Summary
The second season ofSword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Onlinestarted with a bang. The two episodes that we have seen thus far have been superb. The actions, the humor, the battle royale, the strategy, everything works in harmony to create exciting episodes that will keep you at the edge of your seats from start to finish.
So the question now becomes can the showrunnersmaintain this stellar form?Can this series keep producing one superb episode after the next throughout the season? Can the third episode keep the excitement going? Well, the answer is yes. Yes, they most certainly can.
First Appearance
GGO S2, Episode 1
For the overwhelming majority of episode 3, the story focuses on two supporting characters, one of which briefly appeared in the first season. The names of these characters are Clarence, the Chaotic Gunner, and Shirley,the Vengeful Sniper.
The Vengeful Sniper Shirley
Shirley isone of the best snipers in the game.Unfortunately for her, she was betrayed, defeated, and humiliated by the one and only Pitohui during the previous Squad Jam Tournament. Since then, she’s been sharpening her skills so that one day she can beat Pitohui. Seeing some random enemies chasing team LPFM like at the beginning of this season is certainly interesting, but to have a character who will stop at nothing until she can put a bullet through Pito’s head definitely makes everything way more intense and exciting.
The Chaotic Gunner Clarence
Clarence is the new addition to the list of characters for this new season. In just the span of one episode, she quickly rises to become one of the most interesting characters in GGO. She is chaotic, impulsive, unpredictable,and absolutely fearless.At the moment, it’s unclear what Clarence’s objective actually is, if she has any at all. She is a wild card and we love her for it. Looking forward to seeing more of Clarence in future episodes.
“A major betrayal. I’ve always wanted to try it once.”
GGO S1 Episode 7
With such stellar debut episodes, it’s no wonder the fans and casual viewers alike are super excited to see what Llenn and the rest of Team LPFM will do to defeat the horde of enemies that are closing in on them. But no. Rather than showing what happens to Team LPFM, the showrunners decided to focusthe story on two supporting characters instead.
Ignoring the Main Characters
There’s something incredibly badass with an author/showrunner who knows what the audience wants to see and purposely serves them something else instead. Because that is precisely what happens in this episode. We want to seeTeam LPFM retaliate and demolish the other teamsas they move toward the center of the map, but no, other than the brief appearance at the beginning, this episode practically ignores the main characters and shines light on two supporting characters instead. That is a bold decision and we respect them for that.
Putting the Supporting Characters in the Limelight
There are as many ways to introduce new characters as there are stars in the sky. However, the way GGO introduces Clarence and reintroduces Shirley in this episode will be remembered as one of the best character introductions in anime history. Because they introduce these two, pit them against each other in an epic battle,and then have them rip each other’s throats,all in the same episode. They come, they show a masterclass in intense character dynamics, and then log off. What a sensational way to introduce new characters! Hopefully we’ll get to see more of these two in future episodes.
“I’m really sorry. I missed your heart. I’ll put you out of your misery right now, okay?”
–Shirley, GGO S2 Episode 3
A Good News
As discussed in the previous section, two important things happen in the third episode ofGun Gale OnlineSeason 2.Llenn and the rest of Team LPFM get sidelined and two new characters receive one of the best introductions in anime history. Like it or hate it, these two moments are a lot more important than you might think.
Introducing Variety
As we’ve mentioned in the review for episode 2,the actions, the comedy, the tactical approach to combat, and everything that we’ve seen so farhave been nothing short of remarkable. However, even good things will turn boring if you keep doing the same thing over and over again. This episode is basically the showrunner’s way of telling their viewers that they can present a variety of storylines involving different characters while still keeping the fun and exciting aspect of GGO intact. So yes, this is certainly good news for the fans of this series.
A More Ambitious Season
The first season ofSword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Onlinewas amazing. Some even argued that this spin-off was better than some of the major story arcs of the main Sword Art Online series. As fans of this series, we don’t mind if Season 2 turns out to be a duplicate of the first season, though it’ll be better if we can see something new for this new season.
By introducing variety in this episode, however, the showrunners prove that they are willing to make some bold decisions for this series. This means Season 2 will be a more ambitious season forGun Gale Onlineand we can’t wait to see more of this electrifying series.
