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Sword Art Online: Alicization Episode 21 Review/Recap

Twenty-one episodes in, and we finally get the fight that no one asked for, least of all me. Kirito’s forced to fight a brainwashed Eugeo, now the latest Integrity Knight. I stand by my assertion about the time it will take for Kirito to kick Eugeo’s butt.

LINK START!

Recap

The clash between the two friends continues as Kirito does his best to undo Quinella’s brainwashing. Try as he might, though, nothing seems to get through to him. At least, not until Kirito mentions the name of Alice. Then just like that, all his memories come flooding back to him. Quinella was in such a rush to turn him into an Integrity Knight that she didn’t seal off his memories. Instead of teaming up with his friends, though, he freezes them in place and goes to confront Quinella alone.

We all know how that ends, though. Eugeo tries to kill Quinella, only to fail miserably. Fortunately, Eugeo had already set Kirito and Alice free, and they bust in right behind a terrified Chudelkin. Face to face with the fake Pontifex, Alice declares that she will never serve Quinella; she serves the people. Rather than sully herself in battle, the hag commands Chudelkin to dispose of the three. In exchange, she “swears by the Goddess Stacia” that he may spend one night alone with her. Chudelkin then unleashes his most powerful fire magic, summoning a massive Genie to fight.

Review

What kind of fight did we watch? It’s bad enough that there was little to no build up of tension to it, but then have it end so quickly is pathetic. I knew that Kirito was going to snap Eugeo out of it with the magic of friendship, but I wanted to see them duke it out. It was a buzzkill in the end.

I also had some issues with how Eugeo and Alice acted during the episode. I fail to understand why Alice didn’t jump in and help Kirito fight Eugeo; that doesn’t make sense. Second, if Eugeo snapped out of his brainwashing, then why didn’t he come up with a plan with Kirito and Alice? They could’ve ganged up on Quinella and taken her out in one fell swoop. Instead, Eugeo went to fight someone he knew he couldn’t beat alone. If the Abridged Series ever gets to this, I hope they bring it up.

I Hate Quinella

Another problem I have is, once again, with Quinella. I hate how the anime is going out of its way to use her for fanservice shots. Seeing her naked’s This bad enough, but the close-ups on her boobs and legs are irritating. It veers into shameless fanservice.

The worst part of it is that we know that Quinella has no intention of keeping her promise to that groveling coward, Chudelkin. I could tell by the haughty laugh she gives: she expects him to die for her.

While this episode was my least favorite of the season, but it did have one saving grace: Eugeo calling Quinella out on her idea of what love is. I had done it before in a previous post, but hearing her repeat herself made me realize how pitiful she is. If that’s her idea of love, then I don’t think anyone ever loved her before, because she knows nothing about it. She’s hollower than any machine could ever be.

I look forward to seeing her get her comeuppance.

I Give “The 32nd Knight” a 2/5. Worst “Fight Btwn Best Friends” Ever.

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Sword Art Online: Alicization Episode 16 Review/Recap

I was too busy dealing with the fact that Game of Thrones and Star vs. were over that I forgot to write my review for the last episode of SAO: Alicization. I have to admit, though, that this show’s now starting to get a bit repetitive. Still, I promised that I would do every episode, and I will keep it. Or my name isn’t Roderick J Fritz!

It’s not; that’s just a pen name. And until I say otherwise, that is what it will remain as.

LINK. START!

Recap

So after that cliffhanger ending last time, Kirito manages to unleash his ultimate attack and is able to beat Fanatio, but he doesn’t have the heart to let someone that good die because of the Axiom Church’s corruption. So he decides to use one of those four dagger things to save her, even though Eugeo thinks he’s crazy to do so.

And then, as if to reinforce that the Axiom Church is evil, Kirito and Eugeo hitch a ride on an elevator with an attendant whose calling has been to work the elevator. For centuries. She can’t even remember her name.

After that sad scene, we finally get to see the main event, as Kirito and Eugeo manage to make it to the floor where Alice is waiting for them. Another epic battle ensues, their teamwork.and while Kirito has a hard time keeping up with her and her OP sword, Eugeo and Kirito restrain her with their teamwork.

Just as they’re about to use another dagger on her, though, she breaks free, and then the wall breaks open, sending Kirito and Alice falling outside of the Church. Before Eugeo can do anything, the building regenerates, leaving him alone, without his two best friends.

Review

So, a couple of things. While I didn’t mind seeing that elevator woman, I thought that they wasted time on her just to establish something that we already know: the Axiom Church is evil and the “Sacred Task” thing is like slavery with extra steps. I wanted to see Kirito and Alice fight some more! Since Alice’s return, it felt like the plot was making the fight between Kirito, Eugeo, and Alice a huge deal. Instead, it lasted about two minutes. That’s lame!

