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Here we are, Kotonoha no Niwa, or the Garden of Words, by Makoto Shinkai, the man behind 5 Centimeters Per Second. I’ll start out this review and blunty say this: if you are interested in more of the beautiful animation like what you saw in 5 Centimeters Per Second, watch it; it won’t don’t disappoint. But the story? Well, it leaves much to be desired. A brief nonspoiler plot summary: a young man and woman meet in a beautiful garden whenever it rains, but they soon find that they are not actually truly strangers. Now lets get into it.

STORY: 5

Hate to break it you, but ... the story is nowhere near the calibre of 5 Centimeters Per Second. The characters will be discussed later on in this review. As to the plot, it’s meandering, slow, flat, and ends innocuously and disappointingly. I will be perfectly honest, I find myself more inclined to slice of life, so the plot personally did not bother me nor offend me. But if I was to look at it objectively, it really is not all that great, and I can see it leaving much to be desired for many who decide to watch it.

ART: 10

It’s Makoto Shinkai; what did you expect?

SOUND: 6

So, I have the soundtrack (this includes film score, voice acting, and sound effects) at a 6, or FAIR. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t offensive. I mean, it got the job done. The rain sound effects were implemented beautifully and strategically to give off a calm and relaxed atmosphere. The voice actors were serviceable and filled their roles commendably. And the music matched the tone and theme of the film. It all worked. But none of it stood out to me. In my eyes, that means average. And average is okay.

CHARACTER: 4

There is no character development in this film whatsoever. The two main characters are static, and to be honest, there isn’t really much interesting about them either. I can the two leads of film leaving many wanting. To be honest, I could not even tell you the two main characters’bas of writing this review, so that should at least tell you how unmemorable they were to me.

ENJOYMENT: 7

I enjoyed the film. I loved the atmosphere and tone, and the animation / art was absolutely gorgeous. It really was an experience in and of itself watching this upon when it originally released. It was mindblowing to see fluid, vivid, and detailed art on the screen.

OVERALL: 7

If you’re looking to enjoy and atmospherice film with gorgeous animation, then yes, definitely give the Garden of Words a go. However, if a moving plot and fleshed out characters is essential for you, I’d give it a pass.

Sword Art Online. Everyone who is somewhat of an anime fan has heard of it. It’s almost the ultimate “baby’s first anime” in terms of someone watching it and then making the true jump into the medium. Growing up on Dragon Ball and Yugioh as a kid, I knew what anime was. But if it wasn’t a shonen anime playing on Cartoon Network, then there was no way, as a kid, that I was going to be able to see it. It wasn’t till back in 2013 when I saw Sword Art Online, that I, like many others, was introduced to anime in a way ... that made me want to dive deeper into the medium. Needless to say, I was disappointed that the premise of “beat all 100 floors to get out” was cut short halfway through the show. That’s where Sword Art Online: Progressive comes in: a retelling of the original light novel / anime that has our main characters go through each floor of Aincrad. And now having read 40 of the 47 available chapters, I feel ready to make my review.

STORY: 6
The overall premise of the manga is what drew me to it: Kirito and Co. actually going through all 100 floors of Aincrad this time around. And while the premise is an interesting take, the “mini story arcs” of each floor are nothing really special. The characters are just about the same as the anime, save for Asuna—she is even more of a damsel in distress than before. These story arcs are serviceable, and they will keep you engaged in each individual chapter, but it is the overall plot of beating Aincrad that is going to keep you reading.

ART: 8
Now, I don’t consider myself an expert on any sort of visual art, and I would say especially manga, but the art of SAO: Progressive was very pleasant to look at. Set pieces were, for the most part, done well, and the characters were a style that appealed to me. Though, be warned, if you are not one for fanservice, there is some in this manga. It tends to come out of nowhere occasionally, and when it appears, it’s laid on thick. My only real criticism with the art of this manga is the battle scenes. They seemed to get muddled. There were many times when I felt like I was looking at black blotches on the paper, not some epic fight.

CHARACTERS: 6
And now we are at SAO: Progressive’s main issue: the characters. The manga finds itself in that terrible limbo where the characters aren’t bad, but they’re definitely not good . . . It’s up to the individual to decide whether that’s okay or not. There really isn’t much to write about. I felt that the characters were just unforgettable enough that I can think of neither pros nor cons to them. And that’s why this is the biggest problem with SAO: Progressive. Character progression is practically non-existant. Kirito remains the overpowered main character while Asuna remains the damsel in distress. Needless to say, if character is a driving point for you in a manga, stay away from this.

OVERALL: 6
I find myself only recommending this manga to two groups of people: 1) SAO fans, and 2) fans of the VRMMO “genre.” It has a cool premise and decent artwork, but the lackluster story arcs and nonexistant characterization / character progression are a major detraction to this manga. I, personally, enjoyed it for what it is. I must admit, that SAO as a whole is a guilty pleasure of mine. Maybe it’s due to it being my “first” anime way back in 2013, but I can’t help but look at the franchise favorably. And for that reason, while nothing to write home about, I enjoyed Sword Art Online: Progressive.