Does Sword Art Online: Alicization Pass the 3 Episode Test?

A new season of Sword Art Online is out now, and it is already getting mixed perception. Most people are of the opinion that the new season is already better than the last two, while others think that it is as it was: garbage.

I admit I liked the first season before ALO. I had already seen several of the reviews by that point, so I knew about the critics' opinions. I enjoyed GGO slightly less, in part because I watched it as it was airing, and because that was the season where the pacing slowed dramatically. It must be said that back when I watched it, all I knew about pacing was that Gantz was slow. People often complain about the two year time skip in the first season as if it was bad pacing, but the entire core of the story (ep 8-14) worked fine. In fact, I would very much like to know the opinion of someone who watched only episodes 1 and 8-14.

But today, we're here to talk about the successes and failings of the alicization arc so far. So let's get an idea of what we're talking about. The first episode opens with about 24 minutes of characters messing around in the Underworld VR game. It shows Kirito, along with two new characters: Alice and Eugio. Alice supposedly works for the church and Eugio has to cut down an impossible-to-cut-down tree. Kirito is among them, and shares Eugio's responsibility. Kirito has an epiphany and thinks that maybe refrigeration is a good idea. So they all wander off into a legendary cave to get some Ice. Instead of stepping in, getting ice, and stepping out, they go all the way to the center, find a dead dragon, and then a sword. sigh.

Anyway, they find these things in exchange for losing their bearings, and wander off into another tunnel. At the edge of the tunnel, they see the forbidden "Dark Territory" and proceed to run up to its edge like idiots. Alice, seemingly being mind controlled, falls over with one hand landing in the territory. They all scurry back to the village where Alice is hauled off to be tortured and/or killed by an "integrity knight."

The rest of the episode really doesn't matter. The next scene is nothing but fanservice as Kirito's friends go into a rediculous offensive against a PVP group in GGO. Later, they try explaining their strange tactics as a strategy to surprise the PVP group, but anyone who plays first person shooters could tell you that one person on the opposing team could have defeated them all, just by hiding. It was established in GGO that snipers have a great advantage because of stealth, but this seems to be nothing but head-on PVP. It doesn't help that Liz can't look where she's aiming.

After exposition you look thin exposition BS science exposition the episode ends when Kirito gets stabbed with a poison syringe by the one remaining Laughing Coffin member on the way home. Episode two can be summed up in one sentence: Kirito, having found himself stuck in the VR program he was testing, realizes as much, and wastes as much time as possible. at least half the episode was dedicated to Kirito and Eugio (who seems to have forgotten Kirito) failing to cut the tree from episode one. Just as Eugio has a job of cutting down the tree, Kirito tries to blend in by saying his job is to be a swordsman. After a villager questions him about this, he finds that he can still use sword skills. obviously. He then decides to go to the capitol city in order to call an admin... somehow.

Episode three starts with him waking up in some sort of church with Alice's sister waking him up. By this point, the writers decided that maybe starting the story might be a good idea, so they have Eugio tell Kirito about how Alice disappeared. Kirito then tells this to her sister, who runs off to the cave. Kirito and Eugio give chase, and find her in the center of the cave, captured by goblins.

So does SAO alicization pass the 3 episode test? Not really. The season so far doesn't seem to have a coherent theme. It may be something about institutions of power due to how it portrays the integrity knights and the laws they enforce, but nothing has been said about it so far and the focus of each episode strays far from the idea. Episode 2 would not be terrible if you were looking for a slice of life series, but SAO continually fails at making those types of episodes work. Kirito spends too much time being sad he can't travel to the capitol, and chooses to do meaningless things instead. At least these flaws could be forgiven if the worldbuilding was at all above par, but all we know about it was known in the first episode: generic medieval setting with dragons, knights, and magic. There is no intrigue to watch any more. All we can expect in the future is Kirito saving the day (the day of an NPC, don't forget) and trying to escape this VR program (a totally original plot).

PS: In episode 1, a car drives by Kirito and Asuna as they walk home. The car is in CG and I got very triggered when it turned. A-1 Pictures apparently doesn't know that cars pivot off the back wheel, NOT the center.