Sword Art Online – 10

September 9, 2012Guardian EnzoUncategorizedAnime, reviews, Sword Art Online

Somehow, that episode felt like everything that’s good and bad about Kawahara Reki rolled into one.

Wow. I have to give full credit to Kirito, he certainly doesn’t waste time – I know the passage of narrative time in SAO is pretty blinding (2 years in 10 episodes) but he went from “Hey, Asuna – it’s been a while” to “Let’s get married!” in what surely has to come close to record time for anime. There can certainly be no doubt that we’re solidly entrenched in the main part of the story now, as this episode contained what felt like three separate and substantial canon storylines all shoehorned into 22 minutes. I wouldn’t have minded seeing things slow down a little bit, maybe ending the episode after the incident with Kuradeel and devoting the first half of #11 to courtship, before dropping the bomb in the second – but if nothing else there was never a dull moment.

The duel between Kirito and Heathcliff itself could have been the major focus of an episode, I would have thought, and I was actually a little shocked at how quickly it ended. It’s not as though Asuna didn’t warn the audience that her Commander had very special skills, but I’ll confess – for this anime viewer, it was never exactly clear just what he did to win the fight. It was shaping up as a very interesting clash of styles between what was affectively a variation on a twin-kodachi technique (like Rurouni Kenshin’s Aoshi) vs. Heathcliff’s more traditionally Western sword and shield technique (which would make sense given the names of the combatants). It’s a good matchup because the styles are so different, and I would have liked to have seen it go on for a while – but it lasted about two minutes and as far as I could tell, Heathcliff won by somehow managing to stop time. Or was that a visual effect, to demonstrate that his movements were faster than Kirito could follow? Either way, the effect for me was that it felt as if Heathcliff had effectively won the duel by cheating.

However it played out a deal is a deal, and so Kirito has to join the Knights of the Blood Oath – and being in the guild seems to fit him as poorly as the ugly white cloak he’s forced to wear. I actually liked the first part of his floor-clearing expedition with Godfrey (Ebara Masashi, a fabulous seiyuu I wish had stuck around longer) because it did a great job of showing how uncomfortable it was for lone wolf Kirito to have to take orders. And take orders from a well-meaning man who was clearly his equal neither in skill or intelligence. Kirito’s discomfort was palpable – you could really see him chafing when Godfrey told him to give up his crystals, for example – and I thought we might be headed towards an interesting exploration of Kirito trying to adjust to military discipline with its inherent frustrations.

But no – before the spectacular finish that’s where the episode went off the rails for a bit, and it all basically involved Kuradeel. I didn’t care for Kuradeel as a character the first time he appeared, and I like him even less here. I dislike the character for exactly the same reasons I dislike Noumi in Accel World – he’s a cartoon villain, a Scooby Doo placed in the story to perform a function. Both of them act like total douchebags and are completely over the top in their dastardly ways, needing only a mustache to twirl to complete the effect. Kuradeel’s antics feel like plot convenience and they drag the dignity of the episode down every moment he’s onscreen – at least give the guy some style and taste, make him someone it’s fun to hate.

Kuradeel is intrinsic to the other problem I had with the ep, which is this: why is it that Kirito seemed to feel absolutely no remorse over killing him? No question he’s a right bastard – he’d just killed Godfrey in cold blood, almost killed Kirito himself, and was trying to kill Asuna (Really, Asuna? You fell for that old trick?). So I can see Kirito being really pissed off, maybe even so much that he actually kills Kuradeel (though I’m dubious as to even that) but Kirito isn’t a killer, at least as far as I know. He certainly hasn’t killed anyone in the anime, and seems to hold life as something sacred. So even if he’d lost it and killed Kuradeel, wouldn’t he feel terrible remorse over it almost immediately, no matter how cartoonishly evil Kuradeel was? His reaction seemed very odd and out of character to me, kind of an “I’m going to Disney World!” moment – the boy has just become a murderer, so he takes his girl in his arms and kisses her?

All right, I’ve said my piece, and the final act of the episode is obviously what sold the tickets – and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. I was actually disappointed Kirito and Asuna didn’t kiss earlier, when she was comforting him after he lost the duel (she sure thought about it). Asuna is still too prone to cliché tsundere nonsense and to damsel-in-distress weeping (she has a tsundere relationship with being independent, too) but she’s undeniably adorable and this was the really the first time I felt the chemistry with Kirito, as fast as things moved. She asked about his past, finally, and got him to open up. She pledged to protect him. She seemed to finally see him for what he really is (a lonely kid, like her) and while none of this development was exactly subtle, it was quite winning. So when the two of them kissed after the murder it wasn’t the kiss that seemed unnatural to me, but the timing – if anything, it should have come sooner.

