Screenshot taken from: http://www.crunchyroll.com/sword-art-online/episode-11-what-it-means-to-be-strong-656645
Review:
Welcome to We Sit In A Cave An—I mean, Sword Art Online II: Episode 11. Well, my original title wouldn’t have really been off the mark. The majority of this episode does involve Kirito and Sinon sitting in a cave discussing Death Gun. Of course, they are way too close for comfort; certainly more-so than what (my understanding of) typical Japanese social custom would deem comfortable. But hey, it’s just an anime, right?
Honestly, I feel like I should be able to call this episode boring, but I can’t bring myself to do it. There’s nothing really exciting going on here. Even the reveal of how Death Gun is killing people in real life wasn’t overly exciting, and yet I can’t honestly say I found myself bored. I did find myself going in with my guard up, though, because I read on my Twitter feed that there was lots of fanservice in the form of Sinon butt-shots this time around. Perhaps I prepared for something worse, because there certainly were a few (see the Content Guide), but I didn’t feel like it was as bad as I had potentially prepared for. I mean, yes, there are a number of shots of her butt (just read the Crunchyroll comments section; it dominates the subject matter), including her butt crack (seriously, pull up your pants, please), but as far as detail goes, I think they’ve done worse. So, either I over-prepared myself, or I’m becoming desensitized.
In any event, this really wasn’t an eventful episode, so there’s really not much to say. Kirito and Sinon sit in a cave and figure out how Death Gun is killing people in real life. They devise a plan to take Death Gun out. Elsewhere, Asuna and company meet with the agent who set Kirito up for the whole GGO thing (they meet within ALO), and Asuna decides to go to the hospital where Kirito is diving from. Other than telling you what the reveal is, that’s pretty much all you need to know to be prepared for the next episode. Like I said, I should be able to call this boring, but I’d be lying to claim boredom from this episode. Apathy, maybe? Well, at any rate, next week’s episode should be more intense (I hope), and hopefully less focused on Sinon’s butt.
Did I really just spend most of my review talking about their focus on Sinon’s butt? Great, I’m no better than the Crunchyroll comments section.
A Christian Perspective:
Men: if you don’t want to make your lady mad, then don’t cuddle up with another girl in a cave on a televised (virtually or otherwise) event. You may know that nothing naughty is going on, but that doesn’t mean your lady will. As of now, there’s no indication of whether or not Asuna saw the video footage, but, if so, then she will most likely be mad (and rightfully so). Or, since this is SAO and it is Kirito, he may very well get off the hook in a very easily, yet realistically unlikely, way.
Also, to draw a more Scripture-oriented lesson: But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. – Matthew 5:28 (NIV)
There was some discussion on the Crunchyroll comments as to where, exactly, Kirito was looking in one scene. Some stated that he was looking at Sinon’s butt, while others stated he had noticed the empty holster on her gun belt. While we may never know for sure, it’s still a good opportunity for a lesson on guarding one’s eyes. I’ll be honest, I don’t know at what point something counts as “looking lustfully,” and it has caused me a bit of grief. If you can avoid seeing what you shouldn’t see, then by all means do so. If you see something you shouldn’t see, look away as quickly as possible and don’t dwell on what you saw. That’s really my best advice. It’s really pulling from left field for a lesson from this episode, since there is little clarity as to what Kirito was actually looking at, but I think it’s a good lesson in general, especially in a day and age where “less is more” seems to be the motto with (particularly women’s) clothing.
Content Guide:
Language: 1 “cr*p”
Alcohol/Drug Use: None
Nudity/Sex/Fanservice: A close up of Sinon’s butt (with her crack sticking out of the top of her shorts) 5:06 – 5:08; another close up of Sinon’s butt 5:11 – 5:14; Sinon’s butt and crack 6:44 – 6:49, 7:56 – 8:08, 9:03 – 9:09; Leafa’s cleavage; another close up of Sinon’s butt 20:41 – 20:44
Violence: None
Blood/Gore: Characters are shown with blood running from their eyes and the usual red marks from in-game injuries
Other: Kirito and Sinon are recorded while sitting in the cave, and a conversation ensues about how people still think Kirito is a girl, to which Sinon replies that if people think she’s into that then maybe she’ll get bothered less