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astray71 said: Kirito meeting Asuna in this battle wasn't in the Light Novel, right? I haven't read the chapter (Volume 8, First Day) yet, but I glanced over it and Ctrl F didn't have Asuna's name in it.
Also, I think it a little strange how Asuna never reacted when Kirito had his little speech at the end. Whenever criticized him for being a Beta / Cheater, Asuna just looked on with the same expression.
This ep is from the side stories in volume 2 i think
astray71 said: Kirito meeting Asuna in this battle wasn't in the Light Novel, right? I haven't read the chapter (Volume 8, First Day) yet, but I glanced over it and Ctrl F didn't have Asuna's name in it.
Also, I think it a little strange how Asuna never reacted when Kirito had his little speech at the end. Whenever criticized him for being a Beta / Cheater, Asuna just looked on with the same expression.
Oh that. Nah Asuna wasn't fooled by Kirito's "I'm a dick" act. She knows exactly what he did and why he did it and says as much in the light novel. They IMPLIED it in the anime... I wish they had made that a bit more clear.
From her reaction to his speech and their conversation afterwards, they made it plenty clear that she didn't buy it at all.
This is the only show this season that seems to be over in 10minutes... I already gave this series a 9 which I've never done before less than 7-8 episodes in, but I can tell I'm gonna love it!
If they ever do Mother's Rosario... :-;
Anyone that wouldn't cry during that is a freaking tool.
I totally agree. That was a big surprise considering how the LN had been stagnating up to that volume. I was very touched by the whole story, and it was very nice to see Asuna get so much needed character growth. Still kinda bewildered the 'weak Asuna' subplot wasn't resolved though.
Great episode, tho as novel reader I will admit it was a bit rushed, they competely took out the great Kirito and Asuna interactions and and removed the character Argo all together tho they did animate Kiritos sacrifice really great just as I hoped, to bad they didnt make Asunas understanding of his act more clear after the fight as they greatly shortened that conversation, tho that said they can redeem the lacking in their development with later scenes which they are sure to animate
Also it seems some people are confused but this episode was based on he SS Aria in the Starless Sky, it's not from any of the volumes, currently there are 10 volumes released, volume 1 and 2 cover the SAO arc with volume 2 being side stories which occur before volume 1s end, volume 3 is a direct sequel to 1 and thus volume 3 and 4 make up the ALO arc which judging by The fast pace they might very well animate in the second half of the series since the ending to volume 4 is more conclusive then volume 1, tho whether or not they animate it is still speculation
Having briefly skimmed through all the messages, I can say that nearly half the messages are related to the episode feeling rushed and missing novel content. Is this a meme, because I find it hard to believe that everything thinks like a robot.
As I have already explained, this episode does a good job of further exploring other characters' motivations and what it means to risk your life. Granted Kirito's character development was not fully realized, but the episode fully explains to the audience what Diabel was thinking and how it might have impacted Kirito.
Not having read the novel, I realize from the myriad of messages that the episode is missing content. This content may be vital to the development of the plot and characters, but can't one give the director the benefit of the doubt: the director may be switching scenes around, inserting original work to tie everything together in an episodic anime format. So far, this series hasn't messed up and it's holding people's interest (nearly 200 messages under 18 hours!).
Also, did any also notice that the music after Diabel died was not even similar, it was the exact same melodic line as one in fate zero?
I know Yuki Kajiura does both OST, but this is the first time I have heard the same song reused in a different anime. Despite how awesome the final strike was and how epic the song from Fate Zero is, the use of it in another anime kind of detracts from both animes. I did also find the death monologue rather unnecessary.
The director used Kajiura's music perfectly in Madoka. Each song represents a specific situation in the anime and it is all the more powerful because of it.
I hope we don't hear any more Fate Zero OST. Yes, I am making a mountain out of a molehill, but music is one of the most important, if not the most important piece of any entertainment media for me. I sat through Da Capo only because it had some beautiful pieces of music in it.
Exactly 13:46 in episode 2.
It is the exact melodic line as below (skip to 1 minute 43 seconds, I can't embed the specific time apparently in forum posts).
On a side note, I thought there was more to Asuna's backstory. I haven't read the novels, but I've been hearing things around forums.
Asuna!!!!
spartan112g said: Hey guys, how about we all look at it like it you haven't read the novel? Thanks, bye. :D
It's not a realistic expectation to have, since a series such as this wouldn't have been animated if it didn't have readers in the first place. However, it's also not a realistic expectation for an adaptation to not cut anything out because there are budget and time-constraints.
As someone who read only volume 1 and not the side stories, it didn't feel so rushed to me, and there were a good deal of subtle hints... but it appears that people are a bit confused or interpreted it incorrectly... I felt it did the development well enough though.
Omniknight said: On a side note, I thought there was more to Asuna's backstory. I haven't read the novels, but I've been hearing things around forums.
Asuna!!!!
We didn't get much of Asuna's point of view in this episode but she narrated some of her backstory in the novels. There's still a part in the future where it can be retold so don't worry.
Great episode, and I'm really liking the series, but I just have to wonder, how is the time in game related to the time spent in the real world? Like does 1 day in the game = 1 day in real world? If so, how are they getting fed and other stuff to stay alive? I'm just a bit confused and didn't know if this was explained or something.
yaHzee said: Great episode, and I'm really liking the series, but I just have to wonder, how is the time in game related to the time spent in the real world? Like does 1 day in the game = 1 day in real world? If so, how are they getting fed and other stuff to stay alive? I'm just a bit confused and didn't know if this was explained or something.
They're in hospitals.
The same way as patients are kept alive when in comas.
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Much better than the first episode. The animation and music during the boss battle was pretty great and aside from Kirito's shoddy characterization in this episode, I quite enjoyed it. Hopefully it keeps to this standard of quality.
I didn't understand why Kirito was all evil like at the end, but loved this episode. I think this is going to be one of if not the most anticipated episode weekly.
oh my... now we wont get to know the secret behind argo's wiskers xp
also from the perspective of someone who has read the novel... WTF!!! how could you possibly squish all of aria in one episode...
what about meeting asuna in the dungeon and carrying her back xp
as many people have said before, it felt way too rushed but that had to be expected. so aside from that it was a decent episode but i feel that time skipping so much in the first 3 episodes isn't such a great idea.
even though they pretty much skipped like 2 years in the novel ;D
Oooh so that's where the name Beater come from lol, a mix of cheater and beta. That badass act by Kirito at the end was great, doing it so everyone else can remain calm and not argue with each other about beta testers. Respect to him for doing that, lol it doesn't look like Asuna fell for it though.
I haven't read the novels yet so this episode didn't really seem rushed to me. Anyway this episode was pretty awesome, and that fight was great. I loved this first glimpse of Kirito and Asuna working together and I just can't wait to see them closer to each other later on.
I think the way they made use of flashbacks for all those little anecdotes worked really well. I really didn't want the anime to follow the chronological order too :(.
slee62 said: why are people rating 9's and 10's when we're just two episodes in? ლ(0_0ლ
Because it's an adaptation.
Se4nzZWoRLd said: I didn't understand why Kirito was all evil like at the end, but loved this episode. I think this is going to be one of if not the most anticipated episode weekly.
It's psychology.
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I still think this anime is overrated. But I don't think it's bad. I think it's really, really good, but nowhere near #41 it holds at the moment.
On the other hand, this episode seemed rushed a little bit, only 1 big boss fight and nothing more, well, ok, some character development and new character, but those were minor parts of this episode.
For those of you who would like to know more about <<switching>>, since it's not a novel it can't really explain it as well as the novel.
With this strange cry, the skeleton swung its sword several times leaving a blue line of light in its wake. It was a four-hit combo skill: «Vertical Square». As I watched anxiously from a few steps back, Asuna stepped left and right, elegantly dodging all the blows.
Even if it was a 2-on-1 situation, we couldn’t both fight at once when confronted by a fully armed enemy. It wasn’t forbidden by the system, but when two people were too close together in a fight where swords swung to and fro at speeds faster than the eye could follow, it became more of a hindrance than a help. So when partying, a skill that required high levels of teamwork called «switching» was used.
After its full swing, the last blow of the four hits missed, and the Demonic Servant’s posture fell slightly off-balance. Asuna didn’t miss this chance and went straight into a counter-attack.
