THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERSSword Art Online was the first anime I watched when I figuret out what anime actually is, over the years I realized how bad the show actually was until this came out...
Story(7.5/10)
The story is a retelling of the first two episodes from the original TV release so there's not much to say except that there are MANY new and cool scenes added thanks to Asuna being the main character of this Movie as well as thanks to the new character Mito being present in the show!
Very good Story :D. Beginning felt pointless since we don't see Asuna's family ever again throughout the movie and it would have been cool if we've seen them worried at hospital or something!
They kind of felt like they're there just for her to use her brother's NerveGear but whatever.
Also Mito not going together with Asuna and Kirito at the end was like what..?
Characters(8/10)
Asuna is the main star of this show and I'm loving it! She goes from an insecure person who knows nothing about gaming and the new world around her to a confident person who knows what the hell they're doing.
Seeing her and her best friend interract with each others was very wholesome! Her friend appeared to be a strong and a wholesome girl who knows alot but when faced the danger she turned her back on Asuna.
I honestly loved their dynamic from start to finish as she helped Asuna grow and develop as a person in the world she otherwise could not.
I hope people don't hate Mito for abandoning Asuna as it just shows that she is a human, nobody is invincible and we all fear something and that is why that scene had a huge impact on both Asuna and Mito as people and to us as watchers.
The scene was a perfect opening for what was to come next as we get our ~~edgelord~~ hero
join the party, Kirito was portrayed as a typical shy guy and I'd take this Kirito over the old one anyday.
I loved the interractions between him and Asuna and him showing her the light and standing up for every beta tester at the end of the movie by taking all the critisizm on himself and I can't to see how he does in the next movie.
Other characters were good for their roles and I got a laugh out of some of them here and there and some even made me drop a tear.
Pacing(7/10)Pacing is good, I was honestly afraid we're gonna be getting huge time skips like we did in the TV version but NO!
Movie took its time to cover two episodes from the original in 90 minutes. That is almost twice as longer than those 2 episodes
First half of the movie felt a bit too slow for me, especially at the start but it picked up its pace once the second half started though I wish the second half was longer and that we got more slice of life content from Kirito and Asuna while they're bonding as the party members, something like Mito and Asuna from the first half.
Art/Animation(9.5/10)/(9.5/10)
I am not the biggest fan of the art style in SAO but for the show like this it
SOMEHOW works and I can't imagine SAO in any other art style/
Fighting animation is
BEYOND GOOD and I'm all for it!
Both art and animation had some minor inconsistancies once or twice in the movie and I only realized it so It's no biggie.
Music/Sound(8/10)
I loved the sound effects of weapons clashing alot, the oldschool SAO theme playing while they were fighting the final boss made me want to go drink some coffee and soda!
Personal Enjoyment(8/10)
It was a very good movie and I can't wait to see what's next! I never expected Sword Art Online to be this good but here we are, never say never!
Conclusion(8.1)
This is peak SAO! All the hope I ever had for SAO for me was lost after I watched Alicization and this was like a birthday gift!
I can't wait to see more and finally enjoy SAO as an adult the way I did back when I was a 14 y/o teenager :D
