The increase in fanservice is because the game was designed by a perverted monster; what did you expect? It would have been jarring if he hadn't done something like that.
Plus, 'taking itself too seriously'? That should never bring down the enjoyment, because it literally doesn't matter imo. That way you just go with things.
Second, I really don't take the issues people have about the near-rape. It's bad, it's troubling and all that, yes... but people treat it as if it's the end-all killer of quality -_- And before you say that I'm 'okay' with it, I'm not; I just don't see it as 'unacceptable' for all fictional cases, period.
When a show takes itself wayyyyy to seriously, it just becomes Narm. I don't really give a shit about any of these characters, but you're making it feel like I should. It's trying to say that I'm supposed to care about Kirito's and Asuna's forced relationship when in actuality, I care very little about themselves.
So when Kirito is flying up into that tower thing, screaming as he is impaled by those knight guardian things, I'm supposed to be teary eyed at his futile determination. But I'm not. I'm rolling my eyes because I just don't buy their shallow relationship. It's trying to make me experience an intense feeling of some sort, but it isn't.
To omegafire:
-The increase of fanservice wasn't just present in the game— it was an atmospheric change. SAO didn't present itself in the first arc as that kind of fanservicey show... except that even the first arc had those few moments. In the second arc, it's a complete change of atmosphere— so Leafa's well endowed. Fine. But Suguha's just as well endowed, and we have a scene of her in her underwear. Not only that, but she's all but an imouto archetype, which is fanservice unless it's for deconstructive purposes (and it's not, since the incest thing is barely touched in the second arc. So, Sakuya and Alicia are, respectively, well endowed and skimpily dressed. FINE. Except that they become cock-thirsty while they're thanking Kirito, with pans to their assets in either boobage or skimpy wear. It's one thing to have fanservice because it's an element of the setting, and it's another to have it serve its primary purpose. On account of what I just mentioned and how nobody points it out or even lampshades it, it seems to be much less a matter of it being a part of the setting and a matter of it being plain run-of-mill fanservice.
-Yes, it SHOULD. It's actually insulting to those who see the disparity between character perceptions of the subject matter and the subject matter itself. If this was like Aincrad, and Kirito was actually in danger of dying, then I'd completely buy that. But it's completely pretentious as is because he's not in any real permanent danger. But the pathos is being applied so that he acts as if he IS. If we come to pure enjoyment factor, personally, I couldn't find much enjoyment in subsequent viewings because it just seemed pretentious. Just as Ashburn said.
-The near-rape is just... unnecessary. Sugou as a character, and as a villain, just sucks. He's basically Mr. Netorare, doesn't have any more depth beyond being a megalomaniac rapist with a desire to control minds and get rich with the tech. This wouldn't be so bad if, as far as major antagonism went in SAO, we had the guy who forgot that he killed 4,000 people because he wanted a virtual reality with a castle, a woman who has an unnecessary denial of dying in real life if you die in the game as a reason for taking part in organized player killing, and a lecherous old guy who gets off of killing people and only really served as an obstacle to Kirito and Asuna's "relationship" (and really, the first was the best out of all of them, just because we can take Kayaba as an actually toned-down sociopath that could be sociopathic under analysis). In other words, the antagonism history in general just sucks on account of SAO in general having this strange propensity for black-and-white morality and Sugou ends up looking really clichéd, amongst all the other clichés in this arc, and as a series as a whole. It's not that it was used— just like I don't hate the incest just because it was used. It's that it wasn't used appropriately. It's that it was unnecessary. Sugou doesn't have enough focus for me to understand why he was as fucked up as he was. He just was, and it was for the purpose of having an antagonist.
It's barebones and two-dimensional to me.
To omegafire:
-The increase of fanservice wasn't just present in the game— it was an atmospheric change. SAO didn't present itself in the first arc as that kind of fanservicey show... except that even the first arc had those few moments. In the second arc, it's a complete change of atmosphere— so Leafa's well endowed. Fine. But Suguha's just as well endowed, and we have a scene of her in her underwear. Not only that, but she's all but an imouto archetype, which is fanservice unless it's for deconstructive purposes (and it's not, since the incest thing is barely touched in the second arc. So, Sakuya and Alicia are, respectively, well endowed and skimpily dressed. FINE. Except that they become cock-thirsty while they're thanking Kirito, with pans to their assets in either boobage or skimpy wear. It's one thing to have fanservice because it's an element of the setting, and it's another to have it serve its primary purpose. On account of what I just mentioned and how nobody points it out or even lampshades it, it seems to be much less a matter of it being a part of the setting and a matter of it being plain run-of-mill fanservice.
