Gaming PR: THE SWORD ART ONLINE SAGA CONTINUES AS BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES SWORD ART ONLINE: HOLLOW REALIZATION™!

Sword Art Online fans, check this out!

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THE SWORD ART ONLINE SAGA CONTINUES AS BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES SWORD ART ONLINE: HOLLOW REALIZATION™!

 

Dive into a brand-new adventure while Kirito is thrown back into a new VRMMORPG world: Sword Art: Origin!

 

SYDNEY, 9^TH November 2016 — BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, the premiere publisher of anime video games, has released SWORD ART ONLINE: HOLLOW REALIZATION for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®Vita handheld system in Europe, Middle-East, Africa and Australasia. Based on the worldwide hit Sword Art Online franchise and with an original story supervised by Reki Kawahara, players will assume the role of Kirito to explore the world of Ainground in the most immersive single player MMO-like experience ever created.

 

To watch the Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization launch trailer, please visit:

 

2026. A new VRMMORPG has emerged: Sword Art: Origin. In this familiar world, in which he was once trapped, Kirito meets a mysterious NPC, Premiere, and receives a cryptic message: “I am back in Aincrad”. Taking the role of Kirito, players will enter the massive expansive world of Ainground to unravel this mystery. First of all, thanks to the advanced Avatar Customization system, players will personalize their avatar: name, gender, weapons and physical appearance, from the eyes’ color to the sound of the voice!

 

As players start this new adventure, they will have to assemble a party of characters to command and collaborate with during fierce battles. Famous Sword Art Online characters will join them such as Asuna, Silica, Sinon, Leafa and much more as well as more than 300 NPCs to interact with, peopling this new virtual world. For even more fun, players will be able to enjoy the game with 3 other players in an exclusive Multiplayer Mode providing a never-seen-before experience in the Sword Art Online universe.

 

SWORD ART ONLINE: HOLLOW REALIZATION is now available on PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®Vita across Australia & New Zealand.

 

STAY CONNECTED:

• Official Website: http://www.swordartonline-game.com
• Official Facebook Page: facebook.com/swordartonlinegames

# ENDS #

Sword Art Online II Part 3 Review (Bluray)

Sword Art Online II has returned for its third partial release. The insanely popular anime, created by A-1 Pictures and distributed by Madman here in Australia, returns to the land of fairies and Norse mythology with a short, enjoyable quest to obtain Excalibur and the beginnings of a new arc focusing on Asuna. While they were enjoyable episodes as a whole, the Excalibur arc was quite short. Nonetheless, expect the same outstanding action sequences, excellent animation and enjoyable soundtrack, staples of this great series.

Part 3 leaves the world of Gun Gal Online and returns to Alfhiem Online, the game featured in the second half of the first series. After being swallowed by a giant worm, Kirito, Leafa and Yui discovered Jotunheim, an underground realm in the game. There, they spot a golden sword. Later, news spread of the discovery of a sword in Jotunheim. It turns out the sword found is the Holy Blade Excalibur. Determined to get what may be one of the most powerful weapons of the game, Kirito and company set of to claim the sword.

The story is quite basic. It’s a group of friends on an epic quest in a video game. It’s quite easy to follow, but it’s quite short. This third part is only five episodes long, with the Excalibur arc only three episodes in length and it suffers for it. There could have been more added to the Excalibur arc, since the back story of it actually sounds interesting. However, not all of the dungeon is explored, instead only a couple of enemies are introduced. The simple and short story also made everything a big deal, It’s a double edge sword. It makes everything seem epic and interesting, but when the realisation that it’s only a game sinks in, it feels quite dour.

With that said, it was nice to derive from the whole death in game equals death in real life plot point that’s prevalent in both seasons of the anime. While it brought in an interesting twist for the first season, it was being overused in the second. The Excalibur arc brought a welcomed change of pace by being a simple story of a group of friends enjoying what seems to be an epic adventure. Except it’s all played out in a video game. I may not be saying much for the story, but there isn’t much to say because there isn’t a lot to comment on. As for the characters, they’re the same as they were, but the beginning of the Mother Rosario arc looks like it will focus on Asuna as she deals with the pressures from her family.

