Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. Well guys August is officially here. Summer is almost over, people are going back to school, fall is around the corner, and the VR arc can officially begin. Last week we reviewed the first half of SAO II. The first half was but let’s see if the second half can capitalize on this.
Opening and Ending Theme
The opening for the second half is “courage” sung by Asuna herself, Haruka Tomatsu. It’s a really engaging song. It’s been a while since I’ve heard Haruka sing that I forgot she’s a very good singer. The only downside I have with this song is that the instrumental overshadows Haruka’s voice a few times throughout the song. Other than that the song is good. It has a mixture of both tragedy and hope. I still prefer the first opening over this one though. The ending is “No More Time Machine” by LiSA. Now I have to admit I like this ending a lot more than the first one. It’s very uplifting, the instrumental is good, and I just love LiSA’s voice. The song is almost telling us to enjoy the time we have with others because we never know when our time is gonna come. We also have a third ending called “Shirshi” by LiSA once again. This is probably the best ending out of all the endings as it brings out so many emotions whenever you listen to it.
Episodes 15-18
In episode 15 we return to the wonderful world of ALO (now free of crazy adminstrators). It’s almost the end of the year and Kirito and Sugu have discovered the location of Excalibur the ultimate sword in ALO (yes but can you stand the annoyance of the sword) by saving Tonkii a flying bug-like elephant creature from a tyrant creature in the frozen lands of ALO. The only way to get Excalibur is to clear the dungeon in the sky and since Kirito and Sugu want to finish the year off on a high note they get Asuna, Silica, Klein, Liz, Yui, and Sinon (who transferred her account and became a hot catgirl. As if she wasn’t hot enough already) to join them on their quest for Excalibur (scene here: //youtu.be/KKMZpMt6C_E). As they fly on the back of Tonkii to the dungeon they see that other players have teamed up with the tyrants and are killing off the Tonkiis (no! You’re supposed to kill the tyrants not join them. Kill the tyrants and save the elephants) and before they know it a huge AI fairy appears before them named Urd, Queen of the Lake where she explains that the land they’re on wasn’t always a frozen wasteland but instead a beautiful land full of nature where Urd along with the Tonkiis and her sisters resided (sounds lovely). But one day Thrym the King of the Frost Giants came and plunged Excalibur into Urd’s lake which is at the center of the world of ALO severing the ties of Urd’s land with the World Tree and turning her land into a frozen wasteland (man sucks to be her right now). Now Thrym and his frost giants rule the land and have tricked the players into helping the tyrants kill off the rest of the Tonkiis with the reward being Excalibur which Thrym has no plans on giving the sword to them at all. This is bad because if the Tonkiis die it will in turn kill off Urd and her sisters. She begs Kirito and the others to infiltrate Thrym’s castle in the sky, get Excalibur, and defeat Thrym restoring their land which they accept to do (obviously, who could say no to a quest like this? This material is good enough for a full game) and she gives them a necklace with a green stone in it that will turn dark when all of the Tonkiis have been slain signaling her power is no more. With the fate of a land as well as an entire species lying in their hands they fly off to the castle in the sky determined to complete the quest.
In episode 16 the group reaches the dungeon which only has 4 floors (Seras: What a small dungeon. (Nitsuj): Yes, but it’s the small dungeons that give you the most trouble). Before going in Yui tells them that ALO and this quest is largely based off of Norse mythology (and yet we haven’t seen Thor or Loki at all what a disappointment) and there’s a possibility that Ragnorok could happen destroying ALO forever. Deciding to put that information on hold the group goes into the dungeon where they face a healing minotaur and a warrior minotaur who has high physical resistance and none of them are magic users (how is that possible, the whole the concept of ALO is magic? Also, don’t ever go into a dungeon without at least one or two mage characters going in with just warriors is suicide). Through an intense and awesome fight scene (and with the help of Pina’s bubbles, //youtu.be/oFs3lOqr1UE) they manage to beat the minotaur and just straight up own the mage minotaur (yeah, they’re gonna need a strategist. I recommend Shiroe from Log Horizon. Scene here: //youtu.be/-2phvqO2zDY). As the group makes their way down to the final level they see a gorgeous NPC locked in a cell begging to be released (//youtu.be/4F4qzPbcFiA). They all think it’s a trap but Klein not being able to ignore the cries of a female (he’s got Sanji’s mind after all what do you expect) frees the NPC who we find out later is named Freyja a fairy who was sent to marry Thrym but in truth she wants to get back her treasure from him and they let her join the party (this has the possibility of exploding in their face). They reach the door to the final boss where we see that Freyja is a high class mage and gives the group an HP boost before going in. They enter the dungeon and meet Thrym who is as big as a giant (//youtu.be/Vau2hG22DoQ).
