10 Second Anime - Sword Art Online - Alicization - Episode 17

Alice and Kirito call a truce to help each other survive hanging from the wall of the central tower.

Episode 17 - "Truce"

Hmm.

Just how was Kirito going to use talk-no-jutsu to recruit Alice into his harem and break the game when she was literally batting him around like a tennis ball? They would need to find themselves in a situation where their hands would always be occupied but they could run their mouths. What to do, what to do? How about two-man wall climbing? Yeah, that'll work!

Seriously though, I had expected something like Alice calling her dragon to come and catch them, but this world is a bit too realistic in some of its conventions, so I'm sure the dragon would have been stabled, need to get saddled up, and then take off. That's minutes versus seconds of falling to certain death. Thank goodness that mortar isn't self-healing like the stone slabs of the tower.

This was also a good time to break the rhythm of talk, fight, talk some more that had been the mode of climbing the tower and facing violent Integrity Knights. We got some exposition from Alice's viewpoint, a bit of foreshadowing about characters and settings to be introduced, and evidence presented to Alice that maybe Kirito has a point about the Administrator not really following the rules. Hypocrisy and corruption are always the rallying cries for a good coup attempt.

One thing I picked up on with the stray bits of Alice's conversation with Kirito is that there is an older male mentor type she calls Oji-sama, never carries a handkerchief like a typical rough man, and has lasted longer than Kirito under the blows of her sword. I think we know who Eugeo has to ask permission from for dating Alice. Lucky! They just met too.

Oji-sama in the bath at the end of the episode is obviously the legendary hero who used the Blue Rose Sword to kill the dragon, and then left it there. I'm curious to see if he's been synthesized or whether he's a willing participant in the Admin's rule. He's got a lot of his personality left over, it seems to me, so I'm leaning toward co-conspirator.

Heh.

Well, here we are. Just hanging out. Nice day.

Baka, baka, baka! She kept track of how many times she got called an idiot! Eight!

Man, I've been watching anime a long time, and one of the worst conventions is that "I am..." cliffhanger pause. Hate it.

Nothing to do but talk while holding hands. Has Kirito been working out or he does he have greater Object Authority over Alice?

Does Alice know about this Dark Territory invasion that we only learned about from Cardinal?

The truce is just for climbing the wall, but when they get back inside, it's on! Kirito is all, sure whatever.

Is Alice afraid of heights, or just new situations?

Oh, it's the real world again. Silly girl, Asuna, Japan doesn't have warships. They're "self defense" ships. With guns and missiles and torpedoes...

Big foreshadowing again from such a small scene. That escort frigate is pulling out ahead of schedule. I smell infiltration, attack, piracy, or hostile takeover.

Let me just roll my eyes at this tomato stabbing transition back to Underworld. Let me roll them again.

That's news. Kirito needs sunlight or light to generate elements. Alice has just been changing the shape of parts of her armor.

Alice has questions about Dark Territory minions being used to protect the sacred tower.

Ha. So condescending about Kirito's blade skills. She sliced two of them, while he had to use a combo attack.

Alice just remembered something she wasn't supposed to about some combat exhibition and tournament.

Ho. Alice lends her handkerchief to a stinky boy, but wants it washed before he gives it back. Never wash it, Kirito! Game over!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, er, 90th floor, Eugeo meets this "Uncle" guy. He's got the same voice actor as Archer from the Fate series. Fits his body type and hair style.

Next time, Eugeo meets his favorite hero and probably the owner of his sword.