Sword Art Online: Extra Edition

Loved Sword Art Online so much that you want to see it again? Than this is the show for you... because essentially that is what this extra edition is - the same soundtrack, art, clips and even the opening song. Basically it is like most every OVA/"special episode"/or first film - the dreaded recap.

Yes, I may come off as unnecessarily harsh but the fact is that very little new content is introduced in what is about a feature length film (~100 minutes) in regards to plot and character development. It starts of well though - Kirito has a "special" appointment with the counselor which seemed ... like it had potential because, after all, being in game for almost three years is bound to have psychological effects. Nope, it's a government man coming to interrogate Kirito - again had the potential to be interesting because it could have examined the relationship between the players and Japan, or Kirito "the gaming genius" and the government. Nope, instead it's just a recap like the viewer's were idiots and didn't watch the last season. There is nothing new in Kirito's narration which, by the way, takes up the majority of the episode. The clips are taken directly from past episode's and the summary isn't even good, in fact they seem contrived. It just really feels like a bad filler episode. The whole thing is just recap, recap and more recaps - it gets tiring after awhile.

As for the sideplot, well quite honestly this should have been called "Swimsuit Art Online" because almost the entire plot is well - cute girls in swimsuits with the flimsy excuse of "well we have to teach Sugu to swim!" There is plenty of fanservice shots that are none to discreet and this part of the plot feels as if we are in the classic harem show. Basically this ended up being the beach episode that we never got in the actual anime itself - fanservice with just a dash of plot.

By the time the show even get's to Alfheim, the majority of the time has past so to preserve time, the "quest" is reduced to a mere slideshow, just a couple of stills. Without giving too much away, the actual story ends really anticlimactically - it’s all bark and no bite. Big names and creatures appear, but it’s all done without tension or consequence (Seriously, how can you make a fight against a Kraken AND a Leviathan, boring?)

Because the music, animation is mostly the same, there's not much to say except Asuna looks bizarre.

The fact was that with that much time so much could have been done - it could have been epic, could have explored the psychological effects on players, or examined the problems created in Japan. Instead it's: swimsuits, cute girls, and recaps, recaps and recaps. If that's your sorta thing, feel free - go for it.

First and foremost, if you ever plan on or have considered watching this special, I'm assuming you've seen the first season, otherwise, there's no real reason for you to be here. Because this is a special, my rating for it is not based on complete quality of the special on its own, but how the special relates to the first season. A special is an addendum to a series; it's like an extra episode. Keep that in mind while reading my review.

Examining the special piece by piece, I will start with the basics: art and sound. As I mentioned before, if you're considering watching this ... special, it's probably because you saw the first season and are interested in seeing similar content. I can assure you that the art and sound in the special is exactly as it was in the first season. Not even the opening theme is new. Simply put, your personal opinion on the art and sound of the first season is going to be identical to your opinion of the art and sound in the special. So because nothing has changed, these two factors can be ignored. The same goes for characters. None of them have changed, so expect nothing different from before.

What really matters is the story, right? Yes. As far as specials go, I thought the story was, in a word, decent. Everything started off incredibly slow; the whole first half of the special was basically recapping some of the more important scenes in the first season with brief bits of character dialogue strewn around in between. It wouldn't surprise me if you said that that sounds horribly boring. You'd be right. It was horribly boring. I can't think of a single person that enjoys recap or flash backs. The only thing that kept everything at least somewhat interesting was the inclusion of some mild fan service. Which, I should specify, although it probably should have been obvious to you, is entirely female only. Having watched the first season, I'm sure you know that this is an anime tailored mostly for males or really anyone attracted to females; I say males because the only real canonical pairing is Kirito and Asuna which is obviously a straight relationship. All of this is to say, there is female fan service, so expect it and appreciate it if you want. Now, while the first half of the special is truly boring, the second wasn't so bad. The rest of the plot involves a quest in Alfheim in which all of your favorite characters take part. Of course before the actual quest begins, there is plenty more fan service. The quest itself isn't really all that interesting. It isn't exactly high stakes as some of the events and quests were in the first season. Overall the quest is laid back. We see some fighting, some humor, some dialogue; really everything you'd expect from a typical episode of really anything. It wasn't incredibly captivating, but everything sort of fit together enough for it to be pleasing.

Looking at this special as a whole, I would say that it was pretty good. As you can probably see, I gave it a 7, which I think is a generous score, but not something it didn't deserve. It really and truly is an extra, fun episode involving the characters of Sword Art Online doing things you never got to see them do in the first season. If mundane events where nothing really happens don't appeal to you, I wouldn't bother watching it, otherwise I think it's at least worth the watch.

Now before you shoot me for rating it low...hear my reasoning. This is intended for people who haven't seen it, it's my advice whether to watch it or not waste time watching it. It's ok if you liked it more than I, it's ok if you hated it more than I. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Here goes mine:

First off, don't even think about watching this movie-length special before you have watched the series Sword Art Online if you planned to do it. Also, if you are somehow discouraged to view this movie by its huge flashback, it's all fine, I really ... don't think it will become a key element between SAO S1 and SAO S2

For a duration of 1hr 40 seconds, majority of this movie is a recap. The extra footage you might want to see is like, 20 minutes of end the show. Other than that it's mostly fanservice pieces and recapitulation of the previous season of Sword Art Online.

