Sword Art Online Alicization WoU - Episode 10 Discussion / Poll

[Kairin]

Welcome to the discussion thread for Sword Art Online Alicization WoU, Episode 10.

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[Friday]

first!!!!!


first its starts of with a cat-fight!!!!(Asuna & Alice......)

then it ends with a group girl talk.....

Im gonna be sick.....

[YF19EX]

Waifu's comparing notes.

That is all.

[FlareKnight]

It's rather impressive how much Kirito can make you groan when he has next to no screentime this season . The freaking harem king right here...In some ways I'm impressed at how Asuna has learned to just live with this stuff. Got effectively married to Kirito in the first story arc of the franchise and yet has had to continue battling off harem girls left and right for eternity since that point.

I am glad though that Asuna mostly has a good head on her shoulder. The harem silliness put aside, she actually registers that Rath is only slightly less an enemy than the guys attacking right now. Ignoring the sociopath, the guys ordering him want to use these people as AI tools as much as Rath does. Rath's plan of creating Skynet is pretty disgusting in general. Asuna has to carry the load for now in trying to resolve this mess.

The harem stuff kind of undercut the emotions, but it was good to see the reaction from Kirito in that state. He can recruit girls to his harem left and right. But in the end Asuna is the one he's in love with. He's just oddly stuck with these harems forming despite not having romantic interest in them.

[rladls2121]

Did anyone cried in the episode, i sure did.
It was the scene where Kazuto and Asuna finally made contact.
I actually skipped past episodes and watched this episode just for this scene.
For him, it was years since he was able to see someone for the first time that is not of Underworld.

But really, the title of the series really live up to its reputation.
With Asuna here, it is going to feel more like a Sword Art Online again.
Though the place isn't Aincrad, it is soon going to be something like that after seeing those "Player Killers" finally showed up.
People like Kazuto and Asuna, I have a feeling they are going to have an another PTSD after this is all over though it is actually nothing compared to SAO incident.

[Frontier]

I was wondering if Asuna would actually portray herself as Stacia to the denizens of Underworld, but she quickly put that to rest. Unlike Miller, she doesn't want to be disingenuous to the people there, since she's there to help .

Asuna finally reuniting with Kirito was a long-time coming, and it was heartwarming watching her finally see Kirito again and to have him actually acknowledge her presence, even if he's not in any better physical state then the last time she saw him. Though not even having Asuna around was able to completely break Kirito out of his current funk, so I'm curious what it'll be that'll finally re-awaken him (maybe Alice was on-to something with True Loves Kiss). But he can at least motivate Asuna to help out the denizens of the Underworld .

Asuna has a cool sword, although it's not a rapier. She still seems quite capable of using it .

Asuna and Alice's first meeting was very...intense. It's like they both registered a rival for the Main Heroine role (and for Kirito's heart) and started baring their fangs. It's kind of surreal seeing Asuna meet a girl who she doesn't immediately get along with and get so possessive of Kirito (even if they eventually mended fences well enough) .

I thought for a second Bercouli was going to just sit and watch the catfight, but he ended it pretty effectively .

The Underworld denizens took to the "truth," or at least a close approximation of it, as well as could be expected. It helps that Bercouli is so chill about everything. It's also good that Asuna is genuinely on their side rather then serving Rath's end .

So the right eye taboo wasn't something Rath intentionally designed into Underworld, a saboteur put it in. I wonder who though? That random other scientist that they panned to for a second ?

Sheyta wanted to cut the cathedral in half ? Maybe it's a good thing they gave the Fluctlight's taboos .

Look at Ronie, throwing herself in as a Kirito girl! I like that moxy .

It was nice to see Liena again, and in a speaking role, and I guess be the one girl in the group who doesn't have obvious romantic feelings for Kirito (as far as we know) .

As much as Kirito is an accidental ladies man who can't seem to stop himself from attracting women in one form for another, in another respect he also seems to do a good job of bringing girls together through their shared experience with him. And what better way for Asuna to catch up on everything that happened and what Kirito's been up to then a nice girl talk .

