THIS IS IT! The moment all SAO fans have been waiting for!
Much like the previous episode with Asuna vs PoH, the fight between Kirito and PoH is better in the anime. The choreography, the music, even the sound effects are done well, and combined, made for a really epic scene.
Aside from that, this is an excellent adaptation of the novels. It is not exactly perfect—one important scene was skipped, which I will tackle soon—but it is still one of the best moments in SAO.
The Ocean Turtle scene is mostly on point, though they never showed Hans(the bald mercenary) actually shooting the console. Moreover, they also removed the scene where Higa realizes that they created “something unthinkable” with Project Alicization when he considered the fact that an inanimate virtual object can contain emotions after being infused with memories, which refers to the Blue Rose Sword.
But the most important thing they skipped is the Kirito and Asuna kissing scene. It happened while they were flying in the air, and fans like me have been waiting for that moment. But hopefully, they adapt it to a later scene.
Overall, this episode may not have surpassed the epicness of the previous episode, but I still consider this one of this season’s best highlights. Definitely a 9/10.