Sword Art Online is literally a nerd's self insertion fantasy.
Super nerd main character enters game where he is the strongest person in the world despite being a huge pasty white nerd. He saves several damsel's in distress who all throw themselves at him. He's a super loner and meets another super loner who is a hot girl. She's also a damsel in distress and he has to save her over and over. They marry.
The end.
p.s., one of the damsels in distress is his sister who has a huge crush on him and fantasizes about him (she also has triple D breasts) which adds to the self-insertion fantasy since Japanese otakus seem to have a fetish for the forbidden love of fucking their sisters.
Finally, an SAO thread. What did you guys think of Squad Jam? I think I like this about as much as early Alicization, and it looks like it's only getting better.
Hudson Richardson
Why do people like this anime?
Ian Murphy
Not his sister but still equally as hot though.
Cameron James
I don't. I hate this anime. I hate the LN. I hate it with every ounce of my being. I hate it because I'm like a gnat attracted to a big, juicy pile of shit. I hate it because I can't escape.
Benjamin Clark
This show is an abomination but something keeps me watching.
I dunno why; its everything with power fantasy bullshit but I must keep watching for the sake of shitting on it.
Alexander Wood
>derp_commander didn't make the thread for once I'm being unironic when I say this: excellent thread OP
Juan Hill
Are you hoping someone here will disagree with you?
Ayden Cook
The fights look nice and for people who don't watch a lot of anime, they may not realize how terrible and bland the writing and characters are.
Jordan Williams
>Why do people like this anime? You mean why do the Japanese like this. Anyone who likes it outside of japan are children. Or cute girls.
Kayden Perry
>This show is an abomination but something keeps me watching.
Is an actual thing? I have a friend who says this to me all the time and I thought he was just justifying his autistic love for the anime.
Andrew Butler
It's bright and colorful, has inoffensively pleasant character designs, action, romance, drama all wrapped up in a high fantasy setting. It follows a perfect algorithm of mass appeal.
James Kelly
>Super nerd main character enters game where he is the strongest person in the world despite being a huge pasty white nerd.
To quote Morpheus:
"Do you believe that my being stronger or faster has anything to do with my muscles in this place? Do you think that's air you're breathing now?"
Josiah Long
you only need to put sage in the options field you dumb ape
Sebastian Miller
Kirito is not a "pasty white nerd" by any stretch of the definition, he trained on kendo for years and the game he is playing heavily relies on his reflexes.So that is factually wrong. Girls falling for him is not surpringly as he is quite charming and handsome. It's not like a Love Hina situation or people riding Shinji's dick on Evangelion. SAO has plenty of holes but as usual Sup Forums is terrible at criticizing something.
John Parker
No. It is very true. It starts with watching it so you can make fun of it. That's when you're screwed, and your only chance is to stop watching if you want to be saved. Then you'll wonder why the hell everyone is talking about Alicization, and want to read that too. You'll read the rest of the LNs and forgive the anime a little, but pick up a few new grievances along the way. Then you'll get to Alicization, and start liking it. Once it gets bad again in Alicization part 2, you'll still like it because you're attached to the first part, then you'll rewatch the anime and even start to enjoy it. At some point if you have a Vita, you're getting the games too, and enjoying those as well. Then you start reading the other parts, like Alternative, or SJ, and by this point you're blissfully enjoying SAO, completely oblivious to your shit taste, or you become aware of your shit taste, and go into despair, because in either scenario, you're completely surrounded by SAO, and you can't break free. Bonus despair if you were interested in VR stuff before you saw the series.
Luke Adams
If people are going to bitch that Kirito gets a harem they are ignoring the reality of our world wherein attractive men do actually get most of the girls.
Nathaniel Cook
Gee, it's almost like if SAO has some redeeming aspects despite Kawahara's fucks up and general amateurishness.
Luis Myers
It was always my assumption that Kirito ended up with his harem because he looks so feminine. Personally, if I were a waifu, I'd follow him around because he does look very cute. Especially in GGO.
Colton Watson
We knew that since the LNs started being fan translated
Connor Gutierrez
Don't kid yourselves faggot.
SAO arc wasn't the best, but it was decent. It should have ended with him walking out of the hospital, because the rest was shit.
Hunter Cox
Look man, I gave it a chance, I read it. It's average at best. Just my honest opinion. But Japan treats it like the third coming of Christ.
Brody Powell
That's not the point. Kirito is still relatable to the average pasty white nerd and that's the basis of his character design. The whole Kendo thing is shoved into his backstory in order to make things slightly more believable but it in no way defines his character. People say Yang Wenli is relatable despite the fact his a fleet admiral. Most people view Kirito as a loner gamer, which was almost certainly the author intention considering how well it has done the LN/Anime.