The animation is superb, in every department. The character designs are sharp and detailed, as well as the enemies. The environments are absolutely gorgeous when they’re bright and colourful and eerie when it was a dark, grim setting. The action is absolutely brilliant, like the parts before this one. The fights in Jotunhiem are great to see. The animation was fast paced and exciting. The introduction of sword skills did add an extra strategy into the fights and brought a new dynamic to them. They were animated really well as well. As for the music, it’s great. The theme fit the scenarios well and it’s enjoyable to listen to. The voice acting is great, but there were some lines in there that could have been done better.

If you’re a fan of the Sword Art Online series, this is a definite pick up for you. It features excellent animation, outstanding action sequences and a great soundtrack to suite every moment in the five episodes. However, of you’re on the fence with Sword Art Online or prefer the more gritter moments of the series, then you may have to reconsider your purchase. As a fan, I did enjoy it, but it did have flaws in the story, as they’re could have been more fitted into the Excalibur arc. Overall, a great, short experience but the potential to be much more was there.

Rating: 7/10

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Sword Art Online II Part 3 was provided by Madman Entertainment on Bluray for the purpose of this review. You can purchase either the DVD or Bluray versions on Madman’s website.

Sword Art Online II Part 2 Review (Bluray)

It gets more and more exciting for another release of the Sword Art Online anime series. This steady release of the second season only heightens the excitement for more Sword Art Online. Alas, all good things must come to an end and Sword Art Online II Part 2 is the conclusion of one of the more exciting VRMMOs in the world, Gun Gal Online. Kirito and Sinon are part of the final of the Bullet of Bullets tournament. As they progress, they finally encounter Death Gun, who has been killing the real life counterparts of the in game avatars. With exciting action sequences, an excellent continuation of the plot, great animation and great visuals, the second part of this first half of the series turns out to be an excellent addition to the series.

The second part of the Sword Art Online II focuses on the conclusion of the Phantom Bullet arc. It’s the final match of Gal Gun Online’s greatest tournament, the Bullet of Bullets. The final match is a 30 player free for all set on one gigantic map. Both Kirito and Sinon are part of it, since they qualified in the first half of the Phantom Bullet arc. Kirito is still looking for the player known as Death Gun. However, he was able to deduce that this player, who is seemingly able to kill off the players in real life, is in fact a survivor of Sword Art Online. The second part tells the story of his investigation and encounter with Death Gun as he tries to find out his avatar name from Sworld Art Online.

The second arc delivers a thrilling conclusion to the Phantom Bullet arc. What was enjoyable was the overall story told within the second half. As the final progresses, we’re allowed to feel suspense, have emotions for the characters involved in the final. Of course, the main focus is only on three characters: Kirito, Sinon and Death Gun. However, it feels right. It had the right balance of exciting gunplay and moments of character development, linking between the in game avatar and the real life player. The dialogue isn’t going to be masterful, but it’s acceptable. The issue with watching the story the way the anime is released is that it must be watched with part one pretty close to each other. Not the fault of the writers, but it does disturb the flow of the narrative. Other than that, this is a thrilling conclusion to the arc and one that is very enjoyable.

Once again the action sequences of the second half of the arc manage to be exciting and thrilling. Considering the focus on ranged weaponry in Gun Gal Online, its exciting to witness the various action sequences as they stand. Of course, the only player exerting any close combat fighting is Kirito, since he uses a photon sword and pistol. Despite that, each fight in the final match oozes suspense and puts all the characters in danger, until it is pretty obvious the outcome of the fight. In one particular fight between two players across the bridge, one player, known as Pale Rider, used its agility and acrobatic style to defeat a second player in a thrilling action sequence across a bridge. The animation was smooth and sharp. There is also various situations with the action, changing it up in the different episodes. There are exciting encounters involving vehicles, teamwork and even a slick close combat fight. All in all, the actions is a step up compared to the action in ALO or even SAO.

