RJ Writing Ink

Sword Art Online: Alicization-War of Underworld Episode 41 Review/Recap

Did you guys know that Sword Art Online got a movie a few years ago? I’m not joking; there is, in fact, a Sword Art Online movie in subbed and dubbed format. Called Ordinal Scale, it took place in between the events of Seasons two and three of the anime, and is fully canon to the anime’s timeline. However, I never expected that it would play any factor in Alicization. Turns out I was wrong, because two of the characters from that film end up playing a small yet important role in this week’s episode.

By the way, the action this week is actually pretty good, and we see some of PoH’s twisted backstory

LINK START!

Recap

So, PoH’s not happy that Kirito’s in a coma and unable to fight him, and decides to mutilate his helpless body while his friends are powerless to do anything. At the last moment, though, PoH’s attacked by a new player: fellow SAO player and top player from Ordinal Scale, Eiji. With the help of his AI friend/virtual singer Yuna, Eiji’s able to go toe to toe with PoH, even getting a few good hits in. More importantly, Yuna’s prescence makes many of the other players realize that they’ve been played by PoH.

In the end, Eiji’s unable to defeat PoH, and he and Yuna are forced to log out. However, in the process, PoH outs himself as the leader of Laughing Coffin. Everyone in the VRMMO community knows of those infamous serial killers. Then, just to be a jerk, PoH uses his will to make all the foreign players turn on each other. All of this in order to force Kirito to wake up and fight him.

Meanwhile, Sinon and Leafa are at the end of their ropes in their respective fights. Sinon’s doing all she can to hold off Gabriel, while Leafa’s going through unimaginable pain. However, their desire to help Kirito spurs them to keep fighting. In the real world, that traitor who no one cares about falls off the platform and dies. As a result, Higa’s able to link Asuna, Sinon, and Leafa to Kirito’s fluctlight. In other words, Kirito’s return is imminent!

Review

I must admit, I was not expecting the surprise appearance of the movie characters Eiji and Yuna in this episode. To my dismay, I actually forgot about Ordinal Scale until this episode jogged my memory of it. While their appearance did seem a bit shoehorned in, the anime did a good job of justifying their appearance. Rather, it justified Yuna’s appearance as helping to bring most of the enemy players to their senses.

On the other hand, Eiji justified his own appearance as he came close to pushing PoH into a corner. After the stuff he pulled the last episode, it’s cathartic to seem him pushed back like this! In addition, I found Sinon and Leafa’s own fights to be visually impressive as well. Say what you will about the characters in this show. You can’t deny they’ve got iron wills.

What I didn’t expect, though, was PoH’s backstory. He’s the bastard child of an American woman and a Japanese tycoon; his mom never loved him; and his dad only spoke to him to ask for a kidney transplant for his legitimate son. But if that was supposed to garner any sympathy from us, it didn’t work. PoH’s evil to the core: he stole the gear to get into SAO just so he could kill Japanese players. But now he’s making a big mistake by messing with Kirito.

Speaking of Kirito, his return seems to be imminent. As soon as he fixes his personal issues in his mind, he’s going to come back in the next episode or two and kick some serious ass. I can’t wait for it, either.

I Give “Prince of Hell” a 4.5/5. Much Better!

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I’m currently writing this on my phone as I prepare to go to bed, but this can’t wait until the morning. I just got done watching My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising. It was amazing! A huge step above Two Heroes, which was already a good movie.

The film takes place sometime after Season Four of the anime, though I’m not sure when. All the students of Class 1-A are filling in for the Pro Heroes by watching over the small island town of Nabu. Once again, Horikoshi wears his love for Star Wars on his sleeve. This month long excursion has no Pros and no teachers, so it’s a good chance for the students to gain experience. That is, until a quartet of villains arrives and turns the island into a disaster zone. Cut off from the world, the students of Class 1-A have to pull off all the stops to save the island. And man, do they go beyond, plus ultra!

Using the Cast to their Full Exent

A complaint I have about Two Heroes was how it never used app of Class 1-A as much as it could have. It only focused on around half the class, with the other half only making cameos with no lines. In Heroes Rising, though, the opposite happens.