Also:
In my opinion Kirito is awkward (although I'll let that one slide)
Nobody even mentions how handsome Kirito is.
+ I don't agree with this Shinji harem meme, especially in comparison with SAO.
Jack Cruz
Not on your life kiddo. The SAO arc's only redeeming quality was that it's mandatory for Alicization. For the most part, all the bad is balanced by the good. For SAO, we have Alicization to come of it. For GGO, we have Squad Jam to come of it. In the LNs, Fairy Dance was much better, as was Excalibur, yet it still had Mother's Rosario to balance it out.
Henry Hughes
Oh fuck it. I was already planning to watch S2 to make fun out of it. Ever since I watched a review for it's being in my mind a lot. Wish me luck user.
Robert Nguyen
You realize this now?
Evan Peterson
Thought it became much better after that as it abandons the .//hack tripe and goes full haram.
A self insert is a character that is a projection of the author himself, as he / she would realistically act (or would have acted in the past) in the world that they create. All faucets of the character are the author's own personality rather than be mended to fit the purpose of the story / narrative. This is not Sword Art Online. Anime like GATE or Netoge or 90% of LNs are actual self insert fantasies.
Sup Forums is too quick to hate on something purely because it doesn't like the fanbase elsewhere rather than the merits of the show itself (but will deny this and strawman about why it's supposedly bad in defense)
Daniel Harris
Summoning Jake: Do you happen to know if YP is planning on doing anything about SJ? Also, is Argo as influential a character as I hope in Alternative so far?
Jace Lewis
we 2012 now
Angel Peterson
There are plenty of things I don't like about SAO. First there's the lack of continuity: until you get to Alicization, everything volume 1-8 you don't know WHERE the hell you're gonna go, except the general area. The only exception is GGO, which was fully self contained (and unfortunately, left quite a bit to be desired). The entire second volume is a collection of waifu substories, Early and Late in Volume 8 was a fuccboi substory and getting the legendary sword of cliche. The 'late' fit in quite nicely in the LN, and I'll give it that, but in the anime it was done HORRIBLY. We knew absolutely nothing about Tonkii other than that "This is a character that Leafa apparently cares about" Little did the anime only folk know that Tonkii had a whole exposition section, and Kirito needed to make a choice (albeit a simple one) whether to challenge the fortress then (And with his SAO stats, it may have been doable even with all the extra mobs) or chase Asuna. Even more, in the anime the 'late' section comes BEFORE Rosario. You even see Kiririn fend off the hordes with his speshul sord. Once Reki got his ass on straight, this wasn't a problem, but it really torked me off. Especially the 'early' part of early and late, by that point I was so sick and tired of bouncing back to Aincrad it was as if I were actually trapped there. Little did I know that Alicization is about how Kirito's still trapped there, and just as sick of it.
Joshua Bell
>The fights look nice The fights look terrible with the exception of Mother's Rosario, actually. Speed lines and laser lights are not good animation.
I have no clue. I don't actually keep up with YP news and get most updates from y'all. Sorry to disappoint.
>Alternative Uhhh, quite honestly, I'm behind on following the translations on SAOA:GGO. I don't image she'd be influential in Alternative. Is she even IN it? I have no clue. Or did you mean Progressive?
Aaron Roberts
>> Progressive. That's the one.
Justin Ramirez
no shit sherlock
i liked the first 14 episodes but everything after was shit
Adrian Cox
Argo so far has been pretty important. She pretty much shows up in every volume I think. She has a lot bigger presence than she did in the main storyline. Someone OCR'd the Progressive novels and it should be on Nyaa, so you should check them out.
Read the manga for more qt Argo.
Anthony Sanchez
The OPs were pretty good, and the first seaspn was decent
GGO onwards was a steaming pile of shit and should have never been made
Daniel Richardson
Haven't really started reading. Guess I want the translations to get further before investing myself in it.
YP hasn't announced anything outright, but seeing as Kadokawa acquired them, I would assume we might get a Squad Jam translation Eventually™ But why bother? The first volume has already been fan translated, and I think the second one is coming along. On another note, anyone else think Kawahara's naming sense is terribly haliarious? >Alicization Lasting
Dominic Kelly
This is now a .hack//SIGN thread. Yes op I agree .hack is much better then SAO.
Jaxon Brooks
Same thing with :
Overlord Monster Musume Gate
Aiden Foster
I only watch it so i can make informed shitposts about it
Anthony Nelson
This was apparent since episode 2 OP.
Benjamin Thompson
>Gate I hate that show. It starts out with a great premise and then it becomes obvious that the main character is a Gary Stu.
I can't.
Austin Ward
The same reason people like Stephen King. They don't know any better.
