sword art online 10
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Tagged: sword art online
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“Her breasts curved so perfectly that it appeared, ironically, as if no graphic engine in existence could generate it.”
That’s my favorite line from Sword Art Online. And they cut it from the anime. Actually, the whole segment where Kirito is admiring Asuna’s sexy nakkid body is fantastic:
“The word ‘Beautiful’ didn’t even begin to describe her. Her skin that was tinged with blue light particles was soft and sleek. Her hair seemed as if it was made from the finest silk. Her breasts curved so perfectly that it appeared, ironically, as if no graphic engine in existence could generate it. The curvature of her legs that started at her slim waist made one think of the gracefulness of a wild animal.”
I’m perfectly OK if Sword Art Online turned into a typical trashy romance novel complete with a Fabio-inspired cover imagine… maybe Kirito shirt-less, with a pirate hat, and with a rose in his mouth while holding onto Asuna, showing off her heaving bosoms that no graphic engine in existence could generate.
(For everyone who says, “The novels are better!” Duh. It’s like saying, “Bacon is delicious!” Try saying something more controversial like, “The sky is blue” or “Pancakes go better with maple syrup.” Can you even name ten anime that were clearly better than the source material? Can you even name two anime this season out of the ~30-ish that aired?)
A-1 also cut out the portion where Asuna explains to Kirito about the “Ethics Code” player setting. I just like the thought that in 2022 Japan, people need to go to an “Ethics Code” menu to enjoy virtual sex. This is the land of strip mahjong games next to Guilty Gear cabinets that we’re talking about. I don’t remember this ethics option for Tomoyo After, that’s for sure, so I am guessing the Republicans decide to leave America and settle in Japan in 2020 when Stephen Colbert is elected president. I think A-1 is just downplaying the sexuality of it just because they don’t want to upset their core fanbase, but I think it’s silly. Asuna’s and Kirito’s relationship is what makes Sword Art Online different from any other typical shounen harem anime. They actually go places! Keiichi Morisato should be taking notes furiously.
Why Kirito lost: not enough emo facial distortion. A-1 doesn’t have the same budget level as Kyoto, but they did do Kirito’s fight with Heathcliff pretty well. They spent most of their budget for actual movement and slashing between the two and used stills for everything else: shots of the crowd, mugging for the camera, shield pr0n, etc. Though the way the show depicts the battles, it seems to be more Soul Calibur and less World of Warcraft… I would have preferred it if Kirito was defeated because he didn’t move out of a ball of fire fast enough as Asuna shouts, “MOVE OUT OF THE FUCKING FIRE!!! GODDAMN NOOBS!”
(What exactly is Heathcliff’s special ability? To hide behind a shield? Yeah, exactly. Didn’t he get the notice that the game is named Sword Art Online rather than Shield Art Online? Oh wait… maybe he did get the memo… mmm…)
Is it sexist that Kirito’s fight with Heathcliff got some awesome animation, but they basically used a 3-second long still for Asuna’s fight? Yes, yes it is. I also didn’t like how Kirito has to “save” Asuna at the last minute too. Why couldn’t she just have pulled out a dagger from her garter belt and counter attacked? That would have been so much more bad-ass and establishes Asuna as an equal to Kirito rather than damsel in distress… maybe she did get that memo… mmm…)
I’m not really sure if there’s a studio that could have done a better job. Sunrise? Maybe. (Most likely maybe not.) Shaft… possibly. Kyoto… okay, they could, but they could do anything well. Production IG maybe if they imagined Aincard as Ghost in the Shell-ish, but then again, I don’t have a lot of confidence in post-Guilty Crown Production IG. JC Staff, David, Gonzo, Manglobe, Feel, Madhouse, AIC… nope.
(My main problem with the show is that it really needs like 3-5 more minutes each episode. Most of the episodes left a bit too short. If they only had like a few more minutes to explain stuff or show off Aincard, the show would much, much better. I’m not sure if more episodes helps since it’s not that they need more episodes– they threw away an episode basically to explain marriage in Aincard– but each episode just needs a bit more fleshing out, like if the graphics engine line and the ethics code was included in this episode. But, alas, stupid time constraints.)
