How are you not freezing? Running shorts outside in January? I guess being moe is worth catching the cold.

——

The show is still in “primer mode” and I’m not gonna lie: it’s kinda boring. A lot of information was thrown at us in this one which, you know, is needed to tell the story. Still, I’m getting a little tired of talking heads because that’s basically what this show boils down to now. Sword Art Online has become a show solely based on sci-fi/gamer dialogue and romantic drama. The action is nice, but there’s not enough of it to justify calling it an action show anymore. I am a bit disappointed that this episode felt so light compared to what we’ve gotten in the past, but that might be because A-1 Pictures decided to focus on Kazuto’s point of view. Not that the opposite viewpoint would’ve explained anything, just that it would have been nice to see a little more ‘oomph’ in this one.

There’s also more characterization in this episode than what is given in the novels. Not in the lines per se; most of the lines were summarized or cut out completely, but characters’ gestures and tones really made up for these deleted lines. One of my favorite examples is when Kirito gets rid of his items. In the book, he just does it immediately. Here he struggles with it before giving in, much more believable than just throwing them away. I mean, who can say they can just delete two year’s worth of inventory just like that? And Recon wasn’t quite as annoying in the book, probably because I had the choice of skimming his lines, something I did quite often. But now I have to actually watch him AND listen to his whining. Not my favorite change, but it does and will make him into a better character because of it.

I can’t help wondering if there’s going to be anything from Sugu’s POV in this arc at all, especially since she’s featured so heavily in the last episode. It’d be a shame to see her become a side character to Kazuto’s story because honestly, I’ve had my fill of that already.

GO Rating: 3.5/5