The much-awaited ‘Sword Art Online: Progressive‘ has finally received a key visual. The visual was unveiled on the anime’s stage on Aniplex Online Fest 2021. They also revealed that the release date of the movie is on October 30, 2021 in Japan.
To those who are not aware, ‘Sword Art Online: Progressive Aria of a Starless Night’ is a movie that shows early days of Kirito and Asuna when they were still on Aincrad. Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Haruka Tomatsu will return as the voice actors of Kirito and Asuna. Not only that, Inori Minase will also join the cast as the voice of a new character named Mito.
The movie will center specifically on Asuna’s point of view. Likewise, Mito, will be an important character in Asuna’s point of view. A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online series, 86-Eighty Six-) will take care of its production.
For your information, the movie will adapt some parts of the first volume of the light novel. Reki Kawahara started launching the ‘Sword Art Online: Progressive’ light novel in October 2012 and currently has 8 volumes. The novel shows the lives of Kirito and Asuna as they keep clearing the floors of Aincrad.
Below is the synopsis of the light novel from Yen Press:
“There’s no way to beat this game. The only difference is when and where you die…”
One month has passed since Akihiko Kayaba’s deadly game began, and the body count continues to rise. Two thousand players are already dead.
Kirito and Asuna are two very different people, but they both desire to fight alone. Nonetheless, they find themselves drawn together to face challenges from both within and without. Given that the entire virtual world they now live in has been created as a deathtrap, the surviving players of Sword Art Online are starting to get desperate, and desperation makes them dangerous to loners like Kirito and Asuna. As it becomes clear that solitude equals suicide, will the two be able to overcome their differences to find the strength to believe in each other, and in so doing survive?
Sword Art Online: Progressive is a new version of the Sword Art Online tale that starts at the beginning of Kirito and Asuna’s epic adventure–on the very first level of the deadly world of Aincrad!
In addition, Aniplex of America has licensed the movie for North American Theaters in 2021. ODEX Anime also announced that the film will come in Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, and Myanmar in the same year. The film will also be available in the regions of Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Middle East, and North Africa.
You can also read more news and details about the anime, just stay tuned here in Anime Corner!
Fun Fact: According to Reki Kawahara’s interview in Aniplex, he started writing Sword Art Online series in Fall 2001, which makes the light novel almost 20 years old.
Source: Aniplex Online Fest 2021, Anime’s official Twitter account
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