Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II

Key Takeaways

• Episode 5 of GGO S2 is the calm before the storm, focusing on preparation for the upcoming intense battle.
• A new rule in the tournament introduces traitors among top teams, creating tension and excitement.
• The intriguing setting in an Ocean Liner adds complexity and possibilities for an intense fight in the upcoming episode.

We are nearly halfway through the second season of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online (GGO) and so far, every episode has been nothing short of spectacular. The action, the character interaction, the gun fights, the twist upon twist in every episode, everything is brilliantly executed.

Speaking of twists, a good one popped up in the previous episode. At the end of episode 4, the organizer of the third Squad Jam tournament announces a new rule that forces one member of each surviving team to be a traitor. As a result, the tension and excitement were at an all-time high, both for the characters in the story and for the viewers watching at home. So can episode 5 continue the successful run that GGO has been enjoying thus far?

GGO All-Star Team

When the organizers announced the new rules for the last stage of Squad Jam 3 in the previous episode, it was both shocking and exciting at the same time. However, the best decision that the organizers made is that the traitors are not chosen at random, but rather carefully picked to ensure the game’s balance. As a result, some top teams are currently experiencing a brain drain.

A Brain Drain

In order for a team to perform at their best, two things are crucial, chemistry between members and good leadership. Thanks to the introduction of the new rules, two top teams—SHINC and MMTM—lost their leaders, while team LPFM lost one of the key decision-makers in their team, the enigmatic Pitohui. This kind of brain drain can be dangerous for the team’s future.

On the flip side, while the new traitor team is basically composed of All-Stars, their chemistry might not be so good. After all, they never played in the same team before. It’ll be interesting to see how the new dynamic within these remaining teams and how it’ll translates into a real combat situation.

The Plot Thickens

If the showrunners decided to take the easy route and make the third Squad Jam a normal battle royale tournament, it would still be a fun series to watch. But no. They decided to introduce something new and surprising in each episode, not only for the sake of keeping things fresh and exciting but also as a way to make the story way more complex and interesting than the previous season. It keeps us on the edge of our seats and makes us feel excited for every new episode. So kudos to the showrunners for taking a challenging route.

It’s Over, We Have the High Ground

The players know that the team of traitors will be gathered in the unknown location at the center of the map, and the remaining teams will also head that way due to the increasingly high water level. What nobody knows, however, is what awaits them at the center of the map. As it turns out, it is way more surprising than their wildest imagination.

Nobody Saw That Coming

We know the last phase of the tournament will be held in a special place, but nobody thought that it would be a run-down Ocean Liner, stranded in the middle of an island that’s about to be drowned by the sea. It might seem like an odd choice at first, but using a massive Ocean Liner as the stage for the last stage of the tournament actually makes a lot of sense. After all, it is basically every great playground area combined into one.

It has countless small rooms and narrow corridors that are perfect for ambush and assassination. There’s a big restaurant and recreation area that are perfect for a shootout. There’s a high vantage point for the snipers, an open field for the grenadier, and plenty of hiding places for the melee fighters. This place holds so many possibilities for a great and intense fight. Can’t wait to see it.

“This island is definitely going to sink. If we don’t get on that ship, it will mean death. The Betrayers Team is also well aware of that fact.”

The Slaughterhouse

So the arrangement is like this, the traitor team is placed inside the Ocean Liner while the remaining team has to find ways to get inside the ship. We know that once the teams get inside, indiscriminate killing will commence immediately, turning the Ocean Liner into a slaughterhouse.

However, the traitors know that being inside the ship first puts them in a highly advantageous position. After all, they are on significantly higher ground, which means they get a clear view of any oncoming teams. This also means some teams will get slaughtered by the traitors before they even get the chance to board the ship. As if that’s not thrilling enough, Pito’s surprising tactic at the end of the episode practically speeds up the inevitable massacre. There are so many exciting things to look forward to.

A Prelude to Massacre

Usually, an episode of Gun Gale Online will have lots of intense gunfights between teams who try to outsmart each other. But that is not the case at all in episode 5. In fact, there’s hardly any action at all in this episode and the pacing has gone down considerably, and there’s a good reason for that.

The Calm Before the Storm

A good punchline needs an equally good setup. Likewise, a good final confrontation also needs an equally good build-up. Episode 5 is the setup for the last brawl of the Squad Jam 3 tournament. For all intents and purposes, this episode is the prelude to the upcoming massacre. A calm before the storm, so to speak. That’s why this episode takes its time to explain the rules properly, to establish each player’s plans and positions, and to set up the mood for the intense battle that will happen in the subsequent episodes. So in a way, this episode is all about preparation.

It’s All About Preparation

So why do the showrunners feel the need to dedicate an entire episode for the sake of preparation? The simplest answer is to build the audience’s expectations. Ever since the second season began, this series has been running at full throttle. While the story has certainly been highly enjoyable thus far, we need to experience the low in order to appreciate the high. So in order to create a climactic fight that can blow the viewers away, some preparations are needed to set the stage and lay out some ground rules. This is the main purpose of episode 5, and dare we say it’s done a great job at it.

Besides, even though there are no actions in episode 5, it is still a super entertaining episode to watch. That’s why there’s no doubt in our mind that if this series continues to present this high level of quality and excitement till the end of the season, then it’s not an exaggeration to say that GGO will become one of the best anime of the season. Can’t wait to see the next episode.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online S2 is available to stream on Crunchyroll.