A story retold...
Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night is an 2021 anime film in the Sword Art Online franchise, based on the first novel in the Sword Art Online: Progressive light novel series by Reki Kawahara, which retells and expands on the original Aincrad Arc. The film is produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Ayako Kōno, with Yuki Kajiura returning for the music.It marks the second film released for Sword Art Online The film would receive a sequel in 2022, Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night
Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night provides examples of:
- Adaptation Expansion: The film adds additional material about Asuna's life prior to Sword Art Online and explores how she got to the point Kirito meets her in the novel.
- Adaptational Badass: Ilfang the Kobold Lord is mcuh more dangerous with his attack causing a paralysis debuff. He is much more muscular than the version in the original anime.
- Adapted Out: Lind is once again absent with Kibou taking his role.
- Big Damn Heroes: Kirito showing up out of nowhere to save Asuna from the Arcnosaur.
- The Cameo
- The plaza scene features cameos from a number of major and minor characters including Klein(in his original avatar), Lizbeth, Silica, Rosaria, Sasha, and Kuradeel.
- Johnny Black, future member of Laughing Coffin, shows up to egg on the Beta-tester hate after the boss fight
- Cannot Talk to Women: Kirito stumbles awkwardly over his words after rescuing Asuna.
- Canon Foreigner: Misumi Tozawa aka Mito is a new character introduced for this film.
- Day in the Limelight: This film is this for Asuna, focusing on her initial journey through SAO.
- Demoted to Extra:
- Agil during the Ilfang boss battle, as he gets paralyzed.
- Argo is reduced to a brief appearance at the film's end compared to her larger role in the novel.
- Dramatic Chase Opening: The film opens during the Beta test with Kirito, Mito, and a few others racing to get to the next floor before the Beta test comes to its end.
- Establishing Character Moment: Kirito shows up dramatically to rescue Asuna with his sword skills, but then awkwardly tries to exchange a few words before leaving while trying and failing to sheathe his sword across his back.
- Forgotten First Meeting: Played with. Kirito doesn't recognize Asuna when she's wearing a hood but does remember her when she loses her cloak.
- Moment of Weakness: Mito abandoning Asuna after she gets knocked down the cliff and ejecting her from the party so she doesn't have to watch her HP drop to zero and literally die before her eyes.
- Only Friend: Asuna is this to Misumi Tozawa prior to SAO.
- Perspective Flip: For Asuna telling her side of the story and how she entered SAO.
- Product Placement: Since Bandai Namco Games directly handles the Video Game adaptations of the Sword Art Online franchise, Mito's professional skills in gaming are shown by her playing the Real Life version of Tekken 7 (which is produced & owned by aforementioned company), though as of 2024 the Smartphone version of said game that she and Asuna are shown playing together has yet to be released.
- Flashbacks to Mito's unhappy childhood sees her offering to play with other little girls what is clearly a Nintendo Switch console, which has also ported a sizable number Sword Art Online games on our side of the fourth wall.
- Retcanon: For the anime, replacing the original starting episodes.
- The Scapegoat: Kirito takes this role once again to take the heat off the other Beta testers.
- 13 Is Unlucky: A morbid Freeze-Frame Bonus: the exact fateful moment that Asuna logs into and becomes trapped in Sword Art Online , is shown on her HUD to be 13 Minutes Past 1. Or more ominously in 24-hour-time, 13:13 Hours.
- You Don't Look Like You: Ilfang the Kobold Lord received a heavy redesign and doesn't really resemble his original appearance.
