Sword Art Online: Progressive - Aria Of A Starless Night

STORY: Asuna logs in to the Sword Art Online game with her friend Mito but there is no escape as there is no logout button to come out of the game. The only way she can come out of the game is by beating the 100 floors of Aincrad.

REVIEW: 'Sword Art Online: Progressive – Aria of a Starless Night' is the latest instalment in the Sword Art Online franchise, the first being Sword Art Online: The Movie: Ordinal Scale. Based on the novels by Reki Kawahara, the newest in the series is a fascinating watch.

The happenings in the film take place in the near future in a virtual reality world and the current instalment revolves around Asuna and Kirito. In this film, Akihiko Kayaba creates a virtual reality where people can log in to the game but can log out only if they have scaled 100 floors of Aincrad, the steel castle. Asuna in her quest to log out of the game, meets Kirito, a beta tester of the game who knows certain details about the game. The attention to little details that Kono has given to the film is just perfect. The three main characters – Asuna, Mito and Kirito have been well defined and carved out. This film allows its characters to bloom and this also means that ample time is devoted to fleshing out Asuna’s journey.

Another plus for the film is its music which keeps you invested in the proceedings. This animated adventure also deviates from the original material in the sense that it has been told from Asuna’s perspective which is not there in the original material. This added novelty actually appeals to viewers. The action scenes have been well executed and you get goosebumps at a few of those. The art direction with its breath-taking creation of the Aincrad castle is simply fabulous and it transports you to a world that is captivating. Now with K-Dramas in vogue, death games are now no more a novel concept but if something is done intelligently, people will flock to see it no matter what.

From the plot, it's evident that the film makes no effort to gain new followers and this somehow maintains the purity and sanctity of the film. If you are an anime fan and have no time to watch the series on which this is based, the movie version is well worth the time.