As for that last scene, well… I cringed at Kirito’s “I just wanted to cuddle!” reaction when Asuna undressed in front of him – seriously, Boy? In a VR world you’re still going to pull that lame male MC trope out? But from the looks of things, Kirito did man up – I can’t be sure but it seems as if Asuna was naked in that bed, and there was a tone to their conversation that suggested drowsy post-coital bliss (could this have been where the legendary “insert” chapter of the LN would have been?). There was also an element in their words of what I mentioned here last week – what if life inside SAO were actually better than life outside? It’s not such a stretch, if you’re young and in love, and there would be obstacles to that love in RL that don’t exist in Aincrad. The marriage proposal was certainly sudden, but not entirely surprising – and I think that was a product of the freedom that being in a virtual environment provides, no matter how real it feels. What I wonder now is if these two, young and just having tasted the joys of physical love for the first time (presumably) and newly settled into married life together might lose their motivation to spend their days clearing dungeons and fighting floor bosses. If life in SAO is so good, why risk your life to try and bring that existence to a quicker end? We’ve seen evidence that others inside SAO – perhaps even most – have already made that calculation, and left it to others to finish the job of beating the game. I’m sure Asuna and Kirito’s sense of responsibility is strong enough to keep them serving the community, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them stray from the path for a bit.

Guardian Enzo

66 comments

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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 12:47 am
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You seem to be ignoring why he kissed her and asked to spend the night together (nonsexually!). Perhaps my impression of the scene was unavoidably altered by the novels which contained a lot of inner monologue, but it's clearly not because he suddenly realized he loved her. Nor is it because he was panicked from nearly dying a few minutes ago (he's nearly died plenty of times without feeling compelled to kiss people). No, it's because he felt emotionally fragile and wanted to feel loved. And what was different between this episode and last episode where he also nearly died? The fact that his enemy was a human. His reaction to nearly dying while fighting a boss was to lie down and crack a joke. His reaction to having to kill a living person is to suddenly go quiet, kiss his love interest, and ask to stay at her place for the night (nonsexually!). He's a scared kid who doesn't want to be left alone, and what triggers this reaction is the death of a human being. By his own hand no less.

Wait, didn't that exact situation come up earlier in the episode? When he was talking about his old guild? Asuna's love is what makes him feel like he's worthy to live on despite his guilt. That was just a theme of the episode, as indicated by the obviously parallelism between these two scenes. Is that a healthy relationship for them to have? I can't say, probably not, but that's what's going on. It's not Disney World, except perhaps as an intentional attempt to run away from the terrifying situation he finds himself in.
admin
September 9, 2012 at 12:55 am
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Respectfully, I would argue that your impressions are indeed altered (drastically) by having read the novels. I don't think it was anything close to clear in the anime that it went down the way you say it did.

In terms of the situation with the Cats, Kirito's guilt over that is debatable, but in any event it's starkly different from having actually killed someone with your own hand. His feelings about the two incidents would surely be very different.
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 1:01 am
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Not the same person as above, but if you think this is it not a bit unfair to pin down the episode as a problem with Kawahara's writing? If A-1 can't translate exactly how he wrote his story, that's not his fault.
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 1:04 am
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Well, regardless of what he should feel, he does feel like he killed them himself by hiding his status. He says so directly in this episode.

And, well, I find the parallelism between the two scenes pretty compelling (in a way it wasn't in the novel). Both involve Kirito killing others, directly or indirectly. In the first, Asuna looks like she's about to kiss him, and really, as you say it does feel like it wouldn't made more sense to in that scene rather than later. In the second scene though, Asuna's also too upset to comfort him so Kirito forcefully recreates it. And then asks to stay together for the night. Nonsexually. You say it's a standard anime MC cop-out, but I really do believe him when he says he wasn't thinking of that. He just wanted a continuation of the "closeness" that had been giving him comfort throughout the episode.
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 6:52 pm
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@Anon 6:01 but if Reki's part of the project, then he must be in charge of the rewrite for this show. I'm getting tired of the fans giving this man a pass for everything
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Lord of Fire
September 12, 2012 at 12:39 pm
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I think you're giving him to much credit for being involved with the show. He's not an executive producer, or even in charge of overseeing the writing process.