[Shinji103]

I thought I was prepared for how much I would dislike Alice for her initial reaction to Asuna.

Unfortunately, I was wrong.

That was......not Alice’s best moment. I’d hoped she’d be more cool-headed than to flat-out attack Asuna.

[rladls2121]

It seems to me Alice treatment towards Asuna at their first meeting was natural.
Asuna isn't Quinella, but her powers and her appearance somehow feels similar, at least to me.
If Eugeo was there, he would keep his guard up against her after seeing what Asuna just did.

Sprouting out something like "Kirito is mine!" feels rather hostile for his childhood friend to hear in Alice's perspective.
Looking at what Asuna is currently wearing, being called a "God", "Stacia".
It seems familiar, as if Stacia and Quinella are the same kind.
No way that Alice sees Asuna as harmless.

But now, they are all opening to Asuna little by little at least.

[Shinji103]

There’s hardly any comparison between Asuna and Quinella. General “I feel” and “it seems” feelings aren’t very good in the way of justifying attacking someone out of nowhere. Even those two girls (whose names I can never remember) knew Asuna was okay. And Asuna’s statement about Kirito is hardly so bad when you consider everything she’s gone through since this series started. And it’s even more understandable when you look at everything from the beginning.
On the other hand, Alice’s behavior here would normally be dangerously possessive herself. She doesn’t actually know about Kirito’s life, but she’ll just attack anyone who seems to know him?
I just can’t see Alice as being in the right here. I knew I’d end up feeling this way even before the episode, but it really hurts to see it with my eyes.

As has been said by others elsewhere, it’s rather tiring and exasperating that Asuna has to keep fending off other girls when she’s his actual, official lover. And this is coming from someone whose favorite SAO girl is Shino.

[magnuskn]

Uggggghhhhhhhhhh. As soon as the arc centers on Kirito again, even without him even being actively involved, the quality of the series plummets, just because all the girls want to ride his dick.

And it has been very noticeable during the last weeks that the writer actually can do really good high fantasy, with characters with very little screentime being highly charismatic and interesting in the few minutes they got on screen. All of those characters (except maybe the giant throwing star guy and Alice's now dead apprentice) could carry a show by their own and would make a great group for a fantasy adventuring party.

So it's a real shame that Kirito drags the show so much down by him being a giant Gary Stu around whom everybodys life revolves (much more so when it's the female characters). The entire show would be much more interesting without him.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Shinji103

There’s hardly any comparison between Asuna and Quinella. General “I feel” and “it seems” feelings aren’t very good in the way of justifying attacking someone out of nowhere. Even those two girls (whose names I can never remember) knew Asuna was okay. And Asuna’s statement about Kirito is hardly so bad when you consider everything she’s gone through since this series started. And it’s even more understandable when you look at everything from the beginning.
On the other hand, Alice’s behavior here would normally be dangerously possessive herself. She doesn’t actually know about Kirito’s life, but she’ll just attack anyone who seems to know him?
I just can’t see Alice as being in the right here. I knew I’d end up feeling this way even before the episode, but it really hurts to see it with my eyes.

Alice didn't have any context for who Asuna was or what she was doing outside where Kirito is. I don't think she saw Asuna saving Ronye and Tiese from the dark knights.

She's very protective of Kirito and didn't even take it well when Fanatio suggested she might do this or that to him. I'm not saying she was "right" but I can understand the attack from a character perspective, especially when they're in the middle of a war.

As has been said by others elsewhere, it’s rather tiring and exasperating that Asuna has to keep fending off other girls when she’s his actual, official lover. And this is coming from someone whose favorite SAO girl is Shino.

I think this is actually the first time she's really had to "fend off" another girl. She wasn't there when Kirito had his adventures with Silica and Liz, or when he and Leafa were partners, and she and Shino got along fairly quickly.

