Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night

Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night (Japanese: 劇場版 ソードアート・オンライン プログレッシブ 星なき夜のアリア, Hepburn: Gekijōban Sōdo Āto Onrain Puroguresshibu Hoshi-naki Yoru no Aria) also known as Sword Art Online: Progressive the Movie – Hoshi Naki Yoru no Aria or Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night is a 2021 Japanese animated science fiction action adventure film based on the Sword Art Online: Progressive novels written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. The film is produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Ayako Kawano, and is an official part of the Sword Art Online storyline, featuring an original story by Kawahara, character designs by Kento Toya and music by Yuki Kajiura. This is the second film after Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale of the Sword Art Online series. The film depicts the story of the encounter between Kirito, also known as the "Black Swordman" and Asuna, also known as the "Lightning Flash". The title "Aria of a Starless Night" derives from volume 1, chapter 1 of the Progressive light novel series and covers events on Aincrad's first floor, in particular Asuna's initial struggle to cope with the realities of her new world.

Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night
Theatrical release poster
Japanese劇場版 ソードアート・オンライン プログレッシブ 星なき夜のアリア
HepburnGekijōban Sōdo Āto Onrain Puroguresshibu Hoshi no Nai Yoru no Aria
Directed byAyako Kawano
Written byReki Kawahara
Based onSword Art Online: Progressive
by Reki Kawahara
Starring
[1]
Music byYuki Kajiura
CinematographyKentarō Waki
Edited byShigeru Nishiyama
Animation byKento Toya
Production
company
A-1 Pictures
Distributed byAniplex
Release date
2021
Running time
100 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Sword Art Online: Progressive Movie 2 – Rondo of a Fragile Blade (Japanese: 劇場版 ソードアート・オンライン：プログレッシブムービー2 –壊れやすい刃のロンド, Hepburn: Gekijōban Sōdoāto onrain: Puroguresshibumūbī 2 – Hakanaki Ken no Rondo) will be release in 2022. The second film is still in production. The second film has been adapted from the second volume of the Sword Art Online: Progressive light novel series. The Progressive movie series is set to end by 2024, i.e it would adapt the Concerto of Black and White, Barcarolle of Froth, and Scherzo of Deep Night story arcs.[2] The fourth and final season of Sword Art Online, adapted from "Unital Ring" arc is set to release in 2024.[3]

Plot

In 2022, Akihiko Kayaba created a virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game (VRMMORPG) named Sword Art Online (SAO) .[S 1] NerveGear was the helmet through which user stimulates their five senses via their brain, so that they can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds. The NerveGear was also created by Akihiko Kayaba.

On 6 November 2022, 10,000 players log into SAO's mainframe cyberspace for the first time with high expectation in next genaration of gaming but end up only to discover that they are unable to log out of game i.e they are stuck inside the deady game of the creator. Meanwhile, Akihiko Kayaba appear only to tell the players that if they wish to be free then they must beat all 100 floors of Aincrad, a steel castle which is the setting of SAO . That was the only way through which players could log out, freeing themselves out the clutches of Akihiko's evil plan. He also states that those who suffer in-game deaths or forcibly remove the NerveGear out-of-game will suffer real-life deaths, meaning no return.

Asuna Yuuki entered this deadly game. Upon entering the game, She felt so sorrowful for falling into the trap. She decided to isolated herself from greater groups and guilds, formed to attack each floor boss as she vow to fight alone . She was a highly skilled player who was popularly known as the "Lightning Flash". Later on, She became the Vice- Commander of Knight of Blood.

Kazuto Kirigaya,also known as "Kirito" was one of 1,000 testers in the game's previous closed beta. He has the advantage of previous VR gaming experience. On the first day of the assault, he decided to protect other beta testers from discrimination. He isolates himself from the greater groups and plays the game alone, bearing the mantle of "beater", a portmanteau of "beta tester" and "cheater". Every single day has became a struggle for him to survive so to outperform fear i.e to grow stronger.

After one month of release, more than two thousand players have lost their lives as players couldn't survive the ultra difficult and harsh climate of the VRMMORPG. As the players progress throughout the game, Kirito befriended Asuna as she was rare, high-level player. They end up in a romantic relationship and even formally got married in game. Both of them decided to fight together so that they can free themselves as well as other from the game and lead a normal life. They also decided to meet each other, even exchanging real name and address so that they can continue their romantic relationship.

Production

After the finale of Sword Art Online: Alicization – War of Underworld, an anime adaptation of Sword Art Online: Progressive was announced on September 19, 2020. The trailer of the film was released on AnimeUS and Aniplex USA on November 8 and 19, 2020 respectively.[4][5] The first trailer of the film was released of the official twitter account of the anime.[6] It was later revealed to be a new film titled Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night, as per the official USA website of the anime. The film is set to premiere in 2021. The film has been adapted from the first volume of the Sword Art Online: Progressive light novel series.

