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  

Sword Art Online

By: Robert Murphy

It is 2022 and the world of virtual reality and gaming has finally come to a level that all gamers dream about, players can enter amazing worlds and completely immerse themselves into using various rigs such as Nerve Gear. Players from all across the world are excited for one new game in particular that is being release that is called Sword Art Online which is a massively large MMORPG (Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) much like World of Warcraft, where players create and control their own unique characters and explore the world of Aincrad. But things take a turn for the worse as it is quickly discovered that players cannot leave the game, they are trapped in this virtual world by its creator who will only release all the players once the final stage is cleared on level 100. To make matters worse for the players it is revealed that not only are they trapped but if a players dies in the game, they die for real.

Our story follows along one particular brilliant player by the name of Kirito, who has eagerly await the games release like many others but he truly sets to the task of beating the game and making it out alive. Kirito is dead set on being a solo player from the get go, he is shy and timid in the game much like he is in the real world but as the game and the show progresses we see him break out of his shell and interact with the various players of Sword Art Online. The main person who breaks Kirito out of his isolation is Asuna, a female player who gets introduced early on and a person I immediately fell in love with alongside Kirito. The great thing about the show is that even though the players are trapped in a virtual world, the experiences and feelings that are shared throughout the game are very much real and that is ever clear with the relationship between Kirito and Asuna. The two fall in love during the game and it wasn’t one of those BS love stories either, the two were clear with their feelings for one another and they made it happen and that’s why I love the twos characters. And don’t worry folks, as I’m sure some of you may have thought of “well what if Asuna turns out to be a guy playing a girl” this gets debunked at the beginning of the show and all characters are who they are in real life thanks to the Nerve Gear.

Now outside the touching narrative and social interaction, Sword Art Online, comes with an enjoyable amount of action to it. Outside of the generic enemies you’d find in an MMORPG, there are some stellar boss fights that feature greatly designed fight sequences that completely make you feel like you’re watching real game play. Alongside this there are the absolutely beautifully designed worlds that as a gamer make me jealous that they aren’t real and that I won’t have them for nine years but I can wait for them. The environments both on the front lines of battle and off are breathe taking, between the places the players can live and bosses lairs and more, the world is massive and all around what you’d want a video game world to be like.

Now the show isn’t without its problems, for starters the show moves very fast paced and almost feels a little rushed like there is something being left out and the show is based off of a manga and things often times get cut out, so that very well may be the case. My other problem with the show is the sort of second half of the story which feels like an unfortunate turn for such a great show, the second arc is far less action heavy and less of an adrenaline fueled affair. What makes my spine tingle is how dumbed down Asuna becomes, she becomes less of an all-around butt kicking female character and more of a damsel in distress waiting for Kirito to save her. Even the “bad guy” in the second arc isn’t at all that intimidating of a character, he’s more of the slimy and gutless character who is all around creepy to even look at.

These problems aside, Sword Art Online, gave me a thrill that an anime hasn’t in quite some time and introduces a lead as well as a great group of supporting characters throughout the shows span. Asuna and Kirito are easily one of my new favorite anime couples, they knew they loved one another and went for it and proceeded to collectively kick virtual butt together. The video game worlds featured in the story are incredibly well designed, like something you’d see in a commercial for a game and could only dream that it would like that when you started playing. In the end I just wish the show had more episodes but what can you do, I suppose if I want more action to read up on I can check out the manga and continue to re-enjoy the awesome parts of the show over again which aren’t too hard to find.

Good:

-Amazing characters

-Asuna and Kirito are an insanely awesome anime couple

-The world you’re watching literally does feel like you’re watching a video game unfold

-Beautifully designed worlds, characters and action

Bad:

-The story gets a little rushed at times

-The second arc of the story isn’t as nerve racking and is where you may lose touch with the show

Scully Rating: 8.5 out of 10 

√Bestamvsofalltime ▪ [MEP] YIMH AMV

Zach Goodier

Today I have another AMV to share with you guys, and it's a good one.  The song is Blue Stahli - Metamorphosis (Lifetheory Remix), and there are several animes in here as well.  I love that the scenes are well choreographed to the music, and the overall tone remains consistent throughout the entire thing.  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be watching this a few more times.