The first half of episode 17 is the fight against Thrym where the group is barely winning against the giant (you can’t just rush in there and just start swinging your sword hoping to kill it you need an effective strategy. This is why mage characters are so important). Freyja tells them the only way to defeat Thrym is to find her golden hammer which is hidden somewhere within the golden treasure of Thrym (well this’ll be harder than finding a silver coin in a pile of gold). After using a lightning spell Kirito finds the hammer and throws it to Freyja where she changes into her true form Thor the god of thunder (wow she was a trap. I feel so sorry for Klein. Kirito has a girlfriend and all these other girls who want him so bad while Klein on the other hand has nothing). With the help of Thor (I prefer your Marvel appearance) the group manages to defeat Thrym (scene here: //youtu.be/oUpJDOmDooc) and as a token of his gratitude Thor gives Klein the thunder hammer which he has zero points in using hammer weapons (Shizuku: I’ll take it). In the second half Kirito and the others make their way down to Excalibur and Kirito manages to pull it out (man that sucker was stuck in there good. Also, does this remind anyone of the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda?). With the sword removed the palace begins to fall apart and they escape. Unfortunately Kirito can’t jump on Tonkii because the sword is too heavy so he has to give it up (so he has to decide between death or losing the best sword in the entire game? Tough call). But of course Sinon refuses to let everything they’ve worked for be in vein so she uses her arrow to retrieve the sword and gives it back to Kirito (scene here: //youtu.be/JGtrawVqa74, and if I was Kirito right then and there I would of dumped Asuna and started dating Sinon). With Thrym defeated nature returns to the frozen wasteland and the goddess Urd and her sisters show up to thank the group for their efforts and officially gives Kirito possession of Excalibur. The group celebrates their victory and ends the year with a bang.
We slow down a little bit in episode 18. The group is on the 22nd floor of Aincard in Kirito and Asuna’s forest cabin (or their love shack as I like to call it). The girls (minus Sinon) are doing their homework while Kirito is taking a nap with Pina and Yui (as adorable as that scene is does anyone else find it odd that he’s taken a nap in a video game? Also, why log into a video game to do your homework, you guys could have met up in the real world and done it. I get it, it’s cool and all but don’t confuse reality with the game. (Isis): Um master, *Isis whispers into Nitsuj’s ear*. (Nitsuj): Oh they’re all at different locations during this time. Nevermind than, carry on). After finishing their homework they talk about a new player called Zekken (I believe it’s Tekken so get ready to hear a call from Bandai Namco) a player who’s been taking players out left and right in challenges promising that whoever beats them will learn his secret technique an 11-hit combo (oh~ an 11-hit combo that’s pretty neat). So far no one’s been able to beat him not even Kirito (in his defense he really wasn’t going all out) but he says if this guy was in SAO he would have been given the two sword skill instead of Kirito (so Kirito admits that his time as king has come to an end). Asuna decides to step up to the plate and take him on herself (you don’t send a clown to negotiate with a terrorist and you don’t send a man to do a woman’s job).