The jabs of the silver-white sword landed one after another, all spectacularly hitting their mark, and the skeleton’s HP decreased. Each individual blow didn’t deliver much damage, but the number of hits was overwhelming.
After getting hit by three short thrusts, the skeleton’s guard went slightly up, and Asuna switched her style to slash twice at its legs. Then, with her blade tip shining blindingly white, she sent two strong jabs high and low.
It was an eight hit combo. It was most probably the high-level sword skill named «Star Splash». Striking the skeleton accurately with that thin blade, which was usually ineffective against such enemies, was a show of unbelievable skill.
The strength that had reduced about thirty percent of the skeleton’s HP was also amazing, but I was lost within the elegance of the actual player. This must be what they mean by sword dancing.
Asuna shouted at me, who was standing there dumbly, as if she had eyes on the back of her head.
“Kirito-kun, switch!”
“Ah, kay!”
I rushed to raise my sword, and at the same time, Asuna performed a strong stab.
The skeleton deflected the blow with the shield held by its left hand and bright sparks came flying off. But that was an already expected outcome. The enemy was left stunned for a moment after guarding against the strong attack, unable to immediately counter.
Of course, Asuna was stunned as well after having her attack blocked, but the «gap» was what was important.
I immediately rushed in with a charge-type skill. Making a break point on purpose in the middle of a fight and trading places with a teammate was what was called «switching».
After making sure with the corner of my eye that Asuna had gotten out of range, I charged fiercely at the enemy. Unless you were a master like her, normal slashing attacks were most effective against opponents with far more «gaps» than this Demonic Servant. In this scenario, the most effective would be impact-type weapons like maces. But I, and most probably Asuna, didn’t have any impact-type skills.
The «Vertical Square» that I used to hit the enemy all four times reduced a lot of its HP. The skeleton reacted slowly. This was because the monsters’ AIs have a tendency to delay a moment before responding when the attacker’s pattern suddenly changes. Yesterday, I had to invest a lot of time and effort to make this happen with the Lizardman, but when you’ve got a teammate, one switch was all you needed. This was the biggest advantage of fighting in a party.
I parried the counterattack and started a major skill to end the battle. I delivered a strong, downward strike to the right, then twisted my wrist and swung back up again, retracing the trajectory I went down in with a motion similar to that of a golf swing. Every time the sword hit the enemy’s body, which was made completely out of bones, there was the sound of it impacting and a flow of orange light came out.
The skeleton raised its shield to block the blow that it thought was going to come from above, but I went against its expectations and rammed it with my left shoulder. Then I sent a vertical swing at the swaying skeleton, and without pause I rammed it again, with my right shoulder this time. It was a skill that overcame the problem of chaining strong attacks together by combining them with tackles: «Meteor Break». Not meaning to brag, but it was a skill that required unarmed-fighting skills as well as one-hand sword skills.
The enemy’s HP took a big hit from all the attacks and was now in the red area. I put all the strength in my body behind the final horizontal left slash of the seven hit combo. The sword flew straight at the skeleton’s neck, drawing a shining arc. The bone broke with a snapping sound and as the skull flew up into the air, the body fell to the ground like a puppet that had all its strings cut.
“We won!!”
Asuna slapped my back, where my sword was now.
We pushed the item distribution aside and started walking again.
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R0LAN said: Episode 2 was ok~
I liked the BGM and the colours and so far it has piped my interest ^^
Though, does anyone know were I can read the light novel ? please pm me the answer ^^
Buy it
That's... a little hard when it isn't licensed or for sale in English yet. Light Novels hardly ever get licensed or legitimately translated so please, get off your high horse and join the rest of the class.
R0LAN - Sent you the info. :3
haha i would buy it if I could dont worry ^^
need more novels to read anyways!
and thank you, i got your pm :)
Hehe. So second ep in not as good as i hope but thats probably from being an LN reader still good though.
Important developments were carried out such as Kirito becoming the beater meeting asuna and giving us a nice look at the boss fight.
