Sword Art Online 2

By: Robert Murphy

It would seem that Kirito and Asuna just cannot escape from the virtual world and heck if I had the DIVE system technology that they have I would certainly spend all my free time in a virtual world too. This season of Sword Art Online is a bit tricky to sum up as it follows three different arcs to the universe, one of which is the main sort of story that was teased about when word of the new series first came out. A new game and a new enemy arises in Gun Gale Online, people are being killed in the game and then found dead in real life as well. The fear of another SAO incident leads Kirito to once again get involved and put his life on the line against the unknown player called Death Gun, you heard me. We also see the return of Asuna and all their friends in ALfheim Online and a short trip in to Norse mythology ensues for a new quest. Alongside all of this, a new player arises in the game whose swords skills even put Kirito's to shame and round of the show for a final tear jerking arc.

As I said, it's hard to sum up all that happens in Sword Art Online 2 because it goes much more differently than the first and differently than most anime in general. Sure, other shows have different arcs to them but there is sense of flow to most of them to make it all work together and connect that SAO 2 just didn't have. Kirito entering the new world of Gun Gale Online was something that we all expected this time around and it leads to the introduction of our new character, Shino Asada. Shino is an incredible sniper style character and her skills are beyond extraordinary to say the least, she herself is entering the Bullet of Bullets competition in GGO to prove her worth as a top level character and that she can escape from what happened in her past. She was all around a great character for this first arc, her and Asuna's skills and brief rivalry made for a some funny and stellar action scenes, watching Kirito laser sword a sniper bullet like it was nothing was particularly jaw dropping. The mystery to this arc is also a particular nail biter, despite the lack luster name of Death Gun, he himself is a force to be reckoned with as he has skills that challenge Kirito along with legendary weaponry from GGO to help him fight. His link to Kirito's passed and the events of Sword Art Online make you realize that Kirito didn't make it out of that game without blood on his hands and that haunts him to this day. It's an emotionally driven arc to say the least, not only for Kirito but for Shino too as her dark passed makes you question how she could ever even hold or look at a gun the same way.

All this emotional tension though gets dropped at the conclusion of the GGO arc of the story and we move on to a few fluff episodes that take place in ALfheim Online. Shino joins Kirito, Asuna and their friends in an adventure for Excalibur, a golden sword that has been sought after by Kirito for the longest time. These few episodes are pointless in my opinion, it detracts from everything that the season had going for it as they all enter a Norse God style adventure that ends just as soon as it begins. The final arc however brings back the emotional toll once again, I had been a bit apprehensive after the addition of the smaller arc I had seen before it but this chapter really brings home the series as a whole I felt. 

A new player is revealed for the story, she is a legendary swordsman and she is challenging all new comers to fight her in a duel. This opens the Sleeping Knights arc and it is one that Asuna takes a huge part in and Kirito takes a side seat for the show and she finally returns to the character we all knew her as in the first part of SAO. Her strength as a legendary swordsman herself shines through once again and she teams up with our new character Yuuki. Yuuki is the underline reason for Asuna coming out of her shell in this arc and the two form an incredible bond as characters that I loved but unfortunately Yuuki too has a past that she will not be able to avoid. She is a full dive player meaning she plays almost 24/7 and this is because she is terminally ill. It never occurs to you that there could be players diving who are in hospital beds and that's one of the most powerful parts of this arc that I found. Despite this unfortunate circumstance though Yuuki is a shining and bubbly character whose personality I normally wouldn't go for but this time I liked it especially for the way her actions bring Asuna to stand up for herself against her mother, for her and Kirito and for her to lead her own life. 

In the end, Yuuki and Shino both made excellent additions to Sword Art Online 2, I just wish the story had a more fluid way to it's storytelling because despite the two amazing arcs presented this season, they just don't fit together and the pointless fluff story in between them furthers that divide. Ultimately, what I think impressed me most is the characters as I said before, Yuuki and Shino both have hard fought pasts and open up a side to the show that I didn't think I was in for and Asuna makes a wonderful return to her former self, standing up against her mother and all the ways she was being forced to live her life. If not for the sub par way that the episodes are put together and the very final cliff hanger you are left dangling with at the end of the final episode, Sword Art Online 2 would have made for a more enjoyable watch.

Good:

- Yuuki and Shino are both great new characters 

- Asuna returns to her former strength and I fell in love all over again

- The GGO and The Sleeping Knights arcs were emotionally powerful and very strong separately

Bad:

- The combination of all these arcs doesn't make this second season flow coherently 

- The unnecessary Norse Mythology adventure episodes should have been avoided 

Scully Rating: 7.0 out of 10