Monday Anime: Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale

Ah, SAO. The gift that just keeps on giving. Really, honestly, I wish I could quit you, SAO.

Nah, I really don’t. I love SAO, flaws and all. Cause, really, who wants perfect? Talk about a fools dream. Truth be told, I’ll always take an entertaining, flawed show that really tries to be good, over a dull show that tries to be perfect. Every time, I’ll go for the former.

To put it as simply as I can, it’s because shows with flaws have room to grow. They have space to improve. Watching that can be pretty damn exciting. Take Agents of SHIELD as an example. The first couple of seasons were pretty rough. The show had a lot of flaws, but that just gave it the room to grow into the show it became, which is, as of their last season finale, pretty damn awesome.

I’m sure I’m not mentioning that because SAO and the last season of SHIELD both featured virtual reality, though. Just a coincidence, I’m sure.

Yup. Totally sure.

Such a bald faced lie, they are too shocked to ruin all of anime forever!

Anyway, I’m sure you get what I’m driving at here. From the Aincrad story arc to the Mother’s Rosario arc, SAO grew by leaps and bounds. It was always seeking to improve and redefine itself. Yet, never to forget where it started. The whole of the franchise is built entirely on what comes before, with new characters joining the cast at every new turn.

The entire GGO arc is built on the worst aspects of the Aincrad arc, and forcing Kirito to face the horrible things even he had to do to survive. It confronts the PTSD he has been living with, and trying to ignore, and gives him a chance to grieve for those he lost, those he killed, and to try to begin healing the wounds he has been carrying around for years.

But he wasn’t the only one who was left with open wounds from Aincrad and the death game Kayaba created. Other people suffered because of SAO, and that’s where the movie turns. To addressing just how much pain Kayaba dumped into the world, and how far some would go to try and regain what they had lost.

Which makes this one of the most interesting turns in the SAO franchise. Whether it was intentional or not, original creator Reki Kawahara has created a story line that constantly addresses loss, grief, trauma, and sorrow, while always being about finding positive ways to confront and address them. It doesn’t wallow in the tragedy, but instead, looks for hope in the dark.

If you ever wonder why I love SAO, that’s why. It never gives up on the idea of hope, no matter how awful things get. That’s pretty special.

It also always find the way forward, by not being afraid to face the past. It’d take more than I can fit into this review to explain why that matters to me, but it does. For now, let me simply say that the past defines us, who we are, and how we got to be the person we are. Keeping it close, that is the light that illuminates the road forward. Always.

SAO gets that. That matters.

Well, I’ve rambled enough that Weekend Otaku is already furrowing his brow at me. Lets get on with the review, shall we?

While we’re still young, maybe?

Released in February of 2017, which would be this year still, Ordinal Scale is a continuation of the Sword Art Online anime series, picking up where season two ended. As with the anime, the film is from A-1 Pictures, a greatly reviled studio that makes a lot of awesome anime, such as Black Butler, Working, Ano Hana, Tsuritama, Your Lie In April, Erased, and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash. Ya know, just to name a few of the shows A-1 has produced that people rave about, while spitting the name of the studio as some sort of curse.

Yeah, I really don’t like hypocrites. Claims that A-1 only produces shit anime irritate me, because they come from the same critics who praise many of their shows. It’s almost as if they are business or something, which is absurd, as we all know anime studios only exist to create esoteric art, or porn.

Crap. I’m rambling again.

One day, I’ll get into this whole A-1 thing. Today, let’s talk about SAO.

Cause it’s all about me, dammit!

Ordinal Scale picks up a little bit after Mother’s Rosario, as Kirito and crew find a new generation of VR sweeping the nation. Called Augma, the small headset is basically augmented reality, not unlike something Kirito himself was thinking about trying to create.

Augma is pretty much just what it sounds like, a way to augment reality. It can replace all of your internet devises, and serve as a phone and web browser, stream video, and provide you with constant updates in real time to pretty much anything you might want. It’s also a big source of advertising, with Augma users being treated to special rewards, coupons, and services for using Augma in public spaces.

Liz, Silica, and Asuna think it’s cool. Kirito kind of hates it. Still, he goes along, because his friends provide enough peer pressure to make him cave. Cause that’s what friends do.

Klein, on the other hand, has gotten into a new VR game that is only available through Augma, called Ordinal Scale. It’s a lot like ALO, but rather than controlling an avatar with your mind, you have to sue your real world physical capabilities to fight monsters.

Also, because he’s Klein, he’s hoping to score a date with Ordinal Scale’s mascot, a pretty girl named Yuna, who often sings to players during battles. Cause Klein learned nothing from the Excalibur arc.

Pretty girls always turn into monsters, Klein. C’mon, man!

That came out way more sexist that I meant it.

Moving on…

This totally makes it okay. Mmm. Lesbian subtext.

