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Sword Art Online: Alicization-War of Underworld Episode 44 Review/Recap

You know what I hate? When something that we’ve been building up to for a lengthy period of time ends up falling flat on its face. Since the second half of SAO Alicization began, I’ve been waiting for three moments: for Asuna to show up, for Kirito to wake up, and for Kirito to fight Gabriel. Now, we’ve reached the third and final moment on that list. And while it was visually spectacular, I think that it could have gone on another episode.

Oh, well. LINK START!

Recap

After saving Alice from being captured by Gabriel (and reverting her dragons into eggs), Kirito turns to face down Gabriel. This way, Alice and Asuna can have enough time to make it to the World’s End Altar and escape to the real world. Thus, the final battle begins.

An epic battle ensues in the skies above Underworld as the two warriors clash. Somehow, the darkness in Gabriel becomes so great, it devolves him into a demonic entity of darkness. Meanwhile, Kirito throws everything he has at Gabriel, but it’s not enough. Determined to win and return to his friends and loved ones, Kirito pushes himself to even further levels of power. Drawing on the thoughts of everyone in Underworld, the true power of the Night-Sky Sword is revealed. And with a mighty charge and help from Eugeo’s spirit, Kirito manages to obliterate Gabriel once and for all. As for the girls, they reach the Altar, and Alice is whisked away to the real world. At that moment, though, the maximum acceleration begins. As a result, all the remaining players are logged out.

Kirito remains trapped in Underworld for the next two centuries, and breaks down in tears, thinking that he’ll never see his friends again. Only, he’s not alone. Asuna appears before him, revealing that she chose to stay behind.

Review

I had mixed feelings about this episode. On the one hand, I feel like I should have known that the final battle would be done in a single episode. That’s more or less what’s happened in the anime’s run. And I will admit, while the fight was taking place, it had some of the best visuals the anime’s ever done. On the other, I can’t help but feel a little let down by how Kirito was able to defeat Gabriel so soon. Or maybe I just got myself too hyped for this fight in the end. Lesson learned I guess.

There is one scene, though, that I wish they had included in this episode. After Gabriel’s defeat, his spirit returns to the real world, only for the souls of his victims to drag him off to hell. As dark as that was, I would love to see it happen on the screen. I will say this, though: he looked very scary in his final, demonic form.

As for Kirito, I knew ahead of time that he was going to be trapped inside of Underworld, and that Asuna would choose to stay with him. After being separated for so long, that girl wasn’t going to let anything keep her away from her boyfriend. I won’t spoil anything from the novels, but don’t worry about them. They’ll make it out of Underworld in one piece.

With the climax of the story now over, we have three episodes to wrap the anime up. Odds are, we’ll see the end to the raid on RATH and follow Alice as she adjusts to our world in the process. It’s not exciting, but it has to be done.

I Give “Night-Sky Sword” A 3.5/5. Could Have Been Longer, But It’s Cool to Look At.

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Sword Art Online: Alicization- War of Underworld Episode 33 Review/Recap

In a series titled Sword Art Online, one would think the main focus would be on swordsmen and women, yet that’s not always been the case. There have been times when the heroes have used other weapons in VRMMO’s like guns, bows, spears and the like. However, I never thought we’d see the day when we saw a swordswoman fight a martial artist. Sword and Fist clash in the latest episode of War of Underworld.

LINK START!

Recap

Having gotten his attention, Vecta/Gabriel sends all his forces after Alice and the decoy force. At the head of the vanguard is Iskahn, leader of the Pugilists (boxers) guild. However, they’re halted by Sheyta, a quiet Integrity Knight with a love of cutting things up. With her razor thin sword, she proceeds to Madara Uchiha the Pugilists. As a result, Iskahn decides to step in and fight her himself.

Despite her razor-sharp blade, Iskahn’s able to hold her own against Sheyta. The Pugilists train their bodies to be tougher than blades, and as their leader, Iskhan’s body’s crazy strong. Sword and fist clash on equal footing before Sheyta withdraws. However, the experience has earned the two a respect for the other.

