No more setup or qualifying; Ballet of Bullets 3 officially kicks off this week; a 30-man battle royale with only one victor (at least, there was only one in the previous two BoBs) taking place in a 10 square kilometer stage filled with several different terrains. One of SAO II’s challenges is to make the game look like a lot of fun, and it doesn’t have any trouble with that: the pre-BoB betting; the drinking and carousing; the countdown and the fireworks all conspire to make this a grand, exciting event.
Before it starts, Sinon allows Kirito to keep hanging around her asking for information, likely because she felt a connection between them in the qualifying finals. Unlike us, she doesn’t know exactly what Kirito’s deal is, but in exchange for letting him stick by her, she gets a lot more information in this regard, and even realizes that Kirito could well be an SAO survivor, something he doesn’t admit for sure (though we thought he would).
In a nice moment of levity, Kirito capitalizes on his new-found celebrity in GGO, which has all but equaled Sinon’s overnight. Of course, that would evaporate almost instantly if everyone finds out he’s really a guy. But he wants all eyes on him because that’s what all of Death Gun’s victims had when he murdered them: it was done out in the open, with an audience. And there’s no greater audience in GGO than BoB.
After Sinon reiterates the promise Kirito made her to stay alive so they could fight, they jump into BoB. Nine of the thirty players drop almost immediately, and surprisingly, Sinon and Kirito aren’t apart for long. Kirito makes another deal with her: they’ll watch the battle unfold until there’s only one player left and them; that person is sure to be Death Gun, if he’s the threat Kirito believes him to be, after all.
Sinon agrees (as long as she gets to fight him seriously at some point in the future), but Death Gun surprises them both by showing up out of nowhere, hitting “Pale Rider” (whom Kirito thought could be Death Gun) with a stun round super-rare silencing sniper rifle then aiming his handgun at him. Fearful Death Gun’s shot will kill the player, Kirito orders Sinon to shoot Death Gun first. Cliffhanger and roll credits. Rats!
All in all, nice episode. Certainly all the pieces seem to be in place for the final confrontation with Death Gun, including the reveal of who he actually is. Like the 75th Hunger Games, the BoB will probably fade into the background in light of Kirito’s more pressing mission, and again, Sinon should prove a valuable ally. While she may exhibit tsundere-ty on occasion, I’m loving Sinon’s interactions with Kirito, wanting to learn more about him as her trust in him gradually grows.
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I’m still entirely meh on this show. I know! I know! Mister Sour puss has a good show to review now so he has no excuse to be grumby but…
Gun fighting lacks the gravitas of SAOI’s sword fighting and making characters capable of dodging it just makes it all the more silly and underwheliming. Is death gun an interesting concept? Sure! And tying it into Laughing Coffin from season 1 makes it better.
I still have no interest in the world it is taking place in though.
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I agree, but with different reasons. I liked SAOpt1. I absolutely _hated_ SAOpt2 (aka ALO). I may go back to it, but the plot, the rehashed setting…didn’t settle with me.
Now I’d rate GGO between the two. Mainly because it is showing Kirito’s (lack?) of handling the different environment, yet giving it a _much_ needed original twist. Sometimes I like seeing characters dumped into a different setting and finding out if they sink or swim.
This being _Kirito_, he learned to swim extremely quickly. Still, there is something here that has grabbed me more firmly than anything ALO delivered: Sinon.
There is something about Sinon that her shine as a character. Maybe it’s her past. Maybe it’s the thing between her and Kirito (you dog!), maybe it’s her badass side.
Maybe it’s her inner struggle to overcome her past, because that’s what I would love to see play out in the remainder of the series.
Oh, and Death Gun. I can’t forget Death Gun! (I don’t want bullets flying out of my monitor any more than YOU do!)
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I’ll grant you it was better than ALO. Goodness! I don’t think any of us really like that arc. –But it was an arc the characters had reasons to be in!
Until the laughing coffin, going into GGO was pretty flimsy and uninvestiable for our Hero. Even now, he’s such a stoic that the sudden emotional trauma over death just feels left field for me.
Still, I’m not contending that SAO2 is a terrible show. Just clunky, sluggish and uninspiring compared to the original.
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BTW – Does has anyone noticed how much Kirito has enjoyed getting in touch with his feminine side, yet can switch totally on a dime and be a manly man with Sinon?
Maybe it’s the combat. Gunpowder and metal in the morning?
Maybe it’s just me?
It’s probably just me.
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