However, my main gripe is with the narrative, especially when it comes to the portrayal of feelings—it just seems unrealistic. I get the whole 'hentai logic', and sometimes it doesn't bother me too much, but in this case, Asuna is corrupted too easily and quickly for my taste. From day one, she's lying to Kirito and sneaking around with Inoda behind his back.
I know we're not supposed to put ourselves in the characters' shoes in this type of game, but everything is designed to make us empathize with them. If we don't, we're left sympathizing with the antagonist. But I just can't relate to Inoda—I don't share his values or condone his actions towards Asuna, which feel like those of a virgin discovering sex for the first time. It's all a bit underwhelming, and I struggle to see how Asuna could fall for such a loser. Even with a lot of imagination, I can't make Inoda's appeal to her believable... Yes, it's fiction, but even in a fictional game, there needs to be a semblance of plausibility for it to resonate with people like me.
Some say you shouldn't empathize with Kirito to enjoy the game, but I find it hard not to because I can't align myself with Inoda at all.