-Yes, it SHOULD. It's actually insulting to those who see the disparity between character perceptions of the subject matter and the subject matter itself. If this was like Aincrad, and Kirito was actually in danger of dying, then I'd completely buy that. But it's completely pretentious as is because he's not in any real permanent danger. But the pathos is being applied so that he acts as if he IS. If we come to pure enjoyment factor, personally, I couldn't find much enjoyment in subsequent viewings because it just seemed pretentious. Just as Ashburn said.
-The near-rape is just... unnecessary. Sugou as a character, and as a villain, just sucks. He's basically Mr. Netorare, doesn't have any more depth beyond being a megalomaniac rapist with a desire to control minds and get rich with the tech. This wouldn't be so bad if, as far as major antagonism went in SAO, we had the guy who forgot that he killed 4,000 people because he wanted a virtual reality with a castle, a woman who has an unnecessary denial of dying in real life if you die in the game as a reason for taking part in organized player killing, and a lecherous old guy who gets off of killing people and only really served as an obstacle to Kirito and Asuna's "relationship" (and really, the first was the best out of all of them, just because we can take Kayaba as an actually toned-down sociopath that could be sociopathic under analysis). In other words, the antagonism history in general just sucks on account of SAO in general having this strange propensity for black-and-white morality and Sugou ends up looking really clichéd, amongst all the other clichés in this arc, and as a series as a whole. It's not that it was used— just like I don't hate the incest just because it was used. It's that it wasn't used appropriately. It's that it was unnecessary. Sugou doesn't have enough focus for me to understand why he was as fucked up as he was. He just was, and it was for the purpose of having an antagonist.
It's barebones and two-dimensional to me.
(Sorry for the repost, by the way.)
Which is fine that you point out the increase in fanservice; by itself however, it shouldn't be an issue, even if it is relatively pointless (at least imo; ')
And as I've said in your other review, to me, it legitly shouldn't matter, because there are more important things to focus on (and to not let detract us). And for me, that's all there is to it, even being fairly experienced with anime
Him being a sucky villian was also sorta the point; even Kirito mockingly pointed out that he never wanted to be like Kayaba, unlike Sugou. And it helped tear apart this sadistic squicky monster, which was satisfying enough imo. Him being an obstacle was also foreseen, but I don't think the attempted rape was unnecessary (very little is to me) - rather than being creeped out, I think it's better to use that as fuel to hate him more (which I think was also the point; he's meant to be hated for no reason other than his actions, and it's his entire motif)
And I don't think all that's a bad thing, including the two-dimensional-ness, but that's just me. I'm just a lot more open to enjoying things; there's no need for anything to be explained or require a reason in the first place for me
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Arc 2: "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" (SPOILERS)
(Don't bother reading the novel. It's just as bad.)
Let's get the incest out of the way, first: it was the most unneeded aspect of this arc. Comes out of nowhere, serves no purpose since the main character is already all but married, doesn't resolve itself, and bears a bit too much of a resemblance to a certain Hentai genre, while using a familiar Cop Out that makes me question why this was done in the first place if it wasn't even going to go all nine miles.
Let's also get the tentacles out of the way.
And the near-Netorare— no, I am not kidding.
And the increased amount of Gainaxing and general fanservice— seeing part of the problem, here?
While SAO had its flaws, it was vanilla— if not tame— with fanservice, and an enjoyable and sometimes tearjerking story. What about the second arc? GAAAAUGH. The flaws from the first arc are not only not fixed, but accentuated. The lack of the death game mechanic found in the first arc makes less thrill. Oh, they're at risk of dying? They can try again! No urgency, and yet... they still act like they were trapped in SAO. Only Kirito has any reason to be freaking out over anything in this arc, because he's trying to rescue his wife who's almost literally a Vogel im Käfig— yes, after becoming a waifu, Asuna becomes a Distressed Damsel. They try to emulate the tension and stakes that the first arc had, but the first arc was a Deadly Game. And this isn't. So, it's kind of silly that they try making a talk about pointless gaming politics suspenseful. It's kind of silly that Leafa cries for Recon after he sacrifices himself by blowing himself up for a mob (which does nothing of value). The "villain" is definitely silly and clichéd and poorly done. And the whole arc is just silly.
But it doesn't acknowledge that.
And that's the other part of the problem. It's brimming with these clichés from run-of-the-mill anime, but it takes itself too seriously unjustly— there's a scene that looks like it came straight from The End Of Evangelion. It expects you to take it seriously, but doesn't properly deliver, and just becomes a condescending cockslap in the face. If it didn't take itself seriously, I wouldn't have much reason to complain.
3/10.