Review of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
In 2012, we are introduced to the world of Sword Art Online, where it features the most hated over-the-top OP character Kirito, the main MC along with his shenanigans of fantasy-drama with the cast of SAO, and his foundation brings him over to 2014 where we have SAO Season 2: the world of Gun Gale Online (or GGO), with an entirely new cast (but not without the original cast (since it’s a cross-over)) that manages to do well but garner less attention from the original series, but in all essence, Kirito stood still: He saw, he came, and he conquered…ALL, with much hate from theanime consensus.
This year, we have an entirely different GGO, not written by the original creator Reki Kawahara (thank goodness!), but by the author of Kino’s Journey, Keiichi Sigsawa. Knowing the gun-crazy novelist, as mentioned from Pitohui: “Well, he’s a gun freak and a not-so-novelist but afterword writer (that takes serious pride in his work but doesn’t take himself seriously and just wanna have fun). This is what you get when they are combined.” And much to my amazement, SAO Alternative is a damn good and impressive series of not just its light novel adaptation, but the anime series here provided so much fun and realism that’s NOT what the original SAO had with OP characters, the MMORPG or game-fantasy setting and fanservice, just plain old good shooting and characters to boot AND finally THE SAO series that is worthy to be discussing about here.
This story follows the main best girl (IMO) Karen “LLENN” Kohirumaki, not the typical kind of girl that you see on the streets, because she is insanely tall (183cm or 6 ft’) and has problems coinciding with society that are the status quo. Relinquished, but not out, she sets on the task of finding the best VR game that suits her wellbeing of being shorter and chibi-fied, and none other than GGO (with her AmuSphere) is she able to take advantage of her small sized avatar of her dreams! And it is there that she finds the friendly, yet sadistic Pitohui, just the typical friend looking out for each other at first…until her invitation (and pressure) to LLENN to enter in “Squad Jam” (which is SAO Season 2’s Bullet of Bullets (BoB) team battle royale variation) faces both a challenge and a fight to the death as Pitohui’s obsession with the original SAO features made her lose consciousness (or rather, becoming the 2nd Kirito) and her fight in SJ2 proves that.
So, with the storytelling and how director Masayuki Sakoi (one of the best from Studio 3Hz) decided to pace Sigsawa’s adaptation, it is apparent that for those who entered this with no know-how of SAO Season 2: GGO will be lost (but not by much), and the pacing of the series which is fast, but progressively it slows down to give the plot more context and its true intentions here and there. Overall, it is a well-thought-out story which gives more exposition and its characters life out of the ordinary. And…not to mention that recap episode where Sigsawa himself has lavished out his own parody (as he is famous for that) in Episode 5.5 where he ‘sponsors’ SJ inserts through his self-acclaimed “afterword” (or after-credit rolls) through silly voices and sounds into the battle footage, oh what a bliss!
The characters here tell the exact same story from how they are made from the ground-up, and as a result, they flow much better than the SAO counterparts it came from:
LLENN, as a character, much from her chibi avatar cuteness that cannot be mistaken as a kindred spirit in battle, she is a character that goes all-out in doing what she does best: Shooting, make and gather friends, more shooting, and a blood-bath between her and Pitohui rounds up what her activities lie in. Be warned as her real and VR life are two separate entities: the tall yet humble self vs. the crazy, all-pink character mascot that she has garnered popularity amongst Squad Jam players as one with the most potential. Engaging with LLENN felt like a journey of sorts (see the similarity?), from her alliance with Goushi Aousgi (better known as M in GGO) in the first Squad Jam to friendship with Miyu and fighting together in SJ2 against Pitohui and M and their mercenaries. Overall, LLENN is a character that can best be resembled as another Sinon, but not to that extent where it gets all technical, and with her P90 (often calls it P-chan), she can go anywhere. Overall, LLENN’s character writing may not be brilliant, but it’s fun to see her insane adventures and risks to be the best of the best.
Pitohui, the character that is out of form and looks hideous, first appears like the stereotypical challenger out from the ashes, but immediately her scarred or tattooed face immediately gives away the vibe that she is not the typical challenger like the many out there in SJ. Suffice to say, it’s her addiction through the SAO back then that made her this way: the aggressive, careful and meticulous yet murderous intent that shaped her the way in GGO, even though the 2nd round of Squad Jam where she mercilessly slaughters enemies the EXACT way how Kirito did in GGO with the light saber. But thankfully, this is one of the few traces of the original series and doesn’t go to an extent to replicate what happened, so crisis averted. Overall, Pitohui is a character you wouldn’t want to mess with, because she gets her work cut out and done on the spot.
M, the armour/guards-man, he is the typical buff character…until his deal with Pito shows up his desperate face, just as many out there (but not as stressful as the original series where you die in the game, it’s game over in real life). But I can tell one thing, he’s as robust as a rock with his tank-like shield which repels shots to the maximum and I have to say that M makes light work of how a support character and a team member should be. The man with guts to analyze the best of the situation, I approve!
The characters don’t quite have much to boot and/or say, given their exposure that doesn’t give much information from the start, but as the series subsequently progresses, it gives the characters much substance and their identity uncovered and recognized.
In the art and animation department, it is absolute proof that Studio 3Hz could take any adaptation, fill in with their own unique quirks and still make the series look as realistic as it is. Unfortunately, as much as the original series (SAO S2: GGO) has been shown, the art style may lack in some areas which A-1 Pictures have done well capturing the essence of GGO in its entirety. But what it makes up for with sacrificing art quality is with animation, and it helps that 3Hz is hands down one of the best when it comes to animation quality, and throughout the immense action, it doesn’t sweat a beat, and fuses with the art style quite well, making a decent art style still look appealing to the eye.
The musical department, is quite frankly, the high point of the series. Eir Aoi has done it again, with the 1st OP of SAO: GGO “Ignite” in 2014, and in comes the alternate version with “Ryuusei” as the OP, and honestly, is lit and on fire, and immensely watchable, so much that I never escape the OP just to hear the goddess come back to reign in her high-pitched voice that truly is just satisfying to listen to. And let’s not forget LLENN’s VA, famous seiyuu Tomori Kusunori with her ED “To see the future”, and just like the OP, is a good ED to end the series’ episodes, and overall, this OST is a soundtrack that’s worth having, and is my No.1 favourite this season.
Overall, SAO Alternative: GGO is a series that if you’re coming in from SAO and reeling in from the saltiness of the series (which I don’t blame you), it’s hard to get adjusted of this gem of a show, albeit done by an author of jokes and a different production team, but promise me, forget the travesty you know that is SAO and stride into the Alternate: GGO that is everything except what Reki Kawahara had envisioned, with absolutely no expectations, and see how much this show will amaze you from the get-go. If you haven’t watched SAO, GOOD, go watch this one, because you don’t need to know GGO to enjoy this series.
As for myself, this is my AOTS alongside Golden Kamuy, and this has been proven by an ex-SAO fan who thinks that this was none other than exceptional, more so than the originals. A great job and well done, Studio 3Hz and the production team for providing an SAO that mirrors Sigsawa’s ideals instead of Kawahara’s, and is fun and enjoyable from start to finish.