Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-71.79.235.209-20140922195354/@comment-27031122-20150929233244

Richtofen2115 wrote: Ryu Heishin wrote: Frankly, I find them charming and adorable together, and I appreciate that they're a couple who, unlike other anime series, don't spend 100+ episodes playing around with pretenses of being in denial or oblivious of the romantic tension between them and act on it as soon as they realize it's there. It's refreshing to see a couple in an anime be so open and honest with one another to be perfectly honest. Not to mention the sheer dedication they show for one another is truly touching.

And aside from that, I love how they formed a family with little Yui. This is a couple that knows how to pull on audiences' heartstrings. I don't know, I think it would have been better if they dragged it out a little more. I get that they are teens, and they haven't actually felt love before, but I think them being willing to commit suicide if the other one dies, that's rediculous. Even Kirito acknoledges that this is stupid in Volume 1, by telling Heathcliff not to allow Asuna to comit Suicide under any circumstance if he loses the fight between them. I don't know, if they had dragged it out longer it would have been fine. But, I think the main problem is that the anime tried to fit four different volumes into a single season of 25 episodes, meaning three to five chapters go by per episode. Filler was definitely the least of the anime's problems. If anything, it could have used some filler. You do realize that in "Romeo & Juliet" Romeo is about Kirigaya Kazuto's age and Juliet is 13, right? Shakespeare's play is one of the quintissential love stories in history. It's not unreasonable to think then, that being so in love with another person, that they'd be so full of grief for the loss that a one would commit suicide. Considering emotions run deeper when you're a teenager, at least that's what I think, then being without the person you love would crush your soul to the point of wanting to end it all.

Warning Spoilers below.

Kirito wants Asuna to live, that's why he's facing Heathcliff after Asuna asks him not to. He wants to fulfill his promise to her to return her to the real world. This has nothing to do with Kirito thinking that Asuna committing suicide is stupid. After all, Kirito tries to commit "death by cop" with Nicholas the Apostate playing the cop role when he tries to obtain an item to resurrect Sachi. Either he's going to get that item or he will die trying. Either way, it's OK with Kirito.

The point is still that Kirito loves Asuna and wants her to live. Asuna loves Kirito and takes Heathcliff's sword strike so Kirito can live. It's about love.