The character development continues in this half of the arc. With Kirito, he still has the same personality as he has exerted throughout the different story arcs. With that said, there is some development of his character. A major turning point for him as a human being comes in the form of a discussion with Sinon. As he talks to Sinon, he reveals he bears the burden for killing two people of the Laughing Coffin faction back in his SAO days, something that has been explored throughout the arc. He reveals he doesn’t overcome killing those two people, but he bears the weight of his guilt and accepts it. To him, that is the best way to atone for their deaths. As for Sinon, her fear of guns and her use of GGO as a way to deal with it is explored. As Sinon, she is more confident and fearless around guns. This helps Shino, who is the avatar Sinon in GGO, overcome her fear of guns, culminating at the end of the BOB tournament. This is further proven as she holds a pellet gun comfortably in her hands near the end. These two characters are enjoyable to watch.

The animation is still at the high standard the series is known. The characters are sharp and well detailed. It’s still strange to see Kirito with a feminine look. In fact, the question of why his avatar, which was transferred from ALO to GGO, obtained a feminine look remains unanswered. Not important, but it would be interesting to know the answer. Death Gun’s design works as well. It makes the character menacing and threatening, especially with those red glowing eyes. The other players in the final all have their own unique look, which is a nice touch. The environments look spectacular, with lush forests, a vibrant hub city each surrounding having a personality in their own right. The music isn’t bad, but, like most animes, it is forgettable the further away one finished it. They do fit the scenes they are placed in, however. The Japanese voice overs are also great.

Sword Art Online II Part 2 is an excellent conclusion to an arc which bounces back from the disappointment of the second arc, Fairy Dance. It ties everything up presented in part one and adds more character development and exciting action sequences. Its animation is sharp and fluid, character designs are detailed and well drawn and the environments are spectacular and beautiful. While the nature of its release disrupts the flow of the narrative and the music, while befitting of the scenes, can be quite forgettable, Sword Art Online II Part 2 is ,without a doubt, worthy of a pick up for any Sword Art Online or anime fan out there. Just make sure you buy part one before purchasing part two.

Rating: 9/10

Sword Art Online II Part 2 was provided by publisher Madman Entertainment for the purpose of this review. The reviewer does enjoy the Sword Art Online series, so they may be some bias towards the product. Sword Art Online II Part 2 is now available at major anime retailers and Madman’s online store for DVD and Bluray (which is the basis of this review).

Sword Art Online II Part 1 (BluRay)

A second series of Sword Art Online is upon the English speaking world and it’s off to a great start. Sword Art Online II Part 1 focuses on the beginnings of an arc set in a VRMMORPG known as Gun Gale Online. As the name suggests, the main gameplay mechanic is gunplay. It already has a superior story to the last arc as well as an interesting new character to help out the hero of the story, who ventures alone in this one. The amazing art and character designs and decent sound design round off an excellent package, even if it’s only seven episodes long.

Sword Art Online II picks up after one year of the events of Sword Art Online. Kazuto, known in-game as Kirito, has returned to normal life, continuing his relationship with Asuna. However, he is called into a meeting with Kikuoka Seijiro of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Virtual Division and asked to dive into another virtual reality MMO. Two professional players of the latest popular VRMMORPG, Gun Gale Online, were found dead in real life after being shot in-game by a player by the name of Death Gun. Kazuto is tasked into investigating Death Gun. In order to attract its attention, Kazuto enters the Bullet of Bullets tournament, alongside Sinon, a sniper he meets after logging in for the first time.

The Gun Gale Online arc is a vast improvement over the Alfhiem Online arc and it’s on par with the Sword Art Online arc, despite the Blu-Ray only covering the first seven episodes of a 24 episode season. The idea of the MMORPG being based around firearms turns out to be quite interesting. It is set in a futuristic setting, a drastic change from the medieval setting of SAO and the Norse setting of ALO. It’s also interesting to see that professional players can earn real money through in-game actions, something not explored in the series. It’s quickly established as a professional’s paradise and all the top players are included, giving Kazuto/Kirito a challenge he hasn’t faced before in a MMORPG.

Most of the characters from the first season return, but, in this first part of the season, only Kazuto logs into Gun Gale Online. He is joined by another avatar by the name of Sinon, real name Shino Asada. Sinon’s is actually a good character to follow. Early on, she is established as an excellent sniper, possibly one of the best in the game. However, as the season progressed, it turns out Shino is hiding a fear and uses Sinon to overcome that fear. It reflects on the duality of MMO players. The person they are in the game can be vastly different to who they are in real life. As Sinon, she is a fierce, focused player, but Shino is the opposite: timid and shy. Sinon is the only notable new character in Sword Art Online II that aid Kazuto in Gun Gale Online.

