Why the hell should I care about those guys dying if I don't know them. They established in last 2 episodes that everyone dies, why not start to make connections with people?
d) Why is MC so attached to the girl? What was so special about her?!
e) Why does that dude want for MC to live? MC abondened him in episode 1!

Seriously WTF?! It was such a blank episode! Worse than other 2!

[Rising Dragon]

a) She'll appear within the next couple of episodes. Be patient.
b) People get better as they gain higher levels and better equipment. The first-floor boss was different for them because they needed to win to show people that it's possible to win.
c) Kirito's experiences with the Black Cats guild play a huge role in his character development through the next 11 episodes.
d) Level displays are generally kept private and can only be seen by others when stat windows are displayed, which is how Sachi learned of Kirito's level.
e) Because he wanted to protect her and her friends, like Diabel asked him (to protect everyone else).
f) Because Klein doesn't hold it against Kirito and just wants him to move on.

[kitten320]

a) I know she will since she is main girl but where the hell is she? She just disappeared without any explanation
b) Doesn't explain a huge level jump in one episode
c) Doesn't cancel the fact that this whole drama was beyond rushed
d) Ok
e) That's not an explanation. If the actual year has passed, then he must have seen a lot os deaths by now so why this one girl is more special than others? She didn't stand out at all. Just plain scared girl, there are lots of those.
f) They barely even know each other!

[ronelm2000]

Originally Posted by kitten320

a) I know she will since she is main girl but where the hell is she? She just disappeared without any explanation
b) Doesn't explain a huge level jump in one episode
c) Doesn't cancel the fact that this whole drama was beyond rushed
d) Ok
e) That's not an explanation. If the actual year has passed, then he must have seen a lot os deaths by now so why this one girl is more special than others? She didn't stand out at all. Just plain scared girl, there are lots of those.
f) They barely even know each other!

a) Actually, it's Kirito who was not appearing to her for some reason. In fact, Asuna will only appear after a few episodes, with the assumption that Asuna DOES not, in fact, visit the low floors (or is rather busy at the front lines) at this time.

b) It's a time skip from December, 2022 to around July, 2023, to December 2023. What do you expect?

c) At least they didn't present it as a flashback and you'd think that "Oh, this anime's just gonna skip 2 years and just present the past for convenience. What sloppy writing!"... or something like that. And, yes, it's rushed, but the impact will still be there after the next episodes. Don't worry...

e) There are a couple of reasons why Kirito valued her more than the others...
(1) She looks like her sister. Seriously.
(2) He had already made a promise to her that she will live, and he felt especially responsible to her most especially because the accident was almost his fault.

f) Like I said, this episode has too much time skip. Try to pause and look what Floor / Date it is in every scene.

[kitten320]

a) Front lines? Really? Someone who didn't even know that you can see others players names in the corner is in front lines while addicted gamers aren't?

b) Well that's exactly the problem!

c) So basically they replaced one sloppiness with another? In all honesty I would prefer it as a short flashback than as a rushed present.

e) What her sister? If you meant his than it is contradicting with what he said in episode 4 since these 2 girls are nothing alike.
How exactly was it his fault? He said not to go there yet no one listened! They caused their own death!

f) Now that's what you call a VERY BAD WRITING!
Instead of developing characters and making us care for them we have massive time skips where massive changes have happened and we are supposed to accept them without knowing what happened and caused them. And if we do know then those scenes have no emotional impact what so ever.

Seriously, I would better watch an over used flashbacks than have a whole year skip and be happy when someone acts differently from what was in last episode.

Author basically had no idea how to make the changes he wanted and just decided to skip through to avoid the problem!

[Rising Dragon]

Generally speaking, authors of light novels have little say over what happens in anime adaptations of their works, to the point where it becomes notable when it's announced that they're working with the studio on the adaptation (see Shakugan no Shana Final and Zero no Tsukaima F). If you're going to put blame on the pacing, put it on the head of the studio, who is in control of the adaptation, and not on the author, who very likely is not.

[chaos_alfa]

Originally Posted by kitten320

a) Front lines? Really? Someone who didn't even know that you can see others players names in the corner is in front lines while addicted gamers aren't?

b) Well that's exactly the problem!

c) So basically they replaced one sloppiness with another? In all honesty I would prefer it as a short flashback than as a rushed present.

e) What her sister? If you meant his than it is contradicting with what he said in episode 4 since these 2 girls are nothing alike.
How exactly was it his fault? He said not to go there yet no one listened! They caused their own death!

f) Now that's what you call a VERY BAD WRITING!
Instead of developing characters and making us care for them we have massive time skips where massive changes have happened and we are supposed to accept them without knowing what happened and caused them. And if we do know then those scenes have no emotional impact what so ever.

Seriously, I would better watch an over used flashbacks than have a whole year skip and be happy when someone acts differently from what was in last episode.

Author basically had no idea how to make the changes he wanted and just decided to skip through to avoid the problem!

Actually the reason why there are that many time jumps is because the anime is showing everything in chronological order rather than the light novels publication order.

I can't go in to details because it would be spoilers for this thread, but you are currently watching side stories rather than the main story which will start again after some episodes.

[kitten320]

I don't know about novel, I'm purely commenting on anime and what I see. So far it is a massive disaster.

The way this episode felt was...

"Hey let's make MC care for someone but then he loses that person and now is determined to protect majority and is strong."
"Cool, let's do that! But... we will need extra number of episodes to make it progress properly. You can't care much for someone you just met. And he can't become strong in just one episode either..."
"True, true... then let's make a time skip! They met, months later they became close and she died!"
"Wow..."
"And then another year later we see him all determined and cool and saving people!"
"You are a genius!"

I mean for real?
They turned a cowardly loser from episode 1-2 into a powerful killing machine in just 2 episodes! How am I supposed to call it?! Lazy writing is the only thing on my mind!

Seriously, imagine the all famous Naruto done this way. Like it is not the best example since series are not that great either but imagine that you have Naruto from episode one and then in episode 4 you have the current Naruto with all the knowledge and skills and who is smarter than at the start. Would you really appreciate it? Having a kid turned into power house in just 4 episodes?
How did this happen? Where did he learn all of that?!
Also in episode 2 it was said that bosses abilities have been changed what means that he couldn't properly use his BETA knowledge and he only reached floor 20 back then!

[moed edit: do not complain about reputation]

[Ray]

SAO is, at its core, a game. Naruto is set in a "real world". Games are generally easier to get good at.