Sword Art Online... WTF Happened?

[Lilani]

I enjoyed the first arc of SAO, I thought it raised some interesting ideas about he possibility of giving up on real life for a virtual one. When Kirito and Asuna adopted the little fairy thing, it was a bit hammy and creepy, but at the same time I liked the fact that it explored people just retiring and accepting the game as opposed to endlessly fighting it.

And then...the second arc happened. Incest, Asuna being turned into a damsel in distress, the non-consensual marriage to an unconscious person, the rape and groping...just waaaaay too off base from what SAO did. It seems more like a fanfiction continuation than a canonical continuation of the story. I only made it to the end because I was curious to see if they'd redeem Asuna and bring back her badassery. They did not, and the ending was totally stupid, and I have not heard enough good about SAO II to continue. To me, SAO is an anime that had potential and a good start, but just succombed to way too many tropes and shitty plot devices in the second arc.

Sorry for the double post but I want to do you a favor. Go watch season two episodes 18-24. Not cour 2 but actually season two. Skip everything else. You'll not only get Asuna being a badass and a fucking fantastic protagonist, you'll also get a whole lot less Kirito and an arc that made even a cynical prick like me cry ***** tears.

Even the cover art has Kirito pushed off to the back as an afterthought.

Spoiler

Oh and if there's ever an adaptation of Alicization arc at least you've already managed to skip all the crap because Alicization is genuinely interesting and has Asuna being a different kind of badass in that!

Nice! I might just do that. I can tolerate Asuna just fine, but Kirito is only good when he's with Asuna IMO. I feel like he should have been more soundly punished for breaking the MMO mold and going solo, that shit just doesn't work well. But noooo, not only does he become one of the most knowledgable players in the game, but he also gets a special ability to help him play solo. I was really hoping he'd get his ass handed to him at some point, but it only happened in the guild contest and only because that fight was unwinnable in the first place.

 

[VanQ]

Nice! I might just do that. I can tolerate Asuna just fine, but Kirito is only good when he's with Asuna IMO. I feel like he should have been more soundly punished for breaking the MMO mold and going solo, that shit just doesn't work well. But noooo, not only does he become one of the most knowledgable players in the game, but he also gets a special ability to help him play solo. I was really hoping he'd get his ass handed to him at some point, but it only happened in the guild contest and only because that fight was unwinnable in the first place.

Well, he kind of did only get 4 hours of sleep every night and spent the rest of the time mostly grinding to a point where he severely out-leveled all the content in the game. He was level 90 something when he fought the Gleam-Eyes, a level 75 boss. What DID piss me off was how they ended the Aincrad arc prematurely. I feel like the real story would have been in those last 25 levels, with half the front-liners wiped out by the floor 76 boss, the front-liners' main tank turning out to be the bad guy and with them having realized there was only likely so long until their families pull the life support plugs on the players. But there's no point in thinking about what could have been. Maybe one day I'll get around to my "Last 25 floors" fanfic, but not today.

 

[ObserverStatus]

Dear god... the sister wants to shag her brother and sexualized violence to boot? I knew I liked Sword Art for some reason.

The show aired uncensored on national cable and Adult Swim didn't get one complaint over the show, this isn't Please Twins here this is a little sister who has a little unrequited crush on her brother, stop with the damn bolded incest crap.

I know man, I too was extremely disappointed when Kirito didn't brush Suguha's teeth.

 

[Alex Baas]

I've got to say I've never watched SAO, but if you're looking for a recent anime set in an MMO world, where players have somehow gotten imprisoned as their own characters, with 2 seasons, limited fanservice, at least by anime standards, good amount of hard data and information on both characters (levels, classes etc.) and the world (exposition galore), considerably fewer inconsistencies and much less squick than SAO (there still is some IMO and, not having watched SAO, I find it hard to compare, but I hadn't heard of other viewers making a fuss about it, so given the shitstorm over SAO, I'm guessing it's fairly minor in comparison), consider watching Log Horizon. It really is pretty good, though if you get down to it, it's a whole diffrent kind of story, much more focused on planning and politics, with the entire main cast getting decent amounts of agenda and screen time, rather than a personal physical (well, not quite, the world being an MMO, but you get what I mean, right?) struggle of a solitary hero.

