The first rule of demon fighting is, well, to stay alive. The best way to do that, of course, is not to fight them, at least not without overpowering backup and support. A lesson some will soon learn the hard way.
What They Say:
“The Blue-Eyed Demon”
To save a group of players and Asuna from a Boss character, Kirito is forced to play his trump card.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
So, Kirito and Asuna come inside the boss room and see “The Gleam Eyes.” And then run away in terror. By the way, I don’t think this will be the end of the matter, especially if one looks at the opening animation to the series carefully.
As it happens, Klein and his guild come along for a while for some comic relief. The good times don’t last for long, however, as another group, the Aincrad Liberation Army, arrive under their leader Corvatz, and demand the map data from Kirito for what’s ahead. He hands it over, but advises them not to take on the floor boss. Of course, you can already guess what happens: they go after the floor boss and lose horribly. Kirito, Asuna, and Klein’s guild come along to watch, and intervene at the last moment when Asuna charges in, not willing to just watch the others die. This forces Kirito and the rest to join in as well. The fight goes badly, but Kirito pulls out a special ability that he has been holding back, as he becomes a dual-wielding force of nature. It’s barely enough to win against The Gleam Eyes, as Kirito survives with just a few hit points left.
The others are amazed and Klein wonders what exactly Kirito did. It appears that Dual Wielding is not a standard skill available to all players, but somehow, six months before, Kirito suddenly had it on his skill menu. Yet more evidence, for those who are inclined to think so, that Kirito is a Marty Stu character, imbued by the writers with a god-like presence and abilities. And sadly, Asuna falls into the weeping girlfriend role, becoming little more than crying female support after the battle, even though she fought well during the actual fight.
We advance to October 19, 2024, the town of Algade on Floor 50. Kirito is holed up at Agil’s place, since he has been besieged by information brokers and other players wanting to learn the secret of dual wielding. Lisbeth and Asuna know he’s there too, and it appears this small group (excluding Asuna) were the only ones who may have known of his special skill before. Asuna suddenly comes in breathless saying there is a problem, and that problem likely involves Asuna’s guild. Guild Commander Heathcliff has called Kirito to their headquarters on the 55th Floor for a talk. Of course, the issue is Asuna, who wants to take a leave of absence from the Knights of the Blood Oath in order to be with Kirito. Heathcliff makes a simple, and straightforward proposal: they will fight a duel, and if Kirito wins, Asuna may go with him. If he loses, then he must join the Knights.
I think we know what next episode is going to be about.
If there is one thing that Sword Art Online is, it is predictable. A red flag went up the moment the Army arrived. A red flag went up the moment we saw what an ass the commander was. Flags were flying freely when the fight began, and then more went up at every step of the episode. At the end, more flags. While it is hard to expect any show to be filled from beginning to end with novelty and surprise (and such a show might actually be insufferable), we have the exact opposite here, as everything could be predicted beforehand with no worries about being wrong.
In Summary:
Kirito is definitely a unique player. That becomes even more clear as he possesses a unique skill, the ability to use two weapons simultaneously with both hands. Of course, for those who believe that he is some kind of overpowered cheat of a character, your beliefs are only going to be strengthened by this episode. And that was entirely predictable.
Grade: B-
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 4GB RAM, Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard
