Sword Art Online - Episode 8 Discussion / Poll

[Garasou]

Originally Posted by Clarste

...that's exactly what I said except with spoiler confirmation instead of leaving it as speculation.

I don't know if I would call it spoiler as it's just an explanation of the mechanics behind the game, and one that probably won't happen in the anime as the SS it appears on likely won't be animated(If it was going to be it would have been episode 2)

[dark998]

The duel was slightly underwhelming because it ended so fast with the opponent's weapon destruction. But the fights against Lizardknight and Skeleton mobs were great. Asuna cooking gracefully with those swift movements was very nice as well.

And that cliffhanger..once again waiting for the next episode becomes more painful than usual. The production team has the obligation to suprass the Illfang battle from episode 2.

[SilverSyko]

Originally Posted by Dengar

But... He isn't close to any other girls.

Then who were Sachi, Silica and Lizbeth? Figments of his imagination?

Remember, the weapons (and probably armor) actually have simulated weight. We saw Lisbeth react to how heavy Kirito's sword was last episode. So it's not hard to imagine that wearing your armor and weapons indoors is looked on as kind of weird because it's uncomfortable. We've also seen people undressing to go to sleep in previous episodes.

If we are in a world where they have the technology capable of simulating the actual feeling of the weight of armor being worn or weapons being wielded, you'd think it would also be possible to program it so preparing food is done in the same required procedure you would go through in real life yes?

The inconsistencies of the "realism" in SAO really stands out.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

20-something? I put Klein as somebody in his 40s - old enough to be Kirito's dad, anyway.

Considering his interest in Kirito's sister (little sister at that), he'd better not be that old. Even if he overestimates Kirito's age a bit.

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

Then who were Sachi, Silica and Lizbeth? Figments of his imagination?



If we are in a world where they have the technology capable of simulating the actual feeling of the weight of armor being worn or weapons being wielded, you'd think it would also be possible to program it so preparing food is done in the same required procedure you would go through in real life yes?

The inconsistencies of the "realism" of SAO really stands out.

Possible? Certainly. Considered worth bothering with in a game centered around sword fighting? That's another question.

[Clarste]

Also you'd need a small particle physics simulator that would allow for arbitrarily small cuts and powders and whatnot. Quite difficult compared to simply calculating (or even arbitrarily assigning: no need for perfect realism) an object's center of mass and applying a constant force to it.

[Dengar]

^Also, if game cooking was exactly like real cooking, then the whole point of skill levels and the idea of a cooking skill would be entirely moot.

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

Then who were Sachi, Silica and Lizbeth? Figments of his imagination?

I don't know what those three have to do with anything. We're talking girls he is close to.

[FlameSparkZ]

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

Then who were Sachi, Silica and Lizbeth? Figments of his imagination?

Well...Asuna doesn't know about the adventures he had with them, so she assumes he just spent his time doing MMO-related stuff

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Considering his interest in Kirito's sister (little sister at that), he'd better not be that old. Even if he overestimates Kirito's age a bit.

Yeah, Klein is probably in his twenties.

Now, Kuradeel......he's definitely over 30

[HandofFate]

Finally the start of the main story. Nice fun Kirito x Asuna interaction.

Most surprising eyecandy was how they animated Kirito's and Asuna's battle moves, I know they have actual attack names in the LN, so its nice seeing the animation that's suppose to match those special attacks.

The Cooking Animation was cool. Fits in with the whole crafting job type stuff in MMOs. Just click.

Its interesting how the author wrote this whole thing wayy before MMOs became such a big thing, and the game features a lot of aspects that's pretty much taken for granted in mmogames nowadays.

Hopefully we can see more actual fighting now.

[Dengar]

You know something else has occurred to me.

It's nothing major. Just the fact that two years have passed. That means their real bodies must've aged two years as well. The bodies they use in the game are obviously based on the information gotten when they first logged in. When they finally beat the game, these people might look in the mirror and hardly recognize themselves.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by FlameSparkZ

Well...Asuna doesn't know about the adventures he had with them, so she assumes he just spent his time doing MMO-related stuff


Yeah, Klein is probably in his twenties.

Now, Kuradeel......he's definitely over 30

He's in high school. It's terrible what certain activities associated with stalking girls will do to a man.



(the above is a joke, not a spoiler.)

[Clarste]

Originally Posted by Dengar

You know something else has occurred to me.

It's nothing major. Just the fact that two years have passed. That means their real bodies must've aged two years as well. The bodies they use in the game are obviously based on the information gotten when they first logged in. When they finally beat the game, these people might look in the mirror and hardly recognize themselves.

Well, assuming that they're being fed with IV drips, they're probably as thin as skeletons and their muscles have atrophied to the point where they can't even walk. So while it's true they wouldn't recognize themselves, it's not because of their age. I don't think the body would grow much in a situation like that anyway.

[cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Dengar

You know something else has occurred to me.

It's nothing major. Just the fact that two years have passed. That means their real bodies must've aged two years as well. The bodies they use in the game are obviously based on the information gotten when they first logged in. When they finally beat the game, these people might look in the mirror and hardly recognize themselves.

Considering that all of them are in the hospital, being fed by tubes, haven't gotten sunlight for 2 years, and their muscles have likely been deteriorated from being in a bed for so long. They will look in a mirror and see a really skinny pasty person looking back at them.

