Summary
Sword Art Online Alternative:Gun Gale Online(GGO) was created to provide a fun viewing experience to its audience. From the simplicity of the story to the relatability of the characters, everything is designed with the words “fun” and “exciting” in mind. That is the case for the first season, and based on what we’ve seen in the first episode,that is the case for this second season as well.
Episode 1 started with a bang. In one episode, it managed to reintroduce the characters, lay out the main conflict, and hook the viewers to watch the next episode, and it still had time to remind the viewers of some of the big events that happened in season 1. It was a superb first episode. Can the second episode keep the same fun and exciting energy as the first one? The answer is absolutely yes.
The Brain and the Brawn
As gamers, it’s fun to see our favorite players run, jump, and slide as they attempt to avoid the countless bullets that rain down on them. What’s even more exciting than that is when the players come up witha smart strategy on top of their remarkable gunplay.We need both the brain and the brawn to make the gameplay exciting. Episode 2 is the perfect showcase of both in action.
The Method Behind the Madness
One of the things that makes Llenn and her teammates so popular is their daring and unexpected actions duringthe previous Squad Jam tournament.And once again, we get to see LPFM pull off another surprising move that no other team would ever do. It is not only extremely daring, but it is also a smart play that allows each member to utilize their strength to the fullest. As a result, they massacre six teams in a matter of minutes.
As mentioned in the previous section, we gamers love to see high-level play that combines daring attacks that are backed up by sound strategy. What we see on the screen may seem insane, but there has to be a method behind the madness. And that is precisely what happens in this episode.
“The island where the Third Squad Jam is set will start sinking automatically. It will only pick up in speed as time goes on, until finally, the mountaintops at the center will also vanish into the sea.”
—The Host for Squad Jam 3, Episode 2
Level Design
In the world of video games, level design is the art of crafting a playground that is interesting, engaging, and challenging for the players. A good level design encourages the players to explore and create a strategy that takes advantage of their surroundings.
For this episode, the playground is a small island that has everything from a dense forest area to an abandoned apartment complex to a deserted train station, and even rocky beaches. As if that’s not interesting enough, the players also have to race against time as the tide keeps rising until there’s no ground left to stand on. It’s interesting, engaging, and challenging. It is the mark of a great level design. If that isa Call of Duty map,we would gladly spend hours playing in it.
Moving Fast Then Leave Them Hanging
From a storytelling perspective, two things immediately stand out once we finished watching this episode, pacing and cliffhanger. Both are crucial storytelling elements, especially foraction-oriented series likeGun Gale Online.Thankfully, GGO managed to do both things properly.
Proper Pacing
For the most part, action is dictated by pacing. Generally speaking, a fast pace equals action, while a slow pace equals drama. Of course, you can always find outliers that defy this basic rule of thumb—the slow-paced gunslinger duels inLupin III: Jigen’s Gravestonecome to mind—but this principle holds true for most storytelling mediums.
Episode 2 spent most of its runtime moving at top speed. From evading a hail of bullets to unleashing continuous bombardments, they keep the viewers holding their breath from start to finish. These high-intensity action sequences make the time they took to stop and strategize becomes so much more impactful. The showrunners know when to speed things up and slow things down in order to keep the viewers at the end of their seats. That’s why this episode is akin to a high-speed roller-coaster ride.
Proper Cliffhanger
While the pacing is important to keep the viewers engaged throughout the episode, what makes them excited for the next one is the cliffhanger.Every anime that has more than one episodeneeds a cliffhanger in order to entice the viewers to see the new episode next week. In a way, cliffhanger is the art of finding the right moment to stop the story so that it resolves the current conflict while teasing the viewers about the bigger challenge that has yet to be completed.
In this episode, team LPFM has largely resolved the issue regarding the numerous enemies who work together to take them down. That being said, there is still the matter of the rising tide that has covered quite a sizable amount of the playing field. By ending the episode after our heroes solve the first problem but before they can find a solution to the next predicament, it creates a sense of closure and a cliffhanger at the same time. This is a great way to keep the viewers satisfied yet still hungry for more.
The Need for a Challenge
Episode 2 is undoubtedly a great episode. It perfectly embodies what GGO is trying to convey to the viewers: a fun viewing experience withlots of action and a dash of comedy sprinkled on top.That being said, there’s a minor concern that needs to be mentioned, which is the fact that our heroes need a difficult challenge.
Avoiding Formula
It’s fun to see our favorite charactersdestroy their enemies and dominate the competition.However, the most interesting part of a story is to see the characters overcoming difficult obstacles. To see them grow to rise above the seemingly unsurpassable hurdle is pretty much the essence of character development.
It’s cool to see team LPFM win against every enemy without breaking a sweat, but after a while, it can feel formulaic, or worse, it can feel boring to watch. So let’s hope the showrunners have some difficult challenges ahead for the Pink Devil and the rest of team LPFM.
Keeping Things Fun is Difficult
As mentioned earlier, the essence ofGGO is a fun action with some comedy here and there.Keeping things fun, however, can be quite tricky. After all, if you repeat the same thing over and over again, what started as fun will turn into something predictable and boring.
So the main challenge for the showrunners from now on is how to make GGO feel fresh and exciting while still keeping the fun elements intact. It’s not an easy task to do, but if there’s anybody who knows how to craft a fun series that will keep the viewers entertained throughout the whole season, it’s the people who are working onGun Gale Online.Looking forward to the next episode.
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online IIis available to stream onCrunchyroll.