While I'm sure the production team has him standing by for any input he could give, it's not he who writes the actual show's scripts, nor do I think he actively reads it, and corrects things along the way. I doubt they have the time (or money) for that.
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Maverick05
September 9, 2012 at 12:50 am
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Hello Enzo!! Long time no post here.

I think you are missing two important bits of this episode.

First, you forget the tattoo of the Laughing Coffin Kuradeel had. Check Episode 6 around 11min mark, and they explain that Laughing Coffin was an assassin/red guild. So Kuradeel was more like a sleeping terrorist.

Second, I am a bit piss off about the ending scene, I would have been more confortable at least with a Kirito without a shirt, but I suppose it is ok. BTW, the "legendary" extra chapter (16.5) was suppose to be in the original script and was included in the first publishing as a webnovel. It was later cutted from the story when the LN was printed. Supposely there was also a similar moment in the Lizbeth Arc, but it was cutted before any publishing.
admin
September 9, 2012 at 12:53 am
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I certainly didn't miss the tattoo, but I don't think it changes anything I said. I was fully aware of it when I wrote the post.
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Maverick05
September 9, 2012 at 1:00 am
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I don`t want to spoil you, so I will try not to. I was expecting that they would add another episode to explain Kirito`s reaction, and actually I still think they might add it later since this episode actually affects a lot this season and Novel #5 i think.

But basically, a few months before this episode, Laughing Coffin and all the Clearer group (Kirito included) went into war. Laughing Coffing lost, a few of its members escaped, and the casualties on both sides were heavy.
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 6:57 pm
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I don't know if they'll ever get back to it. Considering the trend, they love to broadcast the series chronologically in the most uninspired fashion possible, hence the half a dozen time skips throughout the first 7 episodes.

Also, go Mavs!
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 1:05 am
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Minor novel spoilers

In the novel Kirito killed two Laughing Coffin members before in a crusade between the Laughing Coffin and frontliners and the reason for him wanting to spend the night with Asuna was because he was scared of the events with Kuradeel.
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 1:08 am
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He killed 2 other members of LC in a raid 2 months ago.They didn't include it in Anime through.

The stop time moment will be explained later.It is a major spoiler.
admin
September 9, 2012 at 1:30 am
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SPOILERS!!!

I must confess that revalation (I won't delete it since it's already been skipped) surprises me – I would have thought that would be a big enough deal that you'd show it for sure.
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 5:51 am
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It was never actually shown in the LN either. They just mention it a few times. They might be saving it for later though, since they also omitted references to it in the dialog. Personally, I think it still counts as a spoiler until we see where the anime is going with it.
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 1:35 am
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Two years worth of tsundere made a glopping noise as it flowed endlessly into Asuna.

Regarding the "legendary" chapter 16.5, let's just say that between Kawahara and Nasu it's a hard battle to determine the worst erotica writer…

I am kinda sad they cut the explanation of the "Ethics Code off" at the end of the episode though, it was hilarious (to clarify: Kirito made what seemed a lame excuse because he had no idea that SAO incorporated a sex function. Apparently Asuna heard it from the other girls in the guild. lol)
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 1:55 am
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Dammit, I was late for the obvious joke! >_<
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Arabesque
September 9, 2012 at 3:07 am
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'' let's just say that between Kawahara and Nasu it's a hard battle to determine the worst erotica writer''

Nope, Nasu (or Takeuchi writing through Nasu) is still the King when it comes to hilarious erotic writing. The 2 years worth is pretty funny, but nothing can top lines like ''Like an educated prostitute'' or making the least erotic anal sex scene in fiction (''just lancing a boil'').

As for what I thought about chapter 16.5 … needs more seafood.

''Apparently Asuna heard it from the other girls in the guild. lol''

Figures lol

That said, I do wonder what effect is having virtual sex is meant to have on your real body.
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belatkuro
September 9, 2012 at 7:00 am
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"It feels so good I want to vomit."
So yeah.

