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That describes my experience with Sword Art Online, needless to say I already dropped it and wish everyone else does the same.


It still is, (not including Hyouka or the other spring series), and whoever says Sword Art Online is better needs to just stop watching anime all together. Honestly, I'm glad I saw this show: It's different, it's creative and it has heart, something Shit Art Online and 99% of the other airing series (except Jinrui and Hyouka) lack completely. From that beautiful opening theme song, by the guy who sung that famous Durarara ending, to the beautiful ending theme song and all in between. These 10 weeks have been truly something worthwhile, and I pity those who'd rather watch yet another moeblob series, yet another yuri-as-laughs series and other things we've seen millions of times over.

Anyways, besides the haters, I'm excited to see the conclusion of this. It's been a slow ride ironic given the usual pacing of 11 episode series, but honestly without Jinrui or Hyouka, it would be my #1 easily. Definitely going to import this series as my first import, given how cheap it is (for Japan's ridiculously high pricing standards). The biggest thing about this show is that there are NO teenagers at all! Probably why I enjoy it so much :)

Good episode, only 1 episode left now. I wonder how thing will wrap up.

Why do you all say this show is not as good as expected?

For me it is still original and interesting. It has unique idea and well developed story that is fun to watch. Characters are down to earth, but you can sense their temper. I love Hazuki ! And it was long ago when I liked a character like this. Anyway. Series are really not like those annoying school soap dramas.

Honestly for me, the anime industry is getting saturated with unoriginal ideas. This show seems original on the surface, but the only non-standard idea it really has is the older lady with a younger guy. I'm sure that's been done before in anime too, I just haven't personally seen it.

At least half of this show is rehash of b-list fairy tales, with the main character plopped inside of them muttering some insignificant dialogue. The first few episodes are commendable for Hazuki's bravery and assertiveness, but aside from that, it's not any more original than most anime for me. Just think about it, how many anime have ghosts or other supernatural elements, fairy tales, romance, or drama? And how many of them do one or all of those things better?

These days, I don't expect to see something new, but I do hope for at least a better version of the old.

Well, maybe *ghost stories* are nothing new (there is anohana, kanon but those just annoy the hell out of me), but it's not all about the "idea", but the way it is expressed. And that ghost thing is taken in a new unseen way to me. It's not pretentious, sad things are not over-the-top. And just how much you know josei anime that characters are OLDER than 20's and actually act like ones?

I already gave this anime credit for the uncommon occurrence of 'adult' characters with a large age gap between them in a romantic setting. Honestly though, I think that the main characters act like children throughout most of the show.

Rokka met her first love either at or near college age, which shows obvious signs of emotional immaturity; and continues to try to live this fairy tale long after he's dead by clinging to him so much that it compromises her professional and personal life. Her inability to be emotionally or physically intimate with Hazuki isn't just because she couldn't get over her dead husband, but more so because she never matured to the point that she could handle a normal romance. I will say this though; Rokka was brave and strong by her husbands bedside.

Shimao on the other hand was a whiny bastard until he was finally given an inch by Hazuki, which he took more than a mile with by the end of this particular episode. His general personality after his death isn't amusing at all to me, but instead it's just plain childish. This is reasonable for him though, as he never got the chance to live a normal persons life because of his sickness.

In Hazuki's case, I hate to say this because he's my pick; but he doesn't have much of a backbone for someone his age. He was very assertive when this series started off, but he gave both Rokka and Hazuki too much slack while still diligently standing by the idea that he would be "okay" with being second best, which basically makes him an inferior replacement for Shimao.

So, the way I see it, Shimao may have had some idea of what he wanted to do with his life with the flower shop, and Rokka and Hazuki are just living his dream up for him. I don't see that as maturity, I see that as an immature lack of independent thought or aspiration.

That said, I still insist that this series would have been more unique and original if it followed the real(anime)-world drama of Hazuki and Rokka as they struggled to leave her husband in the past and start anew in a somewhat off-balance relationship. Seeing them learn balance and unity in that situation, for me, would have been more entertaining than seeing Rokka cosplay as a few Disney rejects for half the series, and listen to Shimao whine about not getting his way.

Finally, I'd like to mention that lack of originality isn't a deal-breaker to me. In fact, I look for a bit of similarity, which was why I was interested in this romance anime. Generally, if I enjoyed something the first time, I'm sure to enjoy it again. Unfortunately, this series, original or not, was just lackluster for me. It would have been better off as a movie or a short OVA series without Shimao's ghost or his picturebook in it.

Shimao is a terrible man.

Shimao should be shot; too bad he's already dead.

This point of the story should have been in earlier episodes. Hazuki finally voiced out what a clingy person Shimao is to the point of being despicable, but still sympathetic nonetheless. I just hope the last episode will be better or at least as good as this one. The development won't get much, much worse, won't it? Fingers crossed. I still have hope for this series.
Second that.

same here. actually this episode made me like him even more than before...

I guess watching it after 6 weeks really lost its impact.
The last sentence, it hurts.

wow..... Shimao.... what a douche you turned out to be, never felt so much hate for someone over the space of 20mins haha, the story has a whole has certainly weakened from the first what.... 3-4 episodes, found it hard to watch from there... quite disappointing really it started out with so much potential.

For real. This went to crap when they switched bodies.

Shimao should give Hazuki his body back. I had a hard time finishing the last few episodes...