Originally Posted by magnuskn

Uggggghhhhhhhhhh. As soon as the arc centers on Kirito again, even without him even being actively involved, the quality of the series plummets, just because all the girls want to ride his dick.

I think it's less that the arc is centered around Kirito and more that we're following Asuna's perspective and Kirito is a super important person to her, so of course her reaction to seeing him again and finding out what happened while he's been in the Underworld would be a factor.

But her main impetus at the moment is protecting Alice and saving the people of the Unerworld, which feels more like the actual "arc" of the series at the moment.

And we still have Sheyta wanting to fight the pugilist again, so not all the women are after Kirito .

[Mishotaki]

well i'm happy to finally have something that's happening that advance the story a little bit... even if it's the high command all stopping in the middle of the biggest battle that's ever been done to talk around a campfire and then go to bed...

what in the world is actually happening? no i don't mean on the ship... did the entire assault stop because a side battle ended quickly?

IMO the entire story of SAO after the original is a lot of padding and gaping holes in the plot...

[Shinji103]

Originally Posted by Frontier

Alice didn't have any context for who Asuna was or what she was doing outside where Kirito is. I don't think she saw Asuna saving Ronye and Tiese from the dark knights.

The problem is that she outright attacked Asuna while lacking any context as you said. It would be different if she had asked Asuna what she was doing, but she just went full attack-hound

She's very protective of Kirito and didn't even take it well when Fanatio suggested she might do this or that to him. I'm not saying she was "right" but I can understand the attack from a character perspective, especially when they're in the middle of a war.

Very protective and outright hostile/violent are two different things, and Asuna didn’t say she’d do this or that to anyone.

I think this is actually the first time she's really had to "fend off" another girl. She wasn't there when Kirito had his adventures with Silica and Liz, or when he and Leafa were partners, and she and Shino got along fairly quickly.

People are saying it in a general sense. The fact is that Kirito is surrounded by girls and not simply out of friendship (this should be clear to Asuna), and after she had to watch him get attacked, be hospitalized, had to track him down, and now has to worry about real-life bad guys with guns, here is this violent and near-possessive girl who came out of nowhere and is attacking her and telling her to stay away from her lover who she has been worried sick about. All while Alice barely even knows Kirito, especially compared to Asuna. I just know I didn’t wait all this time for Asuna and Kirito to meet again so I could watch Alice get in the way and try to lay stakes on someone else’s man.


Asuna’s situation trumps Alice’s, by far. I’m shocked Asuna is as cool-headed about this as she is, while Alice just outright lashes out. And it’s pretty obvious there’s also some “stay away from my man” mixed in Alice’s reactions too.
Sorry Alice, Kirito is Asuna’s man.

[rladls2121]

Comparison between Asuna and Alice what?

Wait, so Alice, Eugeo, and Kazuto life when they were together as little children was a lie?
Of course Alice barely knew Kirito because they didn't spend long enough before she dragged to the other side and the setting itself was a setup by RATH.

Alice was brainwashed by this power hungry lavender haired old woman after she was separated from seemingly close childhood friends and became enemies when they grew up.
So it makes zero sense that Alice's hostility towards Asuna is justified when Asuna just came to take Kazuto back in result of being separated from Alice, again.

I feel bad for those Underworld people.
Oh my god, they are all going to die aren't they?

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Shinji103

The problem is that she outright attacked Asuna while lacking any context as you said. It would be different if she had asked Asuna what she was doing, but she just went full attack-hound

I mean, if she was in a reasonable state of mind at the time, then yeah, but I don't think Alice was in that kind of headspace when she attacked.

Very protective and outright hostile/violent are two different things, and Asuna didn’t say she’d do this or that to anyone.

True, but they can kind of lean into one another depending on someone's emotional state. Like when Asuna rushed in and rapiered Kuradeel almost to death the moment she saw him about to kill Kirito.

