Sword Art Online - Episode 4

Silica<3

The one thing I don't really like about Sword Art Online is how fast time flies in each of the episodes. So far, already two years have passed since the start of the survival game, and it's only been four episodes. But aside from that, I thought this episode was really enjoyable, especially after a depressing Episode 3 where cries of "SACHI!" could be heard (or seen) in various anime forums and discussion boards across the Internet. The introduction of an undeniably cute loli and her companion turned that frown of mine from the last episode upside-down though. Not only is she physically cute, but her personality would probably make her a great little sister, too. I really hope this is not the last time we see her since I've slightly grown attached to her character.

As for Kirito, the level of badassery he displayed in this episode was epic. The best part had to be when he nonchalantly confronted Rosalia's men and let them attempt to kill him, scoffing at their humiliatingly low DPS, even as a group. But the fun didn't stop there. He even succeeds in pushing Rosalia into a corner, effectively putting an end to the Titan's Hand's work in SAO. And through this awesome spectacle, we learn about the coloured indicators that each player has, depending on their standing in the game—green indicating a clean player, orange indicating an offender, and red indicating a PK'er (well, in SAO, a murderer)—similar to a criminal record in real life.

In terms of timeframes and stuff, assuming the clearing group has already passed Floor 50 (i.e. the floor that Kirito's home is located at), then theoretically speaking, the game should be cleared sometime before Episode 10. However, there's almost no doubt in my mind that this won't be the case. There are still plenty of characters in the OP that haven't showed up. In fact, Asuna still hasn't made a reappearance after her introduction in Episode 2. So I think that as the clearing group nears Floor 100, with Kirito simultaneously keeping up on his own, the speed at which they're ascending the tower will begin to decline. Furthermore, the last boss on Floor 100 should prove to be the toughest yet and will most likely require lots of time and strategical expertise to defeat; the deaths of many, many players are also inevitable. And when that time comes, I'm curious as to whether Kirito will continue to battle solo or join a party/guild.