Sword Art Online Episode 11.5
Kindra Storti
Alicization covered four cours (47 episodes) and adapted from the novel's ninth volume, Alicization Beginning, to the eighteenth volume, Alicization Lasting.[11] The English dub of the third season premiered on February 10, 2019 on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block.[12] The English dub version for the second cour of the second part of the third season premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami on November 8, 2020.[13]
Five pieces of theme music were used for the series: two opening themes and three ending themes. For the first 14 episodes, the opening theme song is "Crossing Field" performed by LiSA,[17] and the ending theme is "Yume Sekai" (ユメセカイ, lit. "Dream World") performed by Haruka Tomatsu.[18] The second opening theme, used from episode 15 onwards, is "Innocence" performed by Eir Aoi.[19] While its second ending theme, used from episodes 15 to 24, is "Overfly" sung by Luna Haruna.[20] The third ending theme, "Crossing Field" was used for the final episode. The extra edition's main theme is "Niji no Oto" (虹の音, Sound of the Rainbow) by Eir Aoi.[21] The original score for the series is composed by Yuki Kajiura.
Sword Art Online: Extra Edition is a special anime episode which was simulcast worldwide on December 31, 2013.[15] In Japan, it was premiered on two broadcast channels: Tokyo MX and BS11. While in other countries, the special was streamed via the Internet on Daisuki and Crunchyroll.[57] The extra edition was directed by Tomohiko Itō and screenplayed by the creator, Reki Kawahara, and Munemasa Nakamoto.[58] It recounts the events of the original Sword Art Online anime, told in retrospect by the series characters and features new footage.[59][60]
Aniplex, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment Japan, distributed the episodes in nine volumes in DVD and Blu-ray format across Japan.[9][62] Sword Art Online: Extra Edition was released on April 23, 2014, in DVD and Blu-ray limited editions, including a bonus Sword Art Offline: Extra Edition episode.[63]
Sword Art Offline is a series of bonus episodes released in their own DVD and Blu-ray volumes in Japan. The show has 10 episodes, including the extra edition.[9] Aniplex of America announced that they will include those episodes in the English version of the volumes with English subtitles.[93]
I'd like this to be a good experience for First Time viewers, without them being spoiled on what is about to happen. If there is cut content from the Light Novels that you would like to bring up, you can do so in the episode thread that scene would have happened in.
SAO is actually pretty not bad for the first 2 and a half episodes. When you hit the start of the forth episode though, that vein in your forehead will start to twitch, if you care about storytelling.
This, if I recall correctly, is the episode in which people started wondering why (a)everyone thought it was a good idea to alienate the guy with the most information about the game, and (b)why the blue-haired dude refused to take the potion.
I actually remember liking the third episode on its own more than the first two, but at that point not being at all interested in watching a series of vignettes about Kirito. It was the structure plus him that killed my interest, not that episode itself.
You know how the LNs are constructed, right? The first book is basically first episode, or first two episodes, then a skip to episode 8. Episodes 3-5 were from the second LN, filling up those two years, showing you life during the whole time, ergo, the vignettes. Episodes 5-6 are a short-story from a later book, dedicated to filling out some more Aincrad time.
The World Seed (世界の種子, Sekai no Shushi?) is the twenty-fifth and the final episode of the Sword Art Online anime adaptation, as well as the eleventh and final episode in the Fairy Dance Arc. It aired on December 22, 2012.
The first television version of Sword Art Online premiered in 2012, but it is not done by a long shot. An adaptation of the manga arc Sword Art Online: Progressive released Aria of a Starless Night on October 30, 2021, and its sequel, Scherzo of a Dark Dusk, is set to premiere on September 10, 2022. The majority of the anime's arcs are available to viewers in the United States on Netflix, where multiple series were grouped under the title Sword Art Online, spanning 97 episodes.
Though there are many different ways to experience the series, most people begin with the Netflix collection and proceed from there. Unfortunately, not every season is a winner, and fans who don't know that the best material is in the fourth season may quit before ever reaching it. For those who want to watch the best SAO has to offer, these are the ten best episodes, according to IMDb.
This episode does a lot of establishing work, setting up where each critical character is and what they're doing, and it pulls together a lot of loose threads from previous episodes, getting audiences excited for what's to come.
This episode was the perfect ending to the original Alicization arc, giving Eugeo the ability to sacrifice himself for what he believed in. "My Hero" closed one chapter while teasing the next stage of the show, and did a good job honoring such a critical character.
The Mother's Rosario arc was the highlight of season two, and this episode finished it off strong. When Asuna finds out that Yuuki is likely to die any day, she gathers all of their friends in the virtual world to honor her. The idea of terminally ill patients finding new life through virtual reality was incredibly powerful, and it made the show's message about the power of VR that much more complex.
Sword Art Online's villains tend to show off the worst sides of technology, but Yuuki was a representation of how much beauty it can create at the same time. The episode's representation of terminal illness and escapism was handled well and honored all the people finding joy through unimaginable darkness.
This is the point at which Kirito starts to become the show's most likable character. By this point, many of the players had adjusted enough to start building lives in Aincrad, and Kirito is beginning that process himself. Although not as exciting as many of the other episodes, the character motivations are centered in a way that keeps audiences hooked through all of the chaos and separation to come.
This episode is a tribute to Kirito's character, with all four seasons building up to his fluctlight's restoration and his fight for the Underworld. Between the nostalgia, emotional climax, and fight scenes, this is the episode all writers wish they could create.
While Kirito began SAO as a loner, he acquired a devoted group of friends and supporters over the years, all of whom come to his rescue in this episode. While Gabriel tries to eliminate the Human Empire, SAO's most powerful characters from previous seasons come together to push back against his assaults.
Along with major character death, this episode highlighted the importance of every episode that came before it. The show is at its best when it focuses on the moral quandaries inherent in virtual worlds, and this battle episode did a surprisingly good job keeping those issues in focus.
While fans have grown accustomed to minimal bloodshed on SAO, this episode subverts the trend, with far more gore than any other episode. It's honestly a difficult episode to watch, but it does an impressive job of sending the message that morality should transcend laws and that the ability to break laws is a sign of humanity.
In many ways, the Aincrad Arc was the perfect story about the dangers of VR, with interesting characters, substantial battle scenes, and surprisingly emotional moments, given the weight of in-world deaths. Though many of the show's best arcs only came in its fourth season, no other episode is quite as strong as the original finale, which perfectly balanced pain with hope.
Meagan Bojarski is a Senior List Writer at Screen Rant who sees popular culture as critical to understanding history and society. She has an undergraduate degree in History from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where some of her most influential classes analyzed children's literature, historical film, and the fantasy/sci fi genres. In addition, she has a master's degree in Communication and Rhetorical Studies from Syracuse University, where she produced a book chapter on Antichrist TV shows and a thesis focusing on apocalyptic memes. Meagan can't resist a good story, whether that takes the form of a book, a movie, a TV series, or a particularly interesting roleplaying game. Thanks to ten years in theatre, she has a special interest in musicals and musical episodes, which led to her podcast Needs More Jazzhands. She particularly likes media that draws on other works, from book adaptations to meta-genre movies. But beyond those, she'll cover anything with an interesting enough story or cast of characters, and is eager to devour the best new media as it comes out.
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