Luis Price
What a shocking revelation. You're only 4 years late.
Carson Rivera
>Clover's Regret spin-off preview
Fuck, I really thought we were going to get more Argo.
Joseph Nelson
Thanks OP, sometimes I need to be reminded that Sup Forums doesn't always have shit taste.
Carter Barnes
>has never seen "sage goes in all fields" type of posts Is it summer already?
Nicholas Smith
Oh look, Kirito isn't brain dead anymore.
Landon Gonzalez
>Why do people like this anime? One thing it does have going for it is a unique and interesting premise. Which it loses after the first arc...
Michael Perry
Who here /quinella/?
Connor Anderson
I'd like to think Quinella is Reki's take on all those pyscho princesses on those web novels.
And he actually made her good. Best SAO villain.
Liam Carter
>tfw no quinella fanart on Pixiv
Andrew Robinson
Funnily enough, SAO ends up being better than 80% of those WNs.
Easton King
>it's a "newfag successfully fits in with his first SAO trash-talking thread" episode At least you didn't make a Fate thread
Jeremiah Allen
just make klein the MC and gender bend kirito. F I X E D
Samuel Murphy
>implying SAO doesn't deserve all the hate it gets. Stay mad kiritofag
Grayson Jenkins
Why hello there. I don't think Mr. Fishburne couldn't have said it any better himself. Summer in the US pretty much begins on Memorial Day. STURGEON'S ____LAW____
Adrian Reyes
>hating Kirito Why?
William Hughes
my dick is diamonds more?
Lucas Ross
I don't have very much, but here's what I do have.
Christopher Richardson
>SAO Alternative >ninjas Eh? I thought SAOA was GGO. Is it not?
>SK Kirito Lord help us.
Who /cardinal/ here?
Carson Martinez
Oh fuck, I somehow download this image at very crap quality.
Wyatt Jenkins
Would you?
Charles Jones
ah man this is some mighty fine masturbatory material before lunch.
Carson Gray
If I understand Alicization plot properly, Soul Translator can be used to cure coma patients with brain damage? This is a major scientific breakthrough, right?
Andrew Roberts
>Eh? I thought SAOA was GGO. Is it not? It's a new Spin-off by someone else entirely.
The cover doesn't even mention Alt— >オルタナティブ Huh. I guess all of their Spin-Offs not involving the main cast will be titled "SAO Alternative"
Brayden Bell
Anyone have the cap of the guy who came either from MAL or ANN to seriously defend SAO on Sup Forums?
Easton Smith
There should seriously be more Kiriko lewd.
Andrew Parker
>seriously defend SAO No way anyone would ever seriously defend SAO r-right?
Gabriel Rivera
What do you expect from a story written by a sixteen year old faggot? He has just had the good fortune that someone has taken into account the shit that he wrote and turned them into a cultural case.
Something similar had happened with Paolini and his Eragon.
Carson Martin
It might very well be Argo on the cover, though. You know how anime character design goes. >blonde >yellow eyes >ninja
Elijah Price
I forgot about that poster. You might be right, but I somehow doubt it. Could be great.
On another note, Alicization manga was announced. By the same artist that's doing Phantom Bullet manga (which isn't over yet, by the way) Gonna take forever to finish.
Eli Miller
Why wasn't the Ocean Turtle guarded by a proper JSDF contingent?
Liam Lewis
Yen Press may be releasing it digitally soon, too. Log Horizon, Accel World, and SAO and SAOP have been added to the digital schedule.
Because the JSDF were the ones that tipped off the NSA about their little project. Something about large parts of the JSDF just not liking RATH.
Chase Johnson
>literal treason Japan really hates the military, don't they?
Luke Young
You're not wrong. And that's what scares me.
Asher Johnson
I didn't make that connection, but that looks to be the case. On top of that, Volume 15-18 would just not exist if the JSDF actually decided to enter the Ocean Turtle to stop the terrorists, but instead pretended that there was a hostage situation, to give the intruders more time to take Alice.
Thinking about it, the whole thing does seem a lot more Anti-Military when I take into account Japan's general views on that.
Joseph Smith
I agree, they threw any little bits of good they had out the window after the first 14 episodes.
Parker Rogers
Neato. I'm glad they're moving towards digital because it'll tap reach more readers. I'll still get the deadtree version but that's just because I'd rather not read on the computer if I don't have to.
It paints the Japanese and American militaries in a bad light while still maintaining a healthy dose of obligatory East Asian Sup Forums shitflinging.
Chase Bennett
Why are you so serious? It's anime made for kids and teenagers which shouldn't be taken too seriously.
David Butler
underrated post
Bentley Anderson
I'm somewhat relieved that Kadokawa isn't pulling any Bookwalker-exclusive crap with Yen Press.
