Should Sword Art Online have been all about Aincrad alone?

Sword Art Online (light novel)

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Absolutely

No.

What is this..I don't even...

Oct 15, 2012 5:41 AM

Valourtore

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Oct 2012

I can't help but feel that with more character development and bonding; I know that the author's addressing this problem of level jumps and character development in SAO Progressive), however maybe the author should just have written in more detail about Aincrad alone...as in 3 (usually a trilogy works best) novels about SAO alone... The Exposition, The Rising Action and finally the Climax and Denouement together) because if the story had ended there...on that Crystal Platform in the clouds, surrounded by the orange sky, it would have been an epic finale to conclude the entire series.

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Oct 15, 2012 5:44 AM

Paul

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Jan 2008

18444

If it was, at least I wouldn't be annoyed at how the title of the anime is called Sword Art Online.

Oct 15, 2012 5:52 AM

petalshreds

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May 2010

1368

at least the author should have written more about orange/red players instead of flashbacks and bits and pieces maybe. but that wouldn't have been enough for a "trilogy". please elaborate your ideas?

Oct 15, 2012 5:57 AM

Valourtore

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Oct 2012

petalshreds said:
at least the author should have written more about orange/red players instead of flashbacks and bits and pieces maybe. but that wouldn't have been enough for a "trilogy". please elaborate your ideas?

Rather than going into other novels and expanding forward, i feel that a true classic in literature must be able to "close" its story. In that sense, an epic like Lord of the Rings is great, because it had a clear beginning, middle and end....i simply abhor stretched storylines that serve only to milk readers.

Ofc, that's not to say that ALO and the rest are simply fillers. They're great volumes, but in the context of SAO the story should have ended after so emotional an end.

About the bonding part, I think Kawahara is working on it through SAO Progressive - ie. the Unabridged Version of SAO. Have to read it before I say for sure that SAO is a great work of art or just another fanfic made real.

ValourtoreOct 15, 2012 6:00 AM

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Oct 15, 2012 6:13 AM

petalshreds

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May 2010

1368

wow. i didn't know about SAO progressive. just googled it.
still, i believe that SAO is an LN, not classic novel, for a reason...i didn't know about other LNs. have only read Baccano a bit.
which makes me wonder...SAO progressive seems to be an LN too.

Oct 15, 2012 6:18 AM

whatever123456

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Oct 2012

683

No, I like that it also adresses their lives in the real world and other games/applications of VR technology.

Oct 15, 2012 9:27 AM

kayos90

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Feb 2008

No because the pacing of the anime would've been horrible and worse than what we got.

Oct 15, 2012 9:44 AM

Avere

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Feb 2012

1569

Sword Art Online was originally only about Aincard. If I recall the author just posted it online because he broke the lines for the original publication and, it became popular.

This is the author notes at the end of Volume 1 read it to understand more

I wrote Sword Art Online for the Dengeki Light Novel Award[1] seven years ago in 2002, and it was the first novel I ever wrote.
But when I somehow managed to complete it, the manuscript was far longer than 120 pages, which was the cutline back then. Since I had neither the skill nor the will to trim this down to fit the cutline, I kneeled facing the wall and muttered "I don't care anymore..."
But because of my weak personality, I couldn't erase the whole manuscript and simply thought "why don't I post this up on the internet then?"; I made a website that fall. Luckily I was able to receive good responses from a lot of people. With this as my motivation, I kept on going with the series; I wrote a sequel, a side-story, and then another sequel. I carried on like this and before I knew it, six years had already passed.
It was 2008 when I decided to try again. I wrote another story (which was once again far longer than the cutline, but I barely managed to trim it down to 120 pages) and then entered it to the Dengeki Light Novel Award. Thanks to some overwhelming good luck, I managed to receive the grand prize. But my luck didn't just end there. I still can't forget the happiness and excitement I felt when my editor read the «SAO» that I kept stacking up thoughtlessly.
It was true that I felt a little anxious as well. That was because there were so many problems with this story that I can't even begin to list them here. The biggest reason was my hesitation about "is it really alright to take everything I wrote up and just publish them?"
But the reason I managed to reach the decision to publish this was because the timing was so good: I had just finished writing, society had just started to become publicly aware of online games, and most of all thanks to Miki «his lover is work» Kazuma-san (I was shocked by how he managed to get through my manuscript even with his busy schedule). I would never have been able to get this story published if it wasn't for these reasons. But if I didn't seize this lucky chain of events I would never be a gamer...I mean author! That was the conclusion I reached and I was finally able to get «Sword Art Online 1: Aincrad» published on paper.
This story was the starting point for me, who kept writing with the theme "isn't an online game also another reality?" I hope I would be able to reach the end of this road with all of you readers.
I offer my sincere thanks to Abec-san, who managed to color this story with countless great designs and draw the characters who fought here so vividly despite the difficult setting of 'a near-future virtual reality fantasy game', and also to my editor Miki-san, who thoroughly read my problem-ridden draft and managed to give a new life to this story.
Also, I would like to thank all the people who urged me on for so long while reading «Sword Art Online» on my site. If it wasn't for your encouragement, «Kawahara Reki» would never have been able to come out into this world, let alone this book.
And finally, I offer my greatest thanks to everyone who read this book until the end!