Episodes 19-22
Episode 19 is all about Asuna. We see that at home she doesn’t get along with her mother (show me a girl going through puberty who doesn’t get along with her mother) who doesn’t like Asuna going to that school for SAO survivors, doesn’t want her to marry Kirito (fuck you bitch), and would rather she marry some rich guy rather than live with a poor person (wow lady you are shallow. I can’t believe someone as sweet, cute, and badass as Asuna came from this woman). She tells Asuna that she wants her to stop playing games and enroll into a new school saying its better. In a respectful manner Asuna asks her mother if she can think on it and walks away but she gets the last hit in by telling her mother that she’s a woman who resents her parents because they were poor and couldn’t give her what she wanted (//youtu.be/9xfzZ7KGEv8). She returns to her room where she begins to feel a little sad because she’s really unsure what she wants to do in the future (yeah there’s marry Kirito but almost every girl in this series wants to do that. She needs to find something she wants to do). The next day comes and Asuna goes to face Zekken where we find out that Zekken is a girl (//youtu.be/qxqm6htwcwk, okay this would have been valuable information sooner. No wonder Kirito lost he’s weak to girls). Asuna steps up to fight her in a duel where at first she’s weak but she begins to remember who she is and the fight becomes pretty intense and cool. Even with Asuna remembering who she is she’s still not strong enough to defeat Zekken (or Yuuki which is her real name) and when Zekken is about to deliver the final hit she stops saying that Asuna passes (congratulations I think. Scene here: //youtu.be/JNQbAMZRUOQ). She then grabs Asuna and flies off with her (hey Kirito she just stole you’re girlfriend do something) where she says she needs her help.
At the start of episode 20 Asuna meets Yuuki’s guild the Sleeping Knights a guild of six players who want to defeat a level boss and have their name put on the game’s message board for everyone to see (that would let everyone know you’re badass). This is a big deal because usually a level boss is defeated through a combined effort of 49 people (7 parties with 7 members in each party) so taking out a boss with just a single party is a big accomplish and something that has rarely been done before (man these boss fights must have been created for the hardcore gamers. I mean 49 people just to take down one boss that’s pretty crazy). Another reason why this is a big deal to the Sleeping Knights is because come spring they won’t have time to play with each other so they want to do one last battle to make one wonderful memory before it’s time for them all to go their separate ways. After hearing their story Asuna agrees to help them. After deciding on a time to meet Asuna’s mom disconnects the system and forces Asuna out of the game (lady what the hell are you doing, you could have fried her brains out). The two get into an argument again with Asuna walking out to be alone and cry. The next day the group goes to the boss room to fight the boss where they run into some PKers who said they don’t wanna fight and just leave (yeah you better run). The group enters the room and fight the boss which is a two-headed Minotaur with twin hammers and I believe four arms (well there’s something you don’t see everyday). The group loses and respawn back in town where Asuna says that the PKers used a spell to spy on their fight because they have plans to take down the boss with their guild, they were just using the Sleeping Knights to come up with an effective strategy (sneaky bastards and bitches). After a quick meeting Asuna and the Sleeping Knights return to the dungeon where a large group of people are waiting to enter the boss’ room. They try to get in but the other guild won’t let them (what is this a night club? Do I have to be VIP to get inside? You can’t just block off a boss room like that). Having no other choice they decide to fight where more members of the guild approach from the rear only to get stopped by Kirito who makes a pretty badass entrance (scenes here: //youtu.be/a2Z4T1_KEMU and //youtu.be/Nva5XvG5pZo).
Not a whole lot happens in episode 21. Kirito pulls out Excalibur and starts taking out people left and right so that Asuna and The Sleeping Knights can take out the players in front of them and go into the boss’ room. They take out the players, enter the boss room, discover the boss has a major weakness, and defeats him earning their name on the wall of victory (scene here: //youtu.be/EZuG24-rPtQ, I guess two heads aren’t better than one. (Yin-Yang): What does that have to do with anything? (Nitsuj): Nothing, I just felt like saying it). After their victory they have a party where it seems that Yuuki is hiding something from Asuna but won’t tell her what it is. When Asuna questions Yuuki as to why she started calling her Nee-chan Yuuki begins to cry and logout (the plot thickens big time).
