Sword Art Online: Alicization
Spanish dub episodes 9-11 review
¡Bienvenido! Welcome back to Learning Spanish With Anime! This series of episodes pick up right where the last ones left off, with Kirito and Eugeo promoted to elite disciples at the academy and training pages of their own, Ronie and Tiese.
This picture captures their personalities so well.
Eugeo's impromptu sparring match against Humbert right at the beginning is what kicks off this series of events. The duel is halted after what would have clearly resulted in a win for Eugeo, which infuriates Humbert to the point of coming up with a very cruel plan to get back at Eugeo. Although Kirito suspects he might be up to something, they have no proof yet, so he encourages his friend to "stay cool" and avoid making any risky moves that might escalate the situation further.
When he explains the English expression "Stay cool" to Eugeo, Kirito uses the phrases "No importa lo que pase" ("It doesn't matter what happens") and "La mente fria" (literally, "cold mind") to help illustrate the mindset of keeping your cool. This was an interesting change, even though it's a small one, because the original Japanese version and the English dub both compared it to the phrase "Stay calm" - which would more commonly be said as "Tranquilo" or "Calmate" in Spanish, if they were going for a literal translation. It seems they adapted it to better fit the meaning of "staying cool" in battle.
Talking strategy and sword techniques at the picnic, while his page watches with a totally serious expression. Never change, Kirito.
Later on, Kirito and Eugeo have a relaxing picnic lunch with their pages, Ronie and Tiese, but the conversation turns serious when the girls inform them that a friend of theirs is being harassed by Humbert, and of course they agree to question him about the matter. This leads to Kirito explaining his personal philosophy, that there are things one has to do ("hay cosas que uno tiene que hacer") even if the law says they shouldn't. His way of thinking is a foreign concept in the Underworld, but also becomes a catalyst for change in his friends.
Eugeo's voice actor has a great emotional range that really shines in these episodes, particularly when Eugeo lamented his inability to save Alice all those years ago, and when he could barely contain his anger after confronting Raios and Humbert about their actions. On the other hand, Humbert's sarcastic tone of voice actually sounded quite comical during this scene, which created a strange disconnect when my brain processed what he was actually saying after the fact. In this case, I think the more obnoxious sounding version in the English dub worked better, as this was the only scene so far where the tone really felt out of place.
Kirito taking his favorite shortcut
When Ronie and Tiese are late for their meeting with Kirito and Eugeo, they realize something is wrong. Kirito leaves to look for them, but Eugeo is visited by the girls' friend, Frenica, who tells him what happened. Frenica's VA portrayed her fear very well with a trembling voice as she explained the situation to Eugeo, and he rushes away to save Ronie and Tiese.
The revelation that Raios and Humbert have taken the girls prisoner with the intent to harm them in the name of "punishment" for the minor transgression of speaking out against them deeply upsets Eugeo, enough to push him past the limits that prevented him from trying to save Alice when they were children. This scene is always an uncomfortable one to watch, but Eugeo's outrage and determination were very well acted and a standout moment for him.
I think Kirito and Eugeo's VAs are two of my favorites so far in the Spanish dub. When Kirito arrived to back up his friend and fight Raios, he sounded absolutely fierce, even more so than during his battle with the goblin chief. The voice he spoke in was deeper than its usual tone during these scenes, and he practically growled at Raios when he called him out on his actions, saying he was no different than the monsters in the Dark Territory.
(I had to pause the video a few times to make sure I copied down this wonderfully clever insult properly, but it was worth it. Eugeo just called him "maldito bastardo", which means pretty much what it sounds like.)
"Eugeo es mi mejor amigo. Y tú, Raios, eres peor que un goblin de el reino obscuro." ("Eugeo is my best friend. And you, Raios, are worse than a goblin from the dark kingdom.") - Kirito
As a result of these events, Kirito and Eugeo were detained overnight. Before they were sent to face an Integrity Knight, their teacher healed Eugeo's wound and left her two students with these heartfelt words, "Ahora podrás ir más allá de los límites de tú corazón. Debes tener fe en tu amigo y tu espada." ("Now you will be able to go beyond the limits of your heart. You must have faith in your friend and your sword.")
