Oh please. You’re just jealous you didn’t think of bribery yourself.

——

Now it’s getting good. Sword Art Online hit a great balance in this one. This show definitely has a better ratio of good to bad episodes than others, but very rarely do they put one out that I find genuinely entertaining. First off, the action was impressive, if only because it was on a larger scale. This was a lot better, bigger, and longer than anything we’ve seen before. Makes me so glad there’s magic and illusions now. I mean swordfighting is cool, but it doesn’t have the epicness of a monster massacring a bunch of Salamanders. It’s also got that conspiracy aspect to it which I find really interesting. Plus, this episode was funny in the right places and it didn’t try to smack you upside the head trying to be witty or clever. I dunno, man. When the show does it right, it does it right.

I’m actually really surprised that the writers didn’t powerpoint it out and explain the politics behind what was happening. Short and sweet, just the way I like it. I could’ve sworn it was longer in the novel, which only makes the anime version even more impressive. The only drawback is that it didn’t explain what Sigurd gains from cooperating with the Salamanders, but that’s okay. I mean, really: with all the shallow, poorly characterized antagonists this anime has already, what’s one more to the mix? And besides, not knowing what he gains from it right now does make him more interesting, for whatever reason. Why is that? (That’s not a rhetorical question. I really want to know why he seems more legitimate than Sugou. Both are trying for hostile takeovers, but one seems more better than the other.)

Next episode promises to have a serious action blowout with a potential treaty breaking down and a coup in progress. Not gonna lie, I’m looking forward to it. And who says politics are boring?

GO Rating: 3.5/5