Asuna was freakin cute with her smile! But seriously one thing that bugged me was that it felt rushed since they tried to pack so much into one episode. I think if they would have split it up into two eps and
added in when Kirito first meets asuna and a little of argo it would have made all the difference. Im not saying it had to be a lot but just him meeting her in the dungeon and her desperate state would really serve to develop her, and by adding argo we can see the side of beta testers helping and really understand why Kirito freaks out once he kinda screwed over all the other beta players by accident. But probably what they should have focused on were the "Knight"'s attempt to make Kirito useless and his reasons, to unite SAO by getting the final kill bonus.
Asuna stuff would serve to develop their relationship and characterize her for future eps, while Argo stuff justs let's you understand better the situation between beats and non. And Knight stuff really served to highlight why he was trying to do what he did, to prove to the rest that the game is conquerable. I guess it would have developed it and made it seem less rush but I guess it's too much for so little time? Once thing I do hope though is that we get the farm scene of Asuna and Kirito in a special or something.
But honestly for an adaptation it did pretty well considering it condensed an entire novel(well as big as Aria SS chp 1st Floor) into one ep. Seeing next ep preview bodes well though as its not too long I hope it can pull off the emotional stuff off well, it'll help show Kirito's transformation of his character.
Yanoflies said: I think the way they made use of flashbacks for all those little anecdotes worked really well. I really didn't want the anime to follow the chronological order too :(.
slee62 said: why are people rating 9's and 10's when we're just two episodes in? ლ(0_0ლ
Because it's an adaptation.
Se4nzZWoRLd said: I didn't understand why Kirito was all evil like at the end, but loved this episode. I think this is going to be one of if not the most anticipated episode weekly.
It's psychology.
Yanoflies said: I think the way they made use of flashbacks for all those little anecdotes worked really well. I really didn't want the anime to follow the chronological order too :(.
slee62 said: why are people rating 9's and 10's when we're just two episodes in? ლ(0_0ლ
Because it's an adaptation.
Se4nzZWoRLd said: I didn't understand why Kirito was all evil like at the end, but loved this episode. I think this is going to be one of if not the most anticipated episode weekly.
It's psychology.
True it does create a different feeling, in the novel those key moments are like you're getting to know Kirito right alongside the characters who have no idea what happened to him. But it does create a different feeling here too, still good, just telling the story in a different way, here were gonna be able to experience it all alongside Kirito. Unlike in the novel where there's a two year blank spot.
Like when Asuna finally learns of Kirito and his previous experience with the Black Cats of the Full Moon in the LN you feel devastated right alongside Asuna since you barely learn of it. But here you're going to be able to understand her pain, different methods of employment but still end result is you connect with Asuna and feel that pain, feel the sadness of this truth for and about Kirito and her. Well that's as long as the anime can pull it off, which I hope they do!
Been reading comments and stuff about why Kirito told that type of lie since he could have told a better and how he's gonna get a bad rep... so I guess they should have added a monologue or
the confrontation~ when Asuna says why you took all the hate from the beta testers away, you didn't have to do that.
Adding that in would have made his goal all the more clearer but I guess time constraints and stuff don't allow for that and it'll probably be obvious in later episodes why he did it that particular way.
Can't wait til next week for new ep! Gonna cry my heart out though =(... Well, on to the next ep of SAO!!!~
Zeally said: lol if you read novels/mangas you will always be disappointed by the adaptation
even fate zero was lacking. It's a lost cause to complain. Animes have limitations and always will.
Hmm.. So is it really a good idea to start reading the LN now from scratch?
yaHzee said: Great episode, and I'm really liking the series, but I just have to wonder, how is the time in game related to the time spent in the real world? Like does 1 day in the game = 1 day in real world? If so, how are they getting fed and other stuff to stay alive? I'm just a bit confused and didn't know if this was explained or something.
SAO is real time. 1 day in game is 1 day in the real world. During winter in the real world, SAO is also in the winter season.
2easy4AgEnT said:
Zeally said: lol if you read novels/mangas you will always be disappointed by the adaptation
even fate zero was lacking. It's a lost cause to complain. Animes have limitations and always will.
Hmm.. So is it really a good idea to start reading the LN now from scratch?
I don't see how it'll hurt. Unless you want to watch the anime with anticipation, that is. All that is different is to take it in now or later.
