Digital2Film

Showing posts with label Whats Anime. Show all posts

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP7qSHrjqWg

Sword Art Online is easily one of the most popular shows of modern anime. Getting a sequel with a video game adaption and even a feature length movie on the way. What makes this interesting is the fact that this show's popularity is mostly leaning on its premise.

Premise - an assertion or proposition which forms the basis for a work or theory

It was the premise of this show that originally got me interested in checking it out. Its wasn’t the fact that it sounded new or different because the idea has been done before in varying mediums and genres of movies,etc. It was how in my mind I pictured they would present it. The potential for a show like this is infinite especially with the direction you were to go in. So what is the premise of Sword art online?

Premise: A large group of online player are stuck in an MMO against their will. but in order to survive and escape they must complete 100 levels of the game in order to win.

This premise… is a cool idea! Based on design and look of the show. You would think they would take you on a fun ride. Unfortunately the premise and set up that this show drops you off in doesn’t last too long. What do I mean by that? Well I have taken deliberately of separating the show into 3 sections. The first beings episode 1 through 9 that focuses on the world of Sword Art Online and the events that take place in it. The second focusing on the later half of part 1 that is all about the love story and the end game. The third section is all of part 2 that shifts to a completely new direction that causes the show to fall apart all together. Let's takes a look at these.

In the first section we are introduced to Kirito, a gamer who beta tested the game beforehand and is now playing the final product like everyone else. He meets some friends and even gets a good head start in the game. Its when he, along with everyone else in this game become trapped inside of a mad man's crazy goal to keep everyone logged into the game stuck until someone defeats the final boss and sets everyone free.

A very cool premise and start to the show and it is shown as the following episodes we are shown boss battles. People getting together to fight while others have given up. You see a clear separation of those are serious vs those who got stuck in a bad situation. There are tons of themes and idea brought up in these first few episodes that if delved into further could make for an interesting show.

In the mix of this journey we are introduced to Asuna, a quiet girl who equals the strength of the front liners but mostly keeps to herself similar to Kirito. She goes on her own path only to suddenly being brought back into Kirito life as they get ever so closer to reaching the final boss. But before that could happen, we take a slight detour in the story.

From that point on we go on a romance story that completely takes over the focus of the show. We no longer feel the stress of from the characters having to get to the final boss and save not only their lives but everyone else that is still left in the game. Instead we follow Kirito and Asuna as they get away from it all and live a simple life in a forest section of the game.

After adopting an AI it became very clear that this show need to extend the life out of what was a focused story. character development is important to storytelling but it works the best when it is interweaves with the plot. most televisions shows use episodes that aren’t related to the main arc of the story just to focus on developing the characters. A term most people use to describe these episodes are “Filler” as it can feel like just a easy way to delay the end of the story. I like to think that there is two kinds of Filler. One that further develops the characters, whether it be through backstory or situations that ultimately change the way you look at them. Another reflecting the previous statement that it is just a way to delay the inedible.

Sometimes they are be both and most occasions that is when they are used. sword art ont seems to go in a what i would illustrate as, a downhill slope. Starting from the top where all the character development lies and as we head toward the next episodes the hill continues to drive down to the bottom. to the depths of filler.

Unfortunately we are cut short of the filler to actually focus on the end game of SAO, the end of Part 1. i say unfortunately because this is the last time we actually see what is left of all the good and potential this show had to opportunity to offer. This is when we enter Part 2….

Part 2 is a different beast entirely where the show shifts so much that It is hard to see it was even made by the same people. the beginning picks up right after part 1 and feels like a nice follow up, at least how a sequel would start. Showing the affects that this game had on everyone's lives and bodies for being plugged in for so long.

From there on the shows focuses on a new story where Kirito sister is in love with him and Asuna is still stuck in the game that was SAO but has now changed because of a new “bad guy” wants to take over the company Asuna father runs by marrying her against her will. I would delve more into this but it honestly has already been done and in much more depth that I would ever get into.

It is interesting to see a show go from have potential to almost working backwards to make you regret watching what was even show at all. Sword Art Online is a prime example of a show that doesn’t live up to the standard introduced by itself. But even with all the problems this show has, it is still looked at overall positive is what you think of when looking at modern popular anime. Why is that?

looking back I can’t help but only really think of the positives aka the first half of this show. Its almost like I went out of my way subconsciously to remove all the bad parts from my memory because the second half honestly feels like a completely different show to me.

The premise going downhill is becoming a noticeable trend in modern anime and if continued could start to reflect the genre as a whole. But whether it be for the positive as to forcing to the studio to take a look work toward avoiding the mistake. or affecting the already dying industry by increasing the lack of interest. Either one is a possibility.

For better or worse, this show has forever caused me to take a step back before and during I watch a new anime from a current season. Seeing the subtle hints on where a story is going if the story has a focused goal at all. Or when the idea is really cool but the presentation is saying otherwise.

So next time you notice a show take a turn or go in a direction you aren’t a fan off. Take a step back and think about what went wrong. Was it the story not living up to the initial premise? Because the future of storytelling can only improve when you correct the mistake you yourself see from others. Taking what they were trying to achieve and making it your own.