The body isnt hetting the proper nutrients to grow. Just enough to survive. They aren't likely to have changed developmentally.

[SilverSyko]

Originally Posted by Dengar

I don't know what those three have to do with anything. We're talking girls he is close to.

You and I must just have different definitions of what being "close" to someone means then. I don't know what you think it is, but it doesn't have to be a romantic relationship to me.

Well...Asuna doesn't know about the adventures he had with them, so she assumes he just spent his time doing MMO-related stuff

The first two sure, but Asuna was friends with Lizbeth before she even met Kirito. So I have my doubts on that account.

Possible? Certainly. Considered worth bothering with in a game centered around sword fighting? That's another question.

Well by that logic they may as well remove everything NOT pertaining to swordfighting from the game right? If it's not necessary it isn't needed right? Just like simulated weight from armor and weapons isn't needed?

[Dengar]

Originally Posted by SilverSyko

You and I must just have different definitions of what being "close" to someone means then. I don't know what you think it is, but it doesn't have to be a romantic relationship to me.

So apparently spending one day adventuring with someone and then saying kthxbye qualifies as being "close"?


Just so you know, I pride myself in not being the kind of idiot who assumes a guy and a girl interacting means love.

[Clarste]

Indeed, there's no evidence that he ever met Silica again. They didn't talk about adding each other to their friends list either.

He definitely was close to Sachi, but, uh, not anymore. Because she's dead. Asuna wouldn't know about that, and of course Kirito wouldn't take the opportunity to suddenly talk about the dead girl he failed to save.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by FlameSparkZ

Well...Asuna doesn't know about the adventures he had with them, so she assumes he just spent his time doing MMO-related stuff

It's true Asuna doesn't know about that, but she isn't exactly wrong. Think about it. Kirito has met quite a few girls besides Asuna, yes, but did he get close to any of them? No. Except for Sachi, he only hung out with the them for a little while. And even Sachi was more like a oversized little sister to him than a "girl" in the normal sense, someone to protect and take care of rather than an "equal" he could see as a woman. Besides she's dead now...

[Deltaray]

As I saw someone discussing Klein and Kuradeel's ages, they are 24 and 26 at this episode.

[Triple_R]

My take on this episode is very similar to Guardian Enzo's.

This episode did a great job of putting the main premise of the show back into focus. I also felt that this episode, perhaps more than any other so far, made it clear why some people might prefer to just keep living in SAO and forgetting the real world. The various towns and locations (that were showcased in this episode) have some nice variety between them, and one in particular was truly enchanting. And Asuna's home certainly looks extremely comfortable and cozy.

On the other hand, this episode honestly felt like it had the Asuna/Kirito relationship take a step back. Part of that is what Guardian Enzo mentioned about the silly accidental breast-groping-followed-by-beat-down scene. But beyond that, I find it really odd that a few episodes ago Asuna was hitting on Kirito rather suggestively while showing fondness for how marriage works in SAO, while in this episode she talks about how annoyed she is at the marriage proposals she's received (and she says it with the implication of "Now, Kirito, don't you go proposing to me too!").

That's kind of an odd and drastic shift.

Put another way, if this was the start of Kirito growing a real relationship with Asuna it would work fine, but technically the two have already developed a decent relationship with one another. It's like their relationship development is chronologically out of order - They honestly struck me as tighter in the mystery two-parter than they do in this episode.


But issues with characterization and character relationship dynamics aside, this episode felt to me like SAO was finally starting to live up to its excellent premise again. This episode captured a certain gravitas that many of the previous episodes lacked - Some of it was the direction, some of it was the BGM, and some of it was the frequent and slightly ominous references to Akihiko Kayaba.

Basically, this episode felt much closer to the action-adventure fantasy with sci-fi edges that I had expected of this anime when I first came into it. The action scenes were exquisite, and beautifully choreographed. They also felt appropriately intense.

Now, if only Kirito and Asuna's relationship can regain more of the charm it had in the mystery two-parter, then we'd have the best of all worlds.

[SilverSyko]

Originally Posted by Dengar

So apparently spending one day adventuring with someone and then saying kthxbye qualifies as being "close"?

Absolutely. You're underestimating the ability for people to form bonds with one another. All you really need is a single day to learn about the other person and you could end up being friends for life.

Silica and Kirito spent like....2 days with one another? And by the end of it, they developed a sort of pseudo-sibling relationship. I would call that "close".

Just so you know, I pride myself in not being the kind of idiot who assumes a guy and a girl interacting means love.

Good. That makes two of us.~

[Dengar]

^Fair enough. Although I don't completely agree, I understand that you see it that way. To me though, it just makes them friends, not "close" friends. To become "close friends" requires a lot of time of learning more about eachother to understand eachother better and to grow a bigger attachment.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

But beyond that, I find it really odd that a few episodes ago Asuna was hitting on Kirito rather suggestively while showing fondness for how marriage works in SAO, while in this episode she talks about how annoyed she is at the marriage proposals she's received (and she says it with the implication of "Now, Kirito, don't you go proposing to me too!").

I won't argue the "feel" that you might get from it. But it was my impression that she was teasing Kirito with the whole marriage proposal thing. The way he then reacted to her tease prompted her "You're not really close to any girls, are you?".

At least that's what I gathered from it.