People are saying it in a general sense. The fact is that Kirito is surrounded by girls and not simply out of friendship (this should be clear to Asuna), and after she had to watch him get attacked, be hospitalized, had to track him down, and now has to worry about real-life bad guys with guns, here is this violent and near-possessive girl who came out of nowhere and is attacking her and telling her to stay away from her lover who she has been worried sick about. All while Alice barely even knows Kirito, especially compared to Asuna. I just know I didn’t wait all this time for Asuna and Kirito to meet again so I could watch Alice get in the way and try to lay stakes on someone else’s man.

But Alice has no idea about any of that, so I'm not sure if she can be blamed for for her response to someone she hardly knows anything about, let alone her relationship with Kirito.

Asuna got her reunion with Kirito before the attack, so I think that was enough (at least for me).

Asuna’s situation trumps Alice’s, by far. I’m shocked Asuna is as cool-headed about this as she is, while Alice just outright lashes out. And it’s pretty obvious there’s also some “stay away from my man” mixed in Alice’s reactions too.
Sorry Alice, Kirito is Asuna’s man.

Maybe she'll discover the extent to that effect during the girl talk .

[Metaneo]

As pointed out before, I think a lot of people aren't, or are refusing, to out themselves in Alice's shoes. Do I believe her actions were overboard? Absolutely. Am I also in the middle of a war and just witnessed someone who is dressed like a former enemy walking out of a helpless loved one's tent? That would be a no. People with different life experiences react differently. It's like trying to hold a surprise party for a someone who grew up in a dangerous neighborhood, or a soldier who has PTSD, and then getting mad at them for almost killing you.

[FlareKnight]

In the end I'm just doing my best to not be so hard on Alice. Which isn't easy since Alice did make herself rather unlikable in this episode. The situation and circumstances should be appreciated. But I think sooner than later Alice needs to back the heck down on her possessiveness over Kirito. I get how she can and did get emotionally attached. But it's not going to happen. Thank goodness Asuna is Asuna though. Can you imagine if a random soldier was checking on Kirito and Alice came flying back in that emotionally charged state? She'd kill that poor person.

Not surprised really that things did get out of hand. But it is also pretty easy to get overwhelmed by the "what the heck" of Alice's attack on Asuna. I suppose Asuna should be level headed since she's constantly having to deal with the guy she's dating having harems pop up. But I'm still really impressed she was as calm with Alice as she ended up being considering how out of nowhere that had to be from her perspective.

This was definitely Alice's lowest moment as a character. Which considering she was an antagonist for a bit of the story is kind of impressive. She's had some great moments and this doesn't wreck her as a character. There are some fine qualities to her and the initially ugly outburst can at least be accepted through the lens of her perspective. But I'm serious in that she needs to get over this and fast. Much more of this "I won't let you spend time with your lover without my supervision" needs to end soon. That's only going to make her look worse since she isn't going to have her lack of awareness of the situation anymore.

[rladls2121]

Wow, the truth actually hurts, Alice, Eugeo, and other Underworld people doesn't even know how and why they were able to exist until Asuna told them everything if not everything.
They can be real and cannot be real at the same time, but never online game players.

Since Alice is only an AI there's no excuse or any pretext for wanting more out of Kazuto on relationships.
Asuna really doesn't care though, she kind of already said to that Seichuuro guy in the previous season.
There's already Yui who is always calling someone "Papa" and what is Alice is going to be to him?

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by rladls2121

Wow, the truth actually hurts, Alice, Eugeo, and other Underworld people doesn't even know how and why they were able to exist until Asuna told them everything if not everything.
They can be real and cannot be real at the same time, but never online game players.

Since Alice is only an AI there's no excuse or any pretext for wanting more out of Kazuto on relationships.
Asuna really doesn't care though, she kind of already said to that Seichuuro guy in the previous season.
There's already Yui who is always calling someone "Papa" and what is Alice is going to be to him?

Oh, yes, while they were... relationship measuring, why didn't Asuna mention they have a daughter together?

[GDB]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Oh, yes, while they were... relationship measuring, why didn't Asuna mention they have a daughter together?

She's not trying to crush Alice's will to live here!