Sword Heart Online

Link Start

Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara which takes place in the near-future and focuses on a specific Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG). The  anime television series produced by A-1 Pictures aired in Japan between July and December 2012 which centers itself around modern day Japan and its release of a new virtual reality MMORPG with the state of the art Nervegear, a device that stimulates the user’s five senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds for full immersion virtual reality system experience.

Shortly after the new game starts on launch day, the game’s creator “Akihiko Kayaba” quickly prevents any of the players from logging out.  Then, all the players are told they must complete all 100 floors of the floating castle of Aincrad in order to escape the game. Allies will be made, lives will be lost, teams will be forged and tears will be shed as Kirito and a few other players band together to try and reach all 100 floors and beat this death game.

Game Day

In S.A.O we’re introduced to Kirito, an anti social recluse who we see dive right into the world of Sword Art Online. He seems like a kind a character he could beat the game easily. As a result, he set out to beat the game on his own.But that didn’t work out so well since his first group boss battle revealed that he knew more than he was letting on about. Pretty soon everyone turned against him and soon he became known as a”Beater”.

As the game progresses for two years he went through some horrific experiences joining a guild here or bringing false hope there but his whole adventure isn’t all bad.Now with the help of Asuna (girlfriend), Klein, and the rest of their small crew Kirito eventually discovers the identity of Kayaba’s avatar in SAO, they confront and destroy him, freeing themselves and the other players from the game.

Asuna’s trapped

Sword Art Online is an amazingly well put together series that incorporates tons of similar traits and attributes related to real online gaming. The creators have paid really close attention to details in terms of free roaming, maps, missions, dungeons and treasures, leveling up, skill development, character customization, hidden content even boss battles. They left no margin for errors which helps engage viewers in an experience that pulls you in even if you’re a fan of games or not. Player Killers, or certain players who don’t take things seriously enough and decide to kill other people  just to get items that they’re too lazy to earn is just one aspect that the show illustrates just like in real life gaming.

The series is greatly adapted to illustrate what we as the consumer like. Our desire to not just play games but to immerse ourselves in it and to really be a part of the fun. Though the show gained more and more publicity and popularity through the reinforcement theory which demonstrates that the Media can’t force you to watch whatever they want you to watch but if someone you know watches it and says its really good then it sways you to watch it yourself. So even if this series isn’t your cup of tea the media can reinforce their opinion instead of change yours so that in time you yourself can change your mind and watch Which can also be explained by the two-step flow theory. Thus the franchise is everywhere you look whether it’s online, or on a poster or even on DVD.

Sword Art Online blurs the line between the characters in-game and your perception of reality to sway you into believing either that people are either losing themselves in their made up personas or are growing as more than 2 years of each player’s actual lives are spent playing this game in order to survive. Although before you watch the show that’s not exactly what you’d thought it would be about. When you first hear of the series, you hear exactly how it is being represented.With Media Representation A-1 Pictures and other corporate media have constructed the trailers and clips of the series to appeal to their ideal demographic of viewers. Looking for people who love action and fantasy and that in turn spreads the message and influence of the show around the globe to even more people through dozen of media outlets.

s.a.o logic

In Sword Art Online the characters go through intense states of emotion whether its amazement or fear. As a real gamer it’s one thing when you play behind a screen and move your character but its a whole different scenario when you can feel like your literally walking in your characters shoes, drawing your sword and actually being a part of the game. According to Kawahara in an article by Lynzee Lamb, he had said “that he made this series and its characters with the idea that they are looking to escape reality for various reasons and that online gaming was the target of society although he wanted to portray it in a more positive manner.

The Black Swordsman

The show is so engaging and well done that it hooks not only pro gamers but also those who don’t quite fully understand why certain people play online MMO’s so much. The introduction sequence and soundtrack is so catchy and the story will just melt your heart. Teen and young adults who have never seen this show will simply shed a tear or more when watching this series, especially at some of its most tragic scenes. 

Even though Sword Art Online is a very suspenseful and dramatic show it still has its comedic parts too which is why many people can relate to it and has been a huge hit in Japan and across America. People have made memes with tons of photos from the show obsessing over how overpowered the characters are. People cosplay as their favorite character at various conventions and expos. That sense of power and fantasy and peoples reactions makes this series a big success.

In various anime clubs and communities this is just one of the many shows that is too good not to watch. It is posted everywhere you look so you’ll eventually end up watching it. If it’s a new anime then you’ll be anxious when you have to wait for a week for the new episode to be aired. and you’ll be sad when you watch it all when it’s over. I’ve grown quiet fond of the series and I cant wait to watch tons more like it. There are various websites that have the series uploaded if you want to give it a try . Go watch Sword Art Online now and be a part of the adventure.

Proud to Love Horror

Horror movies are something we all know about. Most of us have seen them, whether we wanted to or not. Horror movies are movies that deal with bringing the viewers’ nightmares and hidden fears to life. Horror movies have settled into their place in American culture, but also added a new innovation into pop culture: Horror movie fans and fanatics. They are people who have horror movies imbedded into their lives. The victims and the survivors of these films are usually very well known, but they are rarely better known then the true main character of these films; the monster. Throughout the decades one thing has never changed regarding these monsters, other then their “hobbies”. That is the fact that they all have, and always will have, a fan base. From Dracula and his fangs to Jason and his machete, there is a group of fans who love them. The main difference between these fans is the various levels in which they love their movie monster. They can range from the typical fan to a true horror movie fanatic.

