Information:
Other Names: Phantom Bullet, SAO II, ソードアート・オンライン II
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Writer: -
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Music: Yuki Kajiura
Type: LN Adaption, TV Series, Sequel
Length: 25 mins per ep. approx. 24 Episodes
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen, Game
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 5 July 2014 - 20 December 2014
Alternate Recoomendation: .Hack (Franchise) & No Game No Life
Synopsis:
One year after the SAO incident, Kirito is approached by Seijiro Kikuoka from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Department "VR Division" with a rather peculiar request.
Review:
The sequel to the hit series Sword Art Online, I present you to Sword Art Online II featuring new characters, new stories and some character development but still has some faults left over.
The story similar to the first series can be broken up into parts known as Arcs in which their are three this time round, firstly kicking off with the first arc of the series the Phantom Bullet Arc better known as Gun Gale Online that covers the first half of the twenty four episodes; that is set after the fairy dance arc where main character Kirito has to enter another VRMMO after some recent murders in the real world who are connected to that game known as Gun Gale Online/GGO. Now firstly the first part I will praise about this arc is that it forces the two main characters Kirito and new character Sinon the badass sniper chick to face there demons over the course of the story adding in a new type of dilemma to the story other than the you will die if you are killed which also does play some part in the story but any further is spoiler territory. In actual fact I couldn't find anything wrong with the story of the first arc as the pacing was well done and the ending was nicely wrapped up by the end, other than recap episode half way through that serves no purpose and should just be skipped especially if you marathon it.
With nothing further to say I will move onto the next arc and shortest of the three, the Caliber Arc that only takes place over a few episodes and more serves as filler between the two main arcs. It features the main cast of anime undertaking a quest in the Alfhiem Online for the mysterious sword Excalibur so Kirito and harem decide it's high time that go and fetch this sword. If I can describe this arc I would compare it to the Sword Art Online Extra Edition as the principles are the same as none of the characters are in any danger and is just I bit of a break in middle of the show, and can feel a bit boring after events of the last arc.
The final arc of series was the Mother's Rosario arc in which for change Kirito is not the main character but instead is the MC is Asuna someone with barely any screen time this series and got some much needed development. The story of this arc follows Asuna as she teams up with a mysterious guild known as the sleeping knights in attempt to clear the next floor and have name etched on the Monument of Swordsman for some unknown reason. This arc has a more dramatic and nicer tone compared to the other arcs as well as being slightly depressing later on which is a nice change from previous arcs as it slightly reminds you of the Aincrad Arc from the first SAO and is overall one of the better arcs of the series.
Now for the characters of the series which I will break down into the primary and secondary characters; from which I will start with primary characters in which their are 4 with Kirito and Sinon who are the leads of the first arc of series in which they play their part quite well as Kirito the hero who can overcome anything and Sinon the Hoplophobia who plays virtual reality games to overcome it that fear, now while this seems a little mediocre they do get some actual development with the main development being on Sinon who has amazing development over the course of the series well until the Calibur Arc then she turns full blown harem candidate number whatever; but aside this even Kirito gets a little development which is nice as it makes his character more believable. The next two main characters are Asuna and Yuuki who are the primary focuses of the final arc of the series in which Yuuki the other new character gets some good development and has a mysterious like feeling through most of that arc which makes her quite an interesting person; and lastly their is Asuna who gets a good amount of focus in the Mother's Rosario Arc having a more flushed out character than before as well as a look into her family life but aside from that arc she rarely shows up in the first arc and has a minor role in second arc.
Now for secondary characters which feature quite a large cast from the good old Kirito harem who don't appear that much but do have the most screen time during the Calibur Arc which is nice thing even it is slightly limited. But the real meat of the secondary characters are in the first and third arc so to kick things of I'll start with the first which has two interesting characters both having an mysterious like feeling throughout the arc who are Death Gun out main antagonist who I must say is a amazing one having a very dark personality and interesting identity; with the other character being Sinon's best friend Shinkawa Kyouji who becomes an interesting character as the series progresses.
The other more notable secondary characters in the series are members of Yuuki's guild the Sleeping Nights who don't have much screen time but still stick out as quite mysterious and all have unique personalities.
The animation is as great as ever having much improved from the first series as the action flows better than before making some really beautiful scenes as well as backgrounds being well detailed and gorgeous.
Finally for sound which has torn me as it may sound lovely and fits some of some scenes quite perfectly it does have it's down side which is that it is the exact same soundtrack as the first series which yes is a good thing for the second and third arc as it fits them quite well but not so much for the first arc as that arc doesn't feel right with fantasy themed music over it and would have benefited more from a new soundtrack.
Story: 7.8
Characters: 7.6
Animation: 8
Sound: 7.2
Final Score: 7.8/10
Ranking System:
10 - Perfect Masterpiece
9.6 - 9.9= Near Perfect
9 - 9.5 = Excellent
7-8.9 = Good
5-6.9 = Average/Mediocre
2-4.9 =Bad
1- 1.9= Unwatchable
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