Review of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching SAO AGGO and while care has been taken to minimise story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned. The Rise of Llenn a university student’s journey to gain confidence and overcome a personal complex by fighting and facing down fierce opponents as a cute and speedy girl on the bullet-ridden battlefields of GGO Online. Based off a popular light novel of the same name Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online is a spin off of the popular Sword Art Online mediafranchise that took the world with storm back in 2009 with the release of its first novel and again in 2012 with the release of the first of its hit anime. Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online often shortened to SAO AGGO gives us the opportunity to see what will happen if a university student wanting to gain the confidence that her real-world self-lacked were to discover the world of VRMMORPG’s and decide to use this to gain the confidence that she needed in the real by facing countless dangerous foes and finally live the dream of having an avatar that she wanted for so long a cute and petite avatar that contrasts with her one and greatest complex that has bothered her all her life. The first episode of the series did a great job at reintroducing me to the war-torn and bullet-ridden world of GGO and introduced quite the intriguing main character and I'm glad that I decided to stay and watch the series right to the very end.

The overall story follows the life Karen Kohiruimaki a university student that has recently moved to Tokyo from Hokkaido. As a result of her abnormally tall height, Karen has struggled with having to face weird glances and questions all of her life that resulted in the creation of a complex that has affected her life greatly. A chance encounter with an ad promoting the newly resurgent game genre of VRMMORPG’s created within Karen an idea to make use of this game genre to create an avatar that she can be proud off and use this to overcome the complex that has been bothering her all her life and bring to her via her interaction with her avatar the one thing that she needs the most. After many failed attempts and after finally reaching the last game that she had chosen Karen finally gets what she had dreamed off and desired the most an avatar that was not abnormally tall but rather cute and petite.

While fighting across the war-torn and bullet-ridden world of GGO Karen as her new avatar Llenn would fight many powerful and dangerous foes that will not only raise her fame as a GGO player but also give her real-world self the confidence that she needs to overcome the complex that so bothers her in the real. As she fights in the many battlefields that GGO offers Karen would encounter many different players that both help and hinder her in her quest to become stronger in both worlds. These include the calm and rational veteran sniper M, the energetic and unpredictable Pitohui and the confident and overly energetic Fukaziroh. But as Llenn and the others fight and match their opponents in battles of wits and firepower Llenn realises that even as they fight and kill each other in a hail of bullets each battle is also a chance to create and promote understanding between players that can create friendship both in and out of the game and even stop someone from committing a grave mistake in their life if need be.

Karen

Karen Kohiruimaki voiced by new seiyuu Tomori Kusunoki is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of the series. A university student that recently moved to Tokyo from her hometown of Obihiro in Hokkaido Karen is a positive if shy person by nature that while intelligent and fast thinking is someone that prefers to be modest and not stand out. As a result of her shy nature at the beginning of the series, Karen was noted to be someone that got nervous quite easily and as a result, had few opportunities to make friends that she can count on. However, despite her quiet and shy nature, it can be seen that Karen is a kind and caring person by nature and is not someone that will bear grudges against other people even if they had faced each other on the battlefields of GGO. At the beginning of the series Karen was noted to have an unusual complex regarding her unusual height something that had bothered her since she was a teenager and as a result of this had to endure many unfortunate experiences as a result. As a result, Karen viewed this aspect of her with something approaching disdain and did not see herself as cute as some people say but rather uncute. As a result of this disdain for her height, Karen’s greatest wish was to somehow become something that was the opposite of her real-world self-something that was both short and cute. A chance encounter with an ad for the VRMMORPG game genre though soon gave her the opportunity that she needed.