The art style of Sword Art Online II is amazing. Since Gun Gale Online is the focus, most of the backgrounds are dedicated to the new game. The world is bleak and gloomy, with browns mostly used, similar to most shooters these days. However, the buildings are well drawn and detailed, so are the different landscapes surrounding the world around the characters. However, it’s confusing to see Kirito sporting feminine qualities in his avatar design, despite there not being a need to do so. It seems pointless if anything. The action is intense and lively, perfect for the series. The characters are also well detailed. The Japanese voice acting is well done, conveying the right tone and emotion in each scene. The music is also decent, however, there isn’t anything memorable after watching the seven episodes.

 

The only disappointment of the series isn’t in the anime itself, but how it was released. Just like the first season, Sword Art Online II will be released in four volumes. This isn’t how the anime should be released. It breaks the flow of the story by making fans wait for a month or two for the next release in a society where binge watching is the norm. Indeed, the Blu-Ray can be watched in one setting and there is a feeling of wanting to see the rest of the season. This won’t affect the score of the review, as it isn’t related to the anime itself, but it does leave the fan wanting more as soon as they are done with one part.

Despite the way the anime is released, Sword Art Online II Part 1 is an excellent way to start the new series of an increasingly popular anime. The story is already superior to the previous arc, which did leave a somewhat bitter taste after watching it, an interesting new character to help/hinder the hero, an art style worth looking at twice, with detailed buildings and character models, action sequences which are intense and exciting and decent sound design which doesn’t disappoint. Sword Art Online II Part 1 is worth it for any fan of the series. Hopefully Part 2 continues what is already proving to be a great story.

Rating: 8.5/10

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Sword Art Online II Part 1 was provided by Madman Entertainment for the purpose of review. Sword Art Online Part 1 is now available on Madman’s website for Bluray and DVD. Part 2 is now available to pre order on Bluray and DVD for a release on November 18. As I am a Sword Art Online fan, there maybe traces of bias in the review. 

Accel World Part 2 Review

The VR fighting game story continues in the second half of the Accel World story, with the amazing quality animation continuing on with Sunrise and the original story by Sword Art Onlines writer, and the original novels author, Reiki Kawahara. Accel World is the better VR story by the author, and this second part exemplifies that fact. Action, adventure, hardship, relationship woes and drama, this second installment of Accel World has something for everybody. See also, more Kuroyukihime.

At the end of the last season, we just begin to see the beginning of Accel Worlds world-building, with the introduction of some of the more interesting player zones, as well as the coloured Kings of each region in Japan. At the end of the last half, you couldn’t be faulted for thinking that this half would be a lead in to Haro taking on each of the Kings to beat them down. However, this is not the case for this half of the season. Not that the story is any worse for it either. In fact, considering this is based on the visual novel of the same name, it would give the series a bit more length to it, something to keep viewers– or readers– interested in the series in the long term. This is definitely the case.

The main plot point in this half of the season is introduced early on when Haru is attacked by a rather heinous villain and loses his unique ability to soar above the Brain Burst world on his Silvery Wings. The mysteries surrounding the villain are what really bring the lore on in Accel World. You learn through the characters investigations on who is breaking into networks, and potentially people, about the world in Accel World, and why only young teenagers appear to be able to install and run the Brain Burst application in the first place. Spoilers abound, but Accel World is definitely a part of the Sword Art Online universe, as you will learn.

This season sees the introduction and defeat of one of a more, insane maybe, villain. His unique Avatar, Dusk Taker, has the ability to steal any unique ability of any opponent that he is able to land the attack on. There is also another hidden attack that its user is able to use, but that is a major plot point for both SAO and Accel World. This enemy, Seiji, seems to be a master ruseman, capable is distilling distrust between the friendship formed by Haroyuki and his group. To make matters worse, this sudden attack happens when Black Lotus and Kuroyukihime have left the school on a class-trip to another region of Japan. With the worst luck, the group must work with themselves and each other to try and defeat this Seiji character and put a stop to his Dusk Taker.

