Kirito delves more into the new game world as he befriends the girl he saved.
What They Say:
As Kirito learns about the game from Leafa and the hatred between the races, Asuna learns the truth of her role from the Fairy King.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Kirito’s entering of the Alfheim Online game has certainly introduced him to a different kind of play with its ability to fly and the general movements itself. His getting online has not been easy though as there was quite the obvious hiccup that sent him outside of the start city and the fact that all of his skills carried over from Sword Art Online. Suspicious to say the least, but you also don’t want to see a whole arc with him gaining all his abilities again. Bringing Yui into it in a more effective way as also welcome since she has a different role to perform here and her interactions will feel more natural going by the gameplay design so far. All in all, the post-Sword Art Online episodes have been strong for me in getting us moving forward again in a logical and engaging way.
The show has brought a new character into play for Kirito and his Private Pixie Yui to deal with as the girl he saved is thankful, but not overly so. Leafa is pretty good here in her first interactions since she doesn’t glom all over him for his help, provides some help for him and is generally pretty well balanced. Not surprisingly, what she teaches him is something that he picks up quickly and actually exceeds, which makes for a bit of mild but fun tension between the two of them. The game expansion continues to grow nicely here as we see him getting schooling in flight, magic, the races that exist in this world and the first time in the city as well. It’s all small but useful bits that help to flesh things out in a way that is definitely far more natural than most fantasy-style series.
Kirito does get a little bit more of an education about where he’s trying to get to in the sky, but the crux of the problem is that in-game it’s expected that it’ll take years to get there. Amusingly, he takes his frustrations out on Leafa, which in turn reveals who she is in the real world since players can actually log off here. Not that he learns it, nor does she know who Kirito is, but to me it was a completely unexpected character reveal that worked really nicely to show how the series can progress. Asuna also gets some decent screen time this episode, dealing with her jailer as we get some dialogue between the two, and it certainly ratchets up the dislike one can have for the man. As if the hospital scenes before weren’t bad enough! But here, we see the trap that Asuna is in all the more clearly and it just resonates very well.
In Summary:
Sword Art Online moves through a lot of material here and again feels like an overly packed episode. Reveals are here, character growth is well handled and the world of this particular game gets its detail in a natural and honest way that you would have between two players. Kirito continues to be a real favorite of mine across the board and Leafa is quickly becoming one as well based on how she handles her time with Kirito here. The show had me real worried when the game ended early, but it’s taken a really intriguing direction since and has dealt with it in a way that just reassures and keeps you thoroughly engaged and craving more.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
