Sword Art Online


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Killer_Ossi

Retired
Kouhai


Synopsis

"Escape was impossible until it was cleared; a game over would mean an actual «death»―.
Without knowing the «truth» of the mysterious next generation MMO, «Sword Art Online» (SAO), approximately ten thousand users logged in together, opening the curtains to this cruel death battle.
Participating alone in SAO, protagonist Kirito had promptly accepted the «truth» of this MMO.
And in the game world, a gigantic floating castle named «Aincrad», he distinguished himself as a solo player.
Aiming to clear the game by reaching the highest floor, Kirito riskily continued alone.
Because of a pushy invitation from a female warrior and rapier expert, Asuna, he teamed up with her.
That encounter brought about an opportunity to call out to the fated Kirito―."
(Taken from Baka-Tsuki)

Type: TV
Episodes: Unknown
Aired: Jul 2012 to ?
Producers: Aniplex, A-1 Pictures
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Game, Romance

Cast:
Ayana Taketatsu as Lyfa
Haruka Tomatsu as Asuna
Kanae Itō as Yui
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Kirito

Staff:
Itou Tomohiko (Director)
Kawahara Reki (Original Creator)
BUNBUN (Original Character Design)
Adachi Shingo (Character Design)

Just like Accel World Sword Art Online is a adaption of a successfull and famous Novel, even from the same writer, Kawahara Reki.

Just like in the Synopsys written it focuses on the life of Kirito and Asuna in the virtual world of Sword Art Online and their encounters with different kind of players, bossmonsters, strange events and of course the various problems that came with the "Death Game". It focuses mainly on action and romance with a really great balance between the two, which together with two great mainchracters make a really great read which captured me from the first few sentences.
But its not only action and romance, sometimes its really dark, sometimes heavily emotional and sometimes really funny. Just like life itself.
Since Im a heavy gamer and was myself WoW-addicted I know how lost you can get in such a world which makes it easier for me to get into the story and indentify myself with the characters, what, of course, was a heavy plus the novel had ^^

Ive been reading up to vol 4 of the novels and if the adaption is nearly as good as the novels I can already rate it a 10/10.
That the original creator of the novels, Kawahara Reki, is part of the staff hopefully helps making this one of the best animes the last years, if not ever. The potential defenitely is there for that.
 
It's going to go through Alfheim? Badass!
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Can't wait for this one, although I hope it goes through to the gungale online arc... Sinon is awesome.
 
Dont know how far it will go, probably depends on the TV ratings or something like that.
Or it really is set for long-time what is unlikely in my eyes since something like that is uncommon nowadays and the novels are not that many. Ok that depends on how much they are going to do in one ep.

Ok just looked it up it has 9 volumes so thats really a lot considering its a novel. So who knows. As long as they dont make it an original.
 
I will definitely try out this one, I heard some good things about it. Infact, I will look forward to both Accel World and SAO just as a point of comparison. I will inevitably drop 1 if not both because I have a problem with anime novel adaptions in general.

I going to have fun if only for the sake of comparison.
 
QUOTE (franzoir @ Mar 23 2012, 10:48 PM)I will definitely try out this one, I heard some good things about it. Infact, I will look forward to both Accel World and SAO just as a point of comparison. I will inevitably drop 1 if not both because I have a problem with anime novel adaptions in general.

I going to have fun if only for the sake of comparison.

unlike the first episodes from most new series this summer SAO's introduction got me hooked to check what's next (besides Moyashimon Returns and Kokoro Connect), last season's Accel World didn't interest me that much and like you mentioned it was inevitable for me to leave then resume it later until SAO ends to compare both... hmm an MMO without mages or other classes unable to do spells and anyone can die for real? I get why the game is named sword art but I wonder if the plot will work out considering its real world, isn't the Interpol looking for that nutty game creator after 2000 players died the first month or future laws allow that in 2022? o_O with high expectation I give it 9/10 as preliminar score
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QUOTE I will definitely try out this one, I heard some good things about it. Infact, I will look forward to both Accel World and SAO just as a point of comparison. I will inevitably drop 1 if not both because I have a problem with anime novel adaptions in general.

I'm personally surprised that there's still people on this board who haven't dropped AW yet.
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-------

I admit, the somewhat dark/serious undertones look intriguing. Then again, .hack had that too and was still dreadfully boring. As I see it, SAO has three major negative points: it's about MMOs, it's got a cheesy premise, and it's got a bland predictable protagonist.

Thus, I will be ignoring this one unless several weeks later the Internet will be screaming in unison about how awesome this show is (like what happened with Madoka). Don't expect it though.
 
Hurray! finally!
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First thoughts:

The voices and visuals are GREAT. I was fearful after the terrible showing that was Accel World, but the voices actually carry emotions in subtle and powerful ways. We don't need to be told Kirito's excited. You can hear the slight rise in inflection as he says "Finally, I'm back in this world!"

The production team also seems willing to adapt material to strengthen the message, as well: Kirito's papercut was an added detail that wasn't in the books, it seemed odd until it was used to show the moment reality set in for him.

The attention to detail is also great, details to watch for that I've picked up on so far: Klein's guild making it onto MMO Stream in the Opening. Lizbet's hair color. Kirito's face when he realizes he's turned his back on his first friend in SAO. The Altar in Black Iron Castle at the end after the credits has Klein, Kibaou, Kains, and Kuradeel's names on it, in addition to Kirito's.

Here's hoping they live up to this standard. Next episode is the "Aria in the starless night" sidestory, I wonder if they're going to fold the "First day" sidestory into it or just leave it out? First Day is absurdly short, but I'm not sure they'll have room for both it and Aria in the starless night at the same time. I had thought they'd get to Alfheim since they mention Lyfa in the credits, but seeing Suguha talk in the opening suddenly makes me think the anime is only going to fit Aincrad in. :^/

Also, the way I justify Kayaba not getting arrested and stopped: He's holding himself hostage along with the 10,000 players. The way the books justify it: he went into hiding before the servers went up and just never gets found.

Closing thought: Bakatsuki is getting HAMMERED. I wonder why.
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QUOTE (Ausdoerrt @ Jul 07 2012, 01:48 PM) I'm personally surprised that there's still people on this board who haven't dropped AW yet.
rolleyes.gif

I have to admit, I'm only still watching Accel World for the same reason people stand around and watch until ambulances leave.
 
QUOTE Closing thought: Bakatsuki is getting HAMMERED. I wonder why.

Hammered? I do wonder as well, where's the party at?
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QUOTE I have to admit, I'm only still watching Accel World for the same reason people stand around and watch until ambulances leave.

Same reason I'm watching E7AO I guess.
 
The first ep was just as great as I hoped it would be. Animation is good, the sound is just awesome and it adapts the book really closely. Just watching it brings back memorys of me reading it back then.
Only negative point is that Cline has the same voice as Nanba Mutta from Uchuu Kyoudai which doesnt suit him. And that his name is translated wrong by a certain TypeMoon subber group.

It was really great seeing all the girls turn into guys since that is just so realistic XD

My guess is that this two seasons will cover the Sword Art Online Arc together with the sidestorys. I really hope lots of japanese will buy the DVDs and BDs so that they animeate further, especially the Mothers Rosario Arc since its the best one in my eyes.

@Aus: If you think that Kirito will be bland then you cant be more wrong. Hes a great character full or GARness and surprises. You should really stick to this one since you probably wont get as much character development and plot in all other shows this season together than in this one. If they adapt it right and after this ep chances are high they do.
 
Ossi is right, the guys behind this one are AMAZINGLY Genre-savvy. the "GIRL" (guy in real life) stereotype is perfectly represented in the unmasking scene. Also note the one male character that gets unmasked and revealed as a girl. (That being it's own amazing stereotype.)

I have to rewatch the UTW sub when I get home, I didn't notice them making a mistake with Klein's name... but I did watch the horriblesub version 3 times first, so I may not have been paying closest attention by that point...

QUOTE (Killer_Ossi @ Jul 08 2012, 08:56 AM)@Aus: If you think that Kirito will be bland then you cant be more wrong. Hes a great character full or GARness and surprises. You should really stick to this one since you probably wont get as much character development and plot in all other shows this season together than in this one. If they adapt it right and after this ep chances are high they do.
Kirito is like, the epitome of the crazy teen gamer, too. I wonder if they'll have the time he tries to climb the pillars to get to the next floor and hits an invisible wall.

I would love to see them make it to Mother's Rosario. I think SAO has the best potential to get a second season of anything we've seen recently. We may have to wait a year tho'. :^/ At the very least I want to see books 3 and 4 animated.
 
A pretty good series as it seems. To have a virtual game in which the players have to fight to the end without getting killed in reality isn't a new concept but if done correctly it came give some nice fights
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. Hopefully this one doesn't go down like Druaga's tower: have good characters and start but getting caught in repeating itself in episodes and not getting enough character development.
 
Pleasantly surprised by the first episode. I would even go as far as saying, it was the best premiere I have seen in a long time.

Firstly, the plot, imo is very unoriginal. For someone like me that has just grown up with this kind of stuff I see a lot of retreading in plot elements and even some aesthetic choices.

Neither of that really matters because it seems to have streamlined plot points and ideas writers have concerning virtual worlds by presenting an immediate threat (ironically, Accel World has a better setting and potential but equally squandered). Doing that has had all kinds of positive effects. If I was in that situation, I would freak out so I instantly believe in Klein's motivation. Infact, all characters presented in future will have justifiable motivation. That just goes to show how strong the inception is, as opposed to Accel World.

I also like Klein's transient desire to stay in the world. I felt that was a good touch because generally people prefer choice rather than constraint no matter what the situation. Although after seeing the ED, I have an equal fear there will be some retreading on that.

All in all, very impressed until I saw the ED. The ED suggested future plot points that I feel will negate the positives just mentioned.

I hope they keep the plot minimal. There is absolutely no need for it to get bloated.
 