In my opinion, it's kind of a waste of time to waste 1hr 20 mins on flashbacks. But hey, Season 2 of Sword Art Online is airing soon, so maybe it's the right time to reminiscence and nostalgizise. Might just ring your nostalgic wibes in the right moment

The last 20 minutes or so are extra footage. To avoid spoilers, I will just say: It was very inspiring. As someone who likes playing some MMORPGs and would like to make a MMORPG someday in the future (hopefully) I was all like "why are we not funding this" because none of the MMORPGs i played so far have stuff even remotely as awesome like this. Just that very aspect was what I really liked about the movie.

As the series, this movie feels like something to please younger audiences in pre/early-teenage years, judging by the plot development and depth. It's in no way hard to understand and feels simple - doesn't make one think too deep about it. Of course, it can also please audiences that would prefer action and don't like to think too deep about what happens in the anime. The plot piece in this anime is fairly simple and easy. It's really light-hearted, so if you are looking for something like that, shoot for Sword Art Online : Extra Edition! Of course, after Sword Art Online the series, that is.

The SAO: Extra Edition gives the viewer a great chance to re-live the epic storyline of the first season of SAO with the added benefit of seeing it through another perspective. The main characters re-tell the events with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight in a relaxed atmosphere, which serves to further familiarize the viewer with the cast. The flashbacks are well-edited and condensed and this Extra Edition is highly recommended for both newcomers to the franchise and old-timers alike.

The story revolves around Kirito retelling his story to an investigator, giving an insight into his psychological state and thought processes during his time in-game. ... For the rest of his friends, they reminince how they first met Kirito, which further exemplifies the way they behaved at the time. If this does not put the "typical harem, piece of rubbish" detractors to rest, then it is simply inconceivable how these people derive any sort of satisfaction in life. For the Extra Edition grants a more than adequate, in fact a flawless, excellent explanation behind the characters.

After the recap segment, the main cast set off on a quest in ALO where A-1 Pictures diversifies in it's method of narrative. A combination of extensive battle animation and teamwork followed by economical but effective still frames is highly commendable, for MMORPGs are repetitive in nature. This is because a direct "adaptation" of a MMORPG into an anime would be a lot of battle-grinding boredom. Again, the battles are combined with ingenius character reflection which only serves to develop the viewers' bond and linkage with the cast.

Combined with the realistic metal sword effects and the strong, compelling soundtrack by Kajiura Yuki and the previous OP/ED songs being used as inserts, the viewer is not let down in the audio department either. I can only wish that the highly-acclaimed video game "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" had battle sounds that was anywhere near as compelling as SAO, but it is hard for anything to match the high bar which this franchise sets.

The only downside is the relatively low resolution and detailing of the art. Having watched shows by SHAFT in recent days, the detailing does not come close at all to SHAFT's standards. Although this may be because A-1 Pictures decided to actually animate, unlike SHAFT's excessive usage of budget-stretching still frames.

Overall the Extra Edition combines a great cast with compelling characterization. Despite much of it being a recap, the story has a completely fresh perspective which has much to add. Sword Art Online: Extra Edition is definitely not to be missed.

P.s. I am surprised by the striking coincidence involving the naming of Sakuya the Undine and Alicia the Cait Sith in this franchise. For these terminologies remind me of a moe-pandering so-called "slice of life" anime which is called Aria that uses words of the same name. This is a series which must be never watched, for it features deadpan, one-line catchphrasing characters in stark contrast with the compelling characterization of SAO: Extra Edition. Any attempt at "plot" is simply horribly contrived and the enlightened MAL community of connoisseurs must make every effort to avoid such monstrosity.

First of all, Im a die hard fan of SAO... completely loved the series... but this little Extra thing here made me wish for 2 hours of my life back

The biggest problem was I felt like it spent 90 minutes reshowing me the whole series... if I wanted that, I have no problem going back and actually rewatching it.... I wont spoil, but the circumstances of the recap could have been done in the first 15 minutes or so, leaving the majority of the feature lenght for the little adventure they had at the end, and I would have appreciated that so much more

Ill give ... it some credit for bringing a few things out during that lengthy recap, but spending 90 minutes on stuff I already watched was less interesting than relearning your ABCs with Sesame Street -.-

Its not all bad tho, there is actually some Novelty, but its about the last 15 or 20 minutes, so go watch that, its much closer to what I expected from SAO, and if it was just that part I would have rated it much higher... but all in all, im very disappointed that it felt like such a waste

Just like a great amount of people, when I heard that season 2 of Sword Art Online was finally announced, I was hyped. Heck, I still am while writing this review. With the end of the year approaching fast, Crunchyroll treated us with a subbed version of Sword Art Online: Extra Edition, and I couldn't wait to watch it. Even though I knew it was going to be a recap episode, it's a nice thing to get back into the whole anime again, that had both upsides and downsides. And don't forget the extra footage, of course.

