Forum - View topicEpisode Review: Sword Art Online II
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brankoburcksen
Posts: 126 |
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I just watched the final episode of season 4 of The Walking Dead. Comparing the sexual assault in this episode of SAO to the one in the dark, violent and graphic zombie series, it is clear SAO is inviting the audience to leer at the female character.
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Chiibi
 Posts: 4829 |
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Why would you compare SAO to a live action zombie show? o_O
How is that "clear"? I don't get that impression when I watch the scene. Shino is fully clothed, you don't see cleavage or bra or panties; in fact you barely see anything except his hand going up her shirt....so what exactly is the audience supposed to be "leering" at? |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18185 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Yes, I would like to see an explanation on that "it is clear" comment, too.
Also, after rewatching the scene earlier today and thinking about it over dinner tonight, I am more firmly convinced than ever about one point I was alluding to in my first post about episode 13: the attempted rape scene isn't about Kirito coming to Shino's rescue at all. It's about Shino. It stays focused on her throughout - how she's reacting, how she views her attacker. Even when Kirito does arrive on the scene, the focus is still on her, not Kirito. We're either seeing from her perspective or the camera is focused on her face. These are not trivial details, and they paint this scene in a different light than almost anything else that has come before it in the franchise. Unfortunately the franchise has legitimately done enough wrong in the past to not deserve the benefit of the doubt, but I think a more careful look at the second half of the episode, free of gut reactions, will show that the producers are actually using some subtlety here (yes, I am daring to use that word with SAO) and making a concerted effort to step beyond what they have done before. And while you may still find the results disagreeable, I think they succeeded. Oh, and the technical merits of that whole scene were pretty remarkable, too. They didn't skimp on the animation budget, either. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11348 |
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Or taking subtle and not-so subtle cues from the visuals in the anime. After appearing to be masturbating (fake-out, but why animate it like that?), Shinkawa has his knee up between her legs, with his hand on her drawn up knee, keeps leering in close as if about to kiss her any second while she shies away like he has bad breath, strokes her face, pets her hair, makes an exploratory move to feel her up (plus all the crazed slavering over her near the door). What's more, there is a mirror that shows a different view of this scene, in which it seems like he's standing towering over her rather than kneeling hunched over on the bed (her foot is in the wrong place as well). From the side view, they're somewhat on an equal level, but in that mirror, he appears to be much more physically imposing on her. Why is that mirror even there? Given all that, no one needs biases to see that as other than a prelude to at least an attempt at rape. The line quoted from the novel, "However--- Though Shino was thinking in the right direction, it was of a completely different matter," makes me wonder about either the writing or the translation, since I can't understand how rape is in the right direction but completely different. It seems to me that what the author is trying to get across is that she had the right idea but wasn't thinking far enough to the end. That his ultimate goal is murder doesn't preclude rape beforehand, and both the novel and anime suggest very strongly that he's now thinking about rape even if he hadn't planned on it in the abstract. The novel's tentative, then less tentative touches under her shirt implies to me that the physical proximity is giving him ideas that hadn't quite occurred to him to act on while working up his murder/suicide scenario. So I don't really see that the anime did anything that the novel hadn't already put on the table. |
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Shippoyasha
Posts: 459 |
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Speaking of the harem status and all, maybe it'll be best if this series gets more male characters. Even though that doesn't seem to be in the best interest of many fans or the author himself. Also mixing up the character roles is going to be a big thing in the coming arcs where Kirito looks to be depowered quite a bit.
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BusterKingSyros
Posts: 7 |
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I have to ask where is Asuna in all of this? She was right beside Kirito's bed, she's not gonna let him just run off as soon as he logs out of GGO. I don't think she would try and stop him, but she would at least go with him. Is this all so we can have a moment when Asuna walks in and sees Shinon in Kirito's arms? Honestly SAO cheap tricks abound indeed.