One of the biggest criticisms of this season as it aired was that Black Lotus’ arc outside of the main storyline took up too much time and detracted from the main plot point of Haru and the gang trying to take down Reiji and bringing Chiyuri back to their side. However, when you’re watching the show as a marathon, it doesn’t take all that long at all. It’s only a few episodes and it gives you a sense that this Brain Burst world isn’t as tightly contained as the first season would have you believe. It’s also quite enjoyable seeing how Brain Burst can impact the lives of its players, sometimes positively, and other times negatively, as portrayed by the relationship between Kuroyukihime and what we assume was once her lover.

Much like in the previous half of Accel World, the action sequences are top notch in quality. Sunrise has a way of animating some great action sequences and with some rather interesting battles taking place, Accel World really shines here. Whether it’s in the main Accel World lobby, against Dusk Taker, or even the battles over on the beach that Kuroyukihime is staying at, the fights are excellent and top quality. What’s more is that it’s not just the fights, we should just say the action sequences in general are pretty well done, such as when Silver Crow has to climb that thingy to reach the wheel chair avatar. We’re not sure if that is a JoJo reference or not though.

One of the things that is a bit disappointing with this release is that it leaves the Accel World story open for another season, rather than ending it off completely. However, for some reason, the second season never actually happened in Japan, and so we’re stuck with this unfinished work that ends just at the end of this arc. It could be supposed that a viewer could continue on and read the books, but, the books were never localised into English, meaning that most viewers would probably never reach the end of the still ongoing series. To make matters worse, if you don’t know moon, the fan translations are going slow as well. Although none of this really has much to do with this release, it is still worth noting.

Much like the previous release, Hanabee has released this half of the season in a fancy case. It’s hard to describe, but it’s like a CD case but bigger. It has this 3D, hologram-like picture in the front which makes it look really cool and interesting. Definitely pick this up as an Anime fan, but Accel World fans will definitely appreciate the extra effort put into this release (we know we have!).

Overall, Accel World Part 2 is an amazing release that continues building the Accelerated World as envisioned by the author Reiki Kawahara. The interesting plot, the character drama and the world building coupled with the intense and well animated action sequences are what separates Accel World from other series’ out there. Especially the original authors more popular work, Sword Art Online. If you don’t pick this up, you are definitely missing out on something great.

Rating: BURST LINK/10

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Accel World is released here in Australia thanks to Hanabee. We reviewed the series on Blu-Ray Disc, for extra awesome visuals. It can be purchased from the Hanabee website for roughly ~$65 on BD and ~$55 on DVD. Check out our review for the previous release as well. Image swiped from Random Curiosity.

Madman Announcements At Supanova

During the Supanova Pop Culture Expo in Sydney, Madman announced three bits of interesting news that fans can be on the lookout for soon. These things range from Anime releases to, what looks to be, a pretty cool Anime exhibition in itself.

These announcements are:

• Tokyo Ghoul is to stream on Madmans Anime Lab streaming service.
• The Second Sword Art Online Exhibition (SMASH! (Sydney), AVCON (Adeliade), and Armageddon (NZ))
• And the acquisition of the Anime series’: Ben-to, Hetailia: The Beautiful World (S5) and the Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji movie.

See below for the full Press Releases:

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Madman acquires TOKYO GHOUL – set for simulcast on AnimeLab in July.

Madman is thrilled to announce today that it has acquired Australian & New Zealand simulcast and home video rights to the hot new dark fantasy/horror anime series, TOKYO GHOUL. In modern day Tokyo, society lives in fear of ‘Ghouls’, mysterious creatures that look exactly like humans, yet hunger insatiably for their flesh. None of this matters to Ken Kaneki, a bookish and ordinary young man, until a dark and violent encounter turns him into the first ever ‘Ghoul’/human half-breed. Trapped between two worlds, Ken must survive the violent conflicts of warring Ghoul actions while attempting to learn more about Ghoul society, his newfound powers, and the fine line between man and monster. Based on the manga series by Sui Ishida and produced by Studio Pierrot (BLEACH, YU YU HAKUSHO) TOKYO GHOUL is directed by Shuhei Morita, who received an Oscar-nomination at the 86th Academy Awards for his short film, Possessions. TOKYO GHOUL episodes will simulcast in July, direct from Japan, on AnimeLab.com.