It's Takeuchi that made Nasu write those scenes though. Nasu confirmed for pure maiden lol.
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djmaca
September 10, 2012 at 3:16 am
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"Apparently Asuna heard it from the other girls in the guild. lol"

KoB as best guild ever!
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 1:40 am
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I am going to have to disagree with you analysis of Kirito killing Kuradeel. I could maybe see him being sad at having to do what he had to, any sane person would having to take the life of another but not remorseful. To me remorse implies a felling of guilt, which he would have none over killing Kuradeel. Its his right to defend not only his life but the life of a loved one with lethal force.

Also that ending, i was like "So did they sleep together or not"
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 2:06 am
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Wow. I agree with you Enzo on one point : it felt like there was three stories into one episode. Maybe a bit too fast. The moments at Asuna's home should have been saved for next episode maybe. I would have liked too to have a bit more insight into what Kirito could be feeling and thinking after killing someone.

Question for novels readers : we saw Kuradeel cursor becoming orange. I assume it became red after he killed Godfrey. So what about Kirito ? Is killing a murderer somehow authorized in SAO, not branding Kirito as a killer too ?
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Kentaiyoshimi
September 9, 2012 at 2:39 am
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I think this issue was addressed in episode 4, which involved Silica and the PK group. A green player attacking or killing a red or orange player does not turn the green player orange/red at all. This should be a pretty common rule in most MMOs.
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Richard
September 9, 2012 at 2:55 am
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A (Green) attacks B (Green) = A (Orange)
A (Green) attacks B (Orange) = A (Green)
A (Orange) attacks B (Green) = A (Orange)
A (Orange) attacks B (Orange) = A (Orange)

There's no red as far as I know.
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djmaca
September 10, 2012 at 12:13 am
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I remember it was said in the LN that red = killing green, orange = attacking green.
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ghee
September 9, 2012 at 2:11 am
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Only in the previous episode did Kirito come into his own as the hero of the series and his characterization has only been consistent where it applies to his personality, but not with his role in the gameworld itself. Accepting that sort of inconsistency makes is easy to completely ignore his lack of remorse. From a narrative standpoint it makes no sense — however the narrative has been abrupt.
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ghee
September 9, 2012 at 2:14 am
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^based on anime only viewing. The last few comments cleared that up…
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 2:19 am
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omfg that was an awesome episode!! =D been waiting forever for it to come around lol
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Kentaiyoshimi
September 9, 2012 at 2:33 am
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Lots of KiritoxAsuna makes me a very happy camper, especially the end scene.

I'm not sure if this is addressed in the novels, but from the anime alone, it doesn't seem like people age at all in SAO. If that's the case, then it's even more desirable to stay in SAO and literally enjoy eternal youth (along with all the bonuses it comes with).

It's interesting how when the duel ended and the timer popped up, it was very close to the video time lapse (ie the duel really did take ~1:31).
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Richard
September 9, 2012 at 2:51 am
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Wasn't Kuradeel completely obsessed with Asuna in the novel? I think he had some lines like that. In the anime, he shows no motive for his crimes other than being part of the PK guild.
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Ryan Winchester
September 9, 2012 at 3:04 am
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Self defense is not murder.

He killed someone with his bare hand who was attacking him and his loved one with a sword, losing a hand in the process.

I don't think that would hold up as murder in any court, anywhere.
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Ryan Winchester
September 9, 2012 at 3:07 am
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Also note that Kuradeel was shown mercy and spared once and used that as a chance to try and kill once more.
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 5:54 am
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Whether or not it would hold up in court as murder has roughly nothing whatsoever to do with the psychological effect on Kirito.
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Ryan Winchester
September 9, 2012 at 10:14 pm
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I disagree completely. The fact that it is not wrong (lawfully or morally) has lots to do with it.

Killing someone whether wrong or right will effect you, yes. But whether you were justified to do so or not will make have a great influence on the psychological effect, in my opinion.
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Justinnnnnn
September 9, 2012 at 3:53 am
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Oh my God, never did I foresee that SAO would entertain me this much!!

Like you said Enzo, never a dull moment. Damn; I was surprised at the quality of the action scenes in the duel(*1)), Kuradeel's psycho twist and Asuna's obliteration in two seconds(*2), and that final night scene(*3).

For SAO to develop this quickly into this…Whoa. Sure, I too agree that they could have taken things a bit slower to add some necessary development, but even so, it will be very interesting where SAO takes things from here.