TL;DR: Watch Log Horizon

*adjusts glasses*

*glasses adjustment intensifies*

Also, Log Horizon actually has established game mechanics, something that SAO lacks

 

[And Man]

I honestly cannot understand how anyone over the age of 12 can genuinely like the second arc in any way other than so-bad-it's-good

Hey, I take issue with that. I'm 27 and as mentioned above I kinda like it...although that's largely just because Suguha is my favourite character. The story itself was really rather poor. >_>

Heh, not trying to offend. As long as you recognize that the story of that arc was bad

 

[Zeraki]

I've got to say I've never watched SAO, but if you're looking for a recent anime set in an MMO world, where players have somehow gotten imprisoned as their own characters, with 2 seasons, limited fanservice, at least by anime standards, good amount of hard data and information on both characters (levels, classes etc.) and the world (exposition galore), considerably fewer inconsistencies and much less squick than SAO (there still is some IMO and, not having watched SAO, I find it hard to compare, but I hadn't heard of other viewers making a fuss about it, so given the shitstorm over SAO, I'm guessing it's fairly minor in comparison), consider watching Log Horizon. It really is pretty good, though if you get down to it, it's a whole diffrent kind of story, much more focused on planning and politics, with the entire main cast getting decent amounts of agenda and screen time, rather than a personal physical (well, not quite, the world being an MMO, but you get what I mean, right?) struggle of a solitary hero.

TL;DR: Watch Log Horizon

*adjusts glasses*

*glasses adjustment intensifies*

Also, Log Horizon actually has established game mechanics, something that SAO lacks

Log Horizon feels like it was written by somebody who actually has a lot of experience with MMO's, has a love for the genre and understands how social dynamics work in those games. I haven't played WoW for years, but Log Horizon filled me with so much nostalgia for the days I used to run dungeons/raids with my guild.

Also, I like that pretty much all of the important characters in the series are adults, which is something that Anime really needs more of.

 

[Alex Baas]

I've got to say I've never watched SAO, but if you're looking for a recent anime set in an MMO world, where players have somehow gotten imprisoned as their own characters, with 2 seasons, limited fanservice, at least by anime standards, good amount of hard data and information on both characters (levels, classes etc.) and the world (exposition galore), considerably fewer inconsistencies and much less squick than SAO (there still is some IMO and, not having watched SAO, I find it hard to compare, but I hadn't heard of other viewers making a fuss about it, so given the shitstorm over SAO, I'm guessing it's fairly minor in comparison), consider watching Log Horizon. It really is pretty good, though if you get down to it, it's a whole diffrent kind of story, much more focused on planning and politics, with the entire main cast getting decent amounts of agenda and screen time, rather than a personal physical (well, not quite, the world being an MMO, but you get what I mean, right?) struggle of a solitary hero.

TL;DR: Watch Log Horizon

*adjusts glasses*

*glasses adjustment intensifies*

Also, Log Horizon actually has established game mechanics, something that SAO lacks

Log Horizon feels like it was written by somebody who actually has a lot of experience with MMO's, has a love for the genre and understands how social dynamics work in those games. I haven't played WoW for years, but Log Horizon filled me with so much nostalgia for the days I used to run dungeons/raids with my guild.

Also, I like that almost all the important characters in the series are adults, which is something that Anime really needs more of.

Log Horizon made me START playing MMOs! I can't wait till I got the free time this summer to actually get raiding.

Capcha: Almost got it
I know, Capcha, I know

 

[NiPah]

Dear god... the sister wants to shag her brother and sexualized violence to boot? I knew I liked Sword Art for some reason.

The show aired uncensored on national cable and Adult Swim didn't get one complaint over the show, this isn't Please Twins here this is a little sister who has a little unrequited crush on her brother, stop with the damn bolded incest crap.

I know man, I too was extremely disappointed when Kirito didn't brush Suguha's teeth.

You think brushing teeth is hot, just wait till she starts eating Inari Sushi.

Spoiler

 

[Username Redacted]

SAO crops up every time someone asks, "I want to get into anime, where do I start?"

Why?! Whyyyyy would anyone dooooo that?! I can somewhat understand people who enjoy it, but getting into anime through SAO?
I mean, it is in NO WAY a classic, from the start it bashes the viewer over the head with anime tropes that one needs to be used to not to be weirded out (fanservice most of all) and it is rather non-typical in it's structure. So it's not that memorable even if one likes it, it's not entry-level and gives a rather wrong impression of what the most of anime looks like. Who could ever suggest it as a starter when there are much better suited titles by Studio Ghibli or Kyoto Animation?

