A thorough review of Kawahara Reki's new work "Sword Art Online Two"!

The appeal and evaluation of "Kawahara Reki's silent approval of Sound Art Online Two"

■Overview of the work

"Kawahara Reki's Consent: Sword Art Online Two" is an OVA released on October 22, 2014, based on the light novel series "Sword Art Online" by Kawahara Reki. This OVA was produced as an animated character commentary video by SD characters and released by Aniplex. It was directed by Ito Tomohiko and produced by A-1 Pictures.

■ Story

"Sword Art Online Online" depicts the story one year after the "Sword Art Online" incident. The protagonist, Kirito, is asked by Seijiro Kikuoka of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to investigate the "Death Gun" incident that occurred in the VRMMO "Gun Gale Online (GGO)". In this incident, a strange phenomenon occurred in which players shot by the "Death Gun" in "GGO" died in the real world. Kirito logs into "GGO" and wanders around the unfamiliar game in search of clues about the "Death Gun". Meanwhile, he meets a sniper girl named Sinon who uses a long rifle, the "Hecate II", and with her help, he challenges the human tournament "Bullet of Bullets" in an attempt to make contact with the "Death Gun".

■Explanation

This OVA is included in the first volume of the packaged version of Sword Art Online II. It is in the form of an animated character commentary video by SD characters, and is valuable content for fans to enjoy a new side of the characters. Although it is a short OVA, it condenses the charm of the original work and is a work that will leave viewers satisfied.

■Cast

The voice actors for the main characters are as follows:

• Kirito/Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
• Asuna/Haruka Tomatsu
• Leafa/Ayana Taketatsu
• Yui/Kanae Ito
• Silica/Rina Hidaka
• Lisbeth/Ayahi Takagaki
• Sinon/Sawashiro Miyuki
• Klein/Hiroaki Hirata

These voice actors are continuing to participate from the original anime series and express the personalities of the characters well. In particular, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka's role as Kirito faithfully reproduces the atmosphere of the original, giving viewers a sense of security.

■ Main staff

The following staff members were involved in the production of this work:

• Original work: Reki Kawahara (published by Dengeki Bunko)
• Original illustrations, character design: abec
• Director: Tomohiko Ito
• Chief animation director: Shingo Adachi, Yu Yamashita
• Action animation director: Ryuta Yanagi, Tetsuya Takeuchi
• Gun animation director: Yu Aoki
• Main animator: Kengo Matsumoto
• Monster design/Ryuta Yanagi
• Prop design: Tonobu Tsuneki, Takehiro Ishimoto
• Art Director: Yusuke Takeda (Bamboo), Takayuki Nagashima (Bamboo)
• Art setting: Yoshinori Shiozawa
• Concept art by Sotaro Hori (CyDesignation)
• Color design: Kazuko Nakajima
• CGI Director: Ryuta Kumoto
• Director of photography: Mutsumi Usuda
• 2D Works/Takeshi Hirooka
• Edited by Shigeru Nishiyama
• Effects/Yasuyuki Konno
• Project Manager/GENCO
• Animation production: A-1 Pictures
• Produced by SAOⅡ Project

These staff members worked hard to faithfully recreate the worldview of the original work while maintaining high quality even in the short format of the OVA. In particular, Tomohiko Ito's skill as director was successful in bringing out the charm of the work to its fullest.

■Main Characters

The details of the main characters are as follows:

• Kirito (Kazuto Kirigaya)
  The Black Swordsman who led the way to victory in the nightmarish MMO Sword Art Online (SAO). The protagonist is calm and strong-willed, and he displays those same abilities in Gundam Go!
• Sinon (Asada Shino)
  A girl who plays the gun-and-steel MMO Gun Gale Online (GGO). She is a sniper who uses the long rifle Hecate II, and becomes Kirito's important partner.
• Asuna (Yuki Asuna)
  Kazuto's girlfriend, she is a famous player who was paired with Kirito during the "SAO" era. Her presence is a great source of support for Kirito.
• Leafa (Kirigatani Naoha)
  Kirito's younger sister. In ALO, she is a magical swordsman of the wind fairies. She cares deeply for her brother and is an important character that supports the story.
• Silica (Keiko Ayano)
  A girl who was saved by Kirito in SAO. In ALO, she takes the form of a cat fairy, which Dame is good at. Her growth is also one of the charms of the story.
• Lisbeth (Rika Shinozaki)
  The girl who forged Kirito's sword in SAO. In ALO, she is a blacksmith of the fairy artisan tribe. Her skills and friendship are indispensable to Kirito.
• Death Gun
  A mysterious avatar who carries out PKs (player kills) in Gun Gale Online. Players who are shot by the Death Gun in Gun Gale Online will die in the real world as well. He is the central enemy character in the story.
• Yui: An AI that existed in Sword Art Online, she is like a daughter to Kirito and Asuna. In Alfheim Online, she is resurrected as Navigation Pixie. Her presence adds warmth to the story.

■ Evaluation and appeal

"Kawahara Reki's Silent Acceptance Sword Art Online Two" is a must-see for fans of the original work. The format of character commentary by SD characters allows fans to enjoy new sides to the characters, providing a fresh experience. In addition, the thrilling story of the Death Gun incident in GGO has the power to draw viewers in. In particular, the relationship between Kirito and Sinon and the confrontation scene with Death Gun are worth watching, and the content is more than satisfying even in the short format of an OVA.

Additionally, the voice actors' performances are superb, expressing the personalities of the characters well. Matsuoka Yoshitsugu as Kirito and Sawashiro Miyuki as Sinon faithfully recreate the atmosphere of the original work, providing a sense of security to viewers. Furthermore, the staff's technical skills are high, and the quality of the video and audio is at an extremely high level. The depictions of firearms and action scenes in particular are visually very appealing, and have the power to draw viewers in.

■ Recommendation points

Here are some reasons why I recommend this work:

• For fans of the original work, this is valuable content that allows them to enjoy a new side of the characters.
• The thrilling story of the "Death Gun" incident in "GGO" has the power to draw viewers in.
• The voice actors' performances are superb, and they really bring out the personalities of the characters.
• The staff are highly skilled, and the quality of the video and audio is extremely high.
• Even though it is a short OVA, it manages to condense the appeal of the original work, leaving viewers with a sense of satisfaction.

■ Summary

"Kawahara Reki Silently Approved Sword Art Online Two" is a must-see for fans of the original work, and even in its short form as an OVA, it is more than satisfying. The character commentary by SD characters allows viewers to enjoy new sides to the characters, and the thrilling story of the "Death Gun" incident in "GGO" has the power to draw viewers in. The voice actors' performances and the technical skills of the staff are excellent, and the quality of the video and audio is also at an extremely high level. Be sure to watch this work and rediscover the charm of the original work.