As a result of finding the world of GGO and being granted her wish of having an avatar that was short and cute Karen while happy that she had managed to find the one thing that she wanted for so long was also introduced to the world of GGO a world of varied battlefields that were filled with intense battles between players armed to the teeth with automatic firearms. In the beginning, Karen who chose the character name of Llenn was a calm person that tried her hardest to get used to a game genre that she had never been in before. While often getting scared at times especially when faced with situations that don’t go her way she can often get surprisingly brave and tenacious especially when she has a strong motivation to succeed which is best shown in her SJ battles and her battles with the members of SHINC. As a result of this determination and her persistent attempts to improve her skills and fight against more and more tougher foes Llenn soon built up a solid reputation within the GGO community as an ultra-fast attacker that was quick as the wind and able to down you in a matter of seconds with her preferred weapon the powerful SMG the P90 and given the apt nickname of the Pink Devil for her small size, her records and her creative usage of small unit tactics. However, despite her impressive record and fame that she has gained Llenn displays none of the arrogance that many a player with her achievements have developed and instead remains humble and willing to learn from others that have been playing the game longer than she has showing her humble nature. As the series goes on and as Karen through her avatar Llenn fights through countless battles in GGO she gradually becomes braver and more confident of herself and begins to slowly overcome the complex that had so bothered her in the real world. While becoming more confident and determined Karen also become clear-minded and sure of her choices and actions and willing to fight even her mentor and best friend if it meant that she can save her from the obsession that has taken control of their life. This is a far cry of how Karen was at the beginning of the series and showed just how much fighting as Llenn on the battlefields of GGO have changed her.

The character of Karen I felt was one that was both well designed and developed and showed that with determination and courage and perhaps a bit of luck by fighting to overcome your real-world deficiencies in a VR world one can maybe not just become a better person in the real but also find and make many great friends that you meet along the way. I felt that her seiyuu Tomori Kusunoki really did an excellent job in portraying the character of Karen.

Goushi/ M

M voiced by veteran voice actor Kazuyuki Okitsu of Aoki Hagane no Arupejio fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Llenn’s allies within the series. A calm, quiet and experienced player that Llenn meets early in the series M unlike Llenn is not an attacker but rather is a veteran sniper. A patient, cautious and methodical person by nature M while a man of few words can be quite blunt when he does speak offering both critical critiques while at the same time useful advice and tactics when pressed into combat situations. While a man of few words M is shown to be someone that respects results and while M and Llenn did not have the most friendly of first encounters, as a result of fighting together on the fields of battle both were able to get a good feel on each of their personalities and as a result form a strong friendship with each other as well as develop trust in each other. While a capable sniper and somewhat renowned as the ultimate sniper due to his special accessory M is also a capable strategist able to analyse situations and enemy movements and come up with counter tactics quite easily which is helped greatly by his keen sense of hearing that allows him to accurately determine the types of weapons that are being used and the distance they are at. Despite his calm and composed nature, it can be seen that M is someone that has an immense fear of his friend Pitohui and when put in this state it can be seen that M loses much of his trademarked calmness and instead becomes a visual coward and panics quite easily. However, despite his fear of Pitohui it can be seen that M is very loyal to Pitohui and will respect her decisions even if said decision is suicidal and unwise due to the feelings that he has for her. The character of M I felt was an interesting character and served well as both a mentor figure to Llenn and a counter to Pitohui’s sudden outbursts of irrationality.

Pitohui

Pitohui voiced by veteran seiyuu singer Yoko Hikasa of K-On and Campione fame is one of the main characters of the series and is both Llenn’s ally and the main antagonist of the series. A veteran GGO player that Llenn meets during the early part of her career in GGO Pitohui who Llenn often shortens to Pito is a friendly, honest and kind person that matches well with her energetic nature. As can be expected from a veteran player Pito has access to a considerable armoury with many rare guns and equipment within her inventory that will make many a player of GGO sign in envy. As a result, it is perhaps unsurprising that Pitohui displays a degree of overconfidence in her attitude and sure that she can deal with any threat that comes her way. While overconfident Pitohui is also shown to be someone that’s perceptive to a degree and able to deduce easily when its time to get serious and when its time to relax which is a skill that’s important for any gamer of VRMMORPG’s. While an eccentric person by nature Pitohui is shown to be someone that honour's the promises that she has made and will do exactly what she had promised to do no matter how unreasonable that action is.