And I know that Kirito and Alice aren’t dead. Even if they didn’t have plot armor, those two wouldn’t let falling out of a building kill them. The whole point is to get Alice separated and make her see that she’s being used as a tool by the Church.

If what my fellow blogger Karandi says is true, Eugeo is going to have one of the best fights of the season in the next few episodes, while Kirito and Alice are stuck with exposition dialogue. Not looking forward to that, unless they make it interesting somehow.

So, this episode was a bit of a letdown after what happened in the previous episode. I hoped the fights would get better, but they didn’t. Not giving up hope, though.

I Give “The Osmanthus Knight” a 3/5

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Sword Art Online: Alicization, Episode 12 & Episode 13 Review/Recap

I am terribly sorry for the delay on this, but I was busy all week, and now I’m trying to play catch up. However, Episodes 12 & 13 both tell the same important story. That story will define the remainder of the first half of SAO: Alicization. So I figured, just kill two birds with one stone and do them both at the same time. And that’s why we’re here now.

LINK START!

Recap

“The Sage of the Library”

Eugeo can’t shake the feeling that he’s heard Eldrie’s name before, but considering how they’re about to fight him with only their chains and system commands, that’s not as important. They do their best, but they can’t beat him. Just he has them on the ropes, Eugeo remembers who Eldrie is: Eldrie Woolsburg, the winner of the most recent Unification Tournament.

Since this means that that whole “summoned to this world” thing isn’t true, Eldrie starts to mentally break down, and its revealed that he has some sort of crystal implanted in him that blocks his real memories. Before they can make him remember everything, another Intergrity Knight ruins everything, and they have to run for it.

Just as they hit a dead end, a glowing door appears in the courtyard, with a girl inside beckoning them inside. Inside is a massive library, containing the history of Underworld and the Sacred Arts. More important, though, the girl’s name is Cardinal, the former regulator of Underworld.

While Eugeo goes to take a hot bath, Cardinal tells Kirito the truth: while the Gods of Underworld are super-accounts for emergencies, everything else is a lie made by the Axiom Church. Cardinal is, in fact, the manifestation of the Cardinal System that has run nearly every VR world Kirito has been in. Then she tells the true history of the world.

One of the four Rath employees who built Underworld was corrupt and instilled a sense of arrogance in his children, which led to the creation of the nobles. From their ranks, a girl named Quinella was born. Quinella attained an unheard of mastery of the Sacred Arts, which she used to fool everyone into believing she was a prophet of the gods. She then built the Axiom Church and the Taboo Index to ensure no one else could surpass her.

When she eventually grew old, she used the Sacred Arts to restore her youth, and then usurped the Cardinal Systems authority over Underworld, becoming the Administrator.

“Ruler and Mediator”

Even with all her power, Quinella hit another wall: her fluctlight had reached its memory capacity. Thus, she used a young girl as a test dummy to gain control of another’s Fluctlight. That would become the basis for the Integrity Knights Synthesis.

While it helped save her memories, Quinella’s plan backfired, and allowed Cardinal to use the body of the little girl as her own. Quinella was too strong for her to defeat, though, and she was forced to flee to the Great Library. She’s been hiding there while she sent animal agents to find someone who can help her take down Quinella.

It gets worse: Rath has designed an endgame to Underworld. Very soon, the inhabitants of the Dark Territory will invade the Human Territory, which will result in Underworld’s bloody destruction. If Kirito and Eugeo help Cardinal defeat Quinella, though, she will make them a deal. She can save ten people in Underworld, while she deletes the rest. Even though Kirito agrees to help Cardinal, he refuses to give up on Underworld.

After meeting up with Eugeo, Cardinal explains how to break the brainwashing of the Integrity Knights: by recovering the memory fragments of the Knights, located in Quinella’s quarters, and put them back in the Knights. Which means they need to fight through all the Integrity Knights to get to Quinella.

Cardinal then gives them some power-ups that will help them beat the Integrity Knights, and then she sends the two of them on their way, towards the fight of their lives.

Review

Now you see why I loathe the Axiom Church, the Noblility, the Taboo Index, and Quinella. That woman represents everything I despise in those who govern: she’s arrogant to the point of considering herself a goddess, and she abuses her power to oppress those beneath her and keep them from standing up to her rule. Her dumb rules are why Alice was taken away, and why Ronye and Tiese were nearly raped. She’s everything wrong with Underworld, and I am looking forward to the day that Kirito takes her down. It’s already happened in the anime; we just need to get to that point in the dub.

What should be of greater concern, though, is Cardinal’s prediction for the fate of Underworld. I know for a fact that she’s correct. The Dark Territory will invade, and the Integrity Knights won’t be able to stop them. The only chance Underworld has to survive is for Kirito to take down Quinella and rally the humans of Underworld. That, though, will be a story for another time.

