FULL EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD
Well, the big GGO tournament is upon us, folks! Thirty players. Ten kilometers. One champion. Let's do this!
The episode really does make it feel like this is a big event. The Superbowl of GGO, if you will. And yes, I am totally referencing the Superbowl because it happened last night. Apex 2015 was better, though. 3 AM EST hype!
With all the fireworks, gambling, and just the exciting tone of the episode, you can't help but feel that for each of these players, this is their final stand (until the next BoB) and that this is where they can really make a name for themselves. Plus, they can probably rack in some serious cash if they win, or place high enough.
Of course, we're not interested in that. I don't know what others were looking forward to, but I am seriously looking forward to the showdown between Kirito and Death Gun. We haven't seen two SAO players fight since Kirito did battle against Heathcliff a season ago. That is quite a while, so it would be a privilege to see them duke it out again. It's strange because I'm sure that not every survivor of SAO is great in the sense of fighting, but still. You can't help but feel all the survivors, or heck even all the SAO players, are some of the best gamers out there. Having blended into a videogame for two years, you'd sort of expect that.
You can also tell that this tournament isn't just for show. This is the event that Kirito has unconsciously needed to take part in since he escaped SAO. This is the event that may help Sinon get over her psychological damage. And this is the event where a villain like Death Gun can rise back up and show the world he will kill without anyone stopping him. So let's get it started!...
...with exposition of course. I mean, we have to know the rules, right?
Kirito meets up with Sinon in GGO after thinking about how Death Gun promised to kill him and we get all hyped because Death Gun is so cool and blah blah blah. We already know, get us to the fighting!
There, Sinon reminds Kirito about how there are thirty total participants and the entire map is ten kilometers wide and long, with various types of landscapes across it. It's a battle royale, so basically you can go after anyone and do anything in order to win, and it goes until there is a winner. Sinon also explains the satellite system, which will help players in determining the position of all other players every fifteen minutes. However, the map only lasts for about a minute, so you need to make a quick scan of it before making your move.
Oh, and, there's a little bit where Kirito pretends to be a girl again. Kind of annoying at this point. And, oh yeah, all the dudes now recognize Kirito not because of his status from SAO, but because he's the one using the sword in the tournament.
Before Sinon can leave because she apparently still is mad with Kirito--though now it's because he asked her to surrender because he doesn't kill girls--Kirito asks her to look up some of the newer players, and Sinon says there are four, including Kirito: Pale Rider, Gunner X, and Sterben. Kirito determines that one of those might be Death Gun. How does he figure that?
Because Death Gun wouldn't register himself as Death Gun unless he wanted to paint a target on his head, duh. It makes sense that Death Gun would put himself down as another player. Obviously, the name he uses in BoB is his real username, though, so in that regard he kind of screws himself. Should Kirito, or someone working alongside the authorities, figure out who Death Gun is and live, they can easily track his address or something through Internal Affairs and take him down. Even if he didn't put in his address in the registration, there'd still be a way for them to track the signal of his Amusphere/ NerveGear and find out when someone logged out and who the player was. So, for Kirito, it's still a mystery, just instead of what Death Gun is, it's now who he is. And there are only three choices, so, choose wisely.
Anyway, after Kirito tells her that he needs to find Death Gun because the two tried to actually kill each other in game, Sinon silently determines, correctly, that Kirito is an SAO survivor. Oh, that's great, but how can you not recognize the name Kirito that should be synonymous with SAO?!
After all the gambling is done, which really gives the event a "real-world" type of vibe by the way, the tournament begins and all the players are transported. Instantly we see battles breaking out as various players are trying to take each other down. Sinon manages to blow a player up. That's always fun. She sees Dyne--her former boss from Episode 2--being pursued by Pale Rider, and decides that she can take them both down swiftly if she can corner them.
So, what basically happens is something similar to one of those Russian Doll sets, where you open one and there's a littler one, and so on. Pale Rider chases Dyne, who turns around and prepares to kill him. But then Sinon has Dyne in her crosshairs, but then Kirito appears next to Sinon, and SOMEWHERE in the area is Death Gun.
Phew.
Anyway, Dyne tries to take down Pale Rider, but finds that he can't. Why?
Because Pale Rider moves exactly like Voldo from SoulCalibur and one simply does not use ranged attacks against Voldo. Everyone knows he's too quick to just let an opening go unnoticed. Though this does raise the question as to why there is an "acrobatics" skill in this game and not ALO? Whatever, it's nothing important, just takes you out of the episode.
So, Vol--Pale Rider--takes down Dyne effortlessly before a silent dart hits him in the shoulder, stunning him. Neither Kirito nor Sinon heard the shot, and Sinon realizes something, asking Kirito where he came from. The two determine that if a player is swimming in the rivers, then the satellite can't pick them up. Then, we see him! Darth--I mean, Death Gun appears, holding the sniper rifle known as Silent Assassin, which is completely quiet and one of the most deadly guns of the game.
Death Gun approaches Pale Rider--basically eliminating any chance that Pale Rider is Death Gun, obviously--and aims his handgun at him, then does something that looks like the sign of the Cross but not really, I can't even tell. And so, the episode ends with Kirito urgently Sinon to take the shot and take down Death Gun before he can seriously kill Pale Rider.
Ah, MAN. Talk about a cliffhanger (and no, I'm not just saying that because they're on a cliff, jeez). Death Gun's there, Voldo from SoulCalibur made an appearance, and Kirito's voice has suddenly become more masculine! This episode had everything! In all seriousness, though, this was a good episode and a good way to kick off the third Bullet of Bullets. Great character interaction with Kirito and Sinon, a fun mystery unfolding with Death Gun's true identity, and the action bits were cool, particularly the sequence with Pale Rider dodging all of Dyne's attacks.
Tomorrow, the battle continues. Death Gun is right there, can our heroes take him down?! Probably not, since this arc isn't over quite yet! See you then.
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