R0LAN said: Episode 2 was ok~
I liked the BGM and the colours and so far it has piped my interest ^^
Though, does anyone know were I can read the light novel ? please pm me the answer ^^
Buy it
That's... a little hard when it isn't licensed or for sale in English yet. Light Novels hardly ever get licensed or legitimately translated so please, get off your high horse and join the rest of the class.
R0LAN - Sent you the info. :3
haha i would buy it if I could dont worry ^^
need more novels to read anyways!
and thank you, i got your pm :)
I have a question. It is said that 1 month have passed in the game. The real world time and the game time are different, right? And, just wondering (it may sound stupid but) how do they fulfill their lavatory and hunger need in the real world since they are gaming all the time? :D
poring said: I have a question. It is said that 1 month have passed in the game. The real world time and the game time are different, right? And, just wondering (it may sound stupid but) how do they fulfill their lavatory and hunger need in the real world since they are gaming all the time? :D
Kayaba had them transferred to hospitals, facilities to care for them. They're essentially comatose, but being cared for.
I knew it was a bad idea to pick up watching this weekly. Should've waited for more to air first. Oh well. Animation isn't anything special, but I wasn't expecting it to be. Watching this for the story and characters which will hopefully both be good.
Most people like me (Despite I didn't read that only arc in SAO) didn't feel rushed, because most of the main points, I believe, were already delivered in this single episode.
How Kirito met Asuna, how beater term was discovered, how Asuna got into a guild, and why is Kirito named as The Black Swordsman and chose to be a solo player.
So is Kirito going to be an enemy with everyone now?! Hopefully Asuna joins forces with him soon otherwise he's gonna have trouble fending off hoards of angry noob players! Oh, and awesome new trench coat is awesome and new! lol.
"No matter how much of a genius one is, in front of the Uchiha name, they're just ordinary people." - Sasuke Uchiha
Uchihafan25 said: So is Kirito going to be an enemy with everyone now?! Hopefully Asuna joins forces with him soon otherwise he's gonna have trouble fending off hoards of angry noob players! Oh, and awesome new trench coat is awesome and new! lol.
He was forced to do that for the sake of everyone (He didn't want the new players and beta testers to break apart)
Also, I was hoping that they make the red-nosed reindeer into 2 episodes, 1 episode is
when Kirito is in a guild
and another episode is
when Kirito is fighting with "Santa Claus".
But, after looking at this episode, I'm sure there will be only 1 episode to cramp 1 side story.
So my prediction
4 side stories - 4 episodes (Up to episode 6)
Episode 7 - 12 - Main story (SAO)
"Beater was made by mixing «Beta tester» and «Cheater». It was a word meant for people who used unfair means and a swearword that was unique to SAO. It was something I’d heard a lot of times. But however many times I heard it, it still hurt me deeply. The face of the person who had first said it to me, who had once been a friend, suddenly appeared in my head."
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newnar said: Question: Should an anime be rated according to what it is independent from its adaptations?
Different answers to this question will yield different judgement results on this anime.
It's almost impossible not to think of the LN while watching the anime. Rather, you understand every little glance that each character makes in the anime because you read the LN. Like how they showed Kirito looking at his HP bar in episode 1. Pretty much each movement holds a little significance, though we don't hear their thoughts.
ShoutaAzuma said:
Uchihafan25 said: So is Kirito going to be an enemy with everyone now?! Hopefully Asuna joins forces with him soon otherwise he's gonna have trouble fending off hoards of angry noob players! Oh, and awesome new trench coat is awesome and new! lol.
He was forced to do that for the sake of everyone (He didn't want the new players and beta testers to break apart)
Also, I was hoping that they make the red-nosed reindeer into 2 episodes, 1 episode is
when Kirito is in a guild
and another episode is
when Kirito is fighting with "Santa Claus".
But, after looking at this episode, I'm sure there will be only 1 episode to cramp 1 side story.
So my prediction
4 side stories - 4 episodes (Up to episode 6)
Episode 7 - 12 - Main story (SAO)
I think they'll fit it alright. There aren't as many transitions as Aria SS, after all.
I think twisted 'Santa Claus' was based off of Antonio, a monster in Ragnarok Online, which the author draws his experiences from.