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Sword Art Online: Alicization-War of Underworld Episode 43 Review/Recap

Sword Art Online fans rejoice, for the Black Swordsman Kirito has returned. And he is already kicking serious butt while he’s at it. I’m so excited about this that I’m skipping my normal intro and skipping straight into the recap.

Recap

Now that Kirito’s awake, PoH gets giddy with excitement and starts spouting how he wants to kill him more than anyone in the world. Kirito wisely chooses to ignore his ramblings charges straight at the leader of Laughing Coffin. Despite briefly gaining the upper hand due to Kirito only having one sword, PoH makes the mistake of threatening to kill even more people in front of the young man’s eyes. As a result, the memory fragment of Eugeo’s able to appear before Kirito and helps him repair the Blue Rose Sword. And as a result of that, Kirito’s able to alter his appearance to resemble what he wore in Aincrad. The Black Swordsman returns in full.

Next, he uses the Blue Rose Sword to sap the foreign players lives until they peacefully log out (good riddance). Then he uses the Night Sky Sword to suck up all their life force. In short order, Kirito proceeds to demolish PoH, but the psychopath declares that he won’t stop until Kirito and Asuna are dead in the real world. So, for his many heinous deeds, Kirito uses the Night Sky Sword to transform him into a tree. He’ll never be able to log out of Underworld as long as he lives.

As the heroes celebrate Kirito’s return (with the Underworld soldiers kneeling to him,) Kirito takes Asuna with him and uses his deep understanding of Underworld mechanics, flies off in pursuit of Alice. Not long after, though, they get a message from RATH. Gabriel and PoH’s flunkies have rigged the Underworld Server to accelerate time far past its safety parameters. In other words, if they don’t get Alice and get out of Underworld, they’ll be trapped in there for the rest of their lives!

Meanwhile, Alice reaches the World’s End Altar with Gabriel right on her heels. Despite telling her dragons to flee, they try to hold Gabriel off, only for him to nearly kill them. Before that can happen, though, Kirito shows up. The Black Swordsman and Subtilizer finally meet!

Recap

Oh my gosh, you guys, this is the exact kind of thing that I have been waiting for us to see. It was fun to watch all the other characters get their time in the spotlight, but there’s no denying the badassery that is Kirito the Black Swordsman. Speaking of Black Swordsman, I love the fact that Kirito changed his appearance to what he wore in Aincrad. I’ve always thought dusters are so cool, and Kirito rocks it. And he just managed to end PoH!

For clarification, Kirito is well aware that leaving PoH trapped in a tree form until someone pulls him out is basically sentencing him to death. However, given the fact that he wouldn’t stop coming after Kirito and Asuna until he killed them, I’d say this was justified. And with the Underworld about to be accelerated to super crazy speeds, he’s as good as dead. Now all that’s left to deal with is Gabriel.

There are only five episodes left in the series, so they’re going to have to manage this final fight carefully . It can’t be too long, not too short, it has to be just right to get the maximum amount of awesomeness. And I, for one, am looking forward to seeing Kirito wreck Gabriel! Go BLACK SWORDSMAN!

I Give “Awakening” a 4.5/5

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Sword Art Online: Alicization- War of Underworld Episode 42 Review/Recap

Okay, I’ll admit it. At first, it was fun seeing Sword Art Online not revolve around Kirito. War of Underworld gave the rest of the cast a chance to shine and grow as characters. But eventually, you’ve got to have your main hero take center-stage. Otherwise, the story’s going to get real dull. This week, though, our prayers are finally answered. Kirito the Black Swordsman not only makes his return, but we also see just how scarred he’s been by the events of the series.

No, seriously, that guy needs some therapy after this. He’s got some serious PTSD and Survivor’s Guilt.

LINK START!

Recap

In Underworld, PoH continues his sadistic killing spree, with his sheer malice corrupting almost all of the foreign players. As Asuna desperately tries to defeat him, PoH explains that the only reason he’s doing this is to wake Kirito up. Ever since he failed to kill him, PoH’s seen him as the incorruptible Batman to his Joker, and wants nothing more than to break him. Despite being at her limit, though, Asuna is spurred on by the memory of her friend Yuki. Gaining a second wind, Asuna unleashes her strongest attack, Mother’s Rosario, that comes close to defeating PoH.

Unfortunately, PoH’s weapon hasn’t the ability to get stronger when it attacks other players. As a result, it absorbs all the death that’s gone on around it, making PoH more powerful than ever, and leaving most of the foreign players under his thrall.

Inside Kirito’s mind, the young man relives every traumatic experience he’s had since he played SAO. From the deaths of the Moonlit Black Cats to Eugeo’s death, the pain nearly overwhelms him. Even with the support of Asuna, Sugu, and Sinon, he comes close to killing himself. However, a miracle occurs. A fragment of Eugeo’s fluctlight appears in his mind and reminds him that he’s not alone. He’s got the memories of those he lost in his heart, and so many left who are waiting for him. Remembering his will to fight, Kirito heals the damage done to his mind. As a result, he awakens from his coma, and uses Eugeo’s Secret Art to freeze all the enemy players save for PoH. PoH, he saves for himself to face.

PoH is so screwed.

Review

To paraphrase General Pepper from the Star Fox series, “It’s about time you showed up, Kirito! You’re the only hope for our world!” That was basically how I reacted when I finally saw Kirito stand up and fight after all this time. It can be fun to give the other heroes and secondary characters time in the spotlight, but there are threats that only the hero can defeat. That’s why they’re the hero.

Beautiful animation

Having said that, there are two things I think need to be discussed: the animation and what we saw in Kirito’s mind. The level of detail they put into the fight sequence between Asuna and PoH and Kirito’s return is high-tier levels of animation. The kind of things that anime fans drool about being able to see. I don’t exactly get why Asuna suddenly sprouted angel wings, but who cares? It looks awesome!

With the series so close to the end, I hope that the remaining episodes keep up this top-tier animation. It’s part of why I enjoyed SAO in the first place.

Kirito’s Mental Scars

The second noteworthy thing about this episode is how puts all the trauma Kirito’s gone through front and center. A lot of people tend to see him as this cool, level-headed guy who doesn’t let things faze him…on the outside. On the inside, we see just how badly his time in SAO messed him up.

First, there’s the memory of the Moonlit Black Cats’ death, and how he blames himself for keeping his level a secret. Then the fact that he had to kill three people, even if it was in self-defense. Everyone else may have forgiven him, but he hasn’t forgiven himself for it. Furthermore, it’s revealed that even after leaving SAO, he still felt guilty for killing other players in-game. Even if they didn’t die in real life or if they deserved it like Sugou and Death Gun. In other words, he never truly left the death game, and watching Eugeo die finally broke him mentally.

I just felt so bad seeing Kirito go through that, thinking that he didn’t deserve to live after everything. The worst part, though, is that this stuff happens to people in real life. Fortunately, Kirito had loved ones to remind him that he can forgive himself and move on. Not everyone has that fortune in real life.

The Real Fight Begins

Now that Kirito is back in the game, I think we know what’s going to happen to PoH and Gabriel. They are going to get their butts kicked all the way to hell where they belong. And with Kirito having reached a new level of power, it’s going to look amazing to watch. The Black Swordsman is about to join the fight!

I Give “Memories” a 4.5/5

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