Marwile watches SAO2 Part 16 "Caliber Start"

After last week somehow managed to disappoint me even more than expected, we now get the actual start of the Caliber arc. We're also reaching the point where I don't know what's going to happen. Everyone talks about how bad the first three arcs are that Caliber slipped through the cracks and when I heard that Mother's Rosario was good I avoided videos on that topic. To be honest until recently I didn't even know Caliber existed. So let's finally start talking about the third arc that's fighting for the title of worst SAO arc and... there's actually lots to talk about.

We start in Kirito's house where he gets the news that the legendary sword Excaliber (dumb name) has been discovered. We get some exposition about how Kirito and Leafa landed in Jotunheim (we're going norse) and helped a flying elephant-jellyfish against an evil giant and befriended it. While riding Tonchi back home they discovered a new dungeon in the skies of Jotunheim and at its bottom in a see-through room the sword. They kept this information to themselves so Kirito could nab it when he had time. And we're supposed to root for this guy...

But now that the info is out to the public he has to hurry up and calls the Kirito harem (minus Agil) for help. Also a random scene with Asuna in a bathtub. And now the most important part of the episode, ALO Sinon is a Catgirl! We also get some bland banter between the group and at one point Kirito decides to grab her by the tail and if you ever saw a harem anime you know her reaction. This seems very likely to be the point where the girl that came the closest to actual character depth has been fully assimilated.

While riding the befriended flying elephant-jellyfish Tonchi (reminder that this is all in a game) we get many buttshots considering we now have five times the amount of girls. Meanwhile they observe all the other players working with the giants to kill the flying elephant-jellyfishes, because apparently all gamers are cruel monsters without conscience.

Suddenly the Queen of the Lake appears before them, who's said to be an advanced AI. I also won't even try to tell her name, because I'm pretty sure my keyboard lacks at least half of the necessary letters. She also gives us the backstory of this area and the tradition of nothing making sense continues. So the lore of Jotunheim: The inhabitants of this land and the flying elephant-jellyfishes were living in peace until the giants of Niflheim attacked and their King Thyrm threw the magical sword Excaliber into the spring where it cut one of the roots of the world tree. Because of that Jotunheim was punished by being completely frozen over. Now Kirito's group has to reach the end of the dungeon to take the sword from Thyrm and free the land from its curse before all flying elephant-jellyfishes are dead to receive a replica as a reward. And this is, I assume, the plot of the Caliber arc.

I should also mention the new OP and ED. They're oretty bland, though one of the few things I do know is that they'll change so I assume (read: hope) that's done intentional. And this seems like a good place to end, I think I already typed enough.