It’s time for our sad story in episode 22 (for those of you missing the emotional weight of the first season this is the episode for you). After doing a little bit of research (and by research I mean going to Kirito for help. The guy is a side character in this arc yet somehow he still finds a way to outshine everyone it’s scary) Asuna finds where Yuuki is in the real world and it’s not a good place. I’m just gonna come out and say it, she’s in the hospital diagnose with AIDS and doesn’t have long to live. In fact we’re told that every member in The Sleeping Knights are all in hospitals (oh God now the guild’s name makes sense now) and don’t have long to live either (this is just sad). Thanks to a new medical practice of the dive system to operate on patients Yuuki and the others are allowed to live a little longer and interact with each other in a virtual environment. Yuuki has been diving for three years 24/7 trying to leave her mark on the world while still smiling and staying positive (this has got to be the bravest girl I have ever seen in an anime). We also find out that Yuuki had an older sister who unfortunately died a year earlier and Asuna reminds Yuuki of her older sister hence the Nee-chan Yuuki called Asuna last episode. As the doctor is explaining all of this to Asuna, Yuuki hears them from the monitors and tells Asuna to meet her in ALO by the tree where they first met. Asuna uses the room next to Yuuki to log in where they meet each other in ALO and Yuuki thanks Asuna for everything she’s done for her. When Asuna asks if there’s anything she wants to do in the world Yuuki says she always dreamed of going to school and Asuna says it’s possible to end the episode.
Episodes 23-24
In episode 23 Asuna uses Kirito’s project to allow Yuuki to go to school (saw that one coming) and everyone including the teachers welcomes her with open arms and everything (it’s a very nice scene). She even gets to participate in class by reading out loud. After school Asuna and Yuuki go to visit Yuuki’s old home and they talk a bit which gives Asuna the courage to face her mother about the whole transferring thing she’s been going on about. Asuna goes home and has her mom log into ALO using Asuna’s sub account where the two talk and they have their mother-daughter moment (again a very nice scene). At the end of the episode the mother decides to let Asuna continue going to the SAO academy as long as she maintains her high grades.
In the final episode we get the saddest moment in the anime. Yuuki’s condition has gotten worse and she only has a few moments to live. Rather than die alone in the real world she logs into ALO where she gives Asuna her original sword technique Mother’s Rosario and as Yuuki is slowly dying everyone gathers to see her off and pray for her and when I say everyone I mean everyone from the members of The Sleepy Knights to Asuna’s friends to all of the side characters in ALO. They have all come together to pray for Yuuki and even give her the title of best swordsman in the game (scene here: //youtu.be/CMBW4r9qalE, this is without a shadow of a doubt the greatest send off in an anime I have ever seen). Yuuki passes away happy with a smile on her face and later on they have a memorial service where Kirito pieces together that the creator of the full dive system that was used to keep Yuuki say alive was Kayaba (//youtu.be/zkbHS3U9lJM). The season ends with the group having a picnic and Kirito re-confirming his love for Asuna (scene here: //youtu.be/VXxK5-Wy3O4).
Final Thoughts
So let’s start with the Phantom Bullet arc. It’s better than the ALO arc from the first season but not as great as the SAO arc from the first season. We get a pretty good story from this arc. There’s a good air of mystery around it as you’re curious who Death Gun really is. The reveal that he’s a member of Laughing Coffin was a big reveal and something I didn’t expect to see. Also, the way they were killing people and making it seem like they were really killing them in the game was a clever plan. This arc has some action and gunfight scenes, Death Gun’s a pretty scary guy, and I do like how they open up about Kirito’s past and how he’s still a little traumatized by the events of SAO. But the best character of this arc is without a doubt Sinon. I love this character. Her story and desire to get strong really add to her character. Her interactions with Kirito were funny and cute. Like I said before I like her a lot more than Asuna and I think she probably be a better fit for Kirito than Asuna. She has some pretty badass moments throughout the arc but she also has her vulnerable moments as well where we see she’s fighting her own battle but also trying to move on with her life and become stronger. There are a few problems with this arc such as I think Kirito should have used guns instead of a lightsaber. While the lightsaber is cool I feel that it was placed there for plot convenience. Like the creator of the series couldn’t come up with good close quarter combat fights with guns so he choose to stay in his comfort zone which was the sword. Another thing I have to ask is how Death Gun was able to get away with these murders. Are you seriously telling me he broke into all these houses and no one saw him? That’s a little hard to believe.
