First Impressions / Sword Art Online

「剣士の碑」 (Kenshi no Hi)
“Swordsman’s Memorial”

More Cool than Overpowered

As much as I hate all the jokes about Kirito being overpowered, I can’t deny that there’s some truth to it. Which is why when he showed up last week to take on an entire guild to buy Asuna some time, I wasn’t sure if I’d be disappointed with what he was going to follow up with this week. Luckily, every single second he was on screen was pure bliss (I enjoy looking at Kirito, okay? LOL). Staying within the boundaries of what’s believable and providing enough cover for roughly three minutes, it was also cool to see what he learned from GGO translating into being an even bigger badass within ALO. Also this.

Also, how can you not feel bad for Klein? Not only did we not even get to see his face amongst the sea of people but judging from the sound effects it sounds like he was doing work back there! I mean, I get that he’ll be the running joke till the series comes to an end but sometimes I wish we got to see more of the honest and loyal salaryman turned swordsman. Oh, and to the commenter who pointed out Yui’s awesome smirk last week, I hope you enjoyed that close up of her thumbs-up as much as I did!

Roles in a Party

This is on a complete side-note but seeing how not much really happened this week except for the obvious secret that Yuuki is trying to keep from us (we’ll talk about that later), I just wanted to touch on just how well the show depicted that boss battle. Reminding me of all the struggles of trying to stay in formation while trying to do your specific job back during my MMORPG days, I personally felt a little tinge in my chest watching everyone do their job to create something magical. From the tanks in the frontline to the healers in the back, it got me all nostalgic about the games I could play for hours straight without a care in the world. (Question To the Readers — Have you reached that point in your gaming life where you just can’t get back into MMOs? I know I can’t but that’s what 10+ years of RO will do to a person :/)

Yuuki and The Sleeping Knights

I absolutely do not like where things are heading. While it’s one thing to not let Asuna join the guild because they’re just disbanding because of real-life priorities, it definitely feels like something much darker is hiding in the shadows. At the moment though, we don’t really have much to go on besides that whatever the reason may be, it’s a difficult topic for everyone in the group to talk about. A topic so difficult that it can make the happy-go-lucky Yuuki break down into tears.

Looking Ahead

As much as I don’t want anything sad/bad to happen next week, I can’t help but feel that we’re in for an emotional rollercoaster. With what feels like a Death Flags going off left and right, I can only imagine just how crazy things might get. Hopefully I’ll be completely wrong but it doesn’t feel like it :/

‘Till next week!

73 Comments

  9. Why are Yuuki and the Sleeping Knights so obsessed with leaving their names in ALO history?

    SPECULATION
    Show Spoiler ▼

    echykr
    Reply

    5. lol you’re way to obvious dude, real speculation about their name would be something like they are in coma and the only way they can communicate is through the game, what you wrote you obviously already knew for sure.

      Dwarg
      Reply

  10. For those who read light novel, i am curious about the end of the arc.
    should i except more awesome battle, or only unemotionnal cliché stuff since there are only fews episodes left.

    davenull
    Reply

  11. One thing I really enjoyed with both boss battle attempts was the BGM. It gave me a .hack//Sign feeling with how…style-of-game-ish it sounded? lol

    Glad that they didn’t stay focused on Kirito for too long. With the way the previous episode ended, I was afraid we’d end up spending half the episode watching him owning people with occasional glances back at Asuna and the others breaking through their half bit by bit. Though, I guess it would’ve been cool to see him do some technique with Excalibur at least, or for one or more of the guild players to recognize it and freak out.

    HalfDemonInuyasha
    Reply

    1. Likewise on this comment! I said last week that I felt that the ending showing Kirito appearing kinda took away focus from the main point of the arc but I’m glad they still stayed focused on what they should have.

      Juan
      Reply

    1. it’s pretty obvious kirito is overpowered since GGO, deflecting bullet ? even though it’s a game but that’s just cheating, too overpowered.

      although it is more plausible in this episode that kirito and klein were only able to buy them 3 minutes of time, so i wouldn’t complain much about that

      danes256
      Reply

  13. Takaii, I think is break into tears not brake into tears.

    It was a good episode, Although I generally do not like Kirito because of a certain first love he failed saving, I thought that he was very cool this episode. I read about how he entered the fray in the light novel and it was amazing how it was translated into anime. I feel bad about Klein though. Don’t worry Klein, we know your achievements.