Wes Craven on his film Scream and Horror movies

There is almost always a horror film playing at the local movie theater. Even if there is not, Netflix and other websites allow horror fans to watch horror films whenever they please. There is something very unique about horror movie fans. While there are people who are very passionate about things like war, gun violence, and other scary common world issues, horror movie fans are passionate about these films that are fiction created for the purpose of scaring you. This is a prime example of the public paying more attention to a topic that really has no true relevance, but is an ultimately more talked about subject. Linda Holmes mentions in her article:

 “The big picture, always, is just that: it’s a big picture. To get perspective on a huge,  world-shaking issue like climate change or war often requires a view from the sky…Writing about popular culture is more the view from the ground. It’s looking around at the people you both live with and walk past, looking at what they’re listening to and reading and thinking about, whether it’s what they ought to be thinking about or not.”

I believe this is also how people add these seemingly meaningless topics into their reservoir of conversation. It’s a good example, as Linda Holmes also talks about, of monkeys ‘eating’ something else instead of what they are supposed to be ‘eating’. This is how horror movie fans join their fandoms. We have the freedom to choose what we pick up on. Horror fans choose to watch horror films. They choose to hear others talking about horror films. Many even dress as movie monsters on Halloween. Horror movies are so well known it is impossible not to hear any mention of anything in the horror genre. Some just become good fans of horror movies, while others can even become fanatics. There are horror fanatics out there with tattoos of Freddy Krueger’s face, Jason Voorhees hockey mask, and Michael Myers action figures.

Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers, and Freddy Krueger plush dolls

A collection of Horror movies and merchandise.

Now, there are those who can’t see why anyone can like these ‘ghastly’ films. They can’t see how anyone who’s not crazy can enjoy so much terror. These people have chosen ‘eat’ something completely different, and that’s ok. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. In an article called “What’s wrong with horror fans”, the author says something that I believe to be an excellent statement from a true horror fan about the way they are looked at by people who may not understand, a statement I personally agree with. They say,

     “Stand up and be proud, as I know you are, that you have been able to see the merit in             Inside, the craft of Martyrs and the historical value of Dawn of the Dead (1978). Obscenity, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. As long as you can reconcile the two, you’ll be on top of things. The next time someone asks you, with a conceited sneer, why you’d bother wasting your money on a DVD of The Devil’s Rejects, just remind them that you didn’t ask why they bothered to buy Fool’s Gold.”

Since we are free to choose what we all personally pick up on, there will always be someone who won’t agree. The fact that people like different things should just be accepted, and horror movie fans shouldn’t be seen as any different from someone who enjoys comedies.

A shot of the audience’s reaction during the supernatural movie “Paranormal Activity”

I don’t see horror movies coming to an abrupt end anytime soon. It is an ever growing market with plenty of loyal viewers waiting for the next addition to their collection to be released. Even if through some unseen tragedy, horror films stopped being released, Horror fans would still live on with the movies and fandoms they already have. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” came out decades ago, but there are still loyal fans that spread the world and keep it well known. The same applies for other horror franchises like “Halloween”, “Friday the 13th”, and others. Horror movies are not going anywhere. The same applies to the horror movie fans. We are not going anywhere.

The Book of Life Brings Life to Diversity

Book of Life movie poster

The Book of Life was a movie that came out last Halloween, directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez and produced by Guillermo del Toro. The Book of Life is an animated feature film about the journey of a young man named Manolo as he struggles with whether to follow the expectations of his family or follow his heart. The movie is a classic love/coming of age story, taking place during the Mexican holiday The Day of the Dead. The Book of Life encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future. The director, Jorge R. Gutierrez’s animations are intended to bring the Mexico he grew up with to the masses, and to get rid of harmful and inaccurate stereotypes. That being said, it took Gutierrez 14 years to get The Book of Life produced. Producers and studios had no interest in the film previously, and it was turned down everywhere it was proposed. The movie boasts a very diverse voice acting crew and most of the main cast is of Mexican or Latino descent. The movie is a refreshing change to how “white” the industry has always been. To Hollywood, having such a diverse cast, and a story about Mexican culture, sounded like financial suicide. It was far too big of a risk to make 14 years ago. So why does the movie work now, and how did the public react?

After the movie debuted, conversations about diversity exploded online.  Linda Holmes said, “The utter lack of importance of the underlying subject, in fact, is exactly what tells you how close to the surface and at how high a temperature these conflicts are simmering.” Even something like a cartoon can make people talk about what they are thinking; diversity, and representation of other cultures, is important.

Recently, the internet has become a very powerful tool in bringing people and ideas together . The internet gives us a window into the world that we haven’t always had. People are coming into contact with cultures they never would have without the help of the internet and are different because of it. Diversity is becoming a must-have for movies today. Just look at the disaster that Exodus: Gods and Kings turned out to be. The movie was panned hard by Twitter followers, as well as the rest of social media, over it’s lack of diversity, and the “whitewashing” of the main cast. Hollywood is finding that it’s audience wants diversity, and proper representations of cultures and ethnicities, and they want it now.

Excerpt of cast for Exodus showing the poor actor choice

 

In regards to The Book of Life, websites like Tumblr and Reddit brought up discussions about  the “whitewashing” of stories and lack of diversity and representation of other cultures on tv and in movies, cartoon or otherwise. People spoke up about how they wanted to see more accurate portrayals of different nationalities, and to see more roles led by people of color. They talked about stereotypes and tropes that were offensive to the cultures being portrayed, and how we could change this in Hollywood. Above all else, they talked about how much they loved The Book of Life, and how they looked forward to seeing more like it.

Even though The Book of Life came out months ago, people on social media still use it as reference for what movies about other cultures should strive to be. The topic of diversity and representation will always be a major concern for a culture such as ours, and The Book of Life is a good show of things to come. As we become more in touch with the people around us, this topic won’t be going away anytime soon.

The Land of the Remembered