SAO

Anime Sunday: GGO Episode 01 Impressions

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This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering a spin off of a rather popular series. It’s my Sword Art Online Alternative: GGO Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot Synopsis: In the online virtual reality game, Gun Gale Online, a girl with the username Llenn participates in a team-based Battle Royale event called Squad Jam alongside her teammate M…

Plot: The plot of this first episode is pretty great, with plenty of action. It also doesn’t include Kirito at all, which is a blessing in my eyes since he’s either a dense as a rock, or really cruel, harem protagonist.

Characters: Llenn is a tiny girl who is pretty timid, but shows some real backbone when the going gets tough. Though her character design is rather ridiculous, being one of the shortest main characters I’ve ever seen. The rest of the cast, who is rather limited in this first episode is pretty interesting.

Art: The art of this first episode is pretty great, but given that this project probably got a huge budget that is hardly surprising. So while good, it’s not spectacular and definitely not close to reaching ufotable’s standard.

Music: The music is pretty great, and while reminiscent of the main series it’s got it’s own feel.

Overall: If you love the premise of the Sword Art Online series, but hate Kirito, you’ll probably love this spin off.

For those who like: VRMMOs, Gaming, FPS Games, Battle Royales, Fantastic Female Lead, Decent Plot, Good Artwork.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

TNT: The New Gate Volume 01 by Kazanami Shinogi

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This week for Translation Necessary Thursday I’m covering a Light Novel I read last summer! It’s The New Gate Volume 01 by Kazanami Shinogi!

Plot Synopsis: “THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players. But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light.

Plot: Does that sound like Sword Art Online? Good because it takes that premise and then ditches it promptly. That isn’t to say there aren’t similarities between the two series, or this series and others, but it’s not really at all like Sword Art Online. I won’t spoil the real twist to the series, but needless to say I found it refreshing.

Characters: Shin is the main character and it’s kind of nice to see a guy just enjoy what he encounters. That isn’t to say he isn’t freaked out, but it’s nice to see someone take his situation and have a good time. The series doesn’t really introduce the main female lead in this volume, but we do get hints to her identity. However Tiera is a wonderful stand in for this volume and hell she might actually end up being the female lead, though I somewhat don’t think that will be the case. The rest of the cast is interesting as well.

Art: The art is nice and gritty compared to other Light Novels, which is a nice change of pace for me.

Overall: An excellent read, and one I’ll recommend to any fantasy lovers.

For those who like: Fantasy, Adventure, Fun, Action, Excellent Cast of Characters, Great Plot, Awesome Artwork.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Light Novel Thursday: Sword Art Online by Reki Kawahara

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This week I’m covering the very first Light Novel I ever read, Sword Art Online by Reki Kawahara.

Plot Synopsis: Sword Art Online (SAO) is a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG), released in 2022. With the Nerve Gear, a virtual reality helmet that stimulates the user’s five senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds.

On November 6, 2022, the players log in for the first time, and later discover that they are unable to log out. They are then informed by Akihiko Kayaba, SAO’s creator, that if they wish to be free, they must reach the 100th floor of the game’s tower and defeat the final boss. However, if their avatars die in-game, their bodies will also die in the real world. One of these players is Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya, who was chosen as one of the 1,000 beta testers in the closed beta. Since he had previous experience and knowledge of the game, he felt that he could beat the game easily. As a result, he set out on an adventure to beat the game.

Plot: The plot is very character driven and focuses on Kirito’s struggle to deal with issues like Player-Killing, which is taken to a whole new level in the first arc, and his relationship with games after becoming trapped in a death game. I really enjoyed the plot as a whole because it shows Kirito’s thoughts and makes him a much more human character rather than who you see in the Anime adaptation. It also go much faster through the plot, because the first season of the anime took two volumes the first and the second, which was made solely of side stories that happen between Day 1 of SAO and the first chapter of SAO which is two years later.

Characters: I really enjoy the characters of SAO, because while the Anime was pretty good it made Kirito out to be too two-dimensional, and didn’t show any of his thoughts which helped make him a better character in the light novels.

Art: The art in the first few novels is okay, but could have been better and it becomes much better the third volume.

Overall: If you enjoy Virtual Reality stories, or video games in general, you’ll enjoy this series.

For those who like: Science-Fiction mixed with a bit of Fantasy, Romance, Virtual Reality, Video Games, MMORPG’s.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.