Update: The movie’s released has been pushed back to October 22nd.
The official website of the Sword Art Online: Progressive films has announced that the upcoming film, Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night (Kuraki Yuuyami no Scherzo), will release in theatres across Japan this Fall/Autumn. In addition, the first key