Emblem of the genre isekaiten years ago SWORD ART ONLINE received its first animated transposition. Despite obvious shortcomings and Manichean judgments, related to the work of Reki Kawahara since its inception, the floating castle of Aincrad over time it has made its way into the hearts of many enthusiasts. To date we count four canonical seasons, two spin-offs and brand new films reboot of the cycle Progressivesthanks to which the first story arc is told again, this time from the eyes of the swordswoman Asuna. Kirito he is thus relegated to the role of supporting actor, but not only. The project SWORD ART ONLINE: Progressive in fact, it aims to offer a new perspective on the most dangerous VRMMORPG in the world, giving the right space to secondary subplots and introducing completely original characters. With SWORD ART ONLINE Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Nightsecond chapter of this series, the team of A-1 Pictures he therefore returns to work, eager to start over from the good things done in the first film Aria of a Starless Night.
Even for the ten thousand players imprisoned in Aincrad, now resigned to the idea of having to complete the game before making the coveted log out, 2022 draws to a close. And while some live the new daily life in the safe initial cities, others they fight on the front lines, aiming, level after level, at the hundredth floor. In the last acts of SWORD ART ONLINE Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night, the vanguard led by Diabel had defeated, not without painful losses, the boss of the first floor Illfang, Lord of the Kobolds. However, this bloody battle is followed by a painless one time skipabsent in the light novels of the same name: the brand new SWORD ART ONLINE Progressive, released in Italian cinemas less than a month after the Japanese broadcast, in fact opens with the battle against the boss on the fourth floor. Between duels and subterfuge, tensions between guilds and the imminent New Year’s Eve party, Asuna and Kirito will be engaged in conquest of the fifth floora possible political and social keystone of the events.
- Original title: Gekijouban SWORD ART ONLINE the Movie: Progressive – Kuraki Yuuyami no Scherzo
- English title: SWORD ART ONLINE Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night
- Japanese release: October 22, 2022
- Italian release: November 14, 2022
- Genre: fantasy, action, adventure
- Duration: 101 minutes
- animation studio: A-1 Pictures
- Adapted from: light novels
- Tongue: Italian, Japanese
We reviewed SWORD ART ONLINE Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night thanks to the invitation to the press screening offered by Nexo Digital and Dynit.
Little swordswomen grow up
Over the years SAO has been the victim of numerous criticisms, from a fragmented and fragmented narrative to the excessive use of fanservice, but, if the greatest flaw of the series were to be described, even the most passionate of fans would point the finger at a simply insufficient characterization of the characters. In fact, the original series featured actors with no personality, little depth and too faithful to very annoying cliche narratives. Therefore, the decision to overturn a shaky system of characters, also revolutionizing the perspective offered to us on the world of Aincrad, is both due and courageous. Thanks to the internal focus on Asuna, we observe the path of a reborn Kiritonow full of charm and mystery, and of new secondary charactersfew in number but finally credible.
Indeed, the anime makes us witnesses of the genesis of Asunaone protagonist still in its infancybut already talented, sensitive and friendly. Day after day, the young girl improves her skills, in the path that will guarantee her the title of “Asuna the Lightning”. Beside her appears Kirito, co-star of this story, which is painted with tones decisively more ripe compared to the past. Calm and confident, but also reflective and protective: the black swordsman takes on human characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, thus moving away from the perfectible image of a spotless and fearless knight. Natural the consequent development of a solid friendship between the two, destined to change, as we all know, into something more.
Much space has also been given to the secondary characters, fundamental in the evolution of Asuna Yuki. For the first time we are in fact acquainted with Argon, eminent informant of the land of Aincrad, as well as a faithful friend of our protagonist. Extremely smart and nimble, his is the merit of having written the first game guide for less experienced users, thus exploiting his knowledge as a former beta tester. And again, how not to mention the audacious Myth. If indeed in the second part of Aria of a Starless Night the relationship between Asuna and her best friend had cracked, the challenge to the boss of the fifth floor is the perfect opportunity to mend this wonderful friendship.
Time and History
Telling stories is a dance, and every dance requires rhythm. It doesn’t matter what you tell, it matters how you tell it: so a gray day on the streets of Dublin can turn into an Odyssey, or the most epic of stories boring to death. This is precisely the Achilles heel of Joke of Deep Night: a discontinuous rhythm. In first half of the film the events follow one another slowly, enveloping the narrative pulp of the feature film in atoo relaxed atmosphere. Yes, they are introduced interesting narrative elementssuch as hunting for relics and the existence of astrals, but immediately these they plummet into oblivion, resulting in fact superfluous. On the contrary, the second partdedicated to the attack against the boss of the fifth floor and the consequent epilogue, is presented in splendid form, exciting and dynamicalthough not much happens that can enrich our curious looks.
Ever since the original first season, the untimely passing of Diabel represents the dramatic peak of the first narrative arc of Reki Kawahara’s work. The lighthouse of the vanguard goes out in Kirito’s arms, the use of potions or spells is useless. ” Please defeat the boss. Defeat the boss for everyone’s sake.” his last words, yet after this death nothing will be as before. The front indeed it breaks: from side i Dragon Knights Brigade headed by Lind, on the other Aincrad Liberation Squad led by Kibao. The two sides are too differentone based on the principle of meritocracy, the other on parity and equality, in order not to generate tension, solved only after the intervention of our heroes, Asuna and Kirito. Thus amalgamating aevident historical inspiration to elements already known to the fans, pay attention to the presence of fearsome killer playergloomy but essential figures for the turn that events will take, the directed by Ayako Kouno renews, albeit partially, the SWORD ART ONLINE formula, correcting some temporal and narrative gaps of the original version.
Finally, moving on to the technical aspect of the film, A-1 Pictures flexes its muscles, making use of elegant and well-groomed graphic dresses. The animations indeed they appear fluid and full of colorboth in the fights and in the cutscenes, guaranteeing a consistent and high quality. Too bad about the use of CGI in tracing the physiognomy of the bosses, of course moderate and far from invasive, but, in any case, a slightly out of tune note compared to the spectacular rendering of traditional full animation. To frame this lively fresco, the excellent Yuki Kajura, already mother of the iconic Swordlandhe then packaged a good soundtrack, which, although less convincing than what was shown in the previous chapters, does not miss the opportunity to excite and involve the spectators. Therefore, in the face of some imperfections, we can say that the audiovisual sector from SWORD ART ONLINE Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night wins and convinces, once again presenting himself as workhorse of the work.
To whom we recommend SWORD ART ONLINE Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night?
If you are intrigued by this new film of SWORD ART ONLINEour advice is certainly to give it a chance. As you may have guessed, the title is mainly aimed at an audience already accustomed to the world of Aincrad, therefore, if you ignore its history, this could be the right time to recover the previous chapters of the brand, available without exception on Prime Video. Don’t have too high expectations, because Joke of a Deep Night it is far from a masterpiece, but it guarantees, especially to long-time fans, the possibility of re-embracing their favorites on the screen. A happy return to Aincrad, slightly out of focus.
- High-level animations with non-invasive use of CGI
- Believable characters and convincing character design
- Original themes and interesting narrative cues…
- …But the plot is not developed at its best, thanks to a slow and discontinuous pace
- Less inspired soundtrack than in the past
SWORD ART ONLINE Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night
Between sparkling novelties and ancient compromises
Preview screened over the last Lucca Comics and GamesDynit and Nexo Digital present the Italian version of SWORD ART ONLINE Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night with record timing. In fact, we had to wait less than a month from the original release to be able to experience this new adventure in the fascinating castle of Aincrad alongside Asuna and Kirito. Respecting perfectly the premises and promises of the remakes Progressives, finally the characters of SAO, main and not, take on three-dimensionality, thanks to a careful and successful characterization. On the technical front A-1 Pictures certainly not denied, confirming the high quality guaranteed by the subsidiary study of Aniplex. Note of demerit instead to the rhythm, slow and sobbing, which precludes the possibility of developing to the fullest for the excellent ideas born from the florid mind of Reki Kawahara. A shy step back from the first remake, yet a film capable of guaranteeing a pleasant evening to anyone who will give it the opportunity.
#SWORD #ART #ONLINE #Progressive #Scherzo #Deep #Night #Review