“My life belongs to you.”
Houtarou, take notes. This is how you stop a girl from crying about lost chocolate.
(Sigh. If only Houtarou did this in the previous Hyouka episode… it would have been awesome…)
If I were stuck in an MMORPG in real life hardcore mode, I wouldn’t give up my crystals and potions to make training seem more real. Fuck that. I would fill up my bag with all the items I could. I would be a mobile Costco. Elixirs by the bulk. Also, in what MMORPG can your character be under paralysis for a solid five minutes?
I kinda like the stark contrast between Kirito’s barebones living quarters with Asuna’s lovely house. Kirito has nothing while Asuna has a fancy teapot that has flowers floating inside of it.
Kirito doesn’t have a lamp or a candle, but, for whatever reason, he has a vase filled with umbrellas. If it rains, he’s going to be super ready.
9 Responses to “sword art online 10”
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So… they had sex in the novels Y/N?
@Chumara
There’s an entire chapter dedicated to it, but was later invalidated due to inconsistency with the places mentioned in other parts of the series.
If you want a simple answer, then yes XD
I actually like that the snuu-snuu seemed simply “implied” and not outright said since it messed with a lot of the anime viewers. They NEED to be sure if what they just saw was indeed the truth & need a proper straight out confirmation.
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She was obviously naked under the covers, she covered herself when she sat up, her trademark hair style was undone and she simply “allowed” Kirito to watch her sleep in her private room. “So…uh…..did they do it? I mean…”
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Heh, Sorry but the virtual hickies were only temporarily rendered so no additional visual cues for ya’.
Agreed: they should have had Asuna kill that guy (already forgot his name, small fry anyway), and established her as equal to Kirito. But… well, after watching a ton of anime, doesn’t everyone have the feeling that japanese people do want their women to be nothing but damsels in distress (or even less)? Seems to me the only woman that can appeal to j-taste is the stereotypical tenderly cute (like Asuna), but sexy and hot (like Asuna), somewhat submissive (like Asuna), cooking obsessed (like Asuna) chick. Don’t get me wrong, I like her. But I would like her more if she doesn’t have to scream “baka” and blush every time she tries to make her stand.
A vase of umbrellas? :-|
Kirito is secretly the Penguin.
@Asuna not being a damsel in distress: I think it’s b/c she is intentionally meant to be just that. Her ‘strength’ is a sham as far as I’m concerned. Based on what I’ve seen so far I have come to the conclusion that Asuna was intentionally constructed as the ideal female companion to the otaku nerd with a hero complex in a magic world that allows him to indulge it that Kirito was constructed as. Despite all the clamor about how great she is there have been too many missed opportunities for Asuna to show us that she’s not just a pretty face weighed down with all the emotional baggage that comes with being a girl in a world where only men can make a real (positive) difference.
Why didn’t she speak up to contest the guild leader literally treating her like an object? Why did she hide behind Kirito when accosted by her subordinate? Why did she rush in to fight a boss she knew she couldn’t handle? I say it’s because in all those instances her behavior allowed/inspired Kirito to come in and play the white knight and save the day/defend her honor/be the big damn hero she is so sure he is. I think she is only meant to be seem like a badass and highly capable gamer chick to boost her sex appeal but at the same time be the ideal, modest, deferential, NEEDING, Japanese girl who doesn’t stray outside the boundaries of what women are meant for in any threatening way.
When you talk about perfect episode length versus time constraints, I remember the era of OVAs. Take Bubblegum Crisis for instance. Episodes vary widely in length, and are just as long as they need to be to tell their story. What a great idea. When did we surrender to the network programmers and embrace fixed length episodes? *sigh*
@JasonP I agree. At the very least cut the OP/ED for episodes where every minute counts.
Asuna actually was the one who killed Kuradeel in the original draft: http://taptaptaptaptap.wordpre.....web-novel/
Apparently they changed it when the series got published in Dengeki Bunko. Drastically changes her character.