Hello everyone. I know it’s been a while, but I thought I’d do one of my little anime/manga pick posts as kind of a break from studying for my online classes (especially since I’m feeling a little blocked on wallpapers again). So last time, and admittedly I had to look back at my files to remember, I reviewed the first Sword Art Online anime. There for this time, since I’m currently watching the dub of SAO 2 on Saturday night, I’ve decided to cover the OVA that served as the interlude for the two anime shows, Sword Art Online Extra Edition.
Plot: Several months after Kirito’s little rescue mission in ALO, Kirito and his friends make plans to go on a special question in ALO that will take them underwater. But there’s one small problem with this plan. Kirito’s sister/cousin Sugu can’t swim. So to get ready, Asuna and the other ladies of SAO take Sugu to the school’s pool to help her learn. Meanwhile, Kirito must meet with a government agent to recount the events of the SAO incident and the related incident in ALO.
The original SAO anime quickly became a favorite of mine. The fact that an SAO scan currently serves as the backdrop for this world can attest to that, as can my world intro. So I didn’t hesitate for a moment to watch the subbed version of SAO Extra Edition when I found it on YouTube one afternoon when I had some free time to kill. I really didn’t know what to expect when I began watching this little OVA. And I will admit that I was a bit disappointed by what I saw.
Pros: The best part of Extra Edition and probably the only part even worth watching is the thirty or forty minutes at the end that shows the little quest in ALO that Kirito and the gang go on. While the plot of this little adventure may not be much, it’s nice seeing our heroes able to go on a quest where they aren’t risking their lives in the real world. The story also attempts to delve a little further into Kirito and Sugu/Leafa’s relationship, which is a bit interesting. Though how interesting may depend on how much a fan of Sugu/Leafa one is. Overall, this last bit of Extra Edition is quite enjoyable and pretty light-hearted compared to many of the events in the original anime. I only wish the rest of this OVA was just as good.
Cons: While the end of Extra Edition is a fun little adventure, the first hour is pretty much a long pointless clip show interlaced with fanservice of the ladies of SAO in swimsuits. I’ve never liked clip shows. As a rule, they don’t do anything to move the story forward or develop the characters at all. The only exceptions to this rule I can think of are a few of the clip shows in Gundam SEED that contained little bits of character backstory or rather important details about the world that served as the show’s setting. Extra Edition on the other hand is not such an exception, and it doesn’t even show a lot of the good clips from the original anime. My guess is that the producers made this little OVA as a way for fans that missed the first series to get caught up in time for the next anime that was to come, but Extra Edition is not a good entry point for new fans.
Overall: Even for the most diehard SAO fans out there, Extra Edition is pretty skipable. The only reason to watch it is for the little adventure at the end. For those reading who really want to see that adventure, my advice is to just rent the DVD and get ready to hit the chapter skip and fast forward buttons. Or just use the chapter select menu. Either way, there’s nothing to be gained from watching that first hour.
Rating: 3.2 for SAO fans, 1.4 for everyone else.
