First Impressions / Sword Art Online

「剣士の矜持」 (Kenshi no Kyouji)
“Swordsman’s Pride”

I can feel some of the haters about to come out of the woodworks. That said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this week’s episode.

General Impressions

First and foremost, I want to take a moment to express just how happy I was when I the show took the time to show us that Volo wasn’t some jerkface with a chip on his shoulder. Instead, as the number one sword in the program, he was shouldering the weight of his family as he tried to live in a way that would honor his namesake. Unlike those two assfaces later on in the episode, I loved how Volo was thoroughly having a good time getting the chance to clash swords with someone who could give him a run for his money. And if by chance you’re not quite sure when I’m going on about, be sure to keep a close eye on Volo’s face after his bout with both Kirito and Sortiliena. You can see the smile on his face and it’s a smile that just filled me with a lot of happiness since it’s always nice to know you can be serious (maybe even too serious) about something and not be a jerk.

Changing topics to Kirito, I’m happy to see that the power of imagination is strong within him. Thinking back about how I thought he wouldn’t be able to harness the “hidden” power given to anyone in the Underworld, it was nice to see both his emotions and the game contributing to his ability to literally change reality. While it remains to be seen just how far the plot will exploit this tactic, I thoroughly enjoyed knowing that there was a tangible reason behind Kirito’s ability to pull out something crazy in an emergency. Now, that said, I can’t end this paragraph without talking about my mixed feelings about the flowers he was growing. On one hand, I really liked how the plot used those flowers as a way of Kirito venting his frustrations as well as using them as an analogy for the way he managed to make his way and mature in a world that was completely foreign to him (just like the flowers). On the other, I was a little less than ecstatic when I watched him harness the hidden power of the world to transfer the energy from the flowers around him to the ones that got smashed. Sure it was a cool way to demonstrate just how far the power of imagination and will can go, but I felt like this was opening a door that didn’t necessarily need to be opened (at least at this point in the story).

All that said, I thought this week’s episode was super fun and was glad to see the plot keeping up with this slightly quicker pace. In any case, I’ll catch you guys next week! Also, I apologize for the later than usual post. I’m a bit under the weather and have only just been able to get out of bed (god damn colds).

 

Preview

13 Comments

      1. Yeah, they might be a headache going forward. OTOH, they could make for good case studies in whether or not “arrogance” empowers someone’s “imagination” like real proven confidence does.

        Aex
        Reply

  2. SAO’s editor, Miki Kazuma, is seeking new writers to specifically create SAO spinoffs covering anime, games and novels.
    https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2018-11-23/sword-art-online-franchise-opens-job-applications-for-game-anime-spinoff-novel-writers/.139809

    Some commenters are worried Miki may take the chance to snatch away a larger portion of rights holding of the SAO franchise away from Kawahara’s control (as original creator).

    Because this future content is not made by Kawahara himself, but writers under Miki’s control, the fear is that Miki can use the excuse of “you can’t lose what you don’t create directly” to shut off Kawahara from the IPs and revenue flows from these spinoffs; instead flowing directly to him (and the publisher).

    Of course, they’re also hoping this is a good faith co-op to ease Kawahara’s burden of both overseeing the SAO franchise and focusing on his LN career writing SAO, Accel World and The Isolator.

    zztop
    Reply

  3. I’m particularly irked that a disembodied voice would suddenly come out and guide Kirito. It’s quite an asspull, almost a deus ex machina (if it isn’t one already). It’s probably Alice, but I hope we get an explanation soon.

    https://randomc.net/image/Sword%20Art%20Online/Sword%20Art%20Online%20Alicization%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2039.jpg

    Half my prediction came true. While Kirito didn’t win, he still gave Sortiliena a confidence boost to help her beat Volo. I hope she returns later in the story.

    https://randomc.net/image/Sword%20Art%20Online/Sword%20Art%20Online%20Alicization%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2013.jpg

    This wood tree is my sword. See how it gets long and hard. LOL

    Magnus Tancred
    Reply

    1. I’m glad there was no blushing and stuttering on her part. All the girls that’ve fallen for him in three seconds have so far been young teens of the emotionally damaged or needy type, so make him work for a strong, noble oujosama.

      Aex
      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *