Author’s note: Crunchyroll recently changed their subtitles to display Japanese names as [Surname] [Given Name] instead of [Given Name] [Surname] in order to more accurately represent Japanese language and culture. Henceforth, I shall follow suit in my reviews. Names that I have previously displayed as “Akahiko Kayaba” will now be displayed as “Kayaba Akahiko”.

So, originally, I was planning on writing a full analysis of the Aincrad arc before starting to review the second arc, but that article is taking more time than I thought it would, seeing as I am trying to condense 14 episodes into 1 review and assess what I think the overlapping story is. (For Sword Art Online, there could be many different answers). In the mean time, I will continue to review the next episodes.

I remember the first time I watched Sword Art Online, I was surprised that the first arc ended so soon. I mean, they were trapped in the game for two years, but they only covered a handful of months. The actual “Sword Art Online” part of Sword Art Online lasted for only 14 episodes, but I think it could have been extended to 25 episodes, maybe even 50. I was even more surprised when in the next episode they switched from playing a game of swords to playing a game of…pixies? I thought to myself, “From the creators of ‘card games on motorcycles’ brings you ‘Pixie Art Online’.” (Although I do really like Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s). I’ve mentioned before that everyone who has seen Sword Art Online seems to either absolutely love it or downright despise it, but even among fans of SAO, there seems to be not much love for the series’ second arc – the infamous “Fairy Dance” arc. I mostly think of this as the “Alfheim” arc, even though they will be in Alfheim again in the future. What most people hate about this arc is that beloved characters get sidelined and/or sexualized, pointless action happens just to pack the plot, and Kirito will once again beat extraordinary odds simply because he’s the protagonist.

Hated or not, let’s dive in and explore what makes SAO’s “Fairy Dance” arc so abominable and if there are any redeeming qualities.

We pick up two months after Kirito defeated Heathcliff and escaped the game of Sword Art Online. Most of the players, including Kirito, successfully logged out of the game, but of the 6,147 survivors, 300 have yet to wake up. Asuna is one of them, and no one knows why. To Kirito, the SAO incident is far from over.

The main purpose of this episode is to introduce us to two characters who will play a major role in this arc. Since I just spoke about Asuna still being asleep, it might make more sense to introduce the character that Kirito met in her hospital room, but that character is not nearly as important as the one introduced at the beginning of the episode.

Kirigaya Suguha

Although this is not her first appearance, it is her first formal introduction to the story. As the surname might imply, Kirigaya Suguha is the younger sister of Kirito, whose real name is Kirigaya Kazuto. Suguha, nicknamed Sugu, was actually the first character to speak in the series (except for the announcer). Before Kirito logged into Sword Art Online, Sugu told her brother she was leaving for her kendo practice. Little did she know, that would be the last time she would speak to him for two years.

While trapped in SAO, Kirito told the dragon tamer Silica that when he was eight, his grandfather made him attend a local kendo dojo, but he stopped after two years. His grandfather beat him up for it, so Sugu stepped in and said she would put in enough effort for both of them. Kirito has regretted it ever since and wonders if his sister secretly holds it against him. Silica reassures him that no one could work that hard for someone they don’t like.

It was also while Kirito was trapped in SAO, that Sugu learned the truth about her brother. Sugu’s mother explained that Kazuto had noticed a deleted record on the Citizen’s Registration Network and came to her asking who his real parents are. Sugu’s mother let it slip that her sister and her husband were his real parents. Sugu asks her mother if that was the reason he started playing online games all the time. Her mother doesn’t think so, because he was already building a machine out of junk parts when he was six. (So Kirito built a PC in his bedroom with a box of scraps?)

At the beginning of the first episode of this arc (or the 15th episode of the series), we see Sugu staring into a pond in front of their house thinking that she and Kirito look nothing alike. (In the first book, Kirito says he has a face that gets him confused with his sister.) Sugu begins practicing her kendo with a bamboo sword when she sees Kirito sitting on the patio. The swordsman clad in black (now in black pajamas) asks Sugu if she wants to spar with him. Sugu is concerned that Kirito hasn’t recovered enough from being trapped in the game for two years, but Kirito is confident that he can put up a fight.