Enzo, I really enjoyed reading through your small rant, if I may respectfully call it like that, about Kuradeel's villain character and how they're used for narrative's sake. You've got some solid points right there. You praise what was good about the episode, but you're not too crazy enough to skip the obvious (and some other) flaws that were there. Fun paragraphs to read indeed.

Back to SAO, I also didn't like the fact how the whole murder case was literally dropped as the kids went home. What did the guild have to say about it? Two members were killed. Surely you could have explained that first, before going into KiritoxAsuna. I'm sure we'll get word of that in the following week, but I do not think it was the right choice to delay some crucial info like that.

*1-As if the action sequence wasn't enough, they actually switched to the infamous slow-mo frame-by-frame rotation of the characters. There goes the budget..
*2-Asuna got some much needed badass scenes. Here, she almost killed the man almost instantly. The animation was really spot-on in highlighting the contrasts in strength. She's been too often the soft one of the main couple; this scenes are a great reminder of why she's so famous in this virtual world.
*3-Man, I laughed hard at Kirito's shock with Asuna's undressing. The guy wanted some love, but he didn't ask for that much. That still-shot that lasted for some good seconds was hilarious. I'm actually surprised at you Enzo, being that harsh regarding this 'MC trope'…Give the kid some slack, he actually made it to first base! Not many MCs get here this fast. He also proposed marriage.

I'm at a loss for words for how awesome these 22 minutes were. They had their fair share of flaws here and there, but all things considered…SAO has really shot up in my week's schedule of wanted shows.
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Beckett
September 9, 2012 at 6:55 am
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I think the cognitive dissonance here is coming from the fact that the anime does not show inner monologues the way an LN might. I have never read the LN so I am only speculating, but whether or not Kirito would feel any guilt for killing Kuradeel feels like something that those of us who have only seen the anime don't have enough information to decide. Whether or not he SHOULD feel guilty is certainly debatable, I for one would call what he did completely justified self defense. Kuradeel has shown by his actions that he is not one who is going to forgive and forget, if they let him go he would DEFINITELY come after them again, and he has also shown that he is capable of using very devious means to get his revenge. Letting him go at this stage would have basically been an invitation for him to slit their throats while they sleep or something.

If we accept that the "right" thing to do in this case was not cut & dry, then the only narrative roadblock remaining is whether it's in the nature of Kirito as a character to feel guilt about something like that, and since with the anime we are not privy to his inner thoughts I don't think we can really say one way or the other. The comparison between this and the guilt he felt over what happened to the Black Cat guild is interesting but I think at the end of the day it's a red herring. There is a significant difference between them and Kuradeel, in that they were innocents killed by their own ignorance and Kuradeel is a murderer who got killed because his evil schemes backfired on him. For some, maybe even many, people, that would all the difference in the world. The 2 situations certainly bear some comparison but I think the similarities here are less important than the differences.

This has been today's "Over Analyzing Fictional Characters" segment.

On a lesser note I do agree with you though that Kuradeel's villainy was too over the top, the scene would have had a lot more impact if that character had been written better.
admin
September 9, 2012 at 7:46 am
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There's no question that the lack of inner monologue is often a reason LNs don't translate to anime as well as they might, and that's quite possibly an issue here as well.

However, I do think we've seen enough of Kirito to know that he is the sort of person who'd feel remorse about killing someone, even someone as evil as Kuradeel. That's my read of the character, anyway.
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azuredaydreamer
September 9, 2012 at 3:21 pm
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I agree about your assessment of Kirito. Just to add another point though, I felt like he killed Kuradeel for Asuna's sake. Not merely to protect her but also to save her soul from breaking like his did. He cares a lot for Asuana to the point he doesn't want her to bear the sin of killing someone. Asuna definitely hesitated before giving the final blow.

I was taken back with how quick the pacing is right now. But I prefer more action than none at all, any day. I understand your frustrations on the MC trope. If they approached it in the way we hoped, this would have been easily one of the best episodes of SAO. The fragility and love-seeking side of Kirito was developed well in the episode. The tiny moments such as Kirito hesitating to hug Asuna back was quite a nice touch. I'm guessing they made the undressing scene as a gag to lighten up the seriousness the whole episode encapsulated.
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xRichard
September 9, 2012 at 3:24 pm
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The heavy lack of inner monologue happens during battles. Where Kirito often shows a deep understanding of the game's mechanics. This monologues about the gameplay are the ones that make reading battles in the LN something enjoyable. It's an interesting mix of action and world building mixed together.