In the earlier installment of the Sword Art Online, Kirito was the main protagonist. He was the central character throughout the series including one film. This would be the first time that Asuna has been highlighted as the heroine of the story, i.e the film.The story just focus on her struggle and perspective of the game and how she overcame everything including fighting monsters, marrying Kirito, and exploring the next-gen games. So the director said that we can expect less screentime of lord Kirito and more of Asuna and her side of the story as they are animating the film as the source of light novel series.[7]

Ayaka Kawano is directing the film, with Yasuyuki Kai as the action director, and A-1 Pictures returning for production.[8] The voice cast from the anime series returned to reprise their roles in the film. Voice actor Yoshitsugu Matsuoka returns as Kirito and Haruka Tomatsu returns as Asuna.

A new website for the film was launched, firstly in Japan then for the United States. The official USA website of the film was launched on 11 November 2020.[9]

Voice Cast
See also: List of Sword Art Online characters
Character Japanese English
Kirito / Kazuto Kirigaya Yoshitsugu Matsuoka Bryce Papenbrook
Asuna / Asuna Yuuki Haruka Tomatsu Cherami Leigh
Leafa / Suguha Kirigaya Ayana Taketatsu Cassandra Lee Morris
Yui Kanae Itō Stephanie Sheh
Silica / Keiko Ayano Rina Hidaka Christine Marie Cabanos
Lisbeth / Rika Shinozaki Ayahi Takagaki Sarah Anne Williams
PoH / Vassago Casals Tsuyoshi Koyama Xander Mobus
Klein / Ryōtarō Tsuboi Hiroaki Hirata Kirk Thornton
Agil / Andrew Gilbert Mills Hiroki Yasumoto Patrick Seitz
Akihiko Kayaba Kōichi Yamadera Marc Diraison
Heathcliff Tōru Ōkawa David W. Collins
Seijirō Kikuoka Toshiyuki Morikawa Matthew Mercer
Kuradeel Kōji Yusa Doug Erholtz
Kizmel (キズメル, Kizumeru) Shizuka Itou TBA
Yuna / Yuuna Shigemura Sayaka Kanda Ryan Bartley
Nautilus/ Eiji / Eiji Nochizawa Yoshio Inoue Chris Patton
Dr. Tetsuhiro Shigemura Takeshi Kaga Jamieson Price
Sachi (サチ, Sachi) Saori Hayami Xanthe Huynh
Argo (アルゴ, Arugo) /

Hosaka Tomo (帆坂朋, Tomo Hosaka)

 Shiori Izawa Cassandra Lee Morris
Sasha (サーシャ, Sāsha) Kyouko Fujii Erika Harlacher
Thinker (シンカー, Shinkā) Takahiro Mizushima Victor Sgroi
Yolko (ヨルコ, Yoruko) Nozomi Yamamoto Natalie Hoover
Yulier (ユリエール, Yuriēru) Ryoko Shiraishi Amanda C. Miller

Release

The film is set to premiere in 2021 in Japan. The theatrical version of the first limited edition advance ticket using a teaser visual with Asuna standing in front of "Aincrad" was released on 28 December 2020 on the official website at Aniplex+.[10] The production studio announced that the first limited edition advance ticket of the film was the world's fastest advance ticket sale. These tickets are expected to be delivered by the end of February 2021.[11] Aniplex of America has licensed the film to release it in North American theaters in 2021.[12][13]

Notes
  1. As depicted in the first volume of Sword Art Online: Progressive light novel series

References
  1. "Sword Art Online the Movie:Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night". binged. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  2. "Sword Art Online: Progressive movie release date: SAO Aria of the Starless Night (Hoshi Naki Yoru no Aria) in 2021 [Trailer]". Monsters and Critics. 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  3. Llewellyn, Tom (2020-11-09). "Sword Art Online season 4: Anime may not return until 2024, Progressive movie announced". HITC. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  4. "Sword Art Online: Progressive Light Novels Get Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  5. "Sword Art Online: Progressive The Movie – Official Trailer – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  6. "アニメ ソードアート・オンライン 公式". Twitter.
  7. Ashish (2020-11-22). "Sword Art Online: Progressive The Movie New Trailer, Release Date, and Plot". Otakusmart. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  8. "Sword Art Online: Progressive Anime Is Film Opening in 2021 From A-1 Pictures". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  9. "SWORD ART ONLINE the Movie -PROGRESSIVE- Official Website". SWORD ART ONLINE the Movie -PROGRESSIVE- Official Website. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  10. "『劇場版 ソードアート・オンライン プログレッシブ 星なき夜のアリア』オフィシャルサイト". 『劇場版 ソードアート・オンライン プログレッシブ 星なき夜のアリア』オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  11. "劇場版 ソードアート・オンライン プログレッシブ 星なき夜のアリア 限定版前売券 第1弾｜ANIPLEX+". ANIPLEX+ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-02-04.
  12. "Sword Art Online: Progressive Hoshi Naki Yoru no Aria (movie) - Anime News Network". www.animenewsnetwork.com. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  13. Inc, Aniplex of America. "Aniplex of America". aniplexusa.com. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
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