Forum - View topicUnderstanding Sword Art Online
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CaRoss
Posts: 457 |
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This is a great article. Kawahara is a fascinating writer who is full of big ideas, and can definitely execute them, but sometimes struggles under the weight of them - as well as fan expectations.
Whether it's his take on superpowers, or his views on augmented reality, Kawahara's stories always seem to aim for some grand concept and he's definitely a really smart guy. It's too bad that so many people judge him, personally, off of SAO (something I've seen a few times in this comments section alone). |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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Look, Actar, I'm going to be very brief. When you say things like "there's no such thing as objectivity in art", I can only take it as an insult. It's an insult to the critic in me that aims to seek meaning in the media I love. It's an insult to the writer in me that tries her best to keep improving. I'm not sure you meant to insult me, but you did. There's a quote from Lindsay Ellis that really sums this up (though she was talking about terrible Disney sequels, I do think it applies to here):
That's what I'm getting from you. "So what if it's 'crappy'? It's just entertainment!" No it's not. Not to me. Not to countless people. You're allowed to enjoy your media the way you want, just as I and a lot of other members of this community are allowed to enjoy our media the way we want. To insinuate that our method is somehow wrong is plain sh*tty. I may not think SAO is the bee's knees, but there is a lot of effort and passion that I can never fault these people for having. Why can't you give that same respect for us? EDIT: And can we please start talking about SAO again? I think we're veering off topic. |
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CaRoss
Posts: 457 |
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I think it's because of how nasty and pretentious, rather than inclusive and informative, that many people who criticize series get. There's always people like yourself, who are just trying to properly express their opinion and write something fascinating and informative, but when you're faced with self-proclaimed professional critics like Digibro and his YouTube cohorts - as well as a slew of relatively nasty people in the comments sections of articles on series like this - who would rather just insult a fanbase, it colours the perception of all of those who write criticism. |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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Yeah, I hate those sorts of guys too. I don't really watch Digibro, though. My opinion of the first season is actually a lot like Tristan Arkada's in that I was more disappointed than miffed. Though I do have some cautious optimism for the second season, which features fan favorites Sinon and Yuuki... |
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CaRoss
Posts: 457 |
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He's not worth it. People who swear by him are won over by his use of fancy words (something that any YouTube critic can do with a thesaurus on hand) and air of superiority. Some of what he discusses can be informative - his in-depth comparison of The Asterisk War and Chivalry of a Failed Knight was actually really interesting - but he tends to default back to insulting the intelligence of fans of many shows. As to the second season of SAO. If there were things about the first season that you enjoyed enough to keep watching, it's worth at least going through the Gun Gale Online stuff with Sinon. It will tell you whether you want to continue or not as it does try to tackle some heavier topics and explore some other ideas - although it does get a little caught on some of the same flaws as the original season. I say this as someone who really enjoyed the Aincrad stuff when it first aired, but struggled to get through the Fairy Dance arc. |
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Chester McCool
Posts: 322 |
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What a sad time to live in to see people using random Youtubers to say if something is good or not.
SAO isn't my favorite show, but I enjoyed it. Log Horizon and .hack as well. My main criticism would be how it keeps changing games. I think I'd be more into it if it kept the same game the enttire way. |
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AksaraKishou
Posts: 1411 Location: End of the World |
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Don't worry, the next half of the series will stick to a single "game". |
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TymersRealm
Posts: 93 |
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The changing Games/genres bit is actually a meta part of the overall storytelling in SAO (Series). Its the social interactions and motivations of the playerbases, in addition to the environments, of each game (SAO/Aincrad, ALO, GGO) that Kawahara was also trying to define. The SAO game was more focused on typical fantasy MMO Guild/Crafters/soloists. ALO (Fairy Dance) highlighted a mix of political and larger-scale conflicts. And GGO focused on the competitive nature heightened in FPS gaming. Also the switching of environments also allows just how versatile the VR OS actually is. |
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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Game-switching doesn't bother me at all.....but the "Sword Art" part does. I don't get why Kawahara doesn't just do the Bakemonogatari thing (like with "-tari") and just switch up the names to "Alfheim Online", "Gun Gale Online" etc. Did he think that would be too confusing? |
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Kadmos1
Posts: 13580 Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP |
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I suppose the main reason I enjoyed SAO (limited to the dub) is because they cast Cherami Leigh as Asuna. Cherami is best known as Lucy Hearfilia and Lucy is the primary reason I enjoy FT (NaLu is a close second).
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AksaraKishou
Posts: 1411 Location: End of the World |
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*-monogatari, you mean. :3 {Edit: Please refrain from excessive quoting.. I edited your post for you. ~ Psycho 101} |
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Actar
Posts: 1074 Location: Singapore |
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I do apologize for getting off-topic, but I would hope that you would allow me one more reply to defend and clarify myself.
Please don't put words into my mouth. I never said that anyone's method is wrong. In fact, it is the complete opposite. All I said was that all methods are equally valid.
It's perfectly fine for you to care. But it's okay for people not to care. It's okay for people to think that they aren't "crappy" either. Are we going to deny them their agency in media selection and appreciation and go on a crusade of enlightenment? People just have different standards and priorities when it comes to selecting and watching entertainment.
Again, I don't understand why you are getting so defensive. No one is insulting you. No one is saying that what you're doing is wrong. No one is taking away meaning from the media you love. Though, if I could take a guess (and please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), you're "insulted" by the fact that I'm breaking down your world view by saying that it's not THE world view (like truth in classical philosophy or something), but A world view. You're "insulted" by the fact that I seem to be devaluing what you consider to be a craft and I'm not recognizing the effort that you are putting in. The thing is, that is not the case at all. Just because I say that there's no objectivity in art does not take away from the effort that you put in to it in order to master story-writing according to one set of judging criteria. To use another (not 100% accurate) analogy, does the existence of other types of swords (rapier, Viking sword, etc...) and forging techniques devalue the katana maker's craft? No! Because different swords are valued for different purposes by different users in different contexts! I'm trying to tell you that the katana is but one type of sword. If I want cutting power, I go for the katana. If I want stabbing power, I go for the rapier. The meaning in media is for you to decide, not anyone else. If anything, I would have thought that idea would be empowering. That is all I have to say. Disagree with me all you want, but please don't misunderstand or misrepresent me. I've been respectful to you and understanding of your opinion, I think it's fair to hope for the same in return. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar Posts: 16941 |
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Believe it or not people can in fact have a differing opinion and just because they do does not mean it is automatically invalid. So let's all get back on topic now and cool it with the OT soap boxing lectures. Thanks.
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Chiibi
Posts: 4829 |
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Yes, that's what I meant. Man, I am dumb. How could I forget that means "story"? lol {Edit: Please refrain from excessive quoting.. I edited your post for you. ~ Psycho 101} |
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