Its a great concept, But i think the creator of the game should have at least allowed each player one message to the outside "real" world. those first 2000 people that died in the first month were probally otaku and neet that died of starvation or deydration in their homes. For a game that looks like it might take a year or 2 to complete, they need to at least alert someone to take care of their bodies.

Whats really going to suck, is that if any of them do manage to get out of the game, they are all going to have to deal with atrophy.

on a more perverted note, I wonder how many of the girls' real bodies are getting molested while their minds are trapped in the game. there are bound to be H-Doujins about that >_<

I wonder why the main character has not cleared level 1 yet? I guess hes playing it safe over-arming himself for the fights ahead to make sure he doesnt lose. but i figured he would have gotten through the first 5 levels already since he knows what to expect. Tho i guess, since it was a beta, things might have changed or gotten harder.
 
After watching the first episode I have to say that it seems the beta testing was to see if there were any bugs to take out of this. The second part would be that when you're killed you die both inside and out of the game itself.

For some reason I kind of want to say the 100 floor gauntlent sounds something similar to the anime Tower of Daruga in a way.
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In any case so there's about 11,000 total members playing this game, and in the first episode 2,000 of them have died trying to clear the first floor.

What kind of sucked is that the newbie that was with the main charcter died in the epilogue with his name being crossed out like that. I mean I had hopes to see that guy again later on in the series to see how he made out, if he was lucky of course.
 
QUOTE (Uz3r013 @ Jul 09 2012, 10:13 AM)Its a great concept, But i think the creator of the game should have at least allowed each player one message to the outside "real" world.

I'd guess the reason he didn't was to keep it "real". His stated goal at the onset was the creation of this world, and emphasized "This is reality now".


QUOTE (Uz3r013 @ Jul 09 2012, 10:13 AM)those first 2000 people that died in the first month were probally otaku and neet that died of starvation or deydration in their homes. For a game that looks like it might take a year or 2 to complete, they need to at least alert someone to take care of their bodies.

It's not that difficult to find somebody by IP address when the ISP and government work together for said goal, especially if the objective is to save lives.

I also expect next episode will cover all the ways people have died. Some of them are quite the fridge-horror moment.


QUOTE (Uz3r013 @ Jul 09 2012, 10:13 AM)I wonder why the main character has not cleared level 1 yet?

They'll get into the details next episode for sure, but it's not a spoiler to say that the boss of each floor is a raid boss.

Also, Wolfie, the newbie from the intro is named Klein, not Kintaro.
 
QUOTE (Kid-Wolf @ Jul 09 2012, 06:40 PM) What kind of sucked is that the newbie that was with the main charcter died in the epilogue with his name being crossed out like that. I mean I had hopes to see that guy again later on in the series to see how he made out, if he was lucky of course.
That was someone completely different. Kilaro was crossed out and not Cline (who is translated as Klein -.-).

@Uz3r013: Now that you meantion it, they forgot that part. In the books Kabaya says that all 10000 gamers are transfered to hospitals were they are getting tended to so that nobody dies outside the game.

And the thing about not clearing lvl 1 is easy. The bosses are really strong (or else they wouldnt be bosses) so of course you cant defeat them alone and for now everyone trys to play it safe so nobody just rampages through this world since its too dangerous.
 
Yeah I was talking about the newbie and what happened to him in that spoiler there. I mean I was hoping that someone who spent some time learning the ropes with our main guy here would of gotten a bit further down the road of course.

In any case the users may ned to get up to a certain level to actually go for the boss on the first floor, but at the same time if it's a raid type boss then I would know that they are highly annoying to deal with if they have a certain pattern to defeat them in. I mean when you play certain MMOs you know about how raid bosses tend to annoy the living daylights out of people.

Although I now wonder if there are no healers out there in this game. If that's th case then these are going to be rather hard enduracne matches here.
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QUOTE (Killer_Ossi @ Jul 09 2012, 11:09 AM) (who is canonically written in english as Klein -.-).
I fixed that for you.

Remember, All of the SAO character names are inputted in English, so there's an official romanization of every name. Klein's we happen to know because Kawahara-sensei released a book with the main characters' official romanizations in it.

You can spot Klein at the BOTTOM of the memorial of swords in the ending, same column as Kirito, before it zooms in.
 
QUOTE (Killer_Ossi @ Jul 09 2012, 12:09 PM) And the thing about not clearing lvl 1 is easy. The bosses are really strong (or else they wouldnt be bosses) so of course you cant defeat them alone and for now everyone trys to play it safe so nobody just rampages through this world since its too dangerous.
Not only that...in mmos that we play we would ALWAYS get wiped the first time hard bosses, revive, and could then return and defeat the boss when we are ready...after analysing its combat pattern and come up with a strategy.

In SAO...the "players" don't have that luxory and can't afford to die at all...

Anyway...on a separate note...I wonder if it is the case of:
a) if the players choose to stay at level 1, they would be able to stay alive forever, but at the cost of forever trapped inside the game,
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resources eventually runs out, and the players can starve to death?
c) there a time limit...say for example level 1 will shutdown, and people that not yet made it to level 2 will die...and the level shut down keeping going up toward level 100...
 
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