Whether it’s through helping the islanders or throwing their might at the villains, this film gives each member of Class 1-A a moment to shine. While some will get more attention than others, I still enjoy seeing how each of these young heroes can show off what they can do.

Flashy Villains, No Depth

The villains in this story were terrifying on a scale that few in MHA can match. However, they’re so lacking in depth that I can’t even hope to remember their names. I guess that doesn’t matter, though, when they can bulldoze their way through the heroes. As a result, the students get pushed to their absolute limits to win, which makes for some intense fights.

Then we have the big bad, Nine. He’s called that because he let the League of Villains Dr. Eggman experiment on him. As a result, he has a weaker version of All for One’s Quirk. That alone makes him a nightmare, but the damage it does to his body keeps him from being All for One 2.0

So, he comes to the island looking for a Quirk to negate the damage, so he can fulfill his evil plans. What are they? Make a world where the strong rule: same spiel, a different bad guy. He doesn’t need depth when he can create a grandiose disaster and throttle the heroes in the worst beatdown I’ve seen since the Original Broly. Which leads for the team-up that fans have wanted

Deku and Bakugo

We’ve seen how Dekh’s relationship with Bakugo’s evolved over the series. Whereas Bakugo once thought his former friend was a nobody, this film shows him giving him genuine respect. He still yells at him and complains a lot, but he’s nowhere near as condescending. He wants Deku to get stronger so he can prove that he’s better than him.

Every generation of Shonen has had one great rivalry. First there was the legendary rivalry of Goku and Vegeta. Next, we had Naruto and Sasuke. Now, we have Deku and Bakugo, carrying the torches of those that came before.

In other words, this film’s about their relationship with each other and how far they’ve helped each other grow. This leads to the two facing down Nine in a climax that I can barely describe to you. The closest I can say is that it’s like the Deku vs. Overhaul fight times a hundred! It’s that good!

A Plus Ultra Film

While I do hold a soft spot for Two Heroes, I’d say that Heroes Rising was a significant improvement. If you haven’t seen it yet, then why are you still reading this? Go see it before it’s too late

I Give My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising a 4.8/5

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Ever since I saw Your Name in theaters a few years back, I’ve been convinced that Makoto Shinkai’s the Hayao Miyazaki of our generation. It was one of the best anime films and one of the best romance films I’ve ever seen. Thus, you’d think I’d be first in line to see his new hit, Weathering With You. I’m ashamed to say I dragged my heels until this weekend.

Having now seen Weathering With You, I regret not seeing it sooner.

The film’s about Hodaka, a 15-year old boy who runs away to Tokyo to get away from his (apparently) neglectful parents. By chance or fate, he meets Hina, an orphan girl with the power to stop the endless rain falling on the city. Together, the two try to use her powers to earn money to support themselves. However, they eventually learn that such actions have consequences.

I just got done seeing the film and reading what others are saying about it, and there seem to be two main themes to the film. The first is that Weathering With You’s a love story with a supernatural twist. From the looks of things, that appears to be Shibkai’s go-to theme.

That said, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Weathering With You and Your Name. From the supernatural love story and structure of the plot to the use of music by RADWIMPS in important scenes, there’s a lot the two have in common! The main characters from Your Name even appear, showing the two share a universe.

That said, the big difference in Weathering With You is the films second theme: consequences. In the movies climax, Hodaka and Hina are separated, with the former having to outrun the police to get her back. While I won’t say how it ends, let’s just say that Hodaka’s going to be in a lot of trouble and that Tokyo’s never the same. In other words, the film’s basically asking us how far we’d be willing to go to be with the one we love. Furthermore, can we live live with the consequences by doing so?

So, the film has a lot in common with Your Name, but I don’t see that as a bad thing. Shinkai makes sure Weathering With You unique enough to set itself apart, letting us still enjoy it despite the similar plots. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Go see it in theaters if you can. If you can’t, stream it once it’s available!

I Give “Weathering With You” a 4.5/5. Great Love Story

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