[spoilers?]Anybody else disappointed with Volume 9 of SAO?

[firestalker5]

I was a bit disappointed with volume 9 of SAO. The new world is interesting a little but, but I can't really feel it like I did with the others.

Then that happened half-way through the volume: Kirito gets killed.... right?

I completely lost all interest in what was happening to Kirito. If the author had given a glimpse of what was happening in the real world while he's going through all this then maybe I would be more interested in whats going on. Last we hear Kirito's heart stops and then he walks up in <<Underworld>>. Did he really die or is he like in a coma or something?

I could care less what happens to him in this new world if he's dead. Plus without having an idea whats happening in the real world I can't really care about the adventures... Maybe that's just me.

[ben1234]

I like it. For once, there's a protagonist that's actually in real danger of dying which is already more than you can say for a lot of other people. *cough*Yuji*cough*Kinji*cough*

And besides, the story gives you plenty of hints of what happened to Kirito.

[firestalker5]

I must have missed the hints.... All I got was his heart stopped and he woke up in <<Underworld>>. After that it's all about the world... I wasn't even able to figure what he's supposed to do in order to get out of the world. What's the point of putting a dieing person into the game in the first place? Why would Asuna allow them to do that? Did he die and now his consciousness is only alive in the STL? Hiow are you supposed to get into a journey to save a NPC when saving that NPC does nothing to help you?

I guess I'll have to reread it in order to see the subtle hints to what happened to Kirito after the attack...

[ben1234]

Try reading back a few volumes (I already know what happens later on so I'll just stop now)

[firestalker5]

Try reading back a few volumes (I already know what happens later on so I'll just stop now)

What do you mean? A few volumes? Like volume 7? How is that going to help? That the Mother Rosario arc, not much there that I remember pertaining to Volume 9... Maybe a hint of what I'm looking for?

(I already know what happens later on so I'll just stop now)

EH?! What the hell is that....?! You can't drop that bomb and not give me anything... I love being spoiled[story-wise, but the other way is nice to ]... So maybe a few key points to help satisfy my curiosity?

[BeginnerXP]

Volume 10 will come out in about 2 weeks, and the first chapter should go back to real world if it follows the web version and it should answer some of the questions, please be patience, everyone is curious as much as you do.

If you really can't wait, I would suggest asking in animesuki forums, you might even get full summary of Alicization arc overthere, but here isn't a place suitable to discuss story beyond what had been translated to English.

[firestalker5]

Volume 10 will come out in about 2 weeks, and the first chapter should go back to real world if it follows the web version and it should answer some of the questions, please be patience, everyone is curious as much as you do.

If you really can't wait, I would suggest asking in animesuki forums, you might even get full summary of Alicization arc overthere, but here isn't a place suitable to discuss story beyond what had been translated to English.

I see... ok.... well as long as there is something.... I'll wait. So does that mean that the current arc is already finished on the web? Then what about the volumes? Is there a lot of changes to the story or is it pretty much the same? I know they removed the 16.5 chapter from the printed version of Volume 1, but that's minor... I want to know if the story changes or they have removed a lot of the web story in order to fit a certain page count in the printed version.

BeginnerXP... You the translator for this project? If so, That's great.... Keep up the great job!! If not, Keep it up anyway.... I'm sure your project has a lot of fan that appreciate your work.

Let me ask a question then.... Why doesn't Baka-Tsuki translate the web versions? Why wait for the printed version of the novels when the web series is the same and further along?

[BeginnerXP]

Yes, I did translated part of volume 9, and Teh_Ping did the other part.

For volume 9, the story is the same, but author did massive amount of minor edits, changing terms, further explaining some parts, but no change to the actual story line. I can't say about volume 10, but from what I've heard, it'll include additional story untold in the web version.

Black Cats of the Full Moon (the group who did Fairy Dance and early part of Phantom Bullet) actually translated the first chapter of Alicization (Prologue I in volume 9) and post it here, I assume you came here after it was removed.

As to why we don't continue translating the web version even though it's already completed and the main plot should still be the same as the publish version, I think it's purely on translator if he/she wants to spend months translating those chapters which will be replaced once the publish version is released, but I would prefer to spend my time to do something else, can't say for other translators though.

[firestalker5]

So the new arc is already ended on the web? Has he started a new arc yet or is it's ending still fresh?

Damn now I really want to learn to read Japanese.

[BeginnerXP]

Alicization is final main arc of SAO series, so the series is already conclude on the web version in 2009. Currently he's doing Aincrad retelling, starting from Aria of the Starless Night, which is 1st floor story, and recently he had just finished the 2nd floor story 'Rondo of the Transient Sword', I'm expecting him to continue the 3rd floor story after he released Accel World volume 12.

Everyone needs to start somewhere, if you are really determine, being able to read Japanese won't be too far off.

[firestalker5]

Alicization is final main arc of SAO series, so the series is already conclude on the web version in 2009. Currently he's doing Aincrad retelling, starting from Aria of the Starless Night, which is 1st floor story, and recently he had just finished the 2nd floor story 'Rondo of the Transient Sword', I'm expecting him to continue the 3rd floor story after he released Accel World volume 12.

Everyone needs to start somewhere, if you are really determine, being able to read Japanese won't be too far off.

So the SAO series as a whole is completed and finished? It has a definite end and everything?

So the author is now just writing SS and filler stories? Kind of like "what happened here" sort of thing?

[ben1234]

He's writing Accel World too if you're interested. Some people believe it takes place years after SAO since they share terminology.

There's even some that think the female protagonist is actually Kazuto's child/grandchild

[firestalker5]

He's writing Accel World too if you're interested. Some people believe it takes place years after SAO since they share terminology.

There's even some that think the female protagonist is actually Kazuto's child/grandchild

I knew he was writing that as well... I've read the manga [up to date] and watched the anime [up to date].... but the LN isn't translated enough to really get in to, since I'll have to stop and wait.

That's a cool theory about the female lead.... I can see it being a sequel for SAO from far in the future. Didn't they mention something in Volume 9 about neural connectors? I can see how Amputsphere[sp?] could evolve into the neck connectors that they have in AW.

I'll have to pick it up when it gets further along. The first volume needs to be finished at least.

[Tap]

Anyway, if you notice, the chapters in volume 9 are prologues, with the last being chapter 1.
This is the mere beginning of the arc, so revealing everything would be pretty silly.

[firestalker5]

Anyway, if you notice, the chapters in volume 9 are prologues, with the last being chapter 1.
This is the mere beginning of the arc, so revealing everything would be pretty silly.

I wasn't really thinking he had to reveal everything, but at least maybe a little blurb at the end with Asuna holding his hand as he's in a the machine. Maybe have the beeping of a heart monitor going on in the background. You can take a page or two at the end of the volume to describe the scene and have a few one lines of Asuna speaking to him... See nothing really revealed except that he ain't dead yet. I could move on with the story happy.

But like I said it's personal preference... I prefer to have a least a hint of a good thing.