The second part of the season is mostly wasted potential. The arcs in the second half would have been better used as OVAs or movies. I didn’t really care about the Excalibur arc all that much as it was just a quest that benefitted Kirito and no one else. The Mother Rosario arc was touching and I do admit I did like this arc but once again it probably would have been better to turn this into an OVA or a direct to DVD movie. The relationship between Asuna and Yuuki is sweet like they were actual sisters and the lengths Asuna goes to make Yuuki’s last days memorable and happy are beautiful. I really do wish we got to spend more time with Yuuki as she’s just a brave character. Smiling in the face of death and just living everything to the fullest not sure if it could be her last. I do like that they gave her a real life and serious illness instead of the no-name sickness like a lot of other animes do; it really makes her character more memorable, relatable and seem a lot more real. I also like how we got see a little bit of Asuna’s home life with her mom and see that she’s not on friendly terms with her. Again, really adds to the character a little. Speaking of character I will say I’m a little disappoint with the character growth this season. Kirito pretty much stays the same, Asuna seems like her character from the ALO arc which I hate. I was hoping that by returning to the game she would return to her badass self but now it seems like she can’t do anything without Kirito and seems to rely on him for almost everything. The other characters besides Sinon barely get any screentime and development. This would have been a good chance to explore their characters and see where they stand on Asuna and Kirito being a couple. Are they okay with this or are they secretly waiting to swoop in and steal Kirito away from Asuna because Sinon sure is and while I do like her a lot more than Asuna I still think it’s wrong to try and force your way on a couple that’s already dating. I was also hoping to see more interaction between Kirito and Asuna just to get a good idea of how they’re couple in the real world.
The animation is the same as last season and the new pieces of music are good but at times the music felt empty for me. As far as fight scenes go some are good as none of the fights are one-sided and require a bit of strategy and thinking to them but other fight scenes seem like wasted potential particularly in the Phantom Bullet. Again, would have been more interesting to see Kirito use guns instead of a sword defeating the whole purpose of the game and arc.
Is it better than the first season
Well that depends on which arcs you’re talking about. The SAO arc from the first season is still the best arc in my opinion followed by a tie between the Phantom Bullet and Mother Rosario arc, the ALO arc comes in third, and the Excalibur arc is dead last. So if we’re comparing the second season to the second half of the first season I think it’s better but if it’s compared to the first half of the first season than it’s not better.
Final Score
If I were to grade each arc individually I would give the Phantom Bullet arc a 7.5/10 for a pretty compelling story, menacing villain, cool world, and of course the introduction of Sinon. The Excalibur arc earns a 3/10 as it really felt like a waste of time that only benefitted Kirito and no one else. It was a three part filler episode that could have easily been two episodes and would have worked better as an OVA. The Mother Rosario arc earns a 7.5/10 for it’s touching, sad, and memorable story of Yuuki and her relationship with Asuna. Now taking the average of all those scores together we get 6/10 however I am deducting one point because of the lack of character development and interaction this season making the final score for this anime a 5/10. This season of SAO did some good things with introducing a new characters, showing us a new game, and bring us in emotionally with the death of a new and likable character but the lack of character development, a pointless filler arc, a few loose holes, and wasted potential drag this anime down and can’t be overlooked or ignored. SAO is a good series but it’s not as good I initially thought it was. I still like this series and I’m hoping a third season comes out where this time we’ll see more character development and interaction as well as not waste potential should the characters jump to a new game. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
*All videos, pictures, and music are not owned by me and belong to their respected owners. All rights reserved.*
Thanks for reading. As always feel free to leave a comment, feedback, or request down belong or send to iamprojectnitsuj@gmail.com