Review by yvueena
Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale good
Note that, I’m not SAO series fans. I hadn’t posted the review of its 1st season, but I really don’t like it, I thought it was too much exaggerating, too imba characters and lame romance. The 2nd season is better than its 1st for me. Still, with not too much impression for SAO series, I wished the Movie (Ordinal Scale) would give a new breakthrough point. I would like to join in the crowds and hype, there I was, along with other kind of アニメ lovers let myself made a chance for SAO - Ordinal Scale to impress me…and here is my review.



VISUALIZATION
It’s well… good, maybe between good or great (better than just “good”). The city panorama and the bosses they fight as well as the fighting itself is calculated nicely. The Ordinal Scale movie, which timing for the fighting is usually at night, is given us the vibrant of dark and haunting feeling. It supports the story as it gets more intrigue all over the place. The switch between real life and Ordinal Scale’s space is great that the surrounding around you suddenly, still in the same place and kind of architecture, turns into something similar in different realm. When they’re switching into fighting mode, the camera pan / its angle perfectly took place to show the greatest part of the characters which is varied, added with several match facial expressions. Regarding to the characters in the movie, there are only several characters added here. Several major and minor characters; those are the core characters who become the basic reasoning of its plot. The additional characters are the basic story for this movie. They have just, well say, good enough characters design.

STORY
“It basically the same SAO”.
That’s no other suitable sentence to describe this.
The very idea is trying to have another kind or method of trapped people in a game that harm their lives (because of the creator’s sole purpose). At first, it’s trying to convince the viewers that the new game called Augma which is created by an old experienced geezer will not make the players lost its consciousness to the real world like Sword Art Online series using AmuSphere did before. It guarantees the players to enjoy the sense of “gaming” in the form of reality.
Simply to say, you’re actually gaming a kind of game like Sword Art Online, in here named Ordinal Scale, with full human sense (hearing, touch, taste, smell, sight). Well, to support this game, it’s using “real human capability” as indicator. I think by adding this way, Ordinal Scale tries to change the viewers speculation about what the MMORPG series is all about. The usage/function of the “real human capability” is a challenge the game offers to them. No other option than to fight the bosses/monsters with our basic own body’s limitation. The characters surely having difficulties to sway their weapons, to move instantly like in the virtual game world with all of the advantages for body limitations and skill, fatigues as the real human. However, sometimes the movie still makes no sense of letting the characters powerfully deal damage to the bosses/monsters and jumping so high and gracefully. It’s also not clear how far the limitation of human body to the user ability when they activate and transform into themselves in the Ordinal Scale realm.

Still related to its story, as I said above, SAO - Ordinal Scale tries to point out that it’s not the same as previous SAO series, but the fact the show gives us “the same SAO”. With its figured final consequences that harm the users lives, the effect to the users especially mentally exactly the same. And I felt like the rest after that is just SAO in another way of visualization. They’re going mad, start to fight all over the places with overly-dramatic reaction it shouldn’t be. Well, it’s reasonable that this show is really for young teenagers who’s still in puppy love. Furthermore, after that the limitation of power they have somehow start to fade away and they show skillfully themselves in a level far from what they begin at first (without any effort shown).

CHARACTERIZATION
The characters development is what this movie lacks about, except for the heroine, Asuna. She is, again, like the center of everything (even though she isn’t). She is the gear to support the ending. She puts in as the victim and later become the life-saver. It doesn’t make sense for me she becomes something “wow” with the kind of power and experiences she has. Only by that and represents in a hurry like she is one of those exceptions with unlimited power who can improve to its best.

MUSIC
I was pleased by the theme songs. Then, as expected from LiSA to be charged for the ED theme I guess. However, the ED is not as masterpiece as others brag about. Truly I felt unpleasant recalling the time I thought “the soundtracks are fucking amazing” when it’s just “great”. Put in some upbeat theme songs when the tension rises. Slower tension and slower theme songs, change it into dramatic feelings when the complicated matters come up. The ED from Lisa “Catch the Moment” is between melodious and upbeat. The combination of sweet piano tunes, resolute drum beat, and titillating guitar rhythm.
**The movie merchandise can be found HERE, the badge set is cute with chibi design on it and there’s a simple yet dope tote bag.


Well, the plus points are for how well-planned this movie with its effort to come out with something fresher and new with Augma technology that I amazed at first, visualization anyway, theme songs, and how I enjoyed it. Still, it’s like the 1st SAO that becomes overly dramatic (somehow overrated) and lack of development. For me, its rate is around 7.