Domain_10 Anime Sword Art Online Rewatch Episode 3

Part of me feels like episode 3 really touched on some of what people really wanted from an anime like SAO: a more psychological and emotional anime. In all honesty, I'd say that it was a worthwhile endeavor.

I liked seeing Kirito and his experiences with a guild, given that he's been a loner the entire time. Spoilers He seemed more caring and lively in this episode than he did previously, if only because he was driven to try harder for Sachi and the other guild members. It was especially interesting to see how he handled the situation after the guild members, Sachi in particular, getting killed in a dungeon trap. It shows that these feelings of sadness still follow him, even well into the end of the year. Also, don't lie. Your heart felt a little heavier at the end of the episode. Sachi may not have been a very developed character, but it's one of those things did just right to leave just enough of an impact.

However, what I won't defend is how Kirito mentally handled the circumstances. It's alright to feel upset over a tragedy that happened, especially if it happened to those close to you. However, Kirito went off blaming himself for the problems that his guild mates committed. They wanted to take a gamble, and go into a higher level dungeon to put themselves on the fast track on the front lines, but Kirito opted to stay at the usual hunting spots. Of course, they ignored him, and they all got killed for it as a result. Even if Kirito were honest about his level, I don't think that would have made a difference. If anything, I imagined it would have made them even more ambitious, and had gotten them even further into trouble than they were.

I will say, though, as one bit of defense against my statement: I understand that he felt personally responsible for taking care of Sachi, given her timid personality, and since she died, he at least feels responsible for that much. Even still, if they had just listened to Kirito, they wouldn't have died, so just like in episode 2, greed is the enemy.

Speaking of Sachi, why was the guild was adamant on having Sachi in the front? She's spoken out about the issue several times, saying that she didn't want to be put up there, and there were other, more capable people that could have just as easily stood there with Tetsuo. Instead, they railroaded her into this position, not thinking of the potential consequences that could occur. Maybe being in that position would have toughened up over time, but you can't honestly expect somebody that shy and uncomfortable to be willing to take on a task like that. If the previous paragraph hasn't made it clear yet, I think that the guild members, while caring and determined, were too stupid for their own good.

I'm a little bummed that they cut out two potentially awesome fights this episodes, but I understand that anime don't have unlimited budget works, so given some of the things happening later in the series, I guess I'll let it slide. Everything still looked as pretty and proper as usual, so no arguments there. I just wished they had an awesome fight scene thrown in somewhere. (No, the dungeon trap doesn't count for me.)

Also, I'm not sure if I'm going crazy, but I actually rather liked Papenbrook this episode. Something about the way he handled Kirito's performance this episode resonated with me, and made me feel more than him than I would have previously. In that respect, good job, I guess. Everyone else was also pretty enjoyable, and Sachi's VA did well for her role. Also, nice to see Klein again!

Episode 3 wasn't perfect as it had its own fair share of stupid, but it was emotional and interesting episode. Also, contrary to my previous statements, I also kind of appreciated that this wasn't as action packed as previous episodes. Simply put, it did what it needed to, and did it well enough. See you guys for episode 4! Spoilers

Edit: slight formatting change!

Domain_10 Anime Sword Art Online Rewatch Episode 3

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/3nmzmm/spoilers_rewatch_sword_art_online_episode_3/