Storytelling in Sword Art Online

My tastes in entertainment have changed a lot in the past year. There was a time in my life (a rough, rough time) when my preference in television was sitcoms like Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. My interests have definitely broadened since then, and I’ve recently begun to take an interest in Anime. 

Since I began watching anime last semester, the most recent one I binged on has been my clear favorite. That show is Sword Art Online, a 25 episode show based off of a novel series written by Reki Kawahara. Sword Art Online is the story of two MMORPG players named Kirito and Asuna. Set in the year 2022, the show takes place in a virtual reality world in which players put on “nerve gear” that literally puts them into the game. The creator of this MMO ends up trapping the players in the game, and they have to play it to completion in order to escape back into the real world. Kirito and Asuna are two of the game’s strongest and best players, and they fight through the 100 levels to challenge the creator of the game, who is the final boss and the ticket back into the real world. In the two and a half or so years that they spend stuck in the game, Kirito and Asuna fall in love, and decide to fight to the end so that they can be together in the real world. When they finally do complete the game however, one of the creators of the nerve gear keeps Asuna trapped in the state of virtual reality and brings her into a new game that he has created. Kirito then must play this new game to defeat the deranged creator of Alfheim Online. It is an exciting, fast-moving story that kept me enthralled the entire time.

I watched this entire series in two days (roughly 30 hours). Having grown up a fan of Harry Potter, Runescape, Eragon, and other fantasy-fiction books/games, Sword Art Online was right up my alley. I couldn’t get enough of it, and I think that is due to quality of storytelling. Now I’ve never seen myself as much of a writer, whether it be for television/movies, short stories, or anything else. This is because my storytelling skills are lacking; I can have an interest idea, but I really suck at expressing it in an entertaining way. I liked this series so much because the story was so relatable to my childhood interests. It had the right balance of action, character development, and general humor/entertainment to keep me hungry for more the entire way through. I know that as I try out my talents in writing this summer (which I think will be fun, hopefully it doesn’t turn out a mess),I will look to Sword Art Online as a guide for developing the plot and characters in an interesting way.

Battle Royale

Battle Royale is considered to be the original Hunger Games in more ways than one. It first debuted in Japan in 2000 and then made its way west with dubbed and subbed versions. Considered controversial to some, Battle Royal is graphic, bloody, and, in my personal opinion, a hell of a lot of fun.

The film focuses on a class of ninth grade students who are thrown into a massive battle to the death set up by the Japanese government. The students are released on a remote island and are given unique weapons and tools that they use either to defend or attack. The story highlights different students throughout and their interactions and hardships, ranging from adolescent love to
petty rivalries and they often end in murder. There is a good mix of action and the story progresses smoothly as more and more students are picked off. Although the ending is a little bizarre, so is the entire premise of the movie so in a way, it fits pretty nicely. Some characters are definitely more developed than others which kind of gives away who's going to make it to the end but there are enough twists and turns to still keep it unpredictable along the way.

I would definitely recommend the subbed version over the dubbed in this case. While some people may find reading while watching distracting, I can say through first-hand experience that the unsynchronized dialogue and subpar voice acting in the dubbed version is even more distracting in the long run. I would recommend this to people who would be interested in seeing a less kid friendly version of The Hunger Games and to anyone who enjoys action packed and violent movies in general. Overall, Battle Royale was a inventive idea that inspired The Hunger Games series in many ways, though the author won't openly admit it to the public.

Ip Man

One of my favorite martial arts films still to this day is Ip Man. It has all the fun of crazy action sequences and intense fighting scenes while still maintaing a mature feeling. The characters are really fleshed out and their development throughout the film is very well paced. Overall, Ip Man appeals to fans of martial arts films as well as dramas.

Ip man begins the movie at the peak of his life living in the city of Wing Chun during the twentieth century. He has a great family, a beautiful house, and the respect of the townspeople. He is also the greatest martial arts master in the city and even defeats a thug who beats all the other masters without even breaking a sweat. However, the peace and prosperity doesn't last long as Japan begins to occupy China in 1937 as part of the Sino-Japan War. People are evacuated out of their homes and forced into hard labor. Ip man also finds himself in this situation and needs to adapt a new kind of lifestyle he had never experienced before. Through many hardships and lost lives, Ip man must fight through everything in order to survive. In the end, Ip man must make the toughest decision of all; weather or not maintaing his honor is worth sacrificing his life.

There is a very uplifting first twenty minutes that really sets a false feeling for what you would think the rest of the movie would be like. I first saw this movie without knowing anything about the movie and I initially thought it was just about Ip man beating up bad guys. It suddenly takes on a slow and morbid feeling once the war begins and Ip man is forced out of his home. Other than the intense story, the fighting scenes are some of the coolest and well choreographed I have ever seen. The fighting seems very realistic and it gets very brutal and graphic in some scenes. My favorite scene is when Ip man fights ten black belts at once and just destroys everyone. There is very good build up to the final fight and the ending feels very satisfying.

All in all, Ip Man is a film that blends action, drama, and history into a very entertaining story.  

Spirited Away

     One of my favorite animated movies ever made, Spirited Away, has made tremendous strides in the animation industry while captivating audience with a fantastic plot and characters. Personally, the most amazing thing about this film is the amount of creativity that flows throughout it and makes an everlasting impact on the audience. This film was directed Hayao Miyazaki, a man who has made many masterpieces and in my opinion, his best one to date. Spirited Away has won an Oscar as well as many other notable awards and has been recognized as a masterpiece of animated cinema.

     The story focuses on a young girl named Chihiro and her struggle to survive in a strange new world where creatures and witches live and where humans are turned into beasts. The movie begins with Chihiro and her family driving cross country to their new house in a new town. On the way, they stop near an abandoned park to explore the desolate, but beautiful landscape. Along the way, as the sun gets closer to setting, spirits start to appear and Chihiro's parents are transformed into pigs. Scared and alone in an unknown place, Chihiro runs away and encounters Haku, a mysterious boy who is willing to help her return home. Throughout the rest of the movie, Chihiro encounters strange creatures and circumstances that she must overcome to save her parents and return to the peaceful life she was once bored with. On top of the fantastic animation, the character development is amazing and you learn to sympathize with the protagonist in more ways than one.

Overall, Spirited Away is a must see film that can be enjoyed by any age and produces heartfelt moments that are the most memorable and gripping than any other film I've seen.

 

hole in the wall

Its true. the japanese versions of any gameshow ever are always better. always. give me one example where we do it better. do it. haha