After the match, Kirito says he is going to visit Asuna in the hospital again. Sugu seems concerned, but Kirito doesn’t notice.

Sugou Nobuyuki

After Kirito got out of SAO, he traded some information about the game to the Ministry of Internal Affair’s SAO Incident Task Force in exchange for Asuna’s location. When Kirito arrives at Asuna’s hospital room, he sees the same familiar sight – Asuna still attached to her NerveGear, hooked to an IV.

While Kirito holds Asuna’s hand, her father walks in.

“Hello, sorry to bother you, Yuuki-san,” says Kirito.

“No, come whenever you like, it makes her happy,” says Mr. Yuuki.

Asuna’s father replaces the flowers by her bedside. No sooner does he do so than another man enters the room.

“Oh, you haven’t met before, have you?” says Yuuki-san, “This is our laboratory chief, Sugou-kun.”

Sugou turns to Yuuki and says he wants to make a matter official, but Yuuki isn’t sure if this is best.

“My heart has always been set on one thing,” says Sugou, “I’d like Asuna-san to wear the dress while she’s still beautiful.”

Kirito starts to get concerned. Mr. Yuuki says he has a meeting and rushes out of the room.

Sugou turns to Kirito and says, “I heard that within the game you were living with Asuna. Then I suppose that complicates our relationship. What we were just discussing was Asuna’s marriage to me. You see, she’s never really actually liked me. Neither my parents nor hers know that. But if marriage was ever discussed, it’s likely that she’d reject me. So this situation is quite fortunate for me.”

“Are you trying to take advantage of the fact that she’s in a coma?” accuses Kirito.

“No, this is my right,” claims Sugou, “Listen, Kirigaya-kun. Do you know what happened to Argus after they developed SAO?”

“I heard they went bankrupt.”

“Yes, the development costs, plus the massive damages they were forced to pay bankrupted the company and the maintenance of the SAO servers was entrusted to the electronics manufacturer Lect, whose CEO is Yuuki Souzou. And I work for its Full-Dive Technology Research Division. You could even say that I’m the one who’s keeping Asuna alive. So I can ask for a little something by way of compensation, can’t I? I don’t know what sort of promises you made to her in the game, but I’d prefer that you never come back or have any contact with the Yuuki family. The ceremony will be held in this hospital room in one week. Enjoy your final goodbye.”

Somewhere I Can’t Ever Reach Her

Later that day, Sugu knocks on Kazuto’s door, notifying him that the bath is ready, but he doesn’t respond. She opens the door to find him sitting alone in the dark, and in the cold.

“Sorry, could you leave me alone for a while?” asks Kirito.

Sugu turns and sees the distraught look on his face.

“Did something happen to Asuna?” asks Sugu.

“She’s going to go away. Somewhere I can’t ever reach her,” says Kirito, as he starts weeping. Sugu wraps her arms around him in a tight embrace. Kirito starts to get sleepy, so Sugu lays him down next to him. When she wakes up, she realizes she just accidentally slept with her cousin. Her face turns beet red as she runs out of the room.

Suddenly, Kirito gets a notification on his PC. It’s a message from Agil, but what intrigues him the most is the picture he sent. Kirito looks closer and realizes he sent a blurry picture of Asuna!

To Be Continued…

Thoughts

Usually when I come to this “Thoughts” section, I try to dive a bit deeper into the story and analyze any hidden messages the author might be trying to convey. After many years of pondering the Fairy Dance arc, I cannot honestly say if there are any deeper meanings or hidden messages in the story. It all seems to be surface-level. Either way, I will try to explain what I think the main purpose of each episode is.

As I mentioned earlier, the main purpose of this episode is to introduce us to two characters who will be very important for this arc: Sugu – the cousin of Kirito – and Sugou – a perverted predator after Asuna’s body. And thank you, Reki Kawahara for introducing two new characters with strikingly similar names, yet polar opposite alignments. (That was very confusing the first time I saw this.)

There doesn’t seem to be anything that would cause me to throw this arc in the dumpster fire…yet, but one episode is hardly anything to go off of. So keep following my blog for the next review of Sword Art Online!