It's long so I put it in a spoiler.

Oct 15, 2012 9:55 AM

symbv

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Sep 2012

10121

MidnightPride said:
Sword Art Online was originally only about Aincard. If I recall the author just posted it online because he broke the lines for the original publication and, it became popular.

I remember reading it in its original Japanese but I always have this question: What did the author originally plan to do for Asuna after the Aincard game was cleared (i.e. Vol.1) ? The ending at vol.1 left open the question of what happened to Asuna and I wonder if it was the same in the work he first submitted to Dengeki.

In short, if Asuna were to be just left lying on a hospital bed after Aincard, then no I would not want SAO to be about Aincard alone.

So MAL finally starts locking news threads that are only a few weeks old?

I wonder where was the announcement of this change? Or we are seeing yet another case of changes made that impacted users but not communicated to them?

I wonder how long people would put up with this.

As much as I have a bunch of information to share about anime announced recently I cannot share it in news board, and the anime series is too disorganized and chaotic to share information except with people already interested in the particular series.

Oct 15, 2012 11:50 AM

#10

Falcomster

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Aug 2011

2514

I would've preferred it tbh

Oct 15, 2012 2:20 PM

#11

-Sakuya-

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Jan 2011

ALO looks pretty bad.

Oct 15, 2012 2:37 PM

#12

Lylaaz

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Mar 2010

1726

Cant say before i haven't seen the second half of series.

But i really like how he came back to real life.

Oct 15, 2012 5:45 PM

#13

Muranodo

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Oct 2012

Felt kind of rushed, honestly; they at least are able to make the characters likeable. I kind of accept permanent in-completion or rushed pacing for about 90% of the shows though as of late based off how the industry is going though.

Oct 15, 2012 6:18 PM

#14

Mayuka

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Jul 2012

48259

Lol I feel like I influenced the OP to post this.

Like I said in the other thread:

That should give the producers time to develop the underrated side characters like Kazuto's friends, Klein, Silica, Liz, etc.

And also for less time skips and more process.

underneath the stars

Oct 17, 2012 5:32 AM

#15

Valourtore

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Oct 2012

meepsheep said:
Lol I feel like I influenced the OP to post this.

Like I said in the other thread:

That should give the producers time to develop the underrated side characters like Kazuto's friends, Klein, Silica, Liz, etc.

And also for less time skips and more process.

Forget ALO and the rest. Aincrad alone was the ultimate setting...it just needed more love.

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Oct 17, 2012 5:37 AM

#16

ssjokg

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Aug 2009

20098

Valourtore said:

meepsheep said:
Lol I feel like I influenced the OP to post this.

Like I said in the other thread:

That should give the producers time to develop the underrated side characters like Kazuto's friends, Klein, Silica, Liz, etc.

And also for less time skips and more process.

Forget ALO and the rest. Aincrad alone was the ultimate setting...it just needed more love.

I still prefer GGO.

Read this if you want to start the Fate/ series but don't know from where.

Oct 17, 2012 5:51 AM

#17

Falcomster

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Aug 2011

2514

GGO ftw

Oct 17, 2012 6:48 AM

#18

reborn925

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Oct 2011

570

I still prefer GGO.

EstelleBright said:
GGO ftw

Agree :)

Oct 17, 2012 10:27 AM

#19

HibiChouchou

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Sep 2011

385

they crammed 4vol into a 2cour anime series, rushing is inevitable.
Make it into 48episode then they will have plenty of times for char developments.

Oct 17, 2012 10:29 AM

#20

ssjokg

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Aug 2009

20098

HibiChouchou said:
they crammed 4vol into a 2cour anime series, rushing is inevitable.
Make it into 48episode then they will have plenty of times for char developments.