So, to start off: Yes, like I said before, ... this is mostly a recap episode. Especially the first hour consists of mostly flashbacks with new footage inbetween. The short synopsis in MAL pretty much explains the entire special, so all in all, there's not much to say about this in overall. We have our main characters, and a returning character that I believe has never shown his face in the first season. The new footage seems to come with some new music as well, and we get to see the side characters from the first arc in their ALfheim form for longer than a minute, which is pretty neat.

The animation and art are pretty much the same as the original anime, with here and there some slight changes in lighting and whatnot, but barely noticeable. What is noticeable are the characteristics of our main characters. It's now far more obvious that they've grown up a bit more, which wasn't that clear at the end of the first season. Along that is a bit of character development, at least as much as it could allow with the given time in between the flashbacks, along with a new flashback not shown in the original anime.

For SAO fans, this is a must-watch, especially if you haven't seen the anime in a while. For newcomers, don't think this special will get you up to date, as it clearly leaves out very important parts of the original and is only meant to spark the memories of the fans, and nothing more. Along with the new extras, Sword Art Online: Extra Edition is a fun watch, and a great special to end the year with. And of course, with the announcement of the second season, you just can't help but feel even more hyped after having watched this.

A Happy New Year to everyone, and may your 2014 be filled with lovely memories, and some great anime to accompany it with. Akemashite omedetou!

If you have never seen Sword Art Online I recommend you stop reading at the second paragraph (discounting this passage) since I go into spoiler territory past that. Using specific examples of important events in the series to prove a point on how badly this recap movie present the material. By the second paragraph I generalize the main issues without spoiling anything specific. I might not think the series is great, but I wouldn’t dare ruin the element of surprise for anyone seeing it for the first time if they choose to do so.

The anime Sword Art Online is a fluctuating experience. The story was ... stupid breaking its own logic, not understanding how video game programming worked and filled with some idiotic characters, yet it was for those exact reasons I kept watching it. Part of the appeal of watching Sword Art Online is that it was always entertaining no matter what happened. Whether it was good or bad there was something to go back to. Something this recap film fails to emulate in the same way and serves to further highlights season one weaknesses while barely displaying of the strengths it had in the series.

So in order to save both fans and newcomers time this film is basically a bad recap of the first season of Sword Art Online that lasts an hour and forty minutes. In the first hour and twenty minutes there is some new footage mostly of characters sitting and talking, but pale in comparison to the usage of clips from the series first season. The remaining twenty minute is spent on a subplot involving Kirito and the gang exploring an underwater dungeon in Alfheim Online. For fans of the series I wouldn’t recommend seeing this film for the new material since like a character said in a scene before this movie ended it’s unimportant.

The way more than of half of the film is set up is like an interview. A government official, Kikuoka Seijirou, wants some dangling questions regarding the Sword Art Online and Alfheim Online incidents cleared up. Despite Kitiro expressing that he told them (the government) like a million time what happened. Within the first couple of minutes this simple exchange of dialogue expresses how pointless it is for both Kirito and anyone who seen the series to go over what happened. While Kirto talks to Kikuoka Seijirou there’s a subplot involving Asuna, Keiko, and Rika teaching Suguha how to swim. This framing device among the girls provides some character moments with them commenting on each other story on how they met Kirito. It’s not a bad framing device even if the girls remain in swimsuits for most of the non-recap clips. Compare to Kirito narrative framing which adds nothing. The girls framing device provides the rare interaction between characters in the real world.

One thing that is fixed in the movie are certain plot holes aren’t made as noticeable in the film. In the first season of Sword Art Online it was established in episode two that beta testers were passing out guide books so non-experience players can learn how to play the game. Including clearly stating a couple of months has passed and people will in real life die if they die in the game. Apparently death is not a good motivation for some players to learn how to play the game. With that bit of information left out it managed to make the whole scenario come across grimer and make the players look less idiotic in comparison to the anime series. This is later counteracted when the film has Kikuoka Seijirou asking how Kirito he survived in Sword in Art Online despite it going against the video game programing. Kirito ignores giving any sort of logical answer. Simply put, he survived death by sheer willpower.

It does this on another important occasion including the cardinal sin of not showing what happened when Kirito faces Sugou Nobuyuki in the Alfheim Online arc. Before giving a flimsy explanation one of the last thing seen is Sugou about to seemingly rape Asuna in front of Kirito. After Kayaba appears to give Kirito a motivation speech, it cuts back to Kirito talking to Kikuoka. The only explanation that’s given regarding what happened to Sogou is he self destructed. Not exactly satisfactory when it’s casually resolved like that. I could only imagine how fed up non-viewers of the series might feel when seeing that.

For some reason Shigeru Nishiyama (the film and anime series editor) thought it was a good idea to cut out certain things for no reason. Near the end of episode ten when Kirito goes over to Asuna house there’s a misunderstanding. In the scene, Asuna finishes undressing after diner mistaking Kirito intentions, thinking he wanted to have sex with her when actually he just wanted to stay the night at her place. Kirito clears up the misunderstanding which intentional or not was a hilarious moment in the anime. In the movie, once Asuna finishes undressing and tells Kirito to take off his clothes it cuts to black. Fading into the two of them sleeping together in bed. So according to this movie both Kirito and Asuna had sex.

Another mishaps by editor Shigeru Nishiyama is how he presented Yui story in the film. This piece in the movie is terribly edited together with noticeable abrupt cuts that even non viewers of the series would be able tell had content cut out. Instead of showing at least a single scene of Kirito and Asuna bonding with Yui it just immediately goes to Yui telling the viewer what she is and then possibly dying. Not even the anime was as rush in the same way when presenting this storyline. Unless you have seen the anime this moment will leave viewers confused and with so many questions that won’t get answered.

There’s also a random cut where Yui is around the same size as Kirito in Alfheim when Kirito enters Alfheim Online for the first time. Later in that moment the next cut shows Yui in pixie size. There was no point in cutting out Yui shrinking herself within the same scene which by doing so also cut out the explanation Yui gives for still being alive in the video game. Why this was cut makes no sense.

A shared element of both the film and anime series is Asuna getting the short end of characterization. Like in the anime, Asuna personality is no different than a thin piece of paper with boobs drawn on. However, it’s not presented in the same manner. The film doesn’t introduce Asuna as a capable player which in turn makes her role in the story less of an issue. Her role does not receive a downgrade in the film, which is a slight improvement to how she’s presented in the anime. Unfortunately the movie does not make a good case for Asuna being the center of Kirito affection. In the movie she’s just presented as an another girl who fallen in love with Kirito on a whim.

Suguha on the other hand is presented as having an actual relationship with Kirito. Unlike the other girls, Suguha is the only one who is shown having a conflict with Kirito and solving it with him. Suguha side of the story paints her in a better light showing the rough side of her relationship not just the good moments. Just like in the anime, Suguha is the only female character who gets any good characterization in the movie. She’s the only character in the movie who has a conflict to overcome from the beginning of the movie all the way to the end. It’s not much characterization that gets added to her, but it is far more significant than what the rest of the cast gets. Nothing.

Music while good gets replaced or amped up version from the anime series. The most noticeable is when it splices both of Kirito attempts to conquer the world tree in Alfheim Online it uses “Innocence” by Aoi Eir for those scenes. This specific track is not as effective as the original track use in the series. For the most part, the soundtrack is thankfully untouched. While not good enough to stand on its own without the help of the anime visual it works just fine in the movie as it did the series. There were times I will admit the music did get me to forget the issues I had and got me to enjoy what I was watching. Also, there were times where the editing would use a track to unintentional comedic effect. Simply cutting or fading out at a bad time. The voice work for both the Japanese and English cast is similar to the anime series. If you want more emotional performances watch it with English subtitles or if you want subtlety (and no stuttering) albeit with some underplayed characters go with the English dub. Unfortunately for both cast, it feels like rehash performances.

The last twenty minutes contains all new footage and stills without splicing any footage from the anime. It’s a simple subplot of Kirito and the gang exploring an underwater dungeon. If it wasn’t included in the film the material would have been just fine released as an OVA. The new material in the last twenty minute is decent as a whole. As usual, despite playing an MMO and how they are actually design Kirito is able to handle any situation virtually by himself. What the new material does get right is capturing the fun experience from the series. The humor is intact and the interaction between the characters prevents thing from being boring. Where it stumbles is the new material is not entirely animated. There’s some action oriented stills which would have made up for the disappointing climax at the end of the movie. Setting up what seems like would be a cool action scene, only to have an outside force and one-shot character fix everything. I can’t forget how easy it was to figure out the identity of the NPC giving the quest. Surely a better name than Nerakk for an NPC could have been more clever to hide the true identity for English speakers. Just change around a couple of letters and you can solve what the NPC actually is.

This movie is pointless offering only twenty minutes of new material, but even with that new material it is pointless. Aside from Suguha getting a small bit of new characterization nothing significant is added. Failing to condense the material of the first season of Sword Art Online and getting it to work in a movie format. The one to blame for this terrible piece of a film is not the source material since in the anime it does have good scenes that work in favor of the story, but the editing and the way the film presents them is too blame. It was sloppy, rushed, forgetting about the tiniest details like showing what happened to Sugou for a resolution. Instead of at least being a pleasant walk down memory lane it come across as a waste of time. There isn’t enough new footage to recommend to fans and it’s not a good presentation of the series for newcomers. You’re simply better off just watching the anime series or reading the light novels. No matter how they turned out, they at least will offer a complete experience unlike this film.

Happy New Years, everyone! To summarize this review, the first 80 minutes are flashbacks while the last 20 are a decent new bit. Also, People who take offense to stuff people say on the Internet are idiots.

