Where do we even start. This episode is just, the best. Next to "End of the World" it shows what SAO is capable of. It begins with Kirito joining a guild Filled with about 5 people and Sachi. All who knew each other from the real world. Kirito is about a good 20 levels higher than the rest of the guild but he keeps it a secret because they would most likely hate him if they discovered he was a "beater". Sachi, being the weakest of the group, is afraid of dying. Kirito constantly reassures her that she won't die which makes Sachi feel better. Afterwards, they continue to build a strong friendship. The guild eventually saves up enough money to buy a house for themselves. While the leader of the guild goes off to buy the house, the rest of the guild to go hunt in a dungeon. They find a room which turns out to be a trap killing everyone except for Kirito. Before Sachi died though, she said something to Kirito which he didn't hear. When the leader of the guild discovered this, he threw himself off the room killing himself. We cut to a few months later on December 24th. Kirito fights a event boss that looks like a creepy old Santa, which is rumored to drop an item that can revive a player which he intends to use in order to bring back Sachi. He defeats the boss but discoverers that it can only revive someone 10 seconds after they've died. Unable to to revive Sachi, he returns to his inn. There, he gets an audio recording from Sachi dating back to the day he first comforted her. She tells him that she's thankful for him and that she's come to terms that she will die eventually and that she is most likely dead by the time he gets this. She then hummed rouldolph the red nose reindeer for Kirito causing him to start crying. It cuts back to when she died, and we hear her last words. "Thank you. Goodbye." The message finishes, and the episode ends.
I can't even describe how I felt when I first watched the episode. It's my personal favorite and it is why I will always love SAO.
I can't even describe how I felt when I first watched the episode. It's my personal favorite and it is why I will always love SAO.
