Why? Why do you legitimately like this show? A show that the anime community has torn apart? A show that people have spent hours going over all of the flaws and plot details? A show that has cannon incest? A show whose own creator has admitted to all the flaws and his inability to write female characters, and how he admits that the only reason he makes it is because of money and money alone. I am genuinely curious what you see in this show? I’m not trying to be a troll or an asshole but I have to know. Why?
A large portion of the SAO fanbase is based on the novels, not just the anime. Many of the flaws and issues people like to bring up do not exist unless examined in the vacuum of the anime. Particular reviews such as digibro’s either are misinformed or outright inaccurate. You yourself point out that the show has canon incest. Something that is a fallacy in itself. His cousin’s character arc involves her having a crush on him. Something that is resolved without anything happening between the two. Cousin relationships are not illegal in much of the world, so even had anything happened it would not have been incest. Calling it incest is a fallacy to try to make the series sound worse. Honestly the sister not being blood related is such an overdone plot device in Japanese culture I’m not even sure why it’s made such a big deal of. Zetsuen no Tempest was a recent popular series that didn’t seem to get massive hate despite dealing with a similar theme.
For me SAO has been about the setting. Reki Kawahara is not a great character writer. His heroes and villains are passable, but do not stand out. But the world building he has created with Sword art Online, and universe the expands out of from the SEED is incredible. Being able to create and explore infinate VR worlds is a huge selling point. The fact that the game’s mechanics are different and fresh from real world equivalents is a huge selling point not a detraction to me. Exploring things like using VR in medicine and PTSD treatment, as well as the creation and development of AI with the backdrop of a fantasy story is fun. The series isn’t the best ever, and the anime anime in particular isn’t even that great, but it’s fun and engrossing, and the haters aren’t going to prevent me from enjoying it.
The series has flaws, particularly Kawahara’s use of sexual assualt/rape as a plot device. I’ll not defend it. I’ll just point out plenty of other popular series use the capture of a female character as a plot device. Those series don’t handle it any better or worse than SAO but seem to get a free pass. The internet community don’t seem to claim Kill la Kill is the worst anime ever because Satsuki is sexually assaulted by her mother for instance. Evangelion is considered an all time classic despite it’s continued sexual themes against minors.
I’d need to see the interview to comment on it, but all I remember from Kawahara’s comments about his female characters is he has trouble writing them any different when it comes to their treatment of Kirito. Even so, several of his main and almost all of his secondary female characters are not trying to pursue kirito. Sinon in particular is written to outright troll him on leading women on.
In short the flaws of sword art online are inherent to the entire anime industry, but to me the world building pushes beyond any of the character or writing flaws.
No comments:
Post a Comment