If you are wondering whether you should watch this, ask yourself this question: Do you really want to relive this shit again? If your answer was a “Yes” in any way, shape or form, man, you are some serious masochist and really should be rethinking your life choices. It made me rethink my life choices, I mean like, why am I watching this and not Monster, Legend of the ... Galactic Heroes or Ghost in the Shell like all those pretentious hipster critics want me to? At any rate, this 100 minute special drowns you in 80 minutes of flashbacks to those terrible times, with special attention given to the deus ex machina moments and the horribly forced teen romance. They give you only short breaths of toxic, polluted air in between with new footage of Kirito’s harem in bathing suits talking about how much of a Gary Stu Kirito is or how good Asuna is at making sandwiches :)

You are better off skipping the flashbacks so I’ll summarize what happens during the first 80 minutes in this paragraph. If you really are a masochist and want to watch them for yourself or you don’t quite remember what happened in the show due to mental trauma, skip to the next paragraph. Basically, Kirito’s harem (Asuna, Silica, the blacksmith girl who’s name I don’t remember and Kirito’s sister) are at the pool teaching Kirito’s sister how to swim (how cute, the strong and athletic little sister needs help) while they discuss their experiences with Kirito. Meanwhile, Kirito is meeting Kikuoka Seijirou, the government official in charge of virtual reality incidents, and he's recounting what happened in SAO and ALO, covering everything that the girls don’t.

The last twenty minutes or so are decent for some light-hearted action and fun. There are some funny moments and they don’t try to take themselves *too* seriously. The plot is good... for an MMORPG, though anyone who’s played an MMORPG should know how terrible the average MMORPG quest storyline is. I was sorely disappointed that there was no final epic boss fight. Instead, they wasted their time with some crappy brother-sister drama (along with a random flashback to further emphasize how amazing Kirito was for being a hero even when he was a little kid), and, as always, they show that no one can do shit without our invincible protagonist. Nevertheless, one IS able to feel or imagine a bit of how amazing it would be to play a VRMMORPG and how incredibly huge ALO must be to find such incredible areas relatively untouched.

Characters, if this is even possible, were even worse than in Sword Art Online considering how they made all the girls just weak little damsels who fell heads over heels for our antisocial nerd of a chick magnet and all they do is talk about him. I really don’t get how they don’t give up and give Kirito and Asuna their space, all they are doing is pointlessly interfering into Kirito and Asuna’s relationship though I wouldn’t be surprised if the series ended in a sixsome (or sexsome, kukukuku, since a new girl is introduced in GGO). Kirito’s as much of a Gary Stu as ever, Klein just becomes your perverted comic relief best friend character rather than the strong caring man he was in SAO and Agil doesn’t really deserve a mention here since he didn’t really do anything or interact with the other characters.

The music score is excellent, obviously since it’s done by Yuki Kajiura, though some of it is reused from the original SAO (and of course, during the flashbacks they use the same soundtrack), while the theme song by Eir Aoi is great as well. The art is as good as ever with vibrant and colorful backdrops and sunsets that truly drop you into the beautiful world of ALfheim.

Overall, the OVA was fine, but I really wish I didn’t waste my time watching the flashbacks. The OVA ends with a hint of the upcoming Sword Art Online 2 and I will foolishly cling onto the non-existent hope that they will learn from their mistakes and present us with an at least decent anime. The next arc is probably the best so far in the light novel series, so let us all pray that they don’t utterly butcher it.

What a masterpiece. As expected of the legendary SAO series, one of the greatest animes of all time. Where other series would make a boring clip show of scenes from the previous season as a lazy cash grab, A-1 Pictures in a brilliant move makes a recap film that is enticing and able to captivate the audience. The shock as i saw many low ratings only lasted a short while, as I remembered the complexity of SAOs brilliance that makes it hard for the average anime watcher to understand and simply fly over their head. A must watch for all SAO fans or people with ... a high enough intelligence to comprehend its glory.

Also nice tits.

Sword Art Online: Extra Edition, not to be confused with Sword Art Offline: Extra Edition, like some nameless guy (me) did, is the last anime made in 2013. Those cheeky A-1 bastards.

It follows the story of our apostle, Kirito, 2,5 years after the anime ended. It recaptures the best parts of the series. Meaning how Kirito met and therefore made all of our 74 or so main female characters fall in love with him. And after that offering around 20 minutes of new material. Hinting what might happened in season 2.

This special, which I will call movie, does everything about as well as a ... summary of the series could realistically do. It's important to note that this movie wasn't really made for the fans of the series like many expected. Instead, It was made for people who enjoyed the series.

There really isn't any point on talking and analyzing anything past the direction and music of this movie. This since everything else is basically just recycled material which we all have seen already. The scenes used were well picked and to all of those there were enough time given. The whole 1h 40 minutes long movie went past quickly and smoothly, making the pace look rather smart. The music used was extremely casual and relaxing, making the overall atmosphere of this whole recapturing somewhat wistful, which matches the whole idea about reminiscence quite well.

I enjoyed this movie more than I though. And definitely for completely different reasons than what I expected. I found it really relaxing. I actually fell asleep somewhere after 1 hour 10 minute mark, so I had to watch the rest of it again in the morning. So yeah, I have quite positive picture of this movie after this experience and the sweet dreams.