To be fair I'd kinda agree with this to an extent. I don't think SAO is the worst possible introduction to anime but it really isn't the best and it could definitely turn people off. Though I fundamentally disagree on the notion that people should look at "classics" to get into it because those classics include stuff like Neon Genesis Evangelion which most definitely is NOT the best place to start either.

Ghibli isn't a bad call. Personally lately I've become rather partial to Girls und Panzer. That could potentially be a good starting point for people. Or Fate/stay night. Both are a far more reasonable mix of traditional anime tropes and really nice action. Personally I got into it from a weirder place, the anime that really got me into it was The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

I think the easiest way to get someone into anime is to find their preferred genre(s) of western television and movies and find the best examples of anime equivalent. Madoka Magika may be a really good anime but I doubt you're as likely to convert a (for example) die hard Star Wars fan to anime if you show them that instead of Cowboy BeBop.

I enjoyed the first arc of SAO, I thought it raised some interesting ideas about he possibility of giving up on real life for a virtual one.

That is an interesting premise. One that has been had with a few twists on it by animes that are likely better than SAO.

With regards to the topic I have no idea WTF happened to SAO as I've never seen it but I do still find its existence useful as it provides a good barometer, when someone recommends that I check it out, for where I and the offending party stand with regards to taste in anime.

 

[kyp275]

Also, I like that pretty much all of the important characters in the series are adults, which is something that Anime really needs more of.

This is exactly what I was talking about. Why does "anime" need more adults? Hell, what does that even mean? There are plenty of adults in anime/manga - in the genre where adults are the primary demographic. Complaining that mainstream shounen shows that are aimed at middle/highschool kids don't have enough "adults" makes about as much sense as complaining that there are too many female protagonists in shoujo stories.

 

[Legomaniac91_v1legacy]

Tell me, does it get better?

Do you want the short or long version?

Short: No.

Long: Noooooooooooooo.
Kirito is still Kirito, the virtual harem king who somehow beats most people despite the main weapon of the third arc. The excitement of the new arc quickly dies, and naturally ... The added characters are not that great. Basically, it is more Sword Art Online season 1, another girl to add to the non-romantic harem. Personally, I would find it much more interesting if Kirito just marries someone ... That isn't Asuna. Hey, it would make many people angry and give the story a little twist.

Also the villain.
He is named "Death Gun".
If you are like me, you will laugh every damn time it is mentioned.
Truth be told, I'm still laughing now.

I will admit though, I disliked the first and second season. I don't know even why I started the third arc. Still, I sound quite negative. If you want someone who might redeem it, talk to Elfgore.

Anyway, I'm going to move on from SAO, and bask in the glory that is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

There is seriously a villain named "Death Gun"? That sounds more fitting for a mid-90s Image comics character! Still, it could be worse. His name could have been xxPwnchunck420xx or Ballsdeep69.

On an unrelated note, if you do want to see a...different take on SAO, give this a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6kJKxvbgZ0

 

[Zeraki]

Also, I like that pretty much all of the important characters in the series are adults, which is something that Anime really needs more of.

This is exactly what I was talking about. Why does "anime" need more adults? Hell, what does that even mean? There are plenty of adults in anime/manga - in the genre where adults are the primary demographic. Complaining that mainstream shounen shows that are aimed at middle/highschool kids don't have enough "adults" makes about as much sense as complaining that there are too many female protagonists in shoujo stories.

In retrospect "need" was a poor choice word on my part, it's just something I liked and would like to see more of to help keep the genre feeling fresh every once in a while. I'm not saying that all Shounen should be all adults all the time.

Also I wasn't complaining about anything, just expressing a couple reasons why I loved a series to someone who brought it up.

 

[Chaos Isaac]

Dude, you watched a bad anime. That's all that happened.

In hindsight, it makes me appreciate .Hack even more.

 

[Lilani]

That is an interesting premise. One that has been had with a few twists on it by animes that are likely better than SAO.

With regards to the topic I have no idea WTF happened to SAO as I've never seen it but I do still find its existence useful as it provides a good barometer, when someone recommends that I check it out, for where I and the offending party stand with regards to taste in anime.