Meanwhile, the supply camp’s ambushed by Vassago. He goes Assassin’s Creed on most of the guards before turning his attention of Ronye and Tiese. However, before he can kill them, a shining figure the girls call “Stacia” appears in the sky and drives him off. To Vassago’s shock, he realizes that “Stacia” is really Asuna.

IT’S ABOUT TIME!

Review

The sword vs. fist fight of this episode was interesting, to say the least. At the least, I think that Sheyta’s a more interesting character than most of the Integrity Knight’s we’ve seen so far. As for Iskahn, though, he reminds me too much of your stock Shonen hero. With his confident personality and love of fighting, it’s like he’s a miniature version of Goku. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if not used right, characters like Iskahn can end up being one note. The same goes for Sheyta, too.

All of that pales compared to the big reveal at the end of the episode: Asuna’s finally in Underworld! Her arrival signals the start of the second half of the war for Underworld. From what I remember of the Light Novels, things are going to get really crazy. In addition, this means that Alice will now learn the truth about Underworld and her importance. Given what I remember from the Light Novels, though, Alice won’t take kindly to Asuna’s prescence. In other words, I think next episode’s going to be fun.

I Give “Sword and Fist” a 3.25/5. Asuna’s Here!

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Sword Art Online: Alicization- War of Underworld Episode 29 Review/Recap

I’ve noticed a recurring theme among stories that feature a climatic final battle between two opposing forces. Right before the big fight, there’s always a moment where the cast calms down and prepares themselves for what’s about to happen. Star Wars had their moment with Luke and Leia in Jedi; and Game of Thrones had a whole episode before the White Walkers attacked. Now SAO: Alicization goes through its own calm before the storm as the final battle for Underworld is about to begin.

LINK START!

Recap

Alice arrives at the Integrity Knight’s base with Kirito in tow, much to Eldrie’s dismay. However, Bercouli lets Kirito stay as he knows the boy’s aware enough to defend himself. In addition, since he beat Quinella and most of the Integrity Knights, Bercouli thinks he’ll be the key to victory in the final battle. To help protect him, Alice leaves Kirito in the care of Tione and Ronye, who have joined the Human Army. However, the two are guilt-ridden at Kirito’s state, believing that if they had been smarter, Eugeo would be alive and Kirito wouldn’t be in his state. Alice tells the two girls that they did nothing wrong, and that they should keep moving forward.

A day or so later, Bercouli calls a war meeting with the Knights present. The Dark Territory has around 50,000 warriors and sacred arts users on their side. On their part, the Human Empire has 3,000 soldiers plus the Integrity Knights, each worth a thousand soldiers. So their plan is to bottleneck them at the entrance and try and thin out their ranks.

The night before the battle, everyone prepares for what’s to come the next day. Alice takes the chance to reconcile with Eldrie, telling him to live so that he may reclaim his lost memories. The next day, the Human Army stands at the gate as it collapses, beginning the Final Load Test.

Review

As far as prelude’s to the final battle go, I can sum up my feelings to this episode in one word: meh. I mean, I think it did a good job of building tension up for the final battle, but it doesn’t really do much else. Game of Thrones did a better job with its episode leading up to the White Walkers arrival.

That said, I did like getting to see some of the other characters make their return. Bercouli shows off his leadership skills, and humorously, deals with the same kind of girl troubles Kirito has. We see that Fanatio overcame her insecurities over being a woman thanks to Kirito. In addition, unlike in the Light Novels, several of the Integrity Knights Kirito fought have cameos.

Now that that’s out of the way, though, I think we’ve all gotten to the point where we have one question: can we fight now? This is going to be an epic war that could not only decide the fate of Underworld, but affect the real world as well. If Gabriel captures Alice, then it’s game over. I only hope that it’s better than “The Long Night” was; and more visible.

Next week the War of Underworld truly begins! Can’t wait!

I Give “The Night Before Battle” a 3/5. BRING ON THE FIGHT!

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Sword Art Online: Alicization- War of Underworld Episode 28 Review/Recap

Sword Art Online has given us its fair share of villains over the years. While at are great hat sinks (*cough* Sugou and Quinella *cough*), I wouldn’t put them on a list of great anime villains. However, the exception to that has to be the big bad for War of Underworld, Gabriel Miller. I said that he’s a sociopath in my last post. However, it’s not until this episode that shows us how much of a gaming sociopath he is.