What I thought was going to be a big waste of time, became a small waste of time. This hour and forty minute special isn't too bad if you skip all the recap, so I will be mainly reviewing everything that isn't a recap of this special, since honestly, the special wasn't too bad.

Story: 6
Kirito and Asuna are trying to fufil the wish of Yui, to go see a whale. Rumors are that there is a quest far away in where a whale will appear, but it turns out Kirito's sister can't swim. While the girls teach Kirito's sister how to swim ... in real life, Kirito has to tell that story of both SAO and ALO to a person who works for some government facility regarding virtual reality gaming. As I said before, if you ignore the recap, the special isn't too bad...

The pacing of the special was fine, a bit fast, but nothing to stress about. The ending felt very anti-climatic for what SAO has done with other enemies. What started off looking very epic ended up being a total blowout. Two problems I also had with this story, why couldn't they just abandon Kirito's sister and just do the quest? Also, couldn't they teach her in the game?

Art: 8
The art was nice, great character outfits for all of the cast. I especially loved Asuna's ALO (That blue and white...). Scenery looked great and so did the sea temple. Monster designs weren't too bad, felt a bit more like Digimon than normal monsters that belonged to ALO but no complaints. Action scenes were fluid, something that SAO was always good with.

Sound: 9
SAO has always had a great soundtrack, and the new OP, Niji no Oto was great. With use of both Crossing Field and INNOCENCE was a great touch to introduce the recap. The ED, Yume Sekai, wasn't bad, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it on my iTunes.

The background music was the same as the ones used in the first season SAO. It was enjoyable, with a bit of nostalgia feel, since I enjoyed my first watch through of the series.

Character: 6
The characters didn't really develop much throughout this special. The only one who showed little development was Suguha because she learned how to swim, but that isn't the character development that people are looking for.

It was nice to see Lizbeth and Silica again, as those characters didn't get too much time during the first season, and I really enjoyed their presence throughout the special. Yui was super cute riding on Silica's dragon.

Enjoyment: 7
I quite enjoyed this special, partly because I skipped through everything recap. I really wished the last fight was going to be more epic, instead of the anti-climatic ending it had. I typically dislike straight fan service, but the special didn't do too much of it, I was expecting WAY more.

Overall: 7
I believe the only goal for this extra was to hype the fans for season two by recapping the first season. Knowing that not a lot of people wouldn't want to watch a recap, they combined an OVA with the recap and made an hour and forty minute mess. This sorta got me hyped for a season two, but Konno Yuuki has me more hyped as there maybe a chance for her to get animated.

SAO:Extra and the SAO franchise is a strange case for me. They definitely don't have the best story or characters by any chance, but still manages to be incredibly enjoyable. Although reading the light novels do help with this, since the series does feel rushed. I really don't know how they do it.
Keep in mind that you should watch the original SAO before watching this series.

I came into SAO:Extra knowing it would probably have many flaws, but still eagerly awaited its livestream. It's sorta like cocaine.

Story: 4/10
This 2 hour special involves 1 hour and 40 minutes of recaps from the original series, showing past events ... through flashbacks from various characters. I must say even though I have watched those scenes before, it was still enjoyable. You can hardly account that as a story though.

However, through those flashbacks and reflections we did get to see some emotions and feelings of some characters in specific scenes which we did not get in the original series. These emotions were described in the light novel, but the anime (which had a very rushed feeling throughout) missed it out. An example is Asuna's recaps on how she first met Kirito, and what she was feeling during the events that unfolded. A nice addition for people who haven't read the light novel, or people who really like scenes that just tell you character's feelings instead of leaving you to guess or intepret.

The final 20 minutes brought a new, original story although I can tell you, it isn't much. I hate deus ex machinas and crappy endings with a passion. With that in mind, the ending is a shitfest of old nappies and dog poo, cos, it's just bad.
Keeping in spoiler-free, it involves a badass boss fight which is just beginning, when some other NPC boss comes in and tells the other dude to fuck off, end of movie.
I'm not joking.

Art: 9/10
I enjoyed the art of the original SAO, so naturally the art here is spot-on here too. Mizugi errwhere to bring in the 12 year olds.
Nothing else much to say here. A lot of scenes were cut directly from the original, but the new scenes have a "real-world" setting so it's not like you can see Asuna in her KoB uniform or anything.
I mentioned Asuna a lot huehuehuehue

Sound: 7/10
Giving it a 7 because there is only 1 new song for this special, which plays at the end. Definitely good enough to download, but because the show that went with it was not as effective, it didn't leave much of an impression. Lots of reuse of crossing field, overfly, innocence and yume sekai.

Character: 7/10
All the characters fill their respective personalities well, with some variances (since they're living in the real world now anyway). Asuna in the real world is very mature and composed, which gives you an idea of how she lives when she's not in a death game (lul, talking bout Asuna again).
There was quite a lot of development of Lizbeth's character. She's actually quite a fun and teasing character which is enjoyable to watch. We didn't see that much in the original show, she was sort of just there for another girl that wants Kirito's D (must be fucking gold in there).
Kayaba Akihiko is a character that always fascinated me, and the recaps resparked my interest in the philosophical views regarding the morality of treating sentient AI-units as humans or computers, the theological views on God and man relationships, and the psyche which Kayaba had which made him create the death game world that he did.

