Sword Art Online is Sexist

Nov 4, 2012 7:56 AM

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Apr 2012

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GrayArchon said:

Devilry said:
I'm not even talking about the fact that it's a harem. I think harems are still ok, because none of them take themselves seriously, and are simply meant to be over-the-top and ridiculous.

It's not a harem. It being a harem would require several girls constantly hanging around Kirito, each of them theoretically having a chance, and competing for him. The only one that's consistently been around Kirito is Asuna, and none of the other girls have a chance as Asuna has already won.

The main problem is Asuna. And SAO very much takes Asuna seriously. Asuna literally has no individuality whatsoever. She's just a mishmash of all the different tropes that gets teenage boys excited. She's like the mary sue of fanboy wish fulfillment.

Let me just cite the tvtropes page on Acceptable Feminine Goals and Traits:

"In our culture, there are certain careers, goals, and traits that are considered "feminine". This naturally bleeds into fiction, where we expect a female character to have at least one of these traits or goals. If she doesn't have any of them, she may be criticized as being too masculine or because No Guy Wants An Amazon. If she has too many, she may come under fire from the Real Women Never Wear Dresses crowd."

Citing TV Tropes, and a grab bag of tropes that may vaguely apply does not help your argument.

So, out of the listed traits, which ones do Asuna meet?

Beauty Is Never Tarnished - Check

They're in a videogame that doesn't model dirt and damage in a way that's visible to us. Nobody's "beauty" is tarnished.

Females Are More Innocent - Check

Here's where I know that you didn't actual read anything, you just grabbed a bunch of tropes that looked like they might apply. This trope is all about females not being treated as real villains. It doesn't remotely apply to Asuna.

Feminine Women Can Cook - Check

Congrats, you managed one that applies.

Girls Love Stuffed Animals - Check (if you see the ending art)

So, random ending artwork of an adaptation is now considered major/important character traits?

Mandatory Motherhood - Check

This trope is all about being forced to have kids, when you don't want to have kids. Doesn't apply to Asuna.

My Girl Is Not a Slut - Check

Rather dubious applicability. This is about the double standard of men being allowed to sleep around, while women aren't. Both Kirito and Asuna are monogamous. Furthermore, Asuna's the one that misinterpreted Kirito's request to spend the night as a sexual proposition, and readily accepted. This is not treated as a negative against her.

Women Are Delicate - Check

A rather vague trope, which says in it's own definition "In modern day culture, it is nigh-impossible to not have some sort of variation of this trope." so I'd hardly consider it being some way applicable surprising, or a negative against the series.

Let me list more tropes specific to Japanese culture that, to me, are just as worrying:

You're not really helping your point with this one either.

Tsundere - Check

Asuna isn't a tsundere. She was never in denial of loving Kirito, nor does she display the type of "hot then cold" behavior towards him that typically defines tsunderes.

School idol - Check

Vaguely applies.

Cry Cute - Check

Doesn't really apply to Asuna.

Tender Tears - Check

I suppose this one applies.

Action Girl - Check

This isn't a Japanese culture trope. And congratulations, you just labeled females being competent in combat as sexist.

Aggressive Submissive - Check

I suppose you can say this one applies.

This is not an exhaustive list, and I'm sure there's many more.

Don't bother, you're already pretty much grasping at straws to find tropes that apply and support your argument.

I'm not saying it's wrong to use these tropes. However, it's wrong when all you care about are these tropes. It goes to show that Asuna was designed not to be a balanced, individualistic or realistic character, but simply to be attractive in the types of the perceived male demographic.

It seems to me that the only one that "all they care about is these tropes" is you. You're the one discussing Asuna's characters in terms of them, and stretching to apply them.

In a short span of 3 episodes (15, 16, 17), SAO just dove even deeper into unprecedented levels of sexism. 15 and 16 had be worried, and 17 just made me horrified.

If I still had any doubts that Asuna has been designed as the epitome of sexual objectification, then episode 17 erased all doubts.

I don't care if Sugou is the antagonist, and we're supposed to hate him. It's completely unacceptable that he actually has the power to rape her, and all she can do is beg Kirito for help. It's as if she has no value as an individual at all. Her only salvation is the complete offering of her sexuality to Kirito as his 'prize' for rescuing her.

So Asuna being vulnerable to assault because she's held prisoner by a villain in a world which he has absolute power is sexist? Kirito would be just as vulnerable if their situations were swapped. We also saw her attempting to learn the code to the door, so it's not like she's doing nothing.

Chekchie said:
And worst, I've read this for the third season

, although it's probably for a "good reason", but everything so far as been a "good reason".

Congratulations, you heard of a non-canon story the author wrote starting at two in the morning, and spent all of three hours on, just for fun; and mistook it for an actual canon part of the series.

This guy pretty much killed this thread.

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Autocrat said:
Hitler was good, objectively.

Nov 4, 2012 10:10 AM

#402

Jose-sama

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Immahnoob said: