Sword Art Online – 08

Kirito manages to capture a “Ragout Rabbit”, an S-Class ingridient. He asks Asuna – who has max cooking skills – to prepare something with it, and she agrees in exchange for dibs on half of it. Going off with Kirito angers her Knights Blood Oath bodyguard Kuradeel, who looks down on all beaters. After their meal, Asuna asks Kirito to party with her once more, and he agrees. When they rendezvous the next day, Kuradeel challenges Kirito to a duel; Kirito wins easily, and Asuna relieves Kuradeel of duty. Asuna and Kirito glide through a dungeon and reach a boss room. When they peek inside, a Chimæra-like boss awaits them.

In the great vastness of the Sword Art Online world, you’d think the chances of solo “beater” Kirito crossing paths with guild member Asuna as often as he does would be remote. However, Asuna’s high rank allows her to move relatively freely, albeit with a guild member on her heels. This Kuradeel guy probably loves his job – he gets to protect a famous and beautiful young woman who has become famous for her battle prowess. But she’s a girl of many talents, and when Kirito indeed crosses paths with her, he rightly surmises that she’s a cooking ace. Asuna goes right out and laments the over-simplified manner of cooking (like smithing) in SAO, calling it boring. But as recreational cooks ourselves, we’d love a knife we could simply wave over ingredients to create instant mise en place.

Food aside, Asuna seems to be reaching out for a simpler life after watching her guild grow in size and complexity. Kirito is living such a life, so partying with him gives her a taste of his independence. They make a formidable team but are also fun to watch interact (though that accidental grope was cheap). But her rebellious behavior may get her in hot water with her guild, while Kirito definitely made a bitter enemy of Kuradeel by humiliating him. Kirito contemplates whether this is what SAO’s programmer Kayara Akihito intended – people getting so used to living in the game, they stop trying to beat it and forget about the real world. These two are the exception: they still want to win and go home.

Rating: 6 (Good)