Sword Art Online Ep. 9: The Blue-Eyed Demon
Sword Art Online Ep. 10: Crimson Killing Intent
*Spoilers*
Forgive me for not posting last week on episode 9 of Sword Art Online, but there really wasn’t a whole lot that happened in The Blue-Eyed Demon. Okay, let me rephrase that. Some really cool, badass things happened in ep. 9 but nothing too striking that would have comprised a full post. In simple terms, Kirito found himself in a life or death situation where he finally revealed a unique skill to dual-wield two swords at once.
Kirito wanted to keep this skill a secret because he’s the only one to have it, and once word gets out it will draw more attention to him. Well, word got out and he is apparently now famous because of it. The end of the episode marks something that’s been a few episodes coming now, and that is the issue with Asuna wanting to leave her guild.
Asuna is a part of the top guild in Sword Art Online, and the leader of that guild is Heathcliff. The Knights of the Blood Oath don’t play around, so when a solo player like Kirito comes along to “steal” away a guild’s top player, things don’t go down so easily. Thus, the beginning of episode 10 features a duel between Kirito and Heathcliff to decide whether or not Asuna can leave the guild.
Kirito loses the duel because Heathcliff also has a unique skill: that of perfect defense. I think it was kind of funny, and somewhat necessary, that Kirito lost the battle because he is now a part of the Blood Oath Guild. If Kirito had won the match Heathcliff would have let Asuna leave, but he created the condition that if Kirito loses he must join the guild. Kirito can’t get his way every episode and thankfully things are switched up a bit with this turn of events. This way Asuna and Kirito can still be together and fight side by side. And it’s not like it’s a big deal if they want to take a break from the front lines because they clearly did that later in the episode.
Over the course of the series we have seen a slight growth in the relationship between Kirito and Asuna. If you can’t tell by now, this is one of my favorite aspects in Sword Art Online. I’m a sucker for romance and this episode capitalizes on it the most. First Kirito reveals to Asuna why he has been a solo player all this time, then she saves him when Kuradeel goes on a killing spree, and then later on it’s heavily implied that they make love. And to put a cherry on top of all of it Kirito outright proposes to Asuna. Damn, such a good episode!
But in all seriousness it does not matter if Asuna and Kirito were in a relationship before making love or proposing a marriage. Their interactions in previous episodes built a growth of common understanding that proved a strong connection between the two individuals. The series built an expected atmosphere that was engaging to the interests between these two characters. They’ve fought side by side, and she’s cooked dinner for Kirito. Asuna can not only protect Kirito, but she can cook for him too! It’s kind of cute… And now apparently they will be getting married in the following episode. I wonder if this will be an actual marriage or if it will be similar to Romeo and Juliet’s marriage in Romeo x Juliet, where they simply decided on their own that they are married.
Regardless, I am incredibly interested in seeing the next episode. I wonder if it will be completely care-free or if their wedding plans will be ruined by some uncontrollable event. At some point Kirito and Asuna will need to return to the Knights of the Blood Oath guild and fight at the front lines, so the pure happiness will only last for so long. Until next time!