Link Start!

Recap

Through a series of flashbacks, we learn about Gabriel’s past. As a boy, Gabriel was fascinated by the idea of the soul, and longed to understand its power. This grew into an obsession as he got older, until one day, he murdered his best friend and childhood sweetheart, Alicia. As she died, he saw her soul leave her body, leading him to spend his life to experiencing that moment again.

In Underworld, Gabriel assumes the role of Vector and seizes power as Emperor of the Dark Territory. Playing off Underworld’s mythology, he vows to invade the Human Empire, promising its land for all in exchange for Alice. However, that night, a woman who’s opposed to his invasion tries to assassinate him. He kills her, and as she dies, witnesses her soul leave her body. Which he then eats.

The following day, Gabriel presents the frozen head of the woman to everyone, which leads to her leader/lover to attack Gabriel by incarnating himself into a storm. That storm’s then sucked into Gabriel’s soul, revealed to be a black void. Unphased, Gabriel then orders the invasion of the Human Empire to begin.

Review

It’s as I said: Gabriel Miller is a gaming sociopath. He’s got no ability to feel emotion, and his soul’s an all-encompassing void that devours everything. In other words, he’s the most evil person in SAO.

As good as the episode was at demonstrating how much of a sociopath Gabriel is, it leaves out some details from the web and light novels. Before he killed Alicia, he started taking insects apart so he could see their souls. That’s very disturbing! In addition to this, the light novel mentions how he becomes obsessed with Alice due to how she looks like Alicia. Even their names are the same. His ultimate goal is to steal Alice for himself and enslave her for his own, perverted goals.

Gabriel Miller’s the most dangerous enemy Kirito and his friends will ever face, and it will take everything they have to destroy him. I am personally looking forward to the fight between Kirito and Gabriel; we know it’s coming. If the show pulls it off right, this may be one of the biggest arcs anime has seen in a decade.

The war for Underworld is mere days away, and a gaming sociopath is leading the Dark Territory. They have 50,000 warriors to the Human Empire’s 3,000. Even with the Integrity Knights power, the heroes will need a miracle. Since Kirito’s in a coma, then maybe Asuna will do the trick!

I Give “Dark Territory” a 3/5. Getting better.

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Sword Art Online: Alicization War of Underworld, Episode 26 Review/Recap

After a quiet prologue to show us what’s happened to Underworld, SAO begins to ramp up once more. The war between the Humans and the Dark Territory’s on the horizon, and the latter’s already make the opening salvos. Rulid Village is under attack by the Dark Territory, and the only one who can stop them is Alice? Although, can Alice regain her warrior spirit, though, and what’s happening in the real world?

LINK START!

Recap

Alice races on her dragon Amayori to Rulid Village, finding that her worst fears have been realized. A vanguard of goblins and other beings from the Dark Territory are invading Rulid. In addition, the greedy Master-At-Arms refuses to let anyone evacuate. Enraged and inspired by Kirito’s resolve to help even in his state, Alice reveals her status as an Integrity Knight and orders everyone to retreat. Afterwards, she proceeeds to drive back the invaders on her own. However, knowing that war’s inevitable, Alice chooses to return to the capital with Kirito to prepare for the upcoming conflict.

Meanwhile in the real world, the Ocean Turtle’s under attack by an unknown assault team. It doesn’t take long for RATH to figure out their objective: to get inside the Fluctlight Cubes and acquire Alice for themselves. Much to Asuna’s fury, the only person in any position to stop the enemy is Kirito, and he’s in a coma within a coma. However, Asuna refuses to stand any longer and demands that Kikouka do something as she comes up with her own idea.

Review

I considered the first half of this episode to be a warm-up for the war that’s coming to Underworld. More importantly, I consider it an important moment in Alice’s character development. We’ve seen her go from a proud knight blindly following the Axiom Church to someone broken by the loss of her childhood friends. Add on the revelation that everything she was told was a lie, and she lost her resolve to fight. In this episode, though, we see her regain that fire she had as she takes up a new cause. This time, though, its worth fighting for. Additionally, I thought the restoration of her eye, while not explained very well, was a symbolic rebirth for her.

