FULL EPISODE SPOILERS
Son of a gun that last scene got to me SO BAD. Ergh. I was just wrapping my head around everyone suddenly using first names and then that happened that I was caught off-guard. Normally this would be just another time running through SAO but for me, this was the first time I got to see this last scene because on every platform I would watch it, the episode would freeze up right at that point.
So thank you, Hulu!
This episode wraps up the GGO arc in a very fitting way. Sinon's arc is now complete and now she has been introduced to the friend group. Our enemies are imprisoned (like they should have been before) and even Agil shows up! Yay!
It doesn't necessarily start like it would have a happy ending, instead beginning with the SAO trope of showing where we last were, with Kazuto delivering that surely patented knee to the face to Shinkawa. The latter gets the better of Kazuto, wrestling him against the bed and seemingly injecting him with the serum. :O
Shino, now enraged that Shinkawa would do that, hits him over the head with a radio (a bit much, but, I imagine anything else would have nearly killed him) and tends to Kazuto, who it appears has been hit.
But, lest we forget, Kazuto is immortal, and (ugh) Shinkawa happened to inject him where the only remaining electrode that was checking his heart rate was. That is complete bull but I'll let it pass because it's not like this is something new. I'm surprised Kazuto didn't slip out of the hold and accidentally inject Shinkawa, that's the sort of thing that usually happens.
The two have a moment where they freak out over nearly not being able to help each other before Shino begins to cry over what's just happened. Validated. She was nearly killed/ raped, was barely saved by her friend, and nearly saw her friend get killed again. Rough stuff.
A few days later (I'm guessing, it's never really said), Shino is at the school waiting for the three girls from Episode 2/3 to come around and screw with her, the leader of the pack named Endo. Endo tries to swindle 20,000 yen out of Shino, who declines, but then gets a pellet gun pulled on her by Endo. Just before Shino can have another attack, the gun fails to shoot and Shino swipes it from Endo, turning off the safety and shooting a nearby can with ease, scaring the daylights out of Endo before telling her to never point a gun at someone.
OH YEAH! Even if there isn't any cool music or anything like that playing in the background, you know there's some sort of "We Are the Champions" that should be playing. This is such a freaking awesome moment for Shino's character, as all her motivation and hardwork both in and out of GGO has paid off. Like she says, it isn't totally over, but she's taking definite steps in the right direction to getting much better and not living under such tight anxiety all the time. Love it!
After school, she goes with Kazuto over to meet with the man from Internal Affairs, Kikuoka. There, Kazuto talks about what they discovered, as well as how Shinkawa and his brother are imprisoned, but the third Death Gun person is on the run (not for long, as we find out).
During the conversation of names that I get confused by, we find out that it all started as a joke for Shinkawa, but became serious once he and his brother (Xaxa) realized they could actually pull it off, and as such began planning. Their first kill was on Zexceed because he was poking fun at the player type Shinkawa was. Jeez talk about a sore loser. After that, they realized that they had to keep it up so that Death Gun wasn't just a hoax, but a god. As such, they went after high-profile players that lived alone, such as Sinon and Pale Rider. Pale Rider and Garrett were both killed by the other Death Gun during BoB3.
We also find out that Shinkawa was indeed mentally unstable, so when Xaxa returned after SAO, Shinkawa thought of his brother as a hero for what he did in SAO and wanted to become just like him, to become strong. Thus, his reality became so warped that the line was completely blurred between the virtual and real world, calling back to the talk Asuna and Kirito were having in Episode 1. It's here that we see the real danger of VRMMOs: people can be driven mad by having to come back to the real world where their life may not be nearly as good or where they just don't command the same respect as they do in the game. While Shino thought she was trying to achieve that, it was just that she wanted to become stronger so she could live in the real world, not to just go day-by-day in the real world. The strength she acquired in GGO was all purposeful to help herself overcome the difficulties of her past.
Thus, she asks if she can see Shinkawa to tell him about all of that, about how there is a difference in real and virtual strength and about how we have make the most of our lives in whatever reality we're in, be it real or virtual, just as Kazuto/ Kirito does. It's another growing moment for Shino but also for Kazuto, who continues to flesh himself out as the great VRMMO player who isn't solely attached the game but lives vicariously through it. It's easy to forget that most of the things he does, he does so for Yui so she can, basically, live alongside Asuna and Kazuto.
Before he leaves, Kikuoka leaves Kazuto a message from Xaxa, proclaiming that this still isn't over, that there is still more. I don't know about you, but that does sound like foreshadowing on his part. There are still several Laughing Coffin members out there that need to be captured, so I wouldn't be surprised if there is some endgame in mind for Kirito and the players that wiped out the murder guild. I don't know anything if there is, I'm just saying, that would be pretty legit.
After the meeting, Kazuto takes Shino to Agil's restaurant, where there are some pretty funny moments involving Lis and Asuna meeting Shino while Kirito introduces everyone. It's got that soft SAO music playing in the background that just makes the viewer relax. It is very refreshing to be able to just sit back and not have to worry after being on the edge of our seat wrapped up in mystery for so long, too. A tender feeling indeed.
They talk, with Shino clearly uncomfortable about being out in public, and when she tries to leave, Kazuto holds her back, and two people emerge from another room: a woman and a young girl. It is quickly revealed that the woman was the one being held up at the post-office, and the young girl is her unborn daughter, who the woman was pregnant with at the time. Kazuto explains that Shino shouldn't forget the man she killed, but she definitely cannot forget the people she's saved, and has to stop blaming herself for all that she's done, as there has in fact been joy that has come out of it.
In a tear-jerking moment, the young girl hands Shino a picture of the young girl's family and Shino breaks out into tears as the viewer breaks out into tears and there's a symbolic visual of Sinon letting go of her Hecate II as Shino takes hold of the young girl's hands and the episode ends and FEELINGS.
Gosh, I can't think of a single better way to wrap up this arc. It's heartwarming, it brings Shino's character to a close by bringing back someone from that day at the post-office, and is the ultimate tool for her to let go. Regardless of what anyone says, Shino/ Sinon was probably the main character of the arc, as most of it focused on her getting better and dealing with her past. This was that ending, and it was certainly impactful and resonated a lot.
This isn't the perfect finale for an arc, not as good as "The End of the World" from Season 1, but it still hits all the big notes to send us into a new chapter of the SAO story. There are a few conveniences that are ultimately overlooked by amazing character play on the part of Kazuto but mostly Shino, and the ending ties it all up nicely.
Overall, the GGO arc was a lot better than I recall. Is it as good as the Aincrad arc? That's a tough call. I would almost say they're tied. While Aincrad had great visuals with compelling action and a great romance, this one had newer visuals for the series along with amazing characters, a terrifying villain, a mystery, and a lingering feeling of suspense. Really it all comes down to taste. I can't say for sure which I like better, but I will say they are both spectacular and need to be watched.
Tomorrow, we'll start on a brand new adventure. And hey, maybe Shino will join our heroes in a little quest over in ALO! See you then.
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