Enjoyment: 10/10
SAO always does this to me. A show with many flaws but still a highly enjoyable and beautiful journey. I love the scenario, story and characters no matter how cliche and Mary Sue it was. I love delving into the philosophical outlook on the repercussions in an alternate society, and Kirito and Asuna are always enjoyable to watch (esp. Asuna)

Overall: 7/10
Just like MAL captions, it is "good". The story is not so much "needed", but is a great addition for fans. Watch this if you enjoyed SAO, and continue on for SAO II coming out later this year!

I never had made a review, but I decided to make an exception for this one.

After watching 40 minutes and almost sleeping on the keyboard, I find that the only thing new is in 20min at the end. So if you do not want to flashback and a little fanservice, you can skip to the end.

This episode wasn't exactly what I wished for. Most of it is just a summarization of the previous 25 episodes. If a person were to watch this before watching the whole anime, I think the summary episode was slightly too vague and included unnecessary parts. It wasn't half bad, but I wished the movie was a separate story. The last 20-40 minutes was adventure, which wasn't bad either. I like the anime, but this extra edition wasn't the best. :P

Before people start bashing this I thought I would write just a little something. Yes this episode is mostly about flashbacks of all the old episode BUT if you read the light novel (like a good fan should) this event of Kazuto speaking with the man from the ministry of internal affairs did happen but it occurred in a cafe ( if I remember correctly) that Kazuto agreed to meet him at. I think that this extra episode was a great way to incorporate the events of the light novel in a way that wasn't just watching the two of them exchanging this conversation. Although ... the whale part was not part of the novels it was a good way to give the fans a chance to see all the characters they know and love all together in one episode as well as prepare then for what is to come in the future of the SAO series. SPOILER: At the very end of this extra edition, Kazuto is shown getting an incoming call that can be meant to be leading into the next season of SAO; which is Gun Gale online. This episode served as a refresher for the series to transition into what may be to come in my opinion since I can't say for certain what their plans are.

SAO Extra Edition is mostly a recap of the important events in the original anime series told by Kirito and the main female characters (Asuna, Sugu, Silica, Lizbeth) while they're at the pool. Pool? Well, just the female characters. Too bad Kirito is stuck telling his flashbacks to an investigator somewhere else. At least the viewers get to enjoy the girls in swimsuits as they teach Sugu how to swim and talk about their own memories of meeting Kirito inside SAO.

Story: 7/10
A large part of this special is just flashbacks told from the characters' point of view. As far as the story goes, Kirito ... is persuaded to relieve the events of SAO for investigative purposes, while the girls get to frolic around in the pool and also reminisce about how they first met Kirito. The last half hour or so is original content; everybody goes into ALO to do an underwater quest. It's nothing special, no death trap, but still enjoyable for any fan of this series.

Art: 8/10
This anime series has always had excellent art quality and beautiful background scenery inside the game. A lot of it is recycled from the flashbacks but in the quest we get to see a whole new underwater world too. And of course, as the pool/beach episode, there is no shortage of the female characters in swimming attire. It's all pretty cute.

Sound: 9/10
The soundtrack from the original series makes an impressive reappearance in Extra Edition, starting with Crossing Field as the opening theme. The other opening and ending themes for both arcs are inserted during the most important flashbacks, which was done very effectively to highlight them. There are also new songs (insert and ending) which are pretty good.

Character: 9/10
Honestly, I feel that most SAO fans are just pleased to see their favorite characters back in action, be it having fun at the pool, going on the quest, or playfully chatting with each other. Since the recaps are told by each character, we get to hear the character commentary as well as dialogue between characters in the present. Silica & Lizbeth teasing Asuna about Kirito, everyone being jealous of Sugu's chest, Silica worrying about her own, etc. This kind of episode won't have much character development except the typical romance and pool cliches. Except Klein: I didn't know he was such a doomed womanizer.

Enjoyment: 9/10
I really enjoyed this type of episode. As I said before, we get to see all the characters again, in a relaxed atmosphere free of all the pressure and drama so rampant in the 25 episode series. This allows us to see them in a different light as they do everything for fun instead of to survive. It's a welcome relief episode with a lot more comedy. Now, people typically dislike recaps because they may be redundant, but fortunately these flashbacks were mostly action/turning point scenes. It would not hurt to watch them (and then hear the characters' witty comments).

Overall: 9/10
An excellent recap/pool/fun special episode with a way different mood from the other 25 episodes. Nobody's in trouble and the world doesn't need saving, so everyone can sit back and enjoy themselves after their grueling adventure earlier. And then get ready for the next season of Sword Art Online!

This is just recap of Sword Art Online with some fan service thrown in.
The first half is basically the whole series with same visuals. There is only a small new story at the end where the characters from the SAO do a small mission and even that is not that interesting at all. Total disappointment.

Months after watching SAO, I found out that there was a movie. I got excited since I loved watching SAO. After watching the movie, I was like WTF? This is the movie? Whatever, here's my review.