As for the second half, though, it represents the shortcomings of adapting a light novel. Exposition dumps are necessary to move the plot along, but I think the show didn’t need to spend so much time explaining it. The long and short is: Kirito’s self-loathing over losing Eugeo+power surge= frying his mind and sense of self. As for who these intruders are, it’s clear they’re working for another government that doesn’t want Japan to create a bottom-up AI. We also got a big reveal in a post-credits scene of the assault team’s leader. Remember this guy, because he’s going to be one of Kirito’s biggest enemies.

The main draw to the real world remains Asuna. She’s running out of patience and, by the looks of things, is ready to dive into Underworld to find Kirito herself. Considering how strong-willed she and Alice are, there would be sparks flying if they met.

Buckle up, people, because things are going to get really crazy from this point on. Crazy even by SAO standards.

I Give “Raids” a 3/5

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Sword Art Online: Alicization War of Underworld, Episode 25 Review/Recap

Back when SAO: Alicization ended the dub of its first half on Toonami, I promised that I would continue reviewing the show when part two came out. Now I intend to keep that promise, and I’m not waiting for the dub. Not when this could be the biggest arc in SAO. In addition, I don’t know if Karandi will be reviewing the second half, and I want to pick it up for them. Therefore, get ready to put on your nerve gear for Sword Art Online: War of Underworld.

LINK START!

Recap

Several months have passed since the death of Quinella, and Underworld’s still picking up the pieces. Thanks to the attack on the Ocean Turtle, Kirito’s been left in a coma in Underworld, Abel to move but unable to interact with the world. To protect him from those who still seek to punish him, Alice took him back to Rulid Village, living just outside the village. Alice makes a living helping the village, but they still see her as a criminal, save for Selka.

Meanwhile, Bercouli told the Integrity Knights of Quinella’s crimes, and her death leaves them vulnerable to the Dark Territory. Knowing they don’t stand a chance on their own, the Knights have issued a call to arms, training the people how to fight for the imminent invasion. Despite all this, Alice refuses to leave Kirito’s side, despite the Knights insistence. However, Alice may not have a choice; late one night, she awakens to find the village in flames. The war for Underworld has come.

Review

I knew going in to this that we’d have to wait to see some action, so I didn’t expect a lot to happen in the first episode. However, I stand by my hopes that the second half of Season Three will be better than the first. I say this because based on what I remember from the Light Novels, War of Underworld is not an exaggeration. Sword Art Online is about to go into a full scale war, and they’re bringing their entire cast of main and recurring characters to bare for it. That’s what I want to see in this kind of story: a war bringing together or reuniting characters from all parts of the show. They may not all get the same time in the spotlight, but it would be awesome to see everyone get at least one moment to shine.

Speaking of spotlight, don’t expect it to be on Kirito for most of War of Underworld. He’s stuck in this catatonic state most of the time. Therefore, this leaves more room for everyone else to grow. On that note, I did like some adjustments the anime makes to the Light Novels. For one, they give cameos to the Integrity Knights that Kirito and Eugeo beat; outside of Bercouli, Fanatio, and a few others, everyone else fades into the background. I’m hoping that we’ll get a scene or two showing them fighting in the upcoming war.

Alice’s Plight

This whole episode focuses on Alice, and I thought this was a great idea. We know how hard Alice has had it: arrested because of unfair laws, losing her memories and have them replaced with lies. Even her hometown sees her as a criminal at best, or a freak at worst. I respect her for remaining outwardly calm, but we know how much it’s eating at her on the inside.

With the war for the Underworld now on her doorstep, Alice will have no choice but to become a knight once more, and I look forward to seeing it. This time, though, she’s fighting for a cause worth fighting for. I know the second half started out slow, but I have high hopes going forward.

I give “In The Far North” a 4/5. A slow start, but this can be the calm before the storm.

Also, can we mention how Kirito attracts girls even while in a coma? I’ve lost count of how many girls are attracted to him by now.

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