The anti-military undertones were there from the start of Alicization with the whole "cloning the souls of human babies and locking them in a machine to use as guinea pigs" thing probably violating at least an international law or two against human experimentation yet being run by the Defense Ministry for the purpose of being able to create a slave army of clone souls trapped inside UAVs because they got envious of Obama's drone fleet.
Michael Martinez
.hack//SIGN is an anime about talking, done poorly. I seriously don't see the appeal. The series wasn't leading the pack in it's time and has aged like milk
Charles Jones
Just imagine Sup Forums reacting to animated Alicization. >Gabriel's backstory episode >muh drones >all the Frodos about the Ocean Turtle and RATH
Gavin Murphy
>armchair doctors who got their medical degree from WebMD shitposting about how succinylcholine and hypoxic brain injury works
Jose Garcia
Oh yeah, a whole new round of succhinylcholine derping. I forgot about that.
Leo Jones
I haven't been keeping up with the LN translations, last I read was when the NSA goons cut the power. How far into the spoiler shitpost pasta are they?
John Lewis
Copy and pasting (and editing) translation of the PV.
Spoiler warning. (Duh) >"------ It's Kirito-kun. My Kirito-kun is back......" >"I definitely wouldn't abandon everyone's hope, blood and tears. Let's go save them. Can you help me, Asuna?"
>On the second day of the Final Tolerance Experiment, the entire Underworld has plunged into chaos. >Led by Dark God Vector, The Dark Territory Army are the users from the ...... >Deceiving VRMMO players from America, China and Korea, he summons tens of thousands of into the as reinforcements. >Since Integrity Knight Bercouli, the highest commander of the has fallen, Alice, his beloved apprentice, rushes towards the on her own. >Losing the Super Account , Gabriel logs in again as , defeats Sinon in their duel, and pursues Alice. >Meanwhile, in the battlefield where the are trapped by the whom overwhelmingly outnumbering them, Asuna's desperate fight and the air of Lisbeth, Sakuya and others turn out to be in vain. Kirito is eventually captured by the enemy in his state of self-loss. >His rival since the SAO era, the villain , one of the remaining members of Laughing Coffin. >As though releasing his grudge which has accumulated for years, is about to sink his fangs into Kirito---!! >Suddenly, from Kirito's heart, a voice resonates. >It belongs to his best friend whom he has lived with, fought alongside and laughed together with. The voice of his one and only, best friend---. >Finally, Kirito revives, >In order to save Alice, who determines the fate of the world, Asuna, who is his greatest love, everyone who rushed in to help, and living in the Underworld.
Christian Murphy
I went to bed at 50 posts, not expecting the thread to last the night. Thanks guys.
Jack Reed
You're welcome. Have some Kiriko.
Josiah Carter
Is there anyone who can beat Star King Onii-sama?
Brayden Powell
Star King Kirito within the context of his own world, is a god for all intents and purposes. Even if you have nigh-invincibility, he can literally kill you with love.
Parker Moore
A lot of people don't like where Alicization went with the whole incarnation and mind powers thing, but I like it because I have a massive hardon for badass MCs.
Carter Bell
I swear, for a series written around the MMO(RPG) genre, it does such a poor job at explaining mechanics and fleshing out the world. This, on top of the horrible writing and awful characters, makes for one of the more baffling surges in popularity I've seen in regards to anime.
At least Log Horizon exists, and can fulfill my desire for the "trapped in an MMO" premise.
Aiden King
SAO isn't really about the MMO though. It's about the virtual world itself, and how it connects to the real world. As such, the mechanics are just background details, that are usually only explained in the novels.
Jayden Anderson
Wow that's a revolutionary view you have there.
Ian Turner
I can't imagine wanting to read a book that's actually about the action and mechanics of playing a videogame and nothing else. It would read like Re: Monster in its dryness.
Logan Allen
Then why have it set in one? Why establish MMO and game mechanics/conventions only to ignore them in favor of contrivances aimed at making characters and things look and sound cool. Also, I doubt the novels are much better, as it seems the author has a limited understanding of MMOs and an even poorer grasp of how to utilize narrative logic, characterization, and story structure.
Zachary Moore
How many fantasy stories have an exclusive focus on the inner-workings of how magic operates, and the various intricacies of how they interact with natural phenomena at the quantum level?
>Why establish MMO and game mechanics/conventions Because the story is about "the virtual"? Didn't you read my post? What other setting would be better for asking about the boundaries between "virtual" and "real", when you're entering/have entered an age of information, where the virtual has become a large part of our lives, and Video Games are an increasing part of that?
How SAO handles the setting may not be perfect, but it's not like it's completely useless.