Jazz plays a large part in Kids on the Slope. Its in the music, the visuals, its apart of the story, its even the theme throughout the entire show.

A theme is the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a persons thoughts, or an exhibition. The theme can shape the way a story is presented, even affecting the events that happen in that story. It is the underlying motivation to drive the story where it need to go. Some themes are noticeable as they’ve become so overused to the point of being clichés and others aren’t so obvious. You may need to look over the story or rewatch the movie a few more times before really taking notice. So what is the theme for Kids on the Slope? If you pay close attention to the dialogue in the show, you will hear the line being said.

Kaoru Nishimi: “The unexpected is really what makes jazz fun, isn’t it?”

This is not only just a line spoken in the show but it is also a line that is telling the audience directly what the theme of the show is. The two noticeable words being “unexpected” and “Jazz”. Lets take a look at these words.

Unexpected is anything that is “not expected, unforeseen, and is surprising.” Any form of entertainment uses this as a way to keep the audiences attention. Whether its to make them laugh, or to flip the way they think about your story. This is why it is used so much. Most likely the most memorable moment in any movie is the “twist” or “unexpected moment” that changes the story.

Now let’s look at Jazz. The genre of jazz is characterized by improvisation, syncopation and regular or forceful rhythm. It doesn’t always follow the typical rhythm other genres follow. There is still structure but there is also that sense of spontaneous in some composition.

How do these two relate and connect to each other in Kids on the Slope? Well jazz played a big part of Kids on the Slope. It was the catalyst that got the story started and the McGuffin that moves the story forward. The line and idea that unexpected events are in common with playing jazz in the show is the running theme and reasoning for the many events that happen.

Now that we know the theme and how it relates to the show lets find out what specific events are related by the theme. There, we are going to look at just a few. Specifically following Yuriko and her relationship with Brother Jun, and accident that takes place in the series and that last following Kaoru’s life at the tale end of the show.

Yuriko is a character that is very conflicted with herself. Living a very high class life but not really getting any interest out of it. It’s no t until she meets Brother Jun when that all changes. She falls for him and even though he has his own goals in life, she wants to follow him. This leads to a very climatic moment where Brother Jun is about to leave the city for good. Yuriko meets him there and tries to run away with him. He tries to convince her not to and even she begins to doubt her decisions and listen to him. Its when her parents show up and try to stop her from leaving when things get tense. Everything builds up and the train begins to leave. Its not until the very last moment when Yuriko decides to change her life forever and run away with Brother Jun. This was unexpected because of the way this was building up to. It was starting to look like she wasn’t going to make that decision and not run away after all. The possibility that she was just going to accept that life she already has. Its unexpected as they leave the story to start a new one.

There is always that point in a story where something happens that changes everything for the characters. This is just one of those moments In episode 11, there is a moment when Sentaro decides to go give Kaoru his music. This is an important action on his part because the two character at this point in the story have had their friendship come to an end and this act on Sentaro’s part could change that. He Storms out of the basement and gets on his bike to catch up to him. One the way he makes a turn only to run into a truck causing an accident. This was a surprise, yes, but the real unexpected moment happens that day after the accident. Kaoru finds out about the accident on the next day and rushes to the hospital and talks to the family, at this point he has assumed that Sentaro has been that one injured. To his and our surprise, Sentaro wasn’t the one who was injured all that much. It was his younger sister who he brought with him. This was probably the most unexpected moment in the entire show. Unlike the others this one completely changes the story and the dynamic of all the characters. From this point forward nothing can be the same again or even go back to the way things were before. This leads to Sentaro having so much guilt that he leaves, leaving his friends and family behind.

Jazz plays a part even in the most serious moments here it was the McGuffin that lead to the tragic accident. Jazz is what brings these characters together but here it didn’t make it in time.

The last episode of the show goes in a different direction. Its years later with Kaoru much older, he has finished school and now works a career as a doctor. He has moved on with his life but still feels that something is missing. He runs into a familiar face one day and she shows him a photo of an older Sentaro. This begins a journey in locating Sentaro based on a photo he has. He travels to this location and thus begins the unexpected events, mostly involving Jazz

Getting to the location at the photo. Kaoru notices that there is a piano organ and begin to play it. This catch’s the attention of Sentaro and he joins along on the drums. They both get caught playing when they are not supposed to and run away. They run until they can’t run anymore and bump into Rikuko who happened to have just come to the same location as them. This ends in an reunion of the group that have unexpectedly been brought together again through jazz. Concluding the series on the theme it established.

All of these events relate because they all coincide with the theme of the show. Every event involves an out come that is unexpected to what the viewer and characters were expecting. It wasn’t as obvious until the end of the show but then when I look back I realized that it happens much more than you would expected.

This has been just one of the many aspects of storytelling that this show contains. Kids on the Slope is a great show that successfully intertwine its themes along with its narrative and characters developments. Through the use of unexpected events to further develop the series and push the characters forward through the one thing they have in common, jazz.