Again giving in to peer pressure from his friends, Kirito decides to check out one of Ordinal Scale’s events. There, he and Asuna are shocked to discover that the monster that arrives is a floor boss from the original Aincrad. They also meet Eiji, the number 2 ranked player in Ordinal Scale. Then, Kirito falls on his face, and has to be saved by Asuna.

Haters everywhere cheered.

Bothered by a floor boss from SAO showing up in OS, Kirito begins to look into the game, as Klein and his guild are attacked by Eiji, ad Asuna starts really getting into the game. Things escalate quickly, when during an event, two floor bosses, including one above the 75th floor, where Kirito and Heathcliff had their duel, shows up.

No player could no what was above the 75th floor. No SAO survivor ever saw that far. That it arrives is an impossibility, made worse by Asuna having her HP reduced to zero protecting Silica. While she is physically unharmed, she soon realizes she’s lost all of her memories of being in SAO.

She knows she was. She knows what happened, but can remember none of the specifics, as if she only read about it, instead of living it. Taking her to the doctor that was treating Yuki in Mother’s Rosario, Kirito and Asuna learn that this is becoming a wide spread affliction among SAO survivors who play OS.

Realizing Eiji has something to do with it, and now being haunted by a strange phantom girl in white he can only see with Augma, Kirito throws himself fully into OS, training with Suguha, and determined to find a way to restore Asuna’s memories, before their very relationship could possibly be lost.

The back up dancers prepare to make their move.

 

Which is where the movie starts getting really good. I mean, stuff I really want to talk about, but don’t want to spoil, so I won’t. I may do a spoiler post on this movie later, but for now, let me say that the finale of this movie is FUCKING AWESOME!

Seriously, the finale takes everything SAO has done, and built over two seasons, and brings it to bear in a way that is profound, meaningful, emotional, beautiful, and painful. It really is just awesome.

Now, that said, let’s talk about Kirito, Asuna, and some of the rest of the cast.

As usual, Kirito is hated by the anime elitist community, but again proves himself to just be a traditional hero figure by trying to do what is right. As soon as he realizes that something is off with Augma, he goes into his usual mode of trying to sort through the information he has, and find a way to protect the people he cares about.

There is nothing wrong with that. That’s a normal human response. Which just makes Kirito a normal human.

Oh, and before anyone complains that he got too good at OS too fast, way back in the Aincrad and ALO arcs, it was mentioned that he use to be in the kendo club, and had only dropped out a couple years before the SAO incident. He actually does have practical, real world sword training. Sure, only with kendo, but still, more than the average person might possess.

Just wanted to throw that out there. Kirito isn’t suddenly good. He has actual training, and just needed to brush up on his real world skills. That’s all.

Okay, so, more than just brush up.

Other than that, Kirito is still Kirito. Brave, impulsive, noble, kind, and willing to fight to protect those he loves. Which, again, are all good qualities. I’d much rather people look up to Kirito than most other anime protagonists, as he actually embodies the sort of people, and mindset, this sorry world really needs more of.

Also, he’s not that OP in this. Yes, Kirito is often OP, but in this, he really isn’t.

Asuna is where the real story lies with Ordinal Scale. As always, Asuna is the brightest spot in the show. Strong, smart, brave, capable, and kind, she is everything we expect, and remember her to be. Which is why it’s a smart writing move to hurt her.

We all love Asuna. Even people who hate SAO love Asuna. It’s cause she’s awesome. So, poking her in the eye with a sharp stick is going to draw a quick, and visceral reaction from anyone watching this movie. While she’s not ever physically hurt, she has something precious taken from her. The very experiences that made her the woman we all loved.

Without SAO, Asuna would not be Asuna. She’d be someone else. Someone weaker. Someone lesser. Someone who didn’t know how to command, or how to fight for what she believed in, and wanted from life. Those are the very things about her many of us who love SAO, love about her. So, those are, naturally, the very things the film threatens to take away.

Which means she’s gonna have to stab a fucker for trying.

This makes Kirito’s reaction obvious, as well. Of course he’d want to fight to protect that. Of course he’s do anything it took to restore those things, because those are the things about her he loves as well.

Without giving any spoilers, I will say that anyone fearing this has made Asuna into a damsel in distress, fear not. This is still Asuna we’re talking about. She may not remember, but no one can take what she feels away from her. She knows, in her heart, that as hard as Kirito is willing to fight for her, she must be willing to fight for him. Together, they must fight for each other.

So, yeah, Asuna fights. There’s no idle waiting. She’s mother fucking Asuna, dammit. The Lightening Flash. The Berserk Healer. No lost memory can take from her what she feels, and the qualities that gave her those titles, they came from her heart.

And boy, when she fights, it is incredible.