Regarding the episodes themselves, I personally enjoyed them. I know that a lot of people may not like having to deal with exposition and flashbacks in shows, but they are necessary to move the plot forward at times. In this case, these two episodes establish what we had already suspected: that Underworld wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Next week, we start a new chapter in the Alicization saga, as Kirito and Eugeo must fight to save Underworld from Quinella’s tyranny and the coming apocalypse. If Karandi is right, then the next few episodes are going to become repetitive and boring. Since I didn’t start watching until the dub, though, I reserve judgement. I’m hopeful, though.

These episodes had far more talking than they did fighting, but they were some of my favorite episodes of the show so far, as they revealed a lot of important information about what’s happening. That, and I’m a sucker for a good flashback story

I Give “The Sage of the Library” and “Ruler and Mediator” 3.5/5 and 4/5

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Sword Art Online: Alicization Review/Recap, Episode 4

Remember how I had said that Sword Art Online: Alicization was going to be a slow burn? Well, a slow-moving story can be worth it as long as the payoff is worth it. As this episode of Sword Art Online shows, the payoff comes in the form of epic fight scenes. Say what you will about SAO, the fight scenes are always awesome.

LINK START!!

Recap

We pick up where the last episode left off: a horde of goblins about to fight Kirito and Eugeo, and Eugeo scared out of his mind. Given everything that Kirito’s been through, this is like another day at the office.

Kirito then comes up with a plan: he fights the boss, while Eugeo deals with the small fry. The fight that follows lives up to the standards that the show sets.

Quick note: unlike previous VRMMO’s, Underworld is meant to be as close to our world as possible. That means when people get cut with swords, they bleed. When they get their arms cut off, they bleed a lot. Just like that goblin leader when Kirito cuts his arm off.

Another quick note: pain is very much a thing in Underworld, and Kirito’s at a disadvantage here. He’s been playing VRMMO’s for so long, he hasn’t experienced pain in a while. When that goblin slashes Kirito across the chest, he is in agony.

Fortunately, Eugeo finally finds his courage and distracts the head goblin, but is mortally wounded in the process. Enraged, Kirito manages to decapitate the guy. The rest of the goblins quickly retreat.

After freeing Selka, she then leads Kiritio in performing an incredibly risky sacred art : transfer their life into Eugeo to keep him from dying. It manages to work, but just before Kirito passes out, he hears a voice. It’s Alice, telling him that she’s waiting for him and Eugeo at the top of the central cathedral in the capital of Centoria.

A few days later, Eugeo and Kirito are back on their feet, and Kirito tries out Blue Rose again. He leveled up from that fight before, so now he can use the sword. And it takes a chunk of life out of the Gigas Cedar!

Eugeo then begs Kirito to train him as a swordsman so he can bring back Alice, and he readily agrees. He also dubs his sword style “Aincrad Style”.

One training montage later, Eugeo can handle Blue Rose like a pro, and just like that, that giant tree’s chopped down. The whole village celebrates! And, in a convenient plot device, Eugeo is now free to choose a new sacred task. He goes with the swordsman, and so Kirito and Eugeo depart for Centoria to become master swordsmen and bring back Alice.

Review

As I said before, the fights in Sword Art Online, however brief they may be at times, can be worth the wait. I’ve read the light novels, so trust me when I say that this was just a warm-up. The second half of the season is going to have some Dragonball Z level fighting.

It was a good warm-up, though. The choreography was good, the pacing and animation met the standards the show has set, and the music was on point. You know it’s going to be good when they start using a remix of swordland.

On that note, though, I do have something I want to discuss: are they overusing swordland? I know that it’s one of the best songs in the show’s soundtrack; it always has. When you hear it, it conveys a purpose, letting the audience know that this fight is going to be good. But it seems like they are using it a little too often now. When they were healing Eugeo, I swear I could hear a soft instrumental remix of it playing.

I like the song, but don’t rely on it exclusively or else its going to get really old really fast.

Also, Selka, why would you go into the mountains on your own? I get that you were trying to prove to yourself that you’re not Alice, but trying to do what got her in trouble isn’t going to help that argument. At least she admits tbat she’ll find her own way of surpassing Alice through the Sacred Arts. She’s got latent talent, so I’ll give her that.

The only other gripe I have about this episode is that they missed a few scenes that were in the light novel. They say the goblins were supposed to fight amongst themselves to determine a new leader, but we never see that. Also, I remember reading that Eugeo announces he’s going to be a swordsman, that jerk guard fights him for it. He doesn’t even show up here. I think it was a wasted chance to see a jerk get clobbered. I don’t even remember his name at this point.

Actually, according to the wiki, there was a lot of creative liberty taken with this episode. There are a lot of differences for each of the previous episodes that I never even knew. Them’s the breaks for not reading the first half of the arc.

So, in the end, this episode was at least 40% action, and 60% dialogue and moving the plot forward. Since this is just the first fight, though, I will give it a pass. I just hope that the fights continue to get better as time goes on.

I Give “Departure” a 3.5/5

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