Previously on SAO:

After losing to Heathcliff in a duel and joining the Knights of The Blood Oath, Kirito is almost killed by a vengeful Kuradeel. After being saved at the last second by Asuna, the two advance their relationship and Kirito asks Asuna to marry him. Spoilers Ahead.

After Kirito  is nearly killed by Kuradeel, He and Asuna petition to take a leave of absence from the guild (because after someone who is supposed be your comrade nearly kills you, you begin to rethink some stuff) and retire to a small cabin on the 22nd floor in order to live together in peace. Enjoying their married life in peaceful woods, they are soon brought back to where their story began when they encounter a mysterious little girl in the forest.

This episode obviously expands more on Kirito & Asuna’s relationship as they are now married. Now most people who have seen this show have a problem with it, viewing it as “rushed”, an while i can understand where they are coming from; i just chock it up to “they have been in the game for 2 years” so that is ample time for them to come to this conclusion themselves; that and the fact that they are about 15-16 years old, so of course they rush into things. Another important aspect of this episode is the young girl they find in the woods, Yui. Initially she is just a small girl of ambiguous origin who has no memory of who she is, except for her name (she also views Asuna & Kirito as her parents) the interactions between the three is innocent enough as they act like a real family.

(Left to Right) Kirito, Asuna, & Yui

The Town of Beginning is also brought back for this episode as Kirito & Asuna try to help Yui figure out who she is. It is revealed that about 1/3 of the people left in SAO are still in the town, which is only about 10,000 players. The town has also become Army territory and they extort taxes from the citizens as evident by the group that the couple save when they 1st arrive in town. Yui also shows to have some kind of memory as she exhibits some sort of screech that makes the game glitch when she enters the town, just who is this young girl?

“The Girl of the Morning Dew” is another solid episode that explains the current state of affairs in Aincrad as well as expand upon characters. Kirito & Asuna really click as a couple and adding, Yui to the mix really drives that point home. The Town of Beginning serves it’s purpose and sets things in motion for the next episode. The fight to survive continues next week as Kirito & Asuna try to figue out their “daughter’s” origins.

4/5