As for Kirito's remorse:

The anime showed Asuna thinking something along the lines of "Because of me, there's another death that you'll carry on your shoulders". The other deaths would be the ones Kirito confessed about after the duel, he literally says that he killed them and Asuna didn't try to make him believe otherwise.
After he kills Kuradeel, Kirito bows his life to her. "I'll see that you can go back to the other world, no matter what happens". You could interpret that he really means that he will do anything, so the lack of remorse could be tied to this huge determination.

Still, he immediately kissed her and that really felt out of both character and place. That wasn't the right time to be faithful to the novel. They should have taken some liberties and portrayed the romance either before or after the fight.

They skipped important reveals that were done in the LN that give an actual reason for that kiss to happen at that moment. This is missing and I don't know why: http://pastebin.com/vcqsZnVn
There you can read Kuradeel's intentions, what he actually plans to do after getting rid of Kirito. And how Kirito already killed people before this.
Then while Asuna is attacking Kuradeel. There's more emphasis on what it means to actually kill someone: http://pastebin.com/AzNBcTJB

This is important because in the LN there's no show of remorse/guilt from Kirito either, because he already killed PKs for her sake.

Sheesh, it sure is hard to adapt works and make them feel right.
admin
September 9, 2012 at 5:01 pm
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Thanks for the LN links. I did get the sense that Kirito was killing Kuradeel somewhat for Asuna's sake, but I'd also add that I don't think Asuna "hesitated" to kill him – I think she fully intended to capture him alive and put him in NervJail to pay for his crimes. After she fell for his trick and he attacked her again, she might have had no choice but to kill him (since he was already in the red, self-defense on her part might have made it unavoidable) but I don't think that was her original intention.
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GlassShadow
September 9, 2012 at 10:14 pm
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I think she did intend to kill him with the sword hanging above his neck, but her moral values about taking another living being's life held her back. If she only had capturing him in mind, she wouldn't have hesitated the way she did. But I do agree that while saving Asuna, Kirito also wanted to take on the burden of murder, though the situation could have translated better if they actually explored that aspect of psychology. The pacing is definitely off with character development, but that has been a problem for me since the first couple of episode, especially the arc with Black Cats. The events in this episode could have served a larger purpose in the grand scheme, but collectively, it felt like a plot device devised to advance the romance end of things. It's still an enjoyable episode though!
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azuredaydreamer
September 9, 2012 at 11:54 pm
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Ah yes, what GlassShadow just is what I meant. Sorry for the lacking explanation.
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This nocturnal interloper
September 10, 2012 at 5:58 am
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xRichard wrote:
"The heavy lack of inner monologue happens during battles. Where Kirito often shows a deep understanding of the game's mechanics. This monologues about the gameplay are the ones that make reading battles in the LN something enjoyable. It's an interesting mix of action and world building mixed together."

^This. Any mechanics mentioned by Kirito during past episodes still sound like something a casual player would know. The depth that makes him a premier player has never been shown in the anime. Everything else either tells us he is, or receives the heroic dramatization treatment. As someone with no knowledge of the LN, I can either accept the seeming randomness or wonder why something is what they say it is.
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xRichard
September 10, 2012 at 8:27 am
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Kuradeel vs Kirito earlier duel is a good example of how much Kirito knows how to play SAO. The anime portrayed the fight in a way that many didn't like because it felt too much as a typical "Gary Stu being Gary Stu". But look how much was going through his head before that single strike.

http://pastebin.com/kbDiGtUU

I love it because it's common to feint actions in MMORPG EndGame PvP between experienced players.

The anime is very faithful, but chooses to be very subtle about the mechanics and the big amount of world building that happens mid-action. I think it would be better if they dropped a line or two about what the guy is thinking.

But at least the attention to detail is great. Kirito unleashed a dual sword skill against Heathcliff. He doesn't shout "Starburst whatever" but you can see that the first 3-4 slashes are the same that he dealt to the 74th Floor's Boss.
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Ryan Winchester
September 9, 2012 at 10:21 pm
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You people are throwing "murder" around. He did not murder Kuradeel.

"The unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another."
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Ryan Winchester
September 9, 2012 at 10:26 pm
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Self-defence = Justifiable Homicide.

