Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

Episode 10

The suggestion at the end of last episode that LLENN was going to have to face off against team MMTM before getting to Pito turned out to be just a tease, and that's not the only expectation I had to throw by the wayside as this episode played out. Still, the end result was pretty dramatically satisfying and featured a couple of nice twists along the way.

The MMTM fight doesn't happen because SHINC manages to meet up with LLENN and Fukaziroh, and MMTM's leader is smart enough to know that facing off against the top team members from the previous Squad Jam without a tactical position advantage is a bad idea. I'm not surprised that LLENN confided in them about Pito or that they agreed to help; the Gymnastic Club girls may be competitive, but they have always seemed to understand that this is still just a game, and they also have a good relationship with Karen. I loved their tactical choice and especially the way they adapted what the trick LLENN used to help her win in the previous one: using a fallen competitor – in this case a pre-planned team member sacrifice – as an impenetrable shield for cover while firing an anti-tank rifle. I had expected grenades to be the key to getting around M's shield, but a gun powerful enough to blast it to bits also works.

The fate of Shirley's team also seems fitting. There should be consequences when you do something as brazenly dishonest as reneging on a gentleman's agreement because you claim it doesn't apply to you since you're a woman, but Shirley playing the vengeful role in return was a surprise. Even with LLENN gunning her down after the sniper shot, I could still see her having a role in the bigger picture if more GGO gets animated in the future. She's gotten too much focus to just be a throwaway character, and if that does turn out to be the case, it would feel like a waste.

M kissing Pito was also a nice scene, especially given all the crap he's had to put up with from her. The suggestion that one or both of them might deliberately be using NerveGear to simulate the genuine risk of death is a stunning twist, and it raises questions like how the heck they got their hands on still-functioning ones. (Kazuto had his own connections, but I would have thought the others would have been confiscated.) On the other hand, it does explain M's seemingly over-the-top reaction to LLENN threatening to kill him a few episodes back. I also should have expected the photon sword to come up again, as Pito had to be aware of its use by Kirito in the last BoB tournament. The way it flies in the face of normal GGO logic is a perfect fit for her, especially given her established penchant for sampling various different weapons. It also makes sense dramatically, as it turns her upcoming battle with LLENN into a more potentially lively short-range affair. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she chose it specifically with fighting LLENN in mind.

The big issue with this episode, once again, is the artistic quality control. While the episode has some neat shots, like the final reveal of Pito holding the photon sword, there were too many other places where the artistic effort was sloppy, especially with characters slipping off-model. Visual quality control has never been the series' strong point, but its problems on this front are gradually getting worse. Maybe the one intermission episode it took earlier in the season wasn't enough? Whatever the case, enough competitors have now been pared down for a proper battle climax next episode.

Rating: B

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.