⭐Sword Art Online Volume 1 Chapters 17-18: Read Along & Analysis
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Sword Art Online Volume 1 Chapter 17-18:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aSqHb6hQnN86yN3Lw5zyGMaDZYTa7fHe/view?usp=sharing
Comments
It's funny how there are people who call SAO characters "one dimensional" (yeaaaah), and people who call Asuna's storyline a "downgrade to housewife" - if there are people who belong to both groups, and I'm sure there are - it would be just them thinking in one dimension, not the story being this way. Because why else couldn't people understand, that any character can simultaneously be a fearsome warrior *and* caring household, *not* a downfall from one into the other... and it's not like there are no popular stuff around with characters who do that. Easy example - John Wick... ok, making *that* example makes even myself laugh of comparing him and Asuna during Alicization, imagining one in the place of another xD but still - the only real difference is that in one case we had to wait for "badass moments" longer than in another. This makes me think about the fact, that there's pretty much a whole genre in the movies, about killers trying to live the normal lives, and mostly failing because of circumstances, not their choices. "Taken", "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", or just how many Marvel character - from Tony to Wanda, from Hawkeye to Spider-man - you name it - so many popular "badass" characters just making a choice of living a normal life too. Why they aren't criticized the same way? Because it took less time for them to start slashing things around? At this point, I see it as a problem with audience, not the story. It could be wrong expectations (in best scenarios), or prejudice, or simple ignorance. All of them maybe. Who knows. Hmm, I never thought about that selfish part of Kirito properly before... I guess, from my initial thoughts on that matter - yeah, there are moments when he is selfish, like just a couple of chapters ago he didn't want Asuna to sell the soy sauce, in contrast to what he just told, because "There’d be none left for me" :D But anyone needs a healthy amount of selfishness to survive, I guess) As for the moments that came to my mind right now - for the most part, like the ones you mentioned - they are usually half-protective actions more than selfish, so, half-selfish, I think. Or self preserving, depending on how look at it. Because what would be left of Kirito, if Asuna would die? (Which brings the question of what was left of that mentioned second Kirito, since his Asuna is gone - would be interesting to see, and if our Asuna would have an effect on him at any point). I still haven't touched the Unital ring, still in the process of rereading everything that comes before in the series in English to start with knowing all terminology in this language and to refresh the story in the memory. *Which gives me time for more UR novels to come out in translation before I start :D*. I finished with all of the Isolator, until new aren't written, in the middle of SAOP6, at the start of SAO7 and AW2 at this point. Very curious to see myself the connections you mentioned :D
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2021-09-22 18:35:26 +0000 UTCA large part of Kirito’s character that I don’t think is pointed out as much is the many times that he is, or tries to be, selfish, but I don’t think this is a bad thing, it just makes him more human. Him staying away from the frontline even though it slows down the pace at which they finish the floor wasn’t the first, or last, time he does something for himself. Interestingly enough, it usually happens when Asuna is involved. For example, in this chapter his feelings of wanting to stay were as strong as they were because he wanted to be with Asuna. In the later chapters he tells Heathcliff that protecting Asuna will be his number 1 priority, which means he wouldn’t try to help anyone else but her if it came down to it. Later, during Alicization, a scene that was cut from the anime, which made a lot of people mad that they did, was about Kirito finally having time alone with Asuna after he woke up. It was when Gabriel was still chasing Alice and the entirety of the Underworld was at stake, but for that moment, Kirito didn’t care about anything but talking to Asuna. They stopped mid-air and spent time with each other, and that was also where they had the kiss scene that everyone was mad about being cut. But in the end, his feeling of not wanting to leave wasn’t born because he was with Asuna, that feeling had been there since long before that. Nothing shows that more than the end of Alicization when he realizes that he might not ever want to leave the Underworld. He noticed that maybe he wasn’t going all out against Gabriel because part of him wanted to be in this alternate world. Even though he had people in his life now, a part of him never left SAO. And from that, the Star King was born. After reading all of Accel World, I’m really excited to see where that character fits into the overall universe. I feel like Unital Ring will have the Star King be the final boss. A Kirito vs Kirito. One fighting for the real world, and the other fighting for the virtual one. Eventually, the outcome will lead to Accel World, and I feel like I have