Not just her, either, but the whole cast. Everyone gets something to do. Egil, Liz, Silica, Klein, and Sinon are all there, as part of the story, helping, and doing what they do. When the finale comes, they do their part, as do many others who we know from the sprawling worlds that Kirito and Asuna have visited in the virtual ravels.

Hell even that dipshit from the government, the one who dragged Kirito into the whole Death Gun mess, shows up. Really, there’s a a ton of cameos from across the two seasons of SAO, and all of them are fun little Easter eggs, while also serving an actual purpose in the movie.

Eh, I guess. I mean, I AM Kirito, ya know.

Even Yui, known for being adorable to many, and annoying to me, proves her worth, and kicks some serious ass by the end. I’ll admit, she redeemed herself greatly in my eyes, and I kind of like her a bit more now.

Dammit. I hate when SAO makes me do that. Yui isn’t so bad, okay? There. I said it. She’s kinda cool. Happy now?

Fuckers.

In terms of animation, the movie is good, with moments of being great, and moments of being not so great. By which I mean that there’s a few places where the quality dips, and the animation gets a little muddy. It’s not terrible, like those places in Legend of the Legendary Heroes was, but it’s obvious, and a bit annoying.

That said, the places where the animation is great, it is incredible. Especially the finale. Wooza, but that as a hell of a piece of animation. A massive battle with dozens of characters moving, and it looks mind blowingly good. Really, the whole thing is just amazing.

Still, a bit of mixed bag on the animation. The backgrounds are stunning, though, and the character designs great, consistent, and fluid. So, I’d have to call it more good than bad, and give it a positive overall in the animation department.

We aren’t as bad as we could be! Woo hoo!

The movie was directed by Tomohiko Ito, who had previously directed the entire SAO series, as well as Erased, and Silver Spoon. He’s got more cred that that, though, as he also worked on the script for Death Note, where he also served as the Assistant Director, did he story boards and served as an episode director on Ano Hanna, and was the assistant director on The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

Basically, Ito knows his shit. Which is why he also co-wrote the screenplay for the movie with original SAO creator Reki Kowahara. Anybody who wants to call Kowahara a hack is gonna have a little bit harder time after this, as he does do a good job of building on everything SAO has done to this point in order to deliver an emotionally charged finale.

Which was me getting ahead of myself.

The direction is everything you’d expect from Ito at this point, Sharp, to put it bluntly. He knows the story, since he helped write it, and has lived and breathed SAO for two seasons. He brings his A game, and delivers a well filmed movie from start to finish, with strong emotional motivation for the characters, including the films antagonists, and ties it all together with incredibly well choreographed fight scenes that are the most epic things SAO has done yet.

He does a damn good job of directing the hell out of this movie, is what I’m saying.

Samurai pizza cats?

Back to the writing front, the movie does have a two hour run time, as Ito and Kowahara devote a good chuck of the first two acts to establishing not just Augma, and Ordinal Scale, but spending time with the characters, both protagonist and antagonist, so we do clearly understand what motivates them, who they are, and why they do what they do. While the movie is a bit slow through some of that, it’s all important, and pretty well put together so that it is interesting, if a bit less pulse pounding than the fight scenes.

Overall, it’s a damn good movie, but it does have two flaws. The first being that the tech used to do what is done, doesn’t make a ton of sense, but then again, this is SAO, so who the hell cares? The tech has never made any sense. It’s science fiction. You kind of have to roll with it.

The second being that for people not familiar with SAO, this move is going to be confusing as shit. Not that I care about those people, but considering that this could have served as a gateway for new fans, the film kind of fails in that department.

That one guy in the Alphonse Elric cosplay has no idea he’s in the wrong franchise.

However, despite that, and on the other hand, as well as other metaphors, as a love letter for Ito and Kowahara to the fans of SAO, it’s fucking brilliant. It really is a pay off for the investment of time those who enjoy SAO have put in.

Also, Ordinal Scale premiered at #1 on the Japanese box office, so, ya know, suck it haters. SAO was the highest grossing movie the weekend it opened. I know it hurts, but you’ll always have reruns of Log Horizon. Not likely any new episodes, what with the original creator being in jail and all, while Kowahara rolls around naked in all his sweet SAO cash, but hey, reruns are something.

Yes, I really am a dick.

Overall, ordinal Scale is an amazing movie experience for fans of SAO, and a solid, well made, addition to the franchise, that does great things with the characters, while also providing us with an antagonist that is motivated by something other than being batshit crazy.

Oh, yeah, forgot to mention that. The bad guy in ordinal Scale is actually not loopy. He’s a well thought out, well crafted character who does everything he does for believable reasons, and never once cackles in glee.

Like I said before, SAO is always looking to grow, improve, and redefine itself. In Ordinal Scale, it has succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. It’s not just a great continuation of the series, but a very well made movie, with a good story.

It’s like I’m just squeezing lemon juice and salt in the wounds, ain’t it?

Suck it, haters!