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Beatdigga
 Posts: 4370 Location: New York |
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eragon2890
Posts: 159 |
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Oh christ, why is everyone here bashing the show?? It's incredible, like literally 95% of all otaku I know LOVE this show (and everyoen on crunchyroll does, too), yet the intellectuals have to come on and complain :-/ I thought it was really sweet how Kirito came to save Sinon, and it was a super exciting episode. No matter what anyone else might say, I loved it!
The fact that SAO has some fanservice and tentacles and stuff like that sometimes definitely make it a lot better too, I mean I just love me some sexy chickies in my anime from time to time (  ) (Love ecchi and harem anime too~ Again, like most anime fans  I still want an Asuna hug pillow but poor university computer science student so yeah, no money  )
Oh wel I am just gonna say one thing: thank god popularity, sales, and number of cosplayers/sold merchandise decide which shows get a second season, and not boring critical reviews! Otherwise we would only have boring intellectual stuff like aku no hana (which made me puke, and most other people, so it sold less than a 10th of what SAO sold in Japan  ), and no more actual good fun stuff like SAO and highschool DxD. i'm just happy the latter are still the majority, and am now gonnaw atch some harems on crunchyroll to keep it so. (Shows which are on crunchyroll get money based purely on popularity. More crunchyroll users watch the anime, more money the copyright holder gets. Awesome democratic system!)
Later peeps~ I am back to crunchyroll, where all the cool peeps, ie. SAO fans, seem to hang out. BYE for now~! |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11348 |
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Looks like eragon begs to differ (I honestly can't tell if he's being serious or trying for parody). |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18185 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Or maybe you should, you know, wait until next episode and see how things turn out before accusing it of cheap tricks? I suspect that we're either going to see or hear some elaboration on that. |
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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No, really, some of us DO truly like it. I have a plushie, a wall scroll, Kirito and Asuna figures and mascots and two T shirts. lol |
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CoreSignal
 Posts: 727 Location: California, USA |
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Well, when eragon2890 says stuff like this:
I get a little worried, but I'll assume its a joke.
In all seriousness, its great if you enjoy the show, but I don't know if I would actually consider SAO "good", as in well-written. But I admit its quite an entertaining trainwreck. |
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eragon2890
Posts: 159 |
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The way I said it was meant as a joke, I mean I think people here are taking this a bit more serious than it was ever meant to be, so I thought to use some less complicated language 
However, it's definitely true that I love some fanservice I mean, I love highschool DxD too, and my favorite/most funniest anime is to love ru  I like when a cool anime has some fanservice with pantsu shots and the like xD And tentacle jokes... I don't know, I find them kind of hot *hides in corner*
I also love sexy character design~ My favourite is the new Kirito, and Grey from fairy tail ;3 (yeah I am bisexual. And as perverted as they come But don't be worred, I am a friendly pervert~! >3 )
BTW, I never said I found this particular scene hot - I said I found it sweet how Kirito came to rescue her Offcourse I don't find this hot But for example beach episodes with bustie chicks in your average anime? Or shows like to love ru and highschool of the dead and such? YUM~!
off-topic: unbelievably, you peeps even analyze stupid forum posts by a random stranger like me I tend not to analyze things too much, my anime rating scale goes from "made me fall asleep" (aku no hana...) to "it makes me a happy neko OMGAWESUM" (lucky star). Something like that~
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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It has flaws but I think it's well-written for most episodes. And it's not like the bad parts are so badily written that I am insulted by it....which is more than what I can say for a few other shows, books, and movies. I hate being treated like an idiot...but SAO doesn't make me feel that way. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18185 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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^
Totally agreed.
You have me beat, then. I only have the wall scroll, the dubbed version on my DVR, and a screen shot featuring Kirito and Asuna in action from the end of ep 13 of the first series as the background on one of my laptops. (Although I have been considering a very nice Asuna figma in one of the more tasteful poses.) |
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