A home video release will follow at a date to be confirmed.

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SWORD ART ONLINE
EXHIBITION (PART 2)
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TOUR DATES & LOCATIONS.

Madman Entertainment and Aniplex of America are proud to present the second installment of the SWORD ART ONLINE Exhibition Tour in Australia and, for the first time, New Zealand. Featuring original artwork pieces from the show, including character designs, storyboards, key animation frames and more, the SWORD ART ONLINE Exhibition will to give fans a unique behind the scenes look at the creative process and how the hit anime series was created. The exhibition will also feature a photo area where fans will be able to take photos with Kirito and Asuna, the heroes of SWORD ART ONLINE.

Additionally, we will be offering patrons the opportunity to purchase official SWORD ART ONLINE merchandise at the Madman booth.
The tour will be hitting the following events and cities:

Adelaide
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AVCON 2014
Date: July 21-22
Venue: Adelaide Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tickets / Info: avcon.org.au

Sydney
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SMASH! 2014
Date: August 10-11
Venue: Rosehill Gardens Race Course
Tickets / Info: smash.org.au

Auckland, NZ
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Armageddon Expo 2014
Date: October 24-27
Venue:ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane
Tickets / Info: armageddonexpo.com/nz

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MADMAN ACQUISITIONS–SUPANOVA SYDNEY.

Madman is thrilled to reveal some exciting recent acquisitions.

BEN-TO Every day, an epic struggle rages in grocery stores across Japan-the battle for half-priced bento boxes! Once the discount stickers go on, ravenous brawlers start throwing punches in a knockdown, drag-out war over who gets to take home the cheap eats.
When a young, broke high school student named Sato joins the ‘Half-Priced Food Lovers Club’, he proves to be a rising talent in the world of insane food fights. But does he have what it takes to become the king of clearance cuisine?

From the director of BLACK CAT comes a very different type of hunger games. Welcome to the world of Ben-To, where chopsticks are lethal weapons, the supermarket is a battleground, and there’s nothing more delicious than a deep-fried win.

BEN-TO comes to DVD, Blu-ray and Digital platforms in September

HETALIA Beautiful World (Season 5)The Allied guys and Axis boys are back in HETALIA: THE BEAUTIFUL WORLD! It’s Season 5. As in high-five! And when we high-five, a tiny kitten appears with a wee banjo! And he’s playing a song about a cupcake and it’s freaking adorable! But then Prussia shows up and yells at the kitten. But the kitten doesn’t get sad, because, dude…Claaaassic Prussia.

HETALIA: THE BEAUTIFUL WORLD will be coming to DVD, Blu-ray and digital platforms from September.

BLACK BUTLER(live-action movie)

A butler named Sebastian. Possessing a wealth of knowledge, unbelievable skills, perfect looks and grace, he is a butler without flaws. If one were to pinpoint any negative thing about him, it would be his troubling personality.

The live action adaptation of the BLACK BUTLER franchise will be coming soon to home video and digital platforms.
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Anime PR: SWORD ART ONLINE – 2014 EXHIBITION TOUR COMING TO AUSTRALIA

This is strange, as Sword Art Online certainly isn’t a masterpiece or influential work in any case. But still, it’s pretty interesting. See the full release below for details on this upcoming tour.

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SWORD ART ONLINE – 2014 EXHIBITION TOUR COMING TO AUSTRALIA.

 

Madman Entertainment, in conjunction with Aniplex of America, are thrilled to announce a Sword Art Online Exhibition Tour will be coming to select cities across Australia in 2014.

 

Featuring original artwork pieces from the show including character designs, storyboards, key animation frames and more, the Sword Art Online Exhibition will to give fans a unique behind the scenes look at the creative process and how the hit anime series was created.

 

The exhibition will also feature a photo area where fans will be able to take photos with Kirito and Asuna, the heroes of Sword Art Online. Additionally, ‘Lisabeth’s Smith Shop’ will be on site, offering patrons the opportunity to purchase official Sword Art Online merchandise never before available in Australia.