The real shock comes when they see that the Integrity Knight standing before them is none other than Eugeo's childhood friend, Alice, who he has been searching for all these years.
Unfortunately, Alice has no memory of the past they shared together. She treats Kirito and Eugeo as any other criminal and chains them to her dragon the same as she was when the Integrity Knight took her away from her village as a child. After a quick visit from Ronie and Tiese, who bring their mentors' swords (which are confiscated by Alice) and some snacks (which were thankfully not confiscated), they are taken to Central Cathedral - not as knights the way they had planned, but as prisoners.
Alice's voice actress does a great job capturing her strength and absolute confidence as a young adult and an Integrity Knight. Likewise, Eugeo's shock and confusion at seeing Alice again only to find that she doesn't remember him was also portrayed very well.
The story shifts back to the real world for a bit to show what Asuna is up to on the Ocean Turtle. After a startling first encounter, she was introduced to one of Higa's robots, Ichiemon, originally created for the purpose of developing a physical body that could store an artificial fluctlight - bringing them to the real world. This will definitely come into play later, but for now, it's just a nice bit of foreshadowing.
It was amusing to watch how Higa explained Ichiemon's name to Asuna by saying, "El ichi es uno en japonés." ("Ichi is one in Japanese.") Of course, the funny thing is that in the original story, both characters are speaking Japanese here. When he later mentions a second robot, Niemon, Asuna catches on quickly and replies, "Claro, dos en japonés." ("Of course, two in Japanese.")
"Claro! Dos cadenas iguales con la misma fuerza. Eugeo, eres un genio." ("Of course! Two equal chains with the same force. Eugeo, you are a genius.") - Kirito
Back in the Underworld, Kirito and Eugeo are currently stuck in a jail cell and plotting their escape. I've always loved this scene because it shows how creative Kirito can be when he realized that the chains that bind them have a high enough priority level to be used as weapons themselves, and therefore breaks out of his prison by using the very object that was supposed to keep him inside. I have to say, Kirito has an impressive track record when it comes to breaking out of virtual prisons.
The two of them make it out of the building and find a beautiful flower garden outside, where Kirito offers Eugeo some last minute reassurance before they infiltrate Central Cathedral in order to find Alice. However, they're not out of danger just yet - an Integrity Knight is waiting for them on Alice's orders, and they'll have to get past him if they want to continue their search.
Best Bros
The dialogue in a few of these scenes, particularly episode 9, seemed faster than usual, so beginners might have trouble keeping up with some of the rapid-fire conversations. However, the majority of scenes most important to the plot should be easy enough to follow with the same level of proficiency required for the previous Underworld episodes.
Voice Acting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Translated Script: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommended Proficiency: Intermediate
Key phrases:
- Señor mentor espadachín - Tiese's super formal title for Eugeo, which basically translates to "Sir Swordsman Mentor"
- La cabeza de la familia - the head of the family
- Codico ocho siete uno - Code 871 (another phrase which becomes very important later)
- Llamada al sistema. Genera al elemento luminoso. Reconstruir el órgano perdido. - System call. Generate luminous element. Rebuild the lost organ. (The full command used to heal Eugeo. The word "perdido", meaning "lost", is the same one here as used in the phrase "lost child of Vector".)
Common phrases:
- Suficiente - Enough
- Sí, es mio - Yes, it's mine
- Que alivio - What a relief
- Acercate - Come closer
- Ya están tarde - They're already late
- Pregunta retórica - Rhetorical question
- Tenemos una petición - We have a request
- Fue mi culpa - It was my fault
- ¿Quién eres tú? - Who are you?
- ¿Qué dijes? - What did you say?
- Siempre es lo mismo - It's always the same
- Tienes que ayudarme - You have to help me
- No puedo hacer eso - I can't do this
- Por favor no dices más - Please say no more
- Por supuesto que no - Of course not
- Creo que entiendo - I think I understand
- Que tenga un buen día - Have a good day
- Que tengas linda noche - Have a nice night
- ¿Quieres ir a desayunar? - Do you want to go get breakfast?
- Necesito algo más fuerte - I need something stronger
- Me gustaría disculparme en persona - I would like to apologize in person
*All images are from Sword Art Online: Alicization episodes 9-11, screenshots taken by me
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