Sword Art Online

[Ryllharu]

@Mfauli - Finally caught up with the thread. I wanted to give some short answers to your questions.

2) Sleeping in game - I'm pretty sure they fell asleep while hanging out. It happened to almost all of them in that scene. None of them logged in just to sleep...

I'm with MFauli on this one. I get that it is their little digital clubhouse, but seriously, if you're in the game and falling asleep or taking naps, sleep in the real world. What a waste of time. You spend time in MMOs to grind, "sightsee," enjoy the "story," or hang out with friends while grinding, not idling in game while sleeping at your desk.

If you start to pass out, log off. This isn't a game where you're forced to sleep inside it anymore.


The only part of this episode I truly enjoyed was Asuna struggling to find wifi in Kyoto. That's something everyone with a cell phone can relate to.

edit: Not to mention after all the shit that happened with the NervGear, the amusphere should probably automatically log off players once it detects they've fallen asleep. Part of its safety protocols, like not having brain-frying microwave emitters in it.

[DarthEnderX]

I get that it is their little digital clubhouse, but seriously, if you're in the game and falling asleep or taking naps, sleep in the real world. What a waste of time.

Let's be real here. What exactly does it matter whether they sleep in the game or not? How is it any MORE of a waste of time than sleeping in the real world?

It's basically no different than falling asleep with the television on.

You guys are basically saying "Sleeping on the couch? What a waste of time! Go to your bed to sleep!"

It's the most ridiculous complaint ever.

[DarthEnderX]

I'd take his opinions more seriously if every other thing he said wasn't so rapey.

[shinta|hikari]

Yeah, it's a waste of time. I was just clarifying it for Mfauli because he seemed to think that Kirito logged in in order to sleep. If that wasn't what he meant, then okay.

[shinta|hikari]

I think sleep in general is a waste of time. It is necessary though and I wish I had more of it.

I completely agree with your comment though.

[Inazuma]

Also, let's not forget that if this is full dive, from a sensory perspective, it might be more pleasing for the user to dream in a comfy place surrounded by friends and a fireplace rather than a dreary japanese appartment.

[Ryllharu]

Man...the future suuuuucks.

When you go to the park in the real world, there are cameras everywhere watching you, and this is all before the full blown behavior monitoring system of Accel World comes online.

One has to dive into a VR game just to take a nap in an open field or in a forest cabin.

[DarthEnderX]

The only solution is to tear down the establishment!

[Buffalobiian]

I don't mind that future. When the world becomes overpopulated and I can only afford a small capsule to sleep in, I'll full dive into a world of luxury and enjoyment.

Yeah, I'm going to take the blue pill.

[shinta|hikari]

Full agreement.

[DarthEnderX]

I won't be able to afford such luxurious VR accommodations and will end up living the sewer with Denis Leary!

[MasterOfMoogles]

Your point would be valid if her mom didn't just say she wasn't going to force her to marry someone (though she did say it had to be someone that met her standards).
Also, her dad has actually met Kirito in the hospital, hasn't he? He was also the one who chose the crazy guy. He most likely doesn't feel the same way.
This definitely felt like her mom was taking all of this into her own hands. Probably because her dad had given up on trying to force her to do stuff after the previous incident.

Her mom actually has a lot of good points in their discussion, but is a total jerk about it and goes about the discussion of Asuna's future in completely the wrong way.
Asuna hit the nail on the head at the end of the conversation, calling her mom out on her own inadequacies.

I really don't understand your "God Kirito" rant. He is a fairly normal person, and there are plenty of other normal-ish characters in the show.
If anything, you should be complaining about how SAO is basically an exploration of "Introverted nice guy is super popular" which isn't really the case in the real world. But this is anime, so this shouldn't be very surprising.

Kirito probably could have beaten her with dual wield and skill connect, but showing off in front of large crowds for not much of a good reason isn't really his personality. I would also imagine the thing he asked her about in battle was more of a reason that he went easier on her than her just being a girl. Even if he was going easy on her because she was a girl, you're still exaggerating way too much.

[DarthEnderX]

Bitch all you guys want, but I still really enjoy the action sequences in this show.

You know, for the 2 minutes that they last...fuck the rest of this episode.

If anything, you should be complaining about how SAO is basically an exploration of "Introverted nice guy is super popular" which isn't really the case in the real world. But this is anime, so this shouldn't be very surprising.

They also don't live in the real world. They live in a video game. So it's more an exploration of "Introverted nice guy, who is also the strongest fighter in a world that revolves around fighters, is super popular."

He's like a rock star in the place that they spend most of their time.

[shinta|hikari]

Kirito not going all out on Zekken had nothing to do with her sex. He knew she was female from the start, but only held back around the middle of the fight as he himself stated. It had something to do with whatever they chatted about.

There are decent males outside of Kirito in the story. One of which is Agil.

And about Asuna being forced into anything. Didn't she just rebel against her mom completely this episode?

Seriously Mfauli. Relax a bit before ranting. It'll help your arguments.

[Buffalobiian]

Also, her dad has actually met Kirito in the hospital, hasn't he? He was also the one who chose the crazy guy. He most likely doesn't feel the same way.

I wouldn't be so sure. He finds Kirito to be a nice person and approves of him as Asuna's friend, but if he guns for a suitor position things may change. I'm not sure if anyone here's been introduced as a friend initially, then been looked at differently once you declared you're a boyfriend.

Kirito picked out that the girl was an NPC that was allowed to exceed the game's limits. It wasn't elaborated on whether or not he stopped trying half-way because she was a girl.

Regarding the mum issues, I've always been conflicted about the whole "I've invested a whole lot in you" mentality. On one hand, there's something about returning another's good-will. We see this all the time in anime where someone doesn't want xyz's contributions to go to waste. But then, it's a unilateral decision and Asuna had no input into the direction things were going.

At what point does a child waste a person's good parenting, and at what point is the parent being a dictator? Age comes into that. What's Asuna? 18?

And about Asuna being forced into anything. Didn't she just rebel against her mom completely this episode?

Not completely. She said she'll think about it.

To rebel completely she'll have to decline. To do that she'll need to be financially independent. It's largely why teenagers have fights at home. They're mentally independent but are financially dependant. Any self-supported adult would just part ways.

[shinta|hikari]

Age has nothing to do with it.

A child has no choice about being born and who his/her parents are.

No obligation should exist. Good parenting has nothing to do with age. It has everything to do with logic. Asuna loves someone else and would be miserable otherwise. The answer is clear.

And Kirito never said that the girl was an NPC. He said that she lived in the world. An NPC does not deserve such a distinction in the first place.

[Buffalobiian]

Age has a part to play where a child is considered incapable of making "correct" decisions and ultimately giving consent. There isn't some magical age where we mature overnight and become an adult, but for the purposes of legislation we say it's 18 (sometimes 16). When someone is capable of understanding and appreciating the implications of their decisions, they should be allowed to make them.

My age comment applies more to the "dictator" part than the "wasting good parenting" part, the latter is way too subjective.

Your use of misery is interesting. Children are miserable when they're told to do homework. This goes all the way until.... highschool? Some insight/foresight is required to see the true benefit of homework/learning, so I don't think immediate misery is a good indicator of what is good or bad parenting.

[shinta|hikari]

If you meant that there is a certain age when a parent can still one-sidedly dictate whatever a child should do, then my answer is never.

Discussion and compromise will likely result in a better solution. If discussion is impossible (because the child is too young and immature) then it is slightly more complex, but it is obviously different in Asuna's case.

EDIT: Why the hell am I even defending Asuna. She can just die from ebola for all I care.

[Buffalobiian]

If you meant that there is a certain age when a parent can still one-sidedly dictate whatever a child should do, then my answer is never.

Discussion and compromise will likely result in a better solution. If discussion is impossible (because the child is too young and immature) then it is slightly more complex, but it is obviously different in Asuna's case.

I agree that Asuna shows she is capable of making her decisions and at her age/mental maturity discussions are necessary. Legally, there are some double standards. At very young age where discussion is not possible, parents can made medical decisions for children as you've pointed out. Then there's a grey area when a child is considered to have the capacity to consent to treatment, but does not have the capacity to refuse.

It's like the mother's choice here: You can choose your partner as long as it matches our standards. I personally don't like it, but I can see where they're coming from.

EDIT: Why the hell am I even defending Asuna. She can just die from ebola for all I care.

You're horrible. Asuna = wife for life.

[MFauli]

oh god, Buff is an Asuna supporter :/

Anyway. It doesnt really matter if Asuna rebelled or not. Her mother still tries to force something upon her. The part about sending her to a specific school, well, that´s rather a general story-telling clichee. We see that a lot (and it´s always boring and frustrating to watch, since it´s so overused). What´s bullshit is her mother trying to force her to marry a certain kain of guy. And she´s not even circling around the issue, she´s straight forwardly telling that it needs to be a wealthy guy.

That´s why I dont agree that her mother learned ANYTHING from the disaster with Sugou. She´d be just as blinded by the outer shell of any guy that fits her utmost priority: money, wealth, status. And until we see Asuna´s father, I will also disagree about him having learned anything from the Sugou-incident. SAO has been so crappy with these topics that it´s simply so much more likely for all these people to keep going with their crappy attitudes. And going with the flow, I fully expect any marriage candidate of Asuna´s to be another wanna be-rapist. After all, God Kirito is the only decent guy in the world!

Sure, Egil and Klein are okay guys. But they absoutely pale in comparison to God Kirito. Egil is married already and is given a bartender job, so he´s already written out of the active plot. And Klein is continuously made fun of and forbidden to have a girl. And I wouldn´t rule it out that he´ll become a villain later in the story, even though we all talked about it in a joking manner lol. I can just see it come true.

Regarding Zekken, I seriously hope she´s not an NPC. That would be so boring. It´d be much more interesting to find out why some player was able to exceed the "world´s limits". With an NPC you can always say "well, they can access the very structure of the game´s properties", so it makes it unspecial. It´s why Yui fortunately is a side character only. But a human player that could hack the game like Yui? That would be awesome.
So I hope that Zekken turns out to be a total nerd who spent so much time in this world as to explain her mad skills. Although it´s bullshit how many beautiful girls are mmorpg nerds in the realm of anime (looking at Log Horizon here, too lol).

And to made an intelligent conclusion to this posting:

Best wife currently: Leafa (best body + pseudo-incest bonus). Followed by Shinon (love conquering confident girls :P)

And writing about waifus reminds me: Shinta, Im still hoping for you to make me another signature pic :>
Would love one featuring one of the following girls (in that order of importance):
1. Hoshino (Gundam Build Fighters Try)
2. Akatsuki (Log Horizon)
3. Leafa (SAO)
Make it as sexy as legally possible on this forum. Choose from the above three girls depending on who you can find the hottest, riskiest pic. An emphasis on ass is welcome. :P