an idea at what that outcome is, but talking anything more about that comes with Accel World and Unital Ring spoilers so I’ll leave it at that. Anyway, this might seem really random, but it is something I’ve thought about ever since you started reviewing the SAO LN. For some reason I feel like your voice really fits Asuna’s character. When you read her dialogue, it feels like the way Asuna would say it and sound. So yeah, just a random thought. Speaking of Asuna, it really annoys me when people call her either a damsel in distress or that she was downgraded to a housewife. Not at a single point was she a complete damsel in distress. Even during the Fairy Dance arc she was still the reason Kirito was able to reach the top of the world tree in the first place. It was because she decided to fight back against Sugou that she, along with the other 300 players, were able to be free from him. And the housewife argument is even worse. Throughout the entire series, even after those days with Yui and whatnot, she was still one of the strongest fighters in the series. And I think that people just completely forget Mother’s Rosario and her whole character arc there. Just the fact that she could make her own decisions was all she ever wanted. She didn’t want to be what everyone else wanted her to be, but instead be whatever she chooses to be. That fact is oddly what happens with people that hate her character. They want her to be the badass fighter that didn’t need to rely on Kirito for anything and didn’t have any semblance of a housewife. For those people I really feel like they should rewatch Mother’s Rosario, that should answer all of their problems. Also, I feel like the fact that Asuna likes to cook stems from that same concept. Even what she was going to eat was decided by someone else in her real life, being able to cook for herself in SAO, and for others, was a freedom that came from separating herself from her previous life. As for 16.5, yeah, it’s defiantly something. I would like to hear what you think about it because, ignoring most of the explicit things that happen, those small moments inside of Kirito’s mind are pretty interesting. The fact that even while all of that is going on Kirito is still thinking about the technological side of things is pretty funny too. It’s a very Kirito thig to do. I do also hope you read the sequels to it which aren’t as explicit. They were only published in Japan, but I do have PDF’s and links to English versions of those if you need them. I do agree that the story of SAO isn’t for everyone. It’s a specific type of story that is very different from things like shounen, but it has many aspect that should go with that genre, yet it doesn’t. It’s odd, but a way I can put it is that most LN writers write them in hopes that they will one day have an anime adaptation, so they write with that in mind. Reki on the other hand, wrote it just to write a novel. It was meant to only be a novel and so it’s written in a way that feels best when read as a novel. The newer stuff is written with a different mentality and that might have an impact with adaptation, hopefully a better one and not something like Alicization again. And for a fun fact: Asuna’s birthday is coming up on September 30th. This year she’d be 14. Also, September 30th is also Kuroyukihime’s birthday. Odd that those character’s are the only two to share a birthday…
Gen
2021-09-22 16:48:00 +0000 UTCThe more comments of sao-haters I see, the more I think - it's not that they forget the ages of characters or something - mostly they just forget to *think*, at all, as they watch it) *Or even do not actually watch it, but still as bots automatically respond to any mentions of SAO in short mocking comments*. Just not that long ago, I managed to find the space on a shelve for my new SAO LNs, only to find out once I placed them together - english versions actually do not match themselves in heights. The ones that I got (ones that aren't in the hardcover collector's edition) - SAOP 1-6 and SAO 21-22 - there are pairs that match, but overall, it's a mess. And I shared that fact on the internet - because I know people who collect books might find it funny/painful from their own experience (and they did), but also specified that personally I'm fine with that, just surprised and curious how that happened. And one of the comments was "lol, SAO's so bad they couldn't even match up the heigh and style of the english translation"... really?... But if we look at it all more objectively, and at people who just do not like the series, I have a few thoughts on that. One of the strengths of the series, in my opinion - is that SAO literally reinvents itself every arc. Or, correspondingly, every half a season in anime. And that, actually, puts off a lot of people from it. Traditionally, media doesn't do that. But every time it does - there are waves of people who stop watching or start hating on that change "because they like the way it was", or if the content between switches is more or less independent - might actually join in. The closest example for me would be a Doctor Who series, which also reinvents itself with new Doctors, but in this case it is oftentimes achieved by a whole new crew of writers and etc, not just one like in SAO. So the nature of change is very different, yet could cause similar effect of people rejecting