** This review contains no spoilers **
I feel as though Sword Art Online, otherwise known as SAO, has to be one of if not the most controversial anime series ever created. With many praising the anime as incredible, many also refer to it as horrendous, making this anime a topic of many conversations and arguments. Now for the big question, where does this movie sit when belonging to the infamous Sword Art Online series?
STORY 8/10: To start things off, the story is taken from the perspective of Asuna Yuuki's experience with the Aincrad Arc (1st arc) who was the main heroine of the SAO series. The story is similar (some scenes and parts are changed) to the original Aincrad Arc so old SAO fans should compare and contrast this movie to the original series. The movie also provides a backstory of her life before SAO and how she got into the game which I found was really interesting. I feel like one thing the movie did right when compared to the original series was avoiding Kirito's useless harem and going straight to developing the plot that the original series should have been. Overall, the movie is good enough to be seen as a substitution for the original Sword Art Online series and would still make sense as an introduction for people who never watched SAO. The movie has also confirmed a sequel in 2022 which would explain the ending and continue the series from there.
CHARACTERS 7/10: There are only three main characters so I will describe them each.
Asuna - Asuna is the star of the show so we get to see her develop from what she was before SAO and how she matured because of the situations that were presented to her throughout the movie. I believe she took the role of a heroine in this movie well and it was interesting watching her develop as a character throughout the film.
Kirito - Kirito played the role of Asuna's ally in this film. There isn't much to say about him besides the fact that he appeared as a cool and mysterious character when shown from Asuna's perspective.
Mito - We never get to see characters that solely connect with Asuna in the Aincrad Arc besides Kirito so it's interesting to finally have one that serves as her companion. Mito takes on a mentor/companion role for Asuna and influences her characterization which I found essential for Asuna. Basically Mito served an important role in this film and it wouldn't have been the same without her.
The characters felt more realistic and were able to connect with each other and actually share ideal goals and form bonds that served its purpose in this film.
SOUND 10/10: The OST for this film was TOP NOTCH. Every scene was paired with an equally fitting background music that was perfect, nothing felt out of place and fit the mood every time. The ending song by LiSA/Ayase was amazing and served as a perfect collaboration between the two of them. The VA's were also amazing with Mito's VA (Inori Minase) being my personal favorite for the film. The soundtrack for the movie is memorable and is definitely worth listening to.
ANIMATION 9/10: Another strong quality the film had was the visuals presented throughout the entire movie. Every scene was consistent and there were no noticeable flaws. The fight scenes were appealing and amazing to watch, the art style is pretty good as well.
Enjoyment 9/10: Watching this was very enjoyable, probably one of my favorite films I've watched this year. Highly recommended for people who enjoyed the original series or people who want a better replacement for that.
Overall 9/10: I believe this is what the Aincrad Arc should have been more like, not some useless arc that revolves around a dumb harem and unimportant side characters but more of a realistic story that actually makes sense. The film is amazing and I definitely recommend it!