    And of course Yuuki. Let’s start preparing for the amount of tears we might shed when this season ends T_T

    pahlavi5312
    Reply

  15. Come on, people! A big, fat jewel in the middle of the chest is always the weak point! The very first thing I’d do is stab it with something! (Speaking as a primarily action-adventure player.)

    sillk
    Reply

  16. (Question To the Readers — Have you reached that point in your gaming life where you just can’t get back into MMOs? I know I can’t but that’s what 10+ years of RO will do to a person :/)

    Yes, i reached this Step. It’s called Work. When i needed to got to Work my Guild mates began to walk away in level. They leveled up faster then i did. And someday i decided to quit MMO’s. Because my heart could not bear anymore this Pain. See your best friends out of your Level reach and you do not want to hold them back, beacuse of your Life. Like the Priest in Akatsuki no Yona. Go see the World!, even when my Heart cry
    that and completed with my MMO Flame near extinction (burnout syndrome. I saw many things, what new secrets are there? they just reused things packed with new Textures). i quit of using MMO’s, yes even F2P Micromanagment, could not help to heal this Pain. I now play Singelgames RPG. There you dont hold back others, and my Heart is at ease

    WorldwideDepp
    Reply

    1. Well I have played mmos for over 10 years. For me it was just lack of new content all games felt similar and repetitive.
      Except one game called vindictus (which is really fun action based game) nothing has got me passionate in gaming for last years.
      SAO is gamers dream yeah like 2nd world just a bit more ideal and fun…

      Every time I hit that point after year or so when I just do not see myself playing that game longer the saddest part for leaving is those in game friends you got to leave behind…
      (yes may be this is similar to getting busy with things and quitting game or playing rarely)

      laaa
      Reply

      1. Many people want different things in MMOs, but I think we can all get behind SAO as the ideal. A beautiful world, great friends, never-ending content, and riveting combat. (Though in SAO it’s also tough to stay in the top ranks.) It’s encouraging that the creator of the Oculus Rift is a fan of SAO.

        Most anime VRMMO make the world itself an AI that entertains players, but for many years people have looked to procedurally generated terrain and Minecraft-style player construction/quest generation as a way to make MMOs more engaging than they are. I’ve recently become interested in an ambitious attempt by SOE called Everquest Next. NPCs remember individual players and have completely dynamic goal-oriented behavior, all terrain is destructible (you can dig holes, freeze lakes, create walls of stone) with varying timers before resetting, there are dynamically generated dungeons and cave systems miles down into the diggable earth, the graphics are beautiful, MOBA-style combat, and some level of Rift/Morpheus support has been brought up by the developers… Well, that’s that.

        I personally see VR as something that will change MMOs dramatically just because people who feel a sense of presence will change the way they act toward one another (and even NPCs). But it is important to have a world that can be as real as players feel it should be.

        Watcher
        Reply

    2. You speak truths. Can’t help to agree with what you’ve said. The only relief I might bring you is that after you ‘beat’ the game, you can relax and enjoy the game without the pressure of progression.

      I’ve ‘beaten’ mmos before by acquiring the best gear, highest level, and playing through all content. IMO, as far as MMO goes, this is what happens:

      1. Have lots of fun exploring all the game mechanics and exploring the universe
      2. Have lots of fun meeting ingame friends
      3. Have fun early on leveling
      4. Get really bored/irritated leveling late game
      5. A brief relaxation period once you hit level cap on all level-able skills
      6. BORING repeated grind to get the gear/items you want
      7. After attaining everything that counts as progressing your character, you do semi-fun things that don’t contribute to character progression – socializing, re-exploring exotic places of little importance to character progression, minigames within the game, activities.