Ticketholders to any of the official partner events in each state (WAICON, Supanova) will receive free entry to the exhibition.

 

The following cities & events will be hosting the exhibition, with more to be confirmed throughout the year:

 

 

 

Perth
WAICON
March 1-2, 2014

Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
Website: wai-con.org

 

Gold Coast

Supanova Pop Culture Expo

April 5-6, 2014

Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

Website: supanova.com.au

 

Melbourne

Supanova Pop Culture Expo

April 12-13

Melbourne Showgrounds

Website: supanova.com.au

 

 

Sword Art Online is available to own now on DVD, Blu-Ray and coming soon to digital platforms.

 

-ENDS-

 

About Sword Art Online: 

In the near future, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released where players control their avatars with their bodies using a piece of technology called: Nerve Gear. One day, players discover they cannot log out, as the game creator is holding them captive unless they reach the 100th floor of the game’s tower and defeat the final boss. However, if they die in the game, they die in real life. Their struggle for survival starts now…

 

About Waicon:

Wai-Con is Perth’s premier anime and manga convention.  It is a event which runs yearly in Western Australia, and is powered solely through the efforts of volunteers, the local community and anime-fans throughout Western Australia.  On March 1-2 2014, Wai-Con will be hosting its 10th anniversary celebration at Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre, with special international guests, cosplay competitions, gaming, premiere anime screenings, panels, musical acts, and tons more for all ages.  Tickets are on sale now through Moshtix (www.moshtix.com.au).

 

About Supanova Pop Culture Expo:

Since 2000, Supanova Pop Culture Expo is where the adoring public comes face to face with Supa-Star celebrities and the creative talent that inspire their imaginary worlds under one big roof. Gathered from and surrounded by the wonderful worlds of comic books, animation/cartoons, science-fiction, pulp TV/movies, toys, console gaming, trading cards, fantasy, entertainment technology, books, internet sites and fan-clubs, the result is an amazing atmosphere tailor made for expressing your inner geek and where getting into cosplay (cos-tume role-play) is the obvious thing to do! It’s Comic-con, Australian style!

 

About Madman Entertainment:

Madman is a leading independent film and television distribution and rights management company, with offices in Australia and New Zealand. Madman is renowned for its commitment to quality Australian and foreign film, factual content, as well as highly collectable categories such as Japanese anime, genre film, animation and cult television.  Madman’s capabilities encompass end to end acquisition, marketing, creative, sales and distribution in all mediums and formats, from the silver screen to the digital realm.  Madman is also a proud producer of Australian film and television content. Put simply, Madman is mad for entertainment.

Sword Art Online Volume 1 Review

Sword Art Online is one of the biggest series in the Anime fandom today. It is an animated adaptation of the light novel series by the same name which follows the adventures of a player named Kirito in various online games. In this first volume of Sword Art Online, we focus on the first two novels, which in this adaptation, is the first two episodes (a few chapters in the first novel) and then a majority of the side-stories from the second. While Sword Art Online may be incredibly popular in the Anime community, it may not be for everyone.

The series starts off interestingly enough, there’s a new popular MMORPG out that everyone absolutely must have, but only 10,000 or so lucky players were actually able to get their hands on the game in it’s first run. Of these players was the main character, Kirito, a player that was also a part of the Beta Testing group of Sword Art Online, the MMORPG that the series is named after. The main plot follows the player Kirito and his harem of women as they progress through the world of Sword Art Online, which, due to a significant event on the part of the creator of the game, Kayaba, is now a game where if you die within the game, you die in real life.

This Beta Tester plot point is relevant to the story as early as the first episode (but more predominant later on), where the Beta Testers themselves are seen by the community as players with an unfair advantage. We see this concept at it’s first point of progression in the second episode though, at first where one particular player interrupts a meeting going on between a raid group that is going to take on the first boss of the game. We see it again just after the boss fight where Kirito takes it upon himself to take all of the blame that same character is placing upon the beta testers by making himself look like an edgy player and giving himself a title of Beater, which is a combination of Cheater and Beta Tester.

