Dec 10, 2021
As a long time SAO fan and avid reader of the light novels for both the main series and the Progressive series, I approached this movie knowing it was going to be different from what I had watched and read before. Instead of directly adapting the first Progressive novel that I know like the back of my hand, this movie chose to give fans something new that immediately caused debates: Asuna's POV. And it was fantastic.
Story - The story deviated from the first Progressive light novel in a few ways, but all of these changes felt very realistic and gave Asuna a more detailed character
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than I think the source material gave us for her at first. There were some lulls in the story, but overall it pulls the audience in to Asuna's experience and makes us want to watch her grow and improve as a character.
Art - The art looks very nice mostly in close-ups or action sequences. There were a few wide shots that lost some nice details here and there, but otherwise it is very clean and well-animated. The panoramic shots of the first floor of Aincrad and the locations within it were particularly stunning.
Sound - SAO's soundtrack has always been impressive, and this stayed true to that. We heard a mixture of familiar, beloved soundtracks with newer takes on it and newer sounds being included. As always, SAO is pleasing to the ears. It definitely filled me with some nostalgia as a long-time fan.
Character - Once again, Asuna's character shines in a way I feel like it hasn't before in the anime. It was a beautiful and emotionally provoking look into Asuna's feelings, connections to other players, and her personal motivations. Aside from Asuna, we are introduced to a brand new character who feels very realistic, and I fell for her without much effort. The pair's interactions were what gave this movie's characterization its strength, no doubt, and I am truthfully disappointed this character is anime-only. To provide a brief note on Kirito, a friend accompanied me who is not a fan of his character at all, and her comment was, "If he were more like this in other parts, I may have actually come to like him. This is the best version of Kirito!" I think her words summarize some of my feelings, even if I have always loved him; this is definitely the best he has looked as a character.
Enjoyment - For a story I have watched in the first season and read in a light novel, I enjoyed this movie so much because of its fresh, new take. I was able to walk into this movie knowing there were parts I didn't know. It was wonderful to see a new character I hadn't met yet and make a decision about whether or not I liked her being there. It was also highly enjoyable to me to watch someone else's perspective on the first few weeks of being trapped in SAO. Kirito was beta tester, so his perspective is entirely different from Asuna's, who entered the game for the first time when the service started.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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