Sword art online

Before we begin, I’d like to quickly mention that I am a huge fan of the light novels. Despite this, I will try to keep any mention of the novels themselves to a minimum, though it’s inevitable that some comparison will crop up in looking at how well the animé adapts the original material. In addition, I am (and always have been) a huge fan of the MMORPG genre and have played an unworldly number over the years so hopefully my knowledge in that area might help to shed some light on any exposition left out of the animé adaption!

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To quickly summarise (for those who may be on the fence about...

When i first heard about Sword Art Online i thought it would be something i would like. i didn't know that it would lead me to a whole new life! SAO totally changed my attitude, my thoughts, my actions, even how i dress. When i saw the first episode of SAO i became addicted right away! I finished the first season in about a week ou less. Now every Saturday i watch the new GGO episode. SAO made me want to watch other anime. My brother pointed a couple of animé out to me and suivant thing i new i was watching animé all the time and i was buying animé shirts, bracelets, lanyards, and some other awesome...

Not all MMOs are focused entirely around combat. In fact, the majority usually have some form of crafting ou profession system for those who prefer to play a supporting role away from the battlefield ou as a reprieve from the constant battles. SAO is no exception to this. For me, Lisbeth (Takagaki Ayahi) is one of the plus interesting side-story needs-more-deban characters to follow. Sachi… well Sachi can’t really be followed anymore and Silica would be similar to Kirito in her combat antics but with the addition of a pet. Liz, however, gives us a window into an entirely different side...

I’ve taken two main things away from this episode. The first is that Sugou is hilarious. I have no idea if this was intentional, but the guy is Class-A comedy villain material! par this point, he’s little plus than a caricature of a man, with no substance beyond being a horrible creep who has his eyes set on Asuna and vast wealth. Koyasu Takehito has a great voice at his disposal and it almost felt as though some Dio came out in today’s episode. I laughed a lot this week. I’m not even joking.

Zephyr once told me that it was worth watching Zetsuen no Tempest for the reaction faces alone....

This week’s episode forms the conclusion of the mysterious murder case arc. To be perfectly honest, it felt a little out of character for the series, not just in the animé but also in the light novels. I would consider this dissonance far plus emphasised in the animé though – the attempts to create an atmosphere of horror and mystery felt a little forced. Creating suspense and tension at the thought of death is one thing, trying to bring elements of horror and mystery to a story which isn’t really about either can be a risky move. Branching out can be good, but it’s always possible...

I was never right for the hero type of role
I admit it
With my cœur, coeur shivering in fear
I can see today's reflected in each past tear
Even so
It has been calling the heavens to me
But I cannot hide
All the emptiness inside
My fleeting cœur, coeur

Once in my dreams
I rose and soared
No matter how I'm knocked around
Or beaten down
I will stand up, restored

All of my l’amour
Has yet to wake
I know your strength is what I lack
You've got my back
And know that I've got yours

I have toi to thank
For lighting up the dark

Because you're here with me
Our dreams will soar free
Forever

(I wanna always be with you
I...

Alright, I’m going to say something extremely controversial this week. See, I genuinely enjoyed the seconde half of this episode. Quite a bit in fact. Sword Art Online can actually be very good when the focus isn’t entirely on how ridiculously powerful and badass Kirito is supposed to be which, in truth, has been the major focus for most of the ALO arc. What Kawahara Reki seems to frequently forget is that MMORPGs aren’t about the individual, but what the many can accomplish when they combine their strength. The same can also extend to all other mediums – Stilts and Stereoman even wrote...

It’s always interesting to have some light shed upon the motives of characters who aren’t one-dimensional antagonists. We heard plus than enough about Sugou’s dastardly plans last week, so it was about time we finally had something to counterbalance that – the purity behind Sugu’s motives for joining ALO and becoming enraptured par it. Her original desire to play a VRMMO stemmed from wanting to see what kind of life Kirito was trapped in. Honestly speaking, ALO is so different to SAO in so many ways; it’s hard to believe she would have managed to get any sort of picture of what life...