the change. I did fell off from DW twice this way, so I very much understand the feeling. And I see it in a number of people who fell off SAO after just barely seen start of S2. It's natural. Yet, in my opinion, it is also natural for many gamers to experience different games in both story and gameplay genre. And switch between them depending on the mood - that's what I do oftentimes. And when you experience so many different games, as I'm sure Reki did, it's natural that the author wants to explore not just one type too. I'm glad he did. And from this, also comes a group of people, who in their hate are a bit more specific - the screams that it all should've been Aincrad and nothing more, and it "would've been better". Screams of how everything passed S1 or Aincrad (and sometimes people do think ALO is season 2) is trash. Somehow, while writing the previous paragraph, I found my thoughts in one particular episode of season one, suddenly connected the dots. At least for myself, not sure if anyone would see it the same way as I do. I'm not sure, if it's the irony, or fate, or something, but you might remember the episode about married couple in SAO? When some person "loved" the image of his wife that he saw in her, but when the change came, and she showed herself from different side - he tried to kill her to remember her as she was? Doesn't it feel familiar, when people are trying to trash the series while saying that they loved only Aincrad arc and that's what the show should've been? I think, I just connected to this story once more, this time at the point where Kirito answers Asuna, how would he feel if he'll see that there's something more to someone he already loves. Because that's what we did, each arc, see a new side of SAO and fell in love with it again and again. Then started reading the book and did it again. And somehow, the more hate I see for SAO, the more real it becomes with situations like this, the more love I find for it in myself. Speaking of married couples. 16.5.... Yeah, I'm definitely interested in hearing *any* thoughts on SAO, which includes this, but also kinda scared of a proper readalong of it to tell the truth xD I like how marriage is slightly different in SAO than IRL. Yes, essentially it is the same, but because of different worlds, it is viewed by people from inside differently. While often, marriage viewed as a change of social status, and it applies to many people who watched SAO and keep criticizing the very act from Kirito and Asuna as too rushed. It is actually an act of absolute trust to another person in this world, first. Haters usually do not consider Kirito and Asuna's age, or that they live in the environment where death has a very high probability every day, and no one knows how long they have left. Or, that relationships between them *are* serious to that degree, exactly because Kirito was a loner who closed himself from everyone and because Asuna found something real in this world. Because of that, by the time Kirito proposed, they already passed every stage of their relationships, not in a sense of dating, but in a sense of opening up to each other, caring about each other, depending on one another. Kirito is very logical person, very rational, (just broken from the experience of living in SAO), so he already knew there's no point in delaying it, I believe. If he already can't see his life without her, if there are no walls between them, many of which he constructed himself from everyone around, if he sees the same from Asuna - what else there's left to do, if not this. The final act of everything he already said and felt by this point, both of them did. "It's like a cup of wine... there's a certain taste you have to have for stories to understand SAO completely" - I wrote a lot about it, but deleted all and I'll just say - totally agree with that :D ... well, maybe I'll add, that I felt the same way about a lot of my favorite games, ones that people usually ignored for "bad graphics" "bad gameplay" or story that they did not understood because they went through everything as fast they could, without spending time to investigate or pay attention to details.. which does sounds just like what's happening to SAO, where people just watch through it without any thoughts, and approach it as something "typical" and put the things they vaguely recognize into the "stereotypes" and believe that's how it is, since there are things that fits some of the descriptions... and a lot of these stereotypes are built by these YTers who are popular but understand very little about the things they openly hate. Like, is it bad, that Asuna cooks? No. But is there someone's popular opinion, that it brings down the girl character's coolness? Yes. People that grew up on that kind of opinions, have troubles appreciating the depth of such stories and characters as SAO has.... Yes, animated moments have their own tension and impact and all, but if reading SAO slowly thoughtfully and imagining all in details - oh prepare, every difficult moment might hit 10 times harder :D I guess, you'll get the taste of what to come by the end of the book :D But I will say, that descriptions of what is going on in characters heads at such moments, no matter the arc - has a lot, a lot to discuss....)
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2021-09-20 18:04:25 +0000 UTC