Why not just say he killed Kuradeel. It was not murder by any means.

"A homicide can only be justified if there is sufficient evidence to suggest that it was reasonable to believe that the offending party posed an imminent threat to the life or wellbeing of another."
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GlassShadow
September 9, 2012 at 10:32 pm
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Well, I admit murder is not the most fitting term in the denotative sense. "Killing" would be the better word, but I think people get the message.
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Anonymous
September 9, 2012 at 10:38 pm
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We aren't lawyers here. It doesn't really matter what we call it.
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Anonymous
September 10, 2012 at 2:34 am
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let's just call it "reverse-killing" lol
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Ryan Winchester
September 10, 2012 at 5:05 am
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I'm not a lawyer either but calling it murder says to me that you think Kirito had evil intentions and sends the wrong message.

Lol "reverse-killing" XD

Okay, I'll call it a "counter-kill"
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djmaca
September 10, 2012 at 12:14 am
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Bah! They skipped the extra chapter! 😀
admin
September 10, 2012 at 1:58 am
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Did you really expect them to animate that?
d

djmaca
September 10, 2012 at 3:11 am
Reply

Not really, though a bigger hint other than having Asuna naked in the same room with Kirito would do good.
G

GlassShadow
September 10, 2012 at 3:39 am
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lol..Enzo, there is technically nothing to animate because the LN didn't go into details – after all, this is not an erotic novel. What portrayed in the anime was pretty much it, the only detail they could have changed was having Kirito naked in the bed with Asuna at the end there.
d

djmaca
September 10, 2012 at 4:23 am
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The extra chapter isn't part of the LN, Glass. Didn't you read 16.5? I thought every LN reader opted to have read that part? Download the PDF. I got a copy of it in EPUB format for my NDS PFD Reader.

Reading bad erotica on my NDS… meh… XD
admin
September 10, 2012 at 4:25 am
Reply

It'd have to go some to match Nasu for badness in erotica…
R

Ryan Winchester
September 10, 2012 at 5:06 am
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Just looked up chapter 16.5…

Oh my…
G

GlassShadow
September 10, 2012 at 5:26 am
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Wow, my bad..lol Nvm, I haven't read the entire LN, only bits and pieces here and there. I hope the description isn't as boring as Fifty Shades of Grey…>>..but I don't think that's a discussion we should have here. *cough*
G

GlassShadow
September 10, 2012 at 5:43 am
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Just read it, and all I can say is, damn..it encapsulates so much more sexual tension than FSG. Okay, I'm going to stop here before Enzo kicks me out for discussing porn on his blog. Gomenasai..>////<
admin
September 10, 2012 at 6:28 am
Reply

Be my guest, just keep it relatively tasteful. But there's a lot better porn out there to discuss, if you want to get technical about it…
d

djmaca
September 10, 2012 at 7:20 am
Reply

For the record even if I said it was bad, it's really just a combination of weird-extreme-concept-of-sex-by-the-japanese and super-vanilla-korny writing. If your a KiritoXAsuna fan, it isn't all that bad.
S

Sole Martín
September 10, 2012 at 2:42 am
Reply

"(could this have been where the legendary “insert” chapter of the LN would have been?)"

Yes, sir. You're certainly right! It was chapter 16 of Volume 1 =)
And yes, there was "intercourse" after the “I just wanted to cuddle!” reaction… But I liked how they portrayed it in the anime, it was cute =3
admin
September 10, 2012 at 2:47 am
Reply

Yeah, I figured that had to be the spot – it made too much sense. I'm disappointed I got no love for the double-entendre, though.
A

Anonymous
September 10, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Reply

There's a version of 16.5 where they changed Asuna for Klein
http://pastebin.com/T3hz5PX2
A

Arabesque
September 11, 2012 at 10:33 am
Reply

@Enzo

''It'd have to go some to match Nasu for badness in erotica…''

Oy … I hope you are saying that because of the snippets we posted here, and not because you went ahead and checked some of the H out … because then I would feel horrible about making you curious about it …
admin
September 11, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Reply

No, I read that on my own, no guilt necessary.
A

Arabesque
September 12, 2012 at 11:28 pm
Reply

Um … well then, that's good …?

So, how much did you read, and what did you think? (Was it just F/SN or did you look into the abyss and read some of Tsukihime's infamous H as well?)

I would imagine it to have been quite the experience

Guardian Enzo

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