Gun Gale Online S2 – There’s a Traitor Among Us

Key Takeaways

• GGO Season 2 is breaking the norm with consistently fun and interesting episodes.
• Clever use of narrative framing and transitions keeps the story engaging for viewers.
• The introduction of new rules in episode 4 changes the dynamic, keeping the plot fresh and unpredictable.

It’s natural for every anime to have a mix of good, average, and even bad episodes at the beginning of a new season. After all, crafting an interesting episode is not an exact science. No formula can guarantee that the viewers will enjoy watching the new episodes. So as the audience, we have to accept the fact that our favorite series will have its ups and downs.

That being said, the second season of Gun Gale Online seems to be on the path to breaking that norm. Because the three episodes that have been released thus far are super fun to watch. Those episodes manage to stay true to what makes GGO so interesting in the first place and offer some new and exciting stuff for the viewers. So can they extend their winning streak? After watching episode 4, the answer is yes. Yes, they can.

A Clever Way to Use Framing

Narrative framing is a storytelling technique where a character tells a story either to another character or to themselves as a way to recollect their memory. Think of it as a story within a story. Some anime uses this technique as a way to recap what has happened in the story thus far—such as a special episode called Sword Art Online: Extra Edition—while other anime tells the entire story through a frame—such as Baccano, and to some extent, Millenium Actress as well. This episode also uses a frame but in an entirely different and quite clever way.

Jump to the Future to See the Past

In the first part of the episode, we briefly jump forward to some time after the end of the Squad Jam 3 (SJ3) tournament. Kohiruimaki Karen, popularly known as Llenn, is sitting in her room, watching her laptop to see everything that happened during the third Squad Jam Tournament. When she was competing, she didn’t know what the other teams were doing before she met them. Watching replays and highlight videos like this is the only way for her to see what has transpired at the beginning of SJ3.

This is a narrative framing. The events that happen to the other characters are framed as a replay/highlight video that the main character is watching in the future. So in a sense, we briefly jump to the future to see the past.

An Interesting Way to Create Transition

When you have different characters doing different things in different places, the biggest challenge is setting up the transition between each character while still keeping the focus on the main characters. The two most commonly used transition techniques are hard cuts and dedicated episodes. The story can either cut from the main character to the other cast midway through the story or they can prepare a dedicated episode for the other characters. GGO chooses neither.

Hard cuts between different characters, each with their own unique settings and situations, have the potential to confuse the viewers. They already created a special episode for Shirley and Clarence in the previous episode, which means that the second option is not viable anymore. So the showrunners come up with an interesting and rather unusual way to set up the transition, which is the aforementioned narrative framing. The result is a highly compact, effective, and super fun recap that doesn’t feel like a recap. What’s more, they still have some time left to jump back to the main characters and move the story forward. A+ for creativity.

A Clever Way to Show a Battle Royale

Let’s dive deeper into the battle of the other top teams for a second because this is one of the most exciting parts of the episode. Other than LPFM, four other notable top teams compete in SJ3. The tough Amazonian women (SHINC), the real-life soldiers (MMTM), the machine gun enthusiast (ZEMAL), and the mysterious winner of the previous Squad Jam tournament (T-S). This episode showcases a clever way to incorporate all of these teams into an exciting battle royale.

Different Teams, Different Situations, Different Styles

The two main reasons why the battle in this episode feels so interesting are the fact that these battles happened in different places/under different situations and the different play styles of each team.

• SHINC fights in a desert-like area with a mix of open fields and various rocky formations. They use machine guns to suppress the enemy and a sniper to kill them one by one while executing a pincer maneuver at the same time.
• MMTM fights in a dense forest area with tall trees and bushes. They choose guerrilla warfare tactics where one member lures the enemy while the others use ghillie suits to hide and ambush the opponents from their blind spots.
• ZEMAL fights in a city center area with lots of abandoned tall buildings. They make make-shift mini mobile turrets by combining shopping carts with numerous metal rods. This tactic practically eliminates their major weakness, which is defense.
• T-S fights in the skyscraper area. They decided to wait atop one of the skyscrapers and planned to use their position to gain an advantage over their enemy. Unfortunately, the sea level rises faster than predicted. They are now stranded on top of a building surrounded by the sea.

Let the Killing Begins

Apart from team T-S, the other top teams show a masterclass in teamwork and strategy. They not only create a strategy that suits their playstyle the most, but they also manage to take full advantage of their surroundings. They may have different approaches to combat, but the end result is practically the same. Carnage!

As a gamer, it’s always fun to see high-level plays from top players. What makes it even more exciting is the fact that we get to see these teams use different strategies to demolish their opponents. At this point in time, all of them are on a level playing field and it’s hard to say if there’s one that is clearly better than the others. So we have no choice but to keep on watching to see if any of our favorites can make it to the end. Once again, this is proof that the showrunners know the mindset of its core audience, which is mostly gamers, especially FPS and Online Shooter players.

A Clever Way to Keep Things Interesting

One of the best things about GGO S2 is its ability to keep things fresh and interesting. In episode 2, they introduce a map that will be covered with water as time goes by. In episode 3, they ignore the main characters and focus on two deranged and obsessed supporting characters. And now, in episode 4, they introduce a new rule that will greatly change the tide of the competition.

New Rules

Now that only a handful of teams are left in the tournament, the Squad Jam 3 organizer introduces a new rule. For the last stage of the tournament, one member of each team will be appointed as a traitor. Furthermore, these traitors will form a new team and fight against the other teams until the end of the tournament.

This new rule completely changes the dynamic of the tournament. Knowing that one of their members has now become part of the enemy means every team has to change their strategy, one that they’ve never done before. On the other hand, while the new team of traitors has the advantage of having information on every opposing team, a newly-formed team like that lacks chemistry and may have communication problems. So long story short, the plot thickens.

“Your former comrades are now your enemies! Now then, let the killing begin.”

—SJ3 Announcer, Episode 4

Always Moving, Always Changing

It’s easy for a series to stick to the same routine and avoid taking some risks, especially when they already have a decent amount of audience. As a result, the story becomes stale and predictable. This is pretty much what happened to the main Sword Art Online series. It started with a bang but slowly fizzled up until it was nothing more than a shell of its former self. The showrunners keep trying to chase those past glories while the fans leave the franchise one by one.

As a mere spin-off, nobody has any expectations for Gun Gale Online. Against all odds, the first season was a success. GGO proved that it could stand on its own with little to no connection to the main franchise. Then the second season came along and once again, they started with a bang and continued their winning streak to this fourth episode. All the while they keep introducing something new, fresh, and unique in each episode. Always moving, always changing. Kudos to the people behind this new season of GGO. Can’t wait to watch the next episode.

Gun Gale Online is available to stream on Crunchyroll.