At it’s core, Sword Art Online is a love story set inside of an MMORPG, however, you wouldn’t get that impression after watching the first disc. This is because, for a reason that is logical but still a bit odd, the producers have kept the Animes story in chronological order to the events that have happened in the novels, rather than focusing on the main storyline as presented by the first novel. Normally, this wouldn’t feel as jarring as the first few episodes feel, except that these episodes feel entirely like filler, as the source material they were derived from were written in the knowledge that you already know bits and pieces about them. As a result of this, the first two episodes segue in together really, really well, but then you get this massive shift in tone that makes the entire series feel weird. Not only that, but each episode has a different feel and tone to each other, which further creates a bit of dissonance. It pretty much goes from hardcore raiding to murdering an entire guild, a detective story, reviving pet dragons and setting Kirito up as a massive Gary Stu character.

It’s a bit of a shame that Sword Art Online was produced this way, as we’ve seen the series as it was broadcast, so we know that it does get better. However, a new viewer that is marathoning this disc may get a little agitiated by the shifts in plot. Or maybe that was just us because we know how good the main storyline actually is. If the ordering of the series was so that the main story was handled first, and then the side stories later, like in the novels, it’d be a stronger series for it. However, we have to judge this particular disc on it’s own merits, and we feel that it is weaker for being mostly filler. We really hate writing that, as we’re massive fans of the series and know that if you stick to it, it gets a lot better, but sometimes we have to be critical of the things we love.

Generally speaking, we’re pretty indifferent to dubs. We’ll watch them where we can, we do enjoy dub-work generally, but man does the dub in SAO sound bland as fuck. Like, really, really, bland. I think the voice actor that voiced the main character had a total of one tone, bored. The vocal range on Kirito pretty much ranges from: disinterested to unamused. This really makes a lot of the more intense, both the emotional and action, scenes seem like they’re being played for laughs by the dubbing director. You know that you have a problem with your dub when character you see a total time of once have more of a range than your lead character does over the coarse of the entire selection of episodes present on this disc. For reference, we’re referring to the raid leader here, but you could literally point out any other character with minimal involvement with the plot and come to the same conclusion. What’s worse is that the secondary character (for this disc, but is actually the other Main Character), Asuna, is equally horribly dubbed. Which was weird, because I’m sure I’ve heard her voice somewhere before. Perhaps these episodes just didn’t allow her voice to shine, which could be likely, considering the plot has pretty much backseated her on this disc. While it is advisable to watch this with the Japanese language settings and English subtitles, it’s understandable that some viewers will not want to. Those viewers may become dissatisfied with this package. Watch in Japanese with subs. Do it.

As an aside to the previous paragraph, it is normal for some things to get changed around in the dubbing process, usually to make the characters more accessible, or to make a line or scene more workable in English. What doesn’t sit right is, in some cases, an entire change to the script. This is particular in one scene where in the English adaptation, Silica and Kirito are in this garden together and there are these couples. In the Japanese version, Silica just gets flustered when she notices this. In the English version, she mentions something instead of blowing it off. What’s even worse than these changes, are how the voice cast just seem to throw in 90s phrases like this was an early OVA style dub. Heck, they even throw in a few memes for good measure too. If we weren’t such active participants in Anime and Gaming culture, we’d have no idea what any of this was and it’d make less sense than it did already. Surely, we can’t be the only people that face-palm when people run around spewing memes outside of the internet?

The one thing that Sword Art Online has going for it is that it is an incredible concept that is, eventually (not on this disc), played to a near full potential. You catch a glimpse at the world building through the side-stories presented on this volume, but it all seems pointless until it all clicks with the main plot, which will begin at the start of the next disc.

If you’re a massive Sword Art Online fan, like us, definitely pick up this first volume of the series. However, if you’re new to the franchise, you may want to skip this until the next release. It’s definitely a must watch Anime, but not one that should be watched in broadcasted order. We say this as massive fans. The series has a huge fanbase, so you know there is some quality sitting around in there, just wait for it to be released.

Rating: 7.5/10

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Sword Art Online comes courtesy of Madman Entertainment here in Australia. The first volume, Aincrad, is available online at their store for $35.95. This review was done with the Blu-Ray release and as such, it should be noted that the visual quality was significantly better than the DVD counterpart.