A review by absentminded_reader
ソードアート・オンライン 4: フェアリィ・ダンス [Sōdo āto onrain 4: Fearyi Dansu] by Reki Kawahara
4.0
After finishing this book, I feel confident in reading the rest of this series. This was my least favorite storyline in the anime because it was so creepy. Not only was there a subplot featuring a struggle with incestuous feelings, but the soft hentai scenes were distasteful. I also thought that Asuna was reduced to a damsel in distress, which was a crying shame since she was my favorite character in the first series due to her phenomenal strength, courage, and heroism.
However, the book was in many ways a different experience than the anime. With two books crunched down to fourteen-ish 24-minute episodes, there was a lot left out.
I don’t feel like I can do this book justice, however. The fan translation was rough. I simply did not enjoy it, so I plunked down the money and bought the platinum edition box set. I’m going to re-read the entire series from the beginning with a professional translation.
I can say this for now. The incestuous plot line was handled with far more nuance and delicacy in the book than the anime. It was nowhere near as creepy, it felt properly resolved, and addressed interesting online issues of falling in love with an avatar without knowing who the other person truly is. The same goes for the abuse scenes. Although I didn’t like Asuna as a victim, she was far more courageous and fierce in the book then she was in the anime. The abuse scenes featuring her were moments of inappropriate touching in the book, but they were downright rapey in the anime. Reki relies on sexual exploitation to define villains—something regarded these days as a bad trope. Since he doesn’t do the same to his male characters, I do question it as a cheap ploy for character development.
I will withhold reviewing further until I read a proper translation. Overall, the book was good and resolved well. Seek out the Yen press edition.
However, the book was in many ways a different experience than the anime. With two books crunched down to fourteen-ish 24-minute episodes, there was a lot left out.
I don’t feel like I can do this book justice, however. The fan translation was rough. I simply did not enjoy it, so I plunked down the money and bought the platinum edition box set. I’m going to re-read the entire series from the beginning with a professional translation.
I can say this for now. The incestuous plot line was handled with far more nuance and delicacy in the book than the anime. It was nowhere near as creepy, it felt properly resolved, and addressed interesting online issues of falling in love with an avatar without knowing who the other person truly is. The same goes for the abuse scenes. Although I didn’t like Asuna as a victim, she was far more courageous and fierce in the book then she was in the anime. The abuse scenes featuring her were moments of inappropriate touching in the book, but they were downright rapey in the anime. Reki relies on sexual exploitation to define villains—something regarded these days as a bad trope. Since he doesn’t do the same to his male characters, I do question it as a cheap ploy for character development.
I will withhold reviewing further until I read a proper translation. Overall, the book was good and resolved well. Seek out the Yen press edition.