Story:I don't know what to say. I was dissapointed. It felt like a normal episode added with recaps.

Art/Animation: It's the same as SAO. Beautiful and colorful.

Sound: There was only 1 new soundtrack added in the movie but everything is recycled from the anime. It didn't really bother me since I love SAO's soundtrack

Character: Same characters with the same personality.

Enjoyement: This was basically just a recap of the past episodes ... with new scenes added. I felt like I wasted 1 hr and 30 mins of my life.

Overall 5/10
I really don't see any reason why they made this movie. It's just a recap. I was dissapointed and this is coming from a lover of SAO


Pros:
-Some new scenes added

Cons:
-Just a time waster
-Fanservice
-1 hr of recaps
-Recycled music

Sword Art Online: Extra Edition serves as little more than some entertainment - maybe just a time filler. Complete with flashbacks and mindless, fanservice-filled endeavors, this is truly made for fans of the anime that want to reminisce over everything for an hour or so. I, on the other hand, prefer The Lion King ½ for this sort of thing.

I guess the point of this, being a special consisted mostly of flashbacks, is to be relaxing and fun, and to not necessarily have much of a story. Kirito mainly gets asked about what happened in the online worlds that he was in during the course ... of Sword Art Online. This makes for many flashback clips, all of which we've seen and remember - but, again, for avid lovers of SAO, this may seem enjoyable.

A small and fairly cute underlying story takes place during the last 30 minutes or so. There is some added fun and fanservice between the flashbacks - mostly just buildup to more excuses for flashbacks. The overall enjoyment of these parts is actually not too bad, but mostly I felt that the experience was tarnished by me getting bored.

With the art being practically the same as it was in Sword Art Online, it is top of the line, and the animation is enjoyable. The characters are looking their best in their swimsuits, so... Well done in this department.

I've always enjoyed the music. However, after over an hour and a half of watching, it becomes repetitive. There's nothing much new added, except near the end. I enjoyed those songs - they are, of course, well done.

And the characters. What to say? Barely anything changes about them, but we do get more info on Suguha, which is definitely a plus for me; it was nice to see some more depth. There is also some explanation on why they did the things that they did. Otherwise, everyone is the same as before, but I did find them a little more bearable - and it is fun how they interacted with one another.

Enjoyment-wise, Sword Art Online: Extra Edition bored me exponentially at many points - I didn't have too much interest in the flashbacks. I wouldn't even call this more than just a recap with an added episode mixed in.

Just good enough for killing time. I recommend this for fans of the series, but otherwise, you might just want to skip most of the flashbacks, condensing this into 40-45 minutes or so. An added plus is that there are some teasers for the next season - but otherwise, Sword Art Online: Extra Edition could be skipped.

Don't be fooled by promises of new content. SAO: Extra Edition is almost entirely one long recap, using the debatable technique of cast commentary to make an attempt at giving viewers something fresh, with a little something at the end for the people who are here for more than just a refresher course on everything that happened during the series.

The movie itself starts out promising, with the gang discussing a big quest in ALO, and the girls hanging out at the pool while Kirito is called in for a surprise counselling session. We get fanservice, and meet a new minor character, but all this is ... quickly swept aside as the recap of the series begins with a vengeance, with an hour and a half of revisiting the important moments of the show, with the characters (mostly the girls) commentating on the action. While no doubt there are some people who are just happy to get more Asuna/Liz/Leafa/Kirito, most viewers will find revisiting all the already memorable moments of the anime to be tedious at best. When the movie's story finally picks up again later, the new content we were promised feels boring, short, and hastily put together, like a badly written fanfiction offered as a reward for sitting through the recap more than anything else. Even worse, for all of the KiritoxAsuna/Liz/anyone-he's-not-related-to fans, the character with the most spotlight is Suguha, whose one-sided relationship with Kirito upstages even Asuna.

Besides story, the characterization is lacking as well. Not because of the characters themselves, who are all absolutely fantastic. Rather, it's the lack of any real character development or meaningful screen time that brings it down. While it's great to see the gang interacting together in the offline world, most of the characters are largely relegated to background roles this time, with Suguha getting most of the spotlight, with a bit of room left over for Yui and Kirito.

The art itself is also fairly poorly done, and feels horribly under budget. While the recap moments are as beautiful as when we first saw them, and the pool scene is as good as can be expected from blatant fanservice, the actual fresh content shows an egregious lack of the scenery porn that was one of the draws of the show itself, with relatively bland and uninspired visuals that along with the aforementioned terrible writing make the fresh content almost as tedious to sit through as the recap.

On a positive note, the music department at least doesn't fail to please. With more work from the amazing Yuki Kajiura, the soundtrack is easily the best part of the movie, which would be saying more if it wasn't the only good part as well.

SAO Extra Edition could have been so much more, and an amazing addition to the animated version of the story. Unfortunately insufferably long recaps, terrible writing, horribly lack lustre visuals, and watching the entire cast (including Asuna) be sacrificed on the altar of SuguhaxKirito makes this a venture in masochism more than anything else, because watching it is nothing short of painful.