      8. Quit or logging on 20 minutes a day to do daily activities/quests/stuffs.

      I am not playing another mmo. I’ve had my fill doing in 3 large scale mmos. Unless something like SAO comes out i guess.

      flCer
      Reply

  21. @Takaii well i’ve also played RO in the past for a couple of years, but i just lost my interest in it. unfortunately the server in my country has too many cheater, so i just dropped the game before i also become a cheater

    danes256
    Reply

    4. Japanese doesn’t have a separate L and R sound, so the transliteration varies based on the following sounds, however there is a tendency to use R more often even when back-transliterating non-Japanese words that had L. “Lisbeth” is obviously a translit of a non-japanese name that had this done to it.

      Void
      Reply

  27. Only Kirito can show this much confidence. I’m a bada##.
    https://randomc.net/image/Sword%20Art%20Online/Sword%20Art%20Online%20II%20-%2021%20-%20Large%2002.jpg
    And get the gals fall in love with him again.
    https://randomc.net/image/Sword%20Art%20Online/Sword%20Art%20Online%20II%20-%2021%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
    Don’t get in her way… it’s her kill. Asuna: “I got this! They’re mine!”
    https://randomc.net/image/Sword%20Art%20Online/Sword%20Art%20Online%20II%20-%2021%20-%20Large%2011.jpg
    Victory!!
    https://randomc.net/image/Sword%20Art%20Online/Sword%20Art%20Online%20II%20-%2021%20-%20Large%2037.jpg
    Best Friends Forever!
    https://randomc.net/image/Sword%20Art%20Online/Sword%20Art%20Online%20II%20-%2021%20-%20Large%2038.jpg
    Best cliffhanger!

    random viewer
    Reply

  29. …. the one night RC posts the Sword Art Online review earlier than usual, I get the watch it later. Joy.

    This arc is very much about what’s really going on with Yuuki. Not only does she share a name with Asuna, but now we have her slip of the tongue when she calls her her “sis”, which is apparently a button pressed for her. Clearly, Yuuki’s facing something she fears deep down inside and her teammates are aware of this. So why can’t anyone just TELL Asuna about it?

    … was anyone on their toes expecting Asuna’s mom to pull the cord again?? Especially while they were discussing where to party?

    starss
    Reply

  31. I sensed feels, made a guess as to why they were being downers…so I spoiled it for myself.
    I never wanna make an 100% correct guess on tragic things ever again.
    I’m not prepared for this.

    Kabble
    Reply

  32. Answering your question Takaii: I’ve played RO for 4 years, WoW for 4, Mabinogi for 2, and other MMOs for maybe 2-3 I can say with confidence that as long as its a new MMO and its GOOD, I would have no problems jumping right back in. It would have to be a very recent game (maybe 1 year old tops), because joining an older game where everyone is years in progression ahead of you just isn’t worth it fo rme.

    The only limiting factor is of course, free time, which I find myself getting less and less of as I get older. :/

    Divini
    Reply

      1. It’s not just time on MMOs or VMOOs, the pay-to-play has gotten really bad. I only play DC Heroes Online since City of Heroes was shut down. As a free player, I have a $2,000.00 cap on things I can buy, which are usually in the millions of dollars on the trade windows. Or I can play 3 hours to get a handful of tokens required to buy “the good stuff” at hundreds of tokens each once you’ve hit the level cap of 30 at DC Online. After Level 30, it’s all “PVP” or “PVE” armor/skills, which go up to 105, I believe. But not for “free” players. You have to purchase a “Legendary” account, which is $9.99, minimum.

        So if you just want to walk around Metropolis or Gotham avoiding the level 30+ monsters, you can play for free. But if you want a Green Lantern ring or participate in a raid, you gotta cough up the bucks.

        jhpace1
        Reply

  34. One thing I liked about this arc was the idea that any of Kirito’s contemporaries could have have been as badass as him (indeed, Asuna certainly is). The Sleeping Knights all seemed like the sort that had the ability (if not necessarily the will) to do what he did.

    It’s just that Kirito happens to be the one that gets all the screen time and narrator devotion. Nice to see Asuna get some, while still paying proper homage back to Kirito. The show works best when there are strong characters alongside the mains (or when it’s just the happy couple doing their thing TOGETHER). This was missing in the GGO arc (though the book handled it a bit better IMO), although it did a better job at establishing high stakes (IMO as well).

    Seracen
    Reply

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