Sword Art Online Spin-Off Manga Follows Silica, Lisbeth & Leafa

In the recent issue of Dengeki Bunko Magazine it has been announced that a new manga based on Sword Art Online will be out in the 32nd issue of the magazine, on June 10th. The new manga, Sword Art Online Girls Ops, will be drawn by artist Neko Nekobyou (Night Wizard Variable Witch, Mah? Zakkaten Vi Via) and will focus on the female protagonists of first and second story arcs of the series; Lisbeth, Silica and Leafa. The production of the manga started when fans of the series wanted more of the girls since they did not receive enough screen time in the anime and light novel, and thus this gem was created.

Specifically, the manga takes place both in the real world at the school for those who returned from Sword Art Online alive, and inside the “Alfheim Online” fantasy game, and will follow the three girls on a new adventure.

Sword Art Online is a light novel series written by Reki Kawahara, who also written Accel World. The light novel series began in 2009 and has sold millions of copies, topping the charts in 2012. Also in that year, the first anime adaptation of the light novel was released.Sword Art Online aired in July 2012 and was produced by A-1 Pictures, and received a large reception. Since then everything has been about the series and sales continue to rise. If you somehow missed the series, here is a synopsis from Crunchyroll – who streamed the entire anime:  

In the near future, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released where players control their avatars with their bodies using a piece of technology called Nerve Gear. One day, players discover they cannot log out, as the game creator is holding them captive unless they reach the 100th floor of the game’s tower and defeat the final boss. However, if they die in the game, they die in real life. Their struggle for survival starts now…