Sunday 23 February 2014

SWORD ART ONLINE PART 3 REVIEW

 

Sword Art Online Part 3
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 12
Running Time: 250 Mins
Audio: English & Japanese: DD 2.0
Release Date: 24/2/2014
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

Now that Kirito has discovered who Kayaba Akihito is and has won the game, he has once again returned to the real-world, yet he has to find his friend from SAO, Asuna. He would like nothing more than to have her with him so they can celebrate, but he has to find out where she is before he can rest.

It takes him a while to get used to the real-world again, sparring with his sister and looking after his own interests and needs, but it is always in the back of his mind that he is without the company of Asuna. He seeks her out in a hospital where she is still wired up to the game unit - she never came out of the virtual world like he did, and panics when he sees others around her bedside. Noboyuki Sugo he finds out already has plans to marry Asuna even though she is in a coma. Sugo doesn't like that Kirito knew her in the game and got so close to her, but he insists he says goodbye to her, and get out even though that's not what he intends to do.

Sugo gives viewers the idea that he hates Kirito on sight, and Asuna even more so for not liking him when he knew her in the real world. As she refused his hand in marriage when she was concious, he sees it as revenge getting married to her while she is in a coma. There is also the question of what kind of disgusting acts he could get up to with her while she is in the coma. He comes across as awful and lecherous, but what happens later is enough to cause anyone shock.

Kirito finds out there is a new MMO game on the market called Alfheim Online which is similar to SAO but has magic and elves instead. When Asuna is found to be trapped inside the new game it is up to him to start playing and release her, but it isn't as easy as he thinks as she is at the top of the World Tree where she is kept outside the castle in a bird cage.

Kirito is back for another game even though he took great pains to get out of the last one. As he has to rescue Asuna he's prepared to risk his relationship with his sister and others he knows  and you get to realise she must mean a lot to him. At first he thinks he is on his own in Alfheim, but he has people who trust and help him get where he needs to go. He does  have to learn how to use his wings as he has chosen to enter the world as a Spriggan. I liked that Yui their adopted daughter from SAO is in this as a navigation fairy who gets him out of trouble more often than not, while Kirito strains to use his wings. He also has to be on guard as there are lots of enemies who are looking to kill off players just like SAO. As I mentioned before, he isn't alone, he finds Leafa when he falls on his head into the game the first time, and stops some rogue knights killing her and taking her possessions she's won in the game. Even though he has his problems, at least he knows he can use all he's learned from SAO to fight with when Leafa least expects it. What amazes me is that the series should have ended in part 2, but I am glad that it's taken off again and it's become one that sounds like Rapunzel with a sense of humour.


Bonus Material: Web Trailer 1, Web Trailer 2, Web Trailer 3, Web Trailer 4, Web Trailer 5, Episode 15-16 Web Clips, Episode 17-19 Web Clips, Text less Opening and Text less closing.

Verdict: Dungeons & Dragons style theme works well with the characters and their overall problems they face daily - slick writing and well thought out dramatics make this a very promising series.

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