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Sword Art Online the Movie - Progressive - Aria of a Starless Night
劇場版 ソードアート・オンライン-プログレッシブ- 星なき夜のアリア
2021 97 min Japan PG-13 12+
★7.3
Animation, Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Director: Ayako Kouno
📖 Based on the novel
«Sword Art Online»
byReki Kawahara
Trailers
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EN
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EN
Description
Asuna Yuuki had never played online games until accidentally putting on the NerveGear for Sword Art Online, the world’s first VRMMORPG. She soon finds herself and other players trapped inside a game, where if a player dies in the game, they die in the real world. As she continues to live on in this world where death is always a step away, a solitary swordsman named Kirito appears before her.
US Gross:
$1.05M
Worldwide:
$14.04M
Starring
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
Actor
Haruka Tomatsu
Actor
Inori Minase
Actor
Awards
1 win total
Key opinion
Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night serves as an alternative retelling of the franchise's inception from Asuna's perspective. While some viewers appreciate the return to the series' nostalgic roots, others criticize it for being largely redundant and failing to provide meaningful new insights.
| Score | Yuki Kajiura's score successfully blends electronic tension with epic orchestral elements to enhance the film's atmosphere. | |
| Screenplay | The film frequently relies on recapping early episodes of the original series, leading to a sense of narrative redundancy for returning fans. | |
| Originality | The addition of a new original character feels poorly executed, resulting in an unlikable presence that fails to garner emotional investment from the audience. | |
| Adaptation | Shifting the perspective to Asuna offers a fresh angle, yet the film's departures from established character beats and canonical meetings divide those looking for a faithful expansion. | |
| Production | While visuals are detailed and exhibit minor technical improvements, they lack the high-octane artistry and intensity seen in previous theatrical entries like Ordinal Scale. |