Risking angering the LN fans with some fillers.Still it may have been better than what we got now.

Read this if you want to start the Fate/ series but don't know from where.

Oct 17, 2012 10:52 AM

#21

belatkuro

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Feb 2009

5571

HibiChouchou said:
they crammed 4vol into a 2cour anime series, rushing is inevitable.
Make it into 48episode then they will have plenty of times for char developments.

Accel World covered 4 volumes plus 2 side stories from volume 10.
Index season 1 covered 6 volumes minus one chapter from volume 5.
Index season 2 covered 8 volumes plus that one chapter.
Horizon season 1 and 2 covered 2 volumes each(but each volumes are massive so it probably doesn't count)

It's not as bad as it sounds you know.

Oct 17, 2012 10:54 AM

#22

-Dullahan

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Aug 2011

No, because a i love lyfa haha

Oct 17, 2012 5:02 PM

#23

Marow

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Dec 2009

1949

I believe it should. Only Aincrad. The studio would only borrow the concept and characters, while making big changes to the story. I believe it could've been quite good in that case.

I have my own anime blog. It's called Anime Viking. Hope you'll you read it!

Oct 17, 2012 5:27 PM

#24

Heresiya

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Dec 2011

2016

Like I said in another two topics...
Kirito thoughts missing is the problem (or the first person in scene - like his cousin in ep15).

Sorry for my bad English >:

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Oct 18, 2012 8:34 AM

#25

Valourtore

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Oct 2012

lifestyLe said:
Like I said in another two topics...
Kirito thoughts missing is the problem (or the first person in scene - like his cousin in ep15).

Sorry for my bad English >:

If it had been about Aincrad alone, i think the problem of the absence of an omnipresent narrator would not appear so detrimental to the story's integrity. But, as it stands, yes....we need to see his thoughts. The POV in the anime doesn't give the story any form of depth.

EDIT: As of 18/10 it appears that the majority of forum users feel the same way as I do. In my opinion, Love stories that are made to close with a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions should not be reclaimed from the open sea of oblivion - otherwise, the sheer impact of the said tragedy is lost amidst a sense of being cheated.It stands to reason that even in Anime, people should die when they are killed.

ValourtoreOct 18, 2012 8:41 AM

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Oct 18, 2012 9:56 AM

#26

GD1551

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Oct 2010

5252

No.. it simply needed more episodes. 30 episodes for this arc would have been fine, they could have fleshed out everything much more.

Oct 21, 2012 9:52 AM

#27

Usernames54561

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Apr 2008

588

Yeah this post is going to get burned by the fans.

Ok, I have to say here when I first started watching I liked it but as I watched on and read volume 4 of the novel I felt that the story is losing its own taste.

I dislike the cousin love here. From the episode that is going I believe its going to be predictable. (Quite unlikely Asuna will be trapped forever)

Harem Harem Harem

The only thing I could say I really liked the love story here. (I mean its really well executed)

So I pretty much agree with Valourtore the author could have put it into one story instead.

Oct 21, 2012 10:53 AM

#28

hyperknees91

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Aug 2008

2155

I'm alright with it extending to ALO but that's about it. The ending of ALO really should have just been the end of the series (the way it was written was a perfect ending for the series), but extending past that was just beating the horse.

Oct 21, 2012 11:58 AM

#29

Xaliuss

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Sep 2011

155

I hope there will be a lot of OVAs of nonecranised stories of Aincrad.

Jul 22, 2015 10:25 PM

#30

Simeon_Karnes

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Jul 2015

I feel like they could've stayed with Aincrad for at least like 4 seasons:( there was 100 floors... It could've gone on forever! Like as long as Pokemon. They could've added twists and if the was an "update" to the game even to change it all. I'd love it if they could act like Aincrad had never ended in season one and they could drag out the romance and the suspense of are they gonna be together a such for longer:( I want it to stay with Aincrad!!! :D

Jul 22, 2015 10:35 PM

#31

ShunKawazaki

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Aug 2013

4846

whatever123456 said:
No, I like that it also adresses their lives in the real world and other games/applications of VR technology.

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Jul 23, 2015 9:34 PM

#32

OppaiSugoi

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Jul 2014

4200

May be, just maybe if they stuck with the source material and made it 50 eps? They could've pulled it off, but no; Otaku pandering sells.

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