Given the way you talk about it you may never watch it and not care about spoilers, but I'll put this in the spoiler box anyway just in case.

Spoiler

The way SAO gets into the whole choosing game live VS real life is rather interesting, because it starts with everybody fighting to get out. If you don't know the premise already, basically all the people who first logged into the game SAO when it officially launched get trapped in the game forever until somebody beats all 100 floors of the game's main tower. And if you die in the game, you die in real-life as well. At first everybody's motivated to do this and people group up into big guilds and raiding parties to level up and succeed in numbers. But two years pass and nobody has done it yet. That is a long time, and many by that point began to accept that the game was their life.

So after a while when the main characters Kirito and Asuna fall in love, they eventually decide to retire for a while. They get a house in the woods, and raise a little NPC girl who they found and calls them mommy and daddy (it's a little more complicated than that, but they basically treat her like an adopted child, and that's sort of what she is). I think it's a really interesting look at how something like that may actually play out. Sure people might be motivated at first, but for many the risk of dying forever is not worth getting back to real-life, for some reason or another. But Kirito and Asuna in particular didn't take that break out of despair or fear, they just wanted to enjoy the life they had together. Eventually they got back into the fight, but if not for their friends still fighting and mysteries being unfolded about the game's creator and that little NPC that they adopted, they would have been content to live like that.

So to me, that element was very interesting, and kept me going until the end. The idea that, after so long, you would just begin to accept the game as life, and stop seeing the point in trying to get real-life back, especially if failure means death.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

Also, I like that pretty much all of the important characters in the series are adults, which is something that Anime really needs more of.

This is exactly what I was talking about. Why does "anime" need more adults? Hell, what does that even mean? There are plenty of adults in anime/manga - in the genre where adults are the primary demographic. Complaining that mainstream shounen shows that are aimed at middle/highschool kids don't have enough "adults" makes about as much sense as complaining that there are too many female protagonists in shoujo stories.

OK, not an expert on anime, but what genre has adults as the primary demographic? Just looking through Netflix it seems like most of them star teenagers, which means you see the same ideas in the romance and interpersonal relationships (there's only so many ways to deal with young love). It also means that there's an abundance of young prodigies (to explain why the adults let a 14-year-old be in charge) which further limits the kinds of stories that are told.

 

[Lightspeaker]

OK, not an expert on anime, but what genre has adults as the primary demographic?

Seinen and Josei are the demographic terms you're looking for:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seinen_manga
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josei_manga

As I understand it they're less commonly adapted to anime than other demographics but it does happen. Elfen Lied being a choice example and quite possibly the most violent and horrifying thing I've ever seen; amusingly thanks to the fact that mainstream view of anime is that its "just cartoons" I've seen it sold literally right alongside Pokemon.

 

[circularlogic88]

This was just a garbage series elevated to something more than what it could ever hope to have been. It's .hack//sign without any of the mystery or intrigue of a bigger picture, behind the scenes plot. It's Accel World without a likeable, sympathetic protagonist.

People who love this series are the same people who love anything from the Nihon and are quick to defend and justify the semantics of an incestuous brother sister relationship with the fact that it's okay because they're just cousins and the age of consent in Japan is 13, as if that makes it any less creepy.

The series had an interesting premise and it chose to be "faithful" to the source material and show off just how horn and poor of a writer the author was when he was in high school.

You want a better male power fantasy harem wish-fulfillment anime? Watch A Certain Magical Index.
You want a better Shonen-style anime in a virtual world? Watch Accel World Season 1.
You want a better MMORPG story that doesn't pander (as much) to fanservice? Watch Log Horizon Season 1.

Anime like SAO is the reason I stopped caring about watching hyped up "mainstream" anime.

 

[Captain Marvelous_v1legacy]

Honestly, SAO lost me after Kirito switched to the new game about elves or something and Asuna became a damsel in distress. I started SAO 2, but I couldn't get into it. I don't understand what happened. I used to enjoy HArem/Reverse Harem anime, but now I can hardly stand them. I prefer the abridged series on YouTube. Makes SAO look like crap.

In my own opinion, Log Horizon is the superior MMO anime. Less about one badass and more about the community of players. It feels so much better. They even treat death in a different manner that I prefer. I haven't finished season 2 yet, but I intend to tonight.