FULL EPISODE SPOILERS AHEAD
In the penultimate episode of SAOII, we continue our absolute tear-fest as we have two beautifully done scenes of Asuna with Yuuki and then another one, with a bit of an interesting twist, with her mother. Both establish the paired character wonderfully both with Asuna as well as on their own and add another element to this story of growth for Asuna.
This episode is very dialogue heavy but it also uses heavy symbolism not only in the dialogue but also in some of the visuals and situations that our characters are placed in. There is a lot about the episode that works and I feel like each part of the episode could have stood on its own, but having them all clumped together helps tell a complete story.
It also feels like this could have been a finale in the way that it ends and how the credits start, but, we've still got one more episode to power through. And we're going to have to really power through.
Plus, they use a sunset setting for a while, so you know this is gonna be a great episode. There has yet to be a bad episode with the sunset in the background to make the visuals stand out yet again.
The episode opens with Kazuto and some of his other tech-nerd friends working on a small device planted on Asuna's shoulder to work as Yuuki's eyes and ears. It makes me wonder if Kazuto is like some super genius or if other scientists and tech people just aren't aware of these situations so he's left to handle it. I mean, clearly he is a tech genius, and I guess it helps that he's doing it for free. I can only imagine what him submitting his resume to a company would be like one day. Probably impressive. I think he could just put "Kirito" and automatically get any job.
Also, Asuna has a bit of a dumb moment where Kazuto tells her not to make any sudden movements while Yuuki is on her shoulder...then suddenly jumps out of her seat. Oh, Asuna.
She takes Yuuki to her teacher asking permission if Yuuki can sit in. I guess this would be weird, but Asuna brought it up to him before so it's alright. I can only imagine the shock this guy would have if he didn't buy the story in the first place.
Thus, Yuuki goes with Asuna to class, and everyone gets intrigued by her. Asuna gets overwhelmed by everyone crowding around her to get to Yuuki, which is admittedly odd, but how else could they talk to Yuuki? Yuuki also, rightly, seems a bit overwhelmed. It didn't seem like she was being constantly swarmed by people over in Aincrad.
The classroom scene gets, of course, emotional as Yuuki reads "The Lorry," a Japanese story I guess, and reads about one lorry trying to be like the other laborers, even for just one day. Clearly the story is a metaphor for Yuuki trying to be a part of the class, a part of the people, just one time before she passes on. And, in a way, she's doing that. The metaphor seems a bit forced but it otherwise works very well, especially since it's Yuuki reading it who could be reading it in first-person. There's also a powerful image where we see Yuuki reading the story in the school uniform, as if she belongs there but isn't able to join them.
After school, Yuuki asks Asuna to take her to another part of town, and they go to a more suburban area while Yuuki constantly worries that Asuna might be home late, but Asuna doesn't care. And I don't care, so trek on, Lightning Flash!
They arrive at Yuuki's old house, where Yuuki lived for only a few years but had tons of memories with her family. Apparently it's also slated to get torn down since her aunt doesn't want it anymore.
In a pretty funny lighthearted moment, Asuna suggests that Yuuki find some rich person to fall in love with. Yuuki, obviously not knowing many boys, asks Asuna to marry her, shocking Asuna, but Yuuki says she's only kidding, since Asuna has Kazuto already. It's a nice break in the drama that just shows how fun Yuuki is as a person. She never dwells in the negative because she never wants to dwell there. What's the fun in that?
She even says that. All those times she fought, all those battles she took part in, they were all just a part of life for her. She was just able to live in those moments and have a ton of fun doing so. What's the point of fighting in a virtual world if there isn't any fun to be had?
Asuna suggests that Yuuki is a strong person, but Yuuki turns it back around, since it was Asuna who vigorously pursued Yuuki after she suddenly logged out to find the truth, which showed Yuuki that they were indeed the best of friends and that Asuna was a great person. Thus, Yuuki tells Asuna to reach out to her mother in the same way, and then, she'll find that her mother can be a forgiving and loving person after all.
This is a great scene for Asuna but mostly Yuuki. She serves as something of a mentor and emotional tether for Asuna through Asuna's confusion. In the midst of all this overwhelming emotion, Yuuki is able to see straight and just be herself. Why be anything else? She reveals that some of her cheeriness as a child used to be an act, but, who cares if it is? It's making people happy, which makes her happy. Yuuki's main goal is to spread happiness, through fighting, through talking, through living. Yuuki shines in this moment as a human being who lives their life to the fullest, who has little regrets and who is loving every second of her day.
It teaches Asuna to do the same, which in turn makes her a much stronger character. In the real world or the virtual one, there is a life to be had and there is an adventure to go on. It's not a matter of finding it, it's a matter of going on any adventure and just having fun, and enjoying the moment with your friends or by yourself.
With all that, Asuna goes back to her mother and asks her to meet her in Aincrad. She hands her mother an extra Amusphere that will activate her sub account so they can talk. Her mother agrees after heavy convincing, but also says that Asuna has to complete the transfer request form no matter what, and there is nothing Asuna can say to change her mother's mind.
They meet in the cottage where, after some comedic banter, Asuna takes her to the back to show her a cottage she and her friends created that is an exact replica of her grandma and grandpa's place, a place she loved to go to. Asuna then tells her mother about how she learned a lot about her mom through her grandfather, how she used to be so driven and so powerful in what she did, and how her mother is still a powerful person, she's just lost sight of that. Asuna, thus, wants to be just like her mother: living her life doing what she loves for the goodness of others.
While the speech itself is a strong one, a much stronger moment comes when Asuna's mother begins to cry. She at first questions how this is possible, then succumbs to it. Having seen such a stoic, even malevolent at times, character cry, you have to realize how powerful the theme of love and life is throughout the episode and how well done it is is carried out. It's a great chain of events to see Yuuki influence Asuna in such a way that Asuna is able to snap her mom out of her strict attitude and bring her back into her humanity.
The next morning, Asuna's mother tells her to forget about the transfer, and that she'll be allowed to stay in school with her friends and go to the college of her choice if she can keep her grades up. After thanking her mother and Yuuki, she departs to go to...somewhere. School? I don't know, and it doesn't matter.
This episode is fantastic and very emotional. All the characters in the episode are amazing, with the star of course being Yuuki, yet Asuna is now coming full circle and developing into an extremely strong, stable character in this arc, and the show overall. We knew these things were there all along, and to see them in full is just marvelous. The episode also does not spare the comedy for the drama, as there is a good dose of that, and overall, in this dark situation, you can't help but leave this episode with a big ol' smile on your face.
Tomorrow, we come to the end of the show. The Season 2 finale. See you then.
No comments:
Post a Comment