Trap card activated!
All right, while it's arguable that the last episode wasn't rushed, this one definitely was. Introducing a bunch of characters—with one starting to get some character development, no less—and then killing them all off did not sit well with me in the slightest. True, Sachi's death, although expected, was very sad. However, I felt like it could've had more impact if she had survived for a while longer, further solidifying her character and allowing viewers to feel even more sympathetic towards Kirito upon her inevitable death. With the way things were going, I wouldn't have been surprised if Klein had ended up dying, too.
Following up an episode in which Asuna was introduced with one in which she doesn't even show up was disappointing to me as a newcomer to the SAO franchise. Obviously, LN readers who already know the story won't question this as they know full well when she's going to appear again, but for me, I had assumed that since she's the main female protagonist according to the OP, she'd have decent screentime following her introduction. Here's to hoping she returns to Kirito's side soon as there's definitely a high chance he'll eventually snap due to the depressed state he's in now; first it was Diabel's death, then the deaths of the Black Cats, and now finding out that the resurrection item will not work on Sachi. If this trend continues, the events that have taken place recently may just be the start of the string of deaths that Kirito will witness and suffer through, while he believes that he could've done something to prevent each one. And because of this, it's not surprising why he chooses to play solo; the trauma from thinking he's, in essence, a murderous beater is probably more than enough to repel Kirito from any social interactions in fear that the same things will happen time and time again.
It also seems my questions about floor ascension and available time were answered in this episode. While the trade-off for being able to focus more on the characters is the skipping of possibly action-packed boss fights, I approve of going in this direction given that good characters generally lead to an interesting story more so than high-octane battles do. In particular, I think it'll be more entertaining to see why Kirito does what he does rather than just seeing what he does.
There's only much the anime can show so some parts that were from the LN were left out. I don't mind a lot of action in the anime since the LN has more focus on the character interactions than the fights.
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