As the series goes on and Pitohui’s character is expanded upon it can be seen that behind Pitohui’s overconfident nature is a dark truth that serves as her main motivation for being a player of GGO. While most players of GGO including Llenn play in GGO to fulfil their fantasies, train with the battles ingame to improve their skills in the real or in Llenn’s case to gain the confidence that she needed to overcome her real-world complexes it can be seen that Pitohui is somewhat different. From the beginning of the series, it can be seen that while Pitohui fights with all the skill that can be expected of a veteran player rather than fight in battles that she can win easily at she instead chooses battles that are not just challenging but also put her life as a player on the line. In the event that this battle does not prove to be entertaining enough for her, it can be seen that Pitohui can get unusually aggressive and lapse into an uncontrollable rage that is difficult to stop even by her allies. With this it can be seen that rather than seeing GGO as merely a game as most players would instead she sees it as a place where she can gamble with her life and experience the thrill of needing to fight to your utmost to preserve it showing not just a dangerous motivation but also an obsession that makes Pitohui not just a danger to herself and her allies but also to her many opponents as well.

As a character I felt that Pitohui was a well designed and developed character that while acting as a friendly and well-meaning mentor figure at first soon evolved to become a character that was the total opposite of Llenn not just in terms of personality but also in motivation as well and ensuring that the two would face each other on the field as enemies rather than as allies. While her normal self was a powerful fighter it can be said that her ultimate devil’s self is when Pitohui truly shines as it is in this state when she casts off her reason and embraces her desire to fight to the death can she truly be called the devil and the state when she feels the most alive. This side of her character I felt was one that really gave me the chills as it showed just how powerful she really can be when she releases her trademarked calmness and reason and embraces her dark side and helped ensure that she becomes an effective villain for the series. I felt that her seiyuu Yoko Hikasa really did an excellent job at portraying the character of Pitohui.

Miyu

Miyu Shinohara voiced by veteran seiyuu Chinatsu Akasaki of Plastic Memories and Fate/Apocrypha fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Llenn’s allies and friends within the series. An old friend of Karen that’s from her hometown Miyu, unlike Karen, is a confident, positive and intelligent person by nature that’s also energetic both in real life and in the VR world. Unlike Karen’s quiet and cautious nature Miyu is playful and excitable and can easily get side-tracked thinking of herself even if these thoughts are mere delusions. This excitable personality and its tendency to cause Miyu to lose rational thought are best shown during her first foray into GGO with Karen where she selected as a main weapon one that was both expensive and difficult to use for beginners. From this, it can be seen that Miyu is someone that acts in the moment and is not one that will consider the consequences of her actions beforehand contrasting well with her partner Karen. Despite her tendency to act on the moment, Miyu is also someone that can be quite creative with her tactics being able to work out how to best use her new weapons in a short amount of time while also coming up with innovative tactics that allowed her to support Llenn better on the field. Despite her playful nature Miyu is someone that can offer some surprisingly deep insight to Llenn at times with her ability to come up with motivational quotes whether custom or historical one’s being especially impressive.

The character of Miyu who adapts the name of Fukaziroh and subsequently shortened to Fuka I felt was an excellent character that was both well designed and developed with her positive and energetic personality and real-world chemistry combining well to not just create a strong team up between Fuka and Llenn but also helped bring a hilarity to the story via her actions. I felt that her seiyuu Chinatsu Akasaki really did an excellent job at portraying the character of Miyu.

AMV

Animation wise I felt that the series did a great job of showcasing the various types of terrain and settings that could exist within a large scale VRMMORPG that is geared towards massive firefights between players armed with automatic weaponry. The character designs for the series main and support cast I felt were also well designed and reflected well upon each character’s assigned personality and struggles. The character design for Llenn in particular I felt was pretty good as the battle outfit that she wore while usable also made great use of camouflage which complemented Llenn’s small size and making her not just hard to see but also hard to prepare for when fighting her something that Llenn took great advantage off. The colour pink while acting as camouflage for Llenn also had the effect of increasing Llenn’s charm and matched well with her core struggle to be cute to overcome her real-world complex. The character designs for the supporting cast I felt was also pretty good with the members of SHINC, in particular, being pretty interesting considering their real-world appearances and occupations. In terms of combat animations and battles which are of paramount importance for action animes such as this I felt that the battles that were featured in the series were strong ones that were both well designed and thought out particularly in terms of tactics and strategies with notable battles being Llenn’s suitcase surprise in the first SJ, the amazons advance against M during the second SJ, Llenn’s ambush of SHINC and the final battle between Llenn and Fuka and Pitohui and M in the second SJ.

In terms of music I felt that the series opening and ending themes which was Ryusei that was sung by veteran singer Eir Aoi in her first song since her return from hiatus and To See The Future which was sung by Llenn’s seiyuu Tomori Kusunoki were both strong songs that complemented the series well with the first creating a sense of anticipation and battle and the second being more peaceful and calming to reflect the sense of finishing a battle successfully. The series OST I felt was also pretty good and complemented well with the many types of emotions that the cast experience as they were confronted with new situations when fighting on the field. In terms of voice acting, I felt that the main voice cast of the series did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters. In particular, I felt that Tomori Kusunoki, Yoko Hikasa, Kazuyuki Okitsu and Chinatsu Akasaki who portrayed the characters of Llenn, Pitohui, M, and Miyu respectively deserve special praise as I felt that they did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters.

Overall conclusion

In overall Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online was a series that I really enjoyed with its main strong points being its unique premise, strong story, excellent characters, well designed and executed battles and excellent voice acting and not to mention a very strong villain.

The overall premise of the series I felt was one of the series main strong points and because it made use of a personal struggle and complex that was unique to the human side of the main character I thought it was pretty unique. As human beings, I would say that its normal for us to have struggles in life whether its struggles in one’s professional careers or struggles in one’s personal lives for example with friendships or a personality aspect that’s unique to them. Depending on the types of struggles that we have the effects that it can have on one’s life can vary considerably and impact us differently. In the case of Karen, the struggle that she has been battling with has been one that she has been battling with since she was a teenager and one that can be said to be serious enough to actually cause her to develop a complex for it. When one thinks of a way to overcome a complex hopping into a VRMMORPG and hoping to create an avatar that’s your desired height and appearance will probably not be the first answer that most people would give you and indeed most people would suggest you get therapy of some kind. This unique method while strange is one that I felt was pretty interesting as not only did it allow Karen to enter a brand-new world where she hasn’t been to before but also do so in an avatar that was the very dream one that she had worked so hard to find thus fulfilling one of Karen's true desires. While finding the cute avatar of Llenn is one-half of the struggles that Karen has been dealing with the other half of the struggle and premise is without a doubt of how to actually overcome that complex. In this I felt that the way that the series handled this by allowing Karen to fight against increasingly powerful enemies that exist within the game was a smart move as not only did it allow Karen to develop as a character by both learning, confronting and winning against opponents more experienced than she is but also allow both Karen to grow in confidence and Llenn to grow in fame and rep as well.

While growing in both confidence and fame Karen’s rise as a player of GGO also allowed her to meet and befriend many unique characters that affected her not just in game but also out of it as well and enabled her to not just overcome the complex that she has been bothered with for so long but also enable her to break out of the other flaw that she had which was her shyness and quiet nature and for the first time enable her to make many new friends that have subjects that they both share and enjoy.

The overall story of the series I felt was also one of the series strong points and made great use of the premise. MMORPG’s by their nature are games that are played with a lot of other players whether you fight against them in PVP or fight together in PVE you are always playing the game with other people. As a result of this, the forging of friendships is just as important within the game as it is in society. Becoming friends with someone means that they are someone that you can trust and rely on for advice whether it's on game-related matters or real life-related matters and more importantly they are someone that you can tell your deepest secrets and fears too without worrying about whether it will get leaked or not. The most important aspect of a friendship though that is used as one of the main themes of this series is the actions that you take to stop someone that’s dear to you and how far you would go to stop someone from committing a grave mistake that will impact not just their game avatars but also their real-world selves as well. In this, I felt that the series made great use of the belief that true friends that care for each other deeply would do all they can to save people that are dear to them from committing grave mistakes by doing whatever is necessary to stop them even by facing them on the battlefield as opponents.

Overall Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online was an anime that I really enjoyed watching as a result of its unique premise, strong story, characters, well designed battles and its emphasis on friendship both ingame and outside the game and as a result even as spin-off to the main series SAO AGGO I felt is a solid new addition to the franchise. As a final score, I can say for confidence that the series easily deserves a score of 10/10.