Sword Art Online

[ranger]

yeah, screw that.  It's rating on MAL is ridicuously high for how average it is.  And yeah, I know it's MAL, but still.

[Kor]

I find it amusing how each episode provides us with a new all time low for this series.

[Akonyl]

"Hm, it looks like the female lead is about to escape and be independent again!"

"What?! We can't be having that, have her be captured instead. Oh, and throw in a tentacle rape scene as well. Y'know... just for good measure."

[ranger]

"Hm, it looks like the female lead is about to escape and be independent again!"

"What?! We can't be having that, have her be captured instead. Oh, and throw in a tentacle rape scene as well. Y'know... just for good measure."

yeah...good thing I decided to drop this.

[GinRei]

There's still 3 or 4 episodes left.  How would the story continue if she freed herself?  And how much of a slap in the face to the readers/viewers would that be to go through all this slow crap Kirito's been doing just to have Asuna free herself without anything from him having mattered?  Don't be raging feminists now, it's a story.

[Akonyl]

There's still 3 or 4 episodes left.  How would the story continue if she freed herself?  And how much of a slap in the face to the readers/viewers would that be to go through all this slow crap Kirito's been doing just to have Asuna free herself without anything from him having mattered?  Don't be raging feminists now, it's a story.

they've previously hinted at the "true" purpose of ALO, and this episode they straight up showed it. She doesn't have to be captive for the plot to continue, it's not like Kirito's gonna be all "welp, saved Asuna. What's that, thousands of people are captured as mind-slaves? Hmm, yeah let's just let them solve that problem on their own." Her escaping wouldn't really bring the plot any closer to the final conclusion, it'd just make it feel like something's actually happening compared to the snail's pace it's taken since SAO.

[GinRei]

It's actually only two or three hundred trapped as mind-slave experiments.  Geez, stop exaggerating. 

[Kor]

There's still 3 or 4 episodes left.  How would the story continue if she freed herself?  And how much of a slap in the face to the readers/viewers would that be to go through all this slow crap Kirito's been doing just to have Asuna free herself without anything from him having mattered?  Don't be raging feminists now, it's a story.

1) I'm not saying what "should happen" cause that's not relevant. I'm merely pointing out bad writing.

2) Asuna has been established from the start as a strong character, yet as time went on (and she became closer with Kirito) she became much "weaker". Now she's just a damsel. This is definitely a slap in the face in terms of characters. You are just enforcing the point that now Asuna is nothing but a victory prize for Kirito at the end. A story is a story, but that doesn't mean we need to ignore the inconsistent characters and the sexist overtones.

3) Theoretically, the story could still go on even if Asuna escapes because we would still have that other ridiculous conflict of using the players for experiments.

4) The pacing is bad because compared to the first 13 episodes, it's really slow now.

5) Asuna not freeing herself isn't truly the point. I stopped expecting her to do anything without Kirito. My complaint is the unnecessary tentacle rape that didn't need to be there.

[GinRei]

1. It's not "bad" from the perspective of the characters, just from the outside looking in.  We know things that they do not.  Really, the only bad writing was having Asuna run up to the control console while the scientists were in the room.  She should've just waited until they left.

2. If I recall, she over-rode the paralysis using an archaic form of the Incarnate System, which is more than can be said for everyone else in the boss room at the time.  She also used to have a sword.  She no longer has a sword.  She is not a trained martial artist, and she does not have admin rights.  How is she supposed to fight against those who do have admin rights, as well as much longer reach than she has?

4. I've said this before as well.  I don't know why you're pointing it out as if I'm saying this pace is amazing or something.  Also, it was the first 14, not 13. 

5. To be fair, there wasn't any actual rape.  It was groping.  Even the source material doesn't have rape in it.  Also, the fact that she did manage to escape is far more than most would be able to do considering there was an application in place to prevent her from even seeing the keypad.

[Akonyl]

well, glad they got that plot point out of the way, was wondering how much longer they were going to have them refer to Asuna without saying her name.

[Soreiyu]

That sister/cousin is so damn selfish... I hope that she will finally stop perusing Kazuto/Kirito now...

[Akonyl]

I wouldn't really say she's selfish, that's a pretty reasonable reaction considering her situation imo.

[phreak_91]

I wouldn't really say that this is a situation that's very common, though.

[Partsu]

Rushed first episodes?
Nothing interesting happened during those two years before Finale of SAO, just Kirito & co Grinding...and that would have been boring as hell to watch.

This story has ONE thing I always found odd:
if Asuna managed to move, why didn't she strike Heatcliff instead of jumping in between Kirito and him?
or why didn't she deflect Heatcliffs sword with her own instead of lunging herself at it?

Why didn't Asuna and Kirito die immediately?
there is lag between the moment they die in game and get fried alive by the nervegear, otherwise the potion Kirito got wouldn't work.
How Kirito and Asuna managed to move despite it supposedly being impossible?
THAT is because the nervgear was designed to simulate real thing, what if that included thing called adrenaline spike? that stuff is miracle drug right there.

I had lot more on my mind but those I wanted to share, great anime btw!
almost as good as the LN itself xD
(though there are several things that were didn't make to the anime that could have made this lot better but oh well you can't have it all ...)

[Akonyl]

Rushed first episodes?
Nothing interesting happened during those two years before Finale of SAO, just Kirito & co Grinding...and that would have been boring as hell to watch.

if this was true, SAO:Progressive wouldn't be a thing.