"Are you saying my sword, my masterpiece of a sword, was lamer than yours?"
"Yeah...something like that."
FULL EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD
Ever the charmer, that Kirito.
In what is probably the second "filler" of Sword Art Online besides the Silica episode a couple days ago, we get yet another heartwarming adventure with Kirito and a blacksmith, Lisbeth. And hey, there's even a dragon. How fun!
All things considered this a fairly by-the-books episode. You know from the start when Lisbeth whispers to herself that she wants a boy to fall in love with that Kirito is going to be that boy. And when Asuna rushes off to see someone and Kirito shows up later you know there's going to be the "wait, you were talking about him moment?"
That actually happens a lot on this show. It just gets super, uh, weird later on.
But cliches barring this is still the most comedic episode we've seen. The banter between Lisbeth and Kirito is great, and reminds me a lot of Ash and Misty. Heck, even the situation is similar.
When Kirito arrives at Lisbeth's blacksmith shop, he asks for a new sword. We see that he's finally got the same all-black costume he's got on in the opening, and even a new black sword. He wants a new one, even though he already has a new one, and Lisbeth gives him one to test. He manages to break it, by cutting through it with his own sword, and he promises to help Lis get the materials for a much stronger sword from a dragon.
In this regard, it's very much like Ash and Misty. Ash broke Misty's bike and the two had to go on an adventure together so Misty could get a new bike. Of course it extended far beyond that, like four or five seasons, but still, that was the premise early on.
Lis also reminds me a bit of Asuna from episode five where she and Kirito would always argue over the silliest things, like being cold or something mundane like that. Their banter is what carries the episode, but what also carries the episode is overwhelming feeling of fun you get from it. Basically, it's as simple as this:
Almost quite literally, since they're going after a dragon's treasure.
Man this episode pulls from quite a lot of stuff, doesn't it?
There's only one real action sequence and it only goes to show two things: that Kirito is a complete overpowered character, and that CGI dragons don't really fit into the world of SAO. I don't know why they didn't just keep it a standard animated dragon. Acnologia from Fairy Tail wasn't CGI. Shenron from the Dragon Ball series isn't CGI. They hardly dabble into the realm of CGI in SAO, so why the need to make the dragon like this I have no idea.
I wouldn't have a problem with it if it didn't look so weird against the half-2D half-3D backdrops of the landscape they arrive at. The the dragon's movements are very, very clunky at times, like when it's flapping its wings or turning around.
But it isn't on screen much and like I said, the fight is pretty short. Kirito and Lisbeth are plunged into the dragon's den and realize that they can't escape. And it's here we see someone finally comment on how Kirito is kinda like a "just do it" type of person without much thought, as he tries to run all the way up the hole, but of course slips. It's not a bad character trait, but, he tends to break things when he does that.
Like swords and hearts.
Oh yeah, Lisbeth totally falls in love with Kirito. Didn't see that coming. Really, it just feels rushed. They have a nice moment that night where they talk about how they're just a bunch of zeros and ones in a virtual world but still feel warm and cold and all that, but I wouldn't think that would lead someone to fall in love. Imagine of Lis were a guy, would they have made her fall in love with him then? Probably not. It just felt like that little element was there for a "whoops" moment at the end that was also a bit awkward.
Though to Kirito's credit, he is a lot better in this episode than in the rest of the show at picking up when someone is flirting with him. Maybe because Lis is a lot more direct with it. Or maybe because he's just an idiot, I don't know.
Morning comes around and they find the dragon item. The dragon returns and they ride it all the way to the top, and when they hop off before the dragon can kill them, they get a good shot of the sunrise against the mountains. It's, typical of SAO, an amazing shot. The backgrounds are what scream out at us this time with the mountainous terrain against the sunrise looking pretty freaking beautiful. The attention to detail is extraordinary, too.
The two return to the shop and Lis forms the sword. It looks awesome, I might add, but the name given to it, "Dark Repulsor" seems more fitting for his other sword. You know, the dark one.
Then we get our "uh-oh" moment as Asuna returns and Lis puts together that the guy she was going to meet, the one she has a crush one, was actually Kirito, and Kirito likes Asuna. :O
Lis rushes off to be alone but Kirito ruins it. Lis makes Kirito promises to defeat the game and to let her be his personal blacksmith, and subtly urges him to chase after Asuna, ending the episode on a happy note. I'm very glad that the two got to make-up after the whole little awkward moment, but again, I don't think it needed to be there.
In the greater scheme of things, this episode is a harmless bit of fun and a good break for the big moments that are to come for the show. It leaves us on a note where we know we're probably going to see more of Kirito and Asuna together, so it's probably safe to assume this was the last girl Kirito is going to meet "romantically." Still, Lis a fun character with a lot of spunk--I guess that's the optimal word--and can definitely carry an episode alongside Kirito.
Tomorrow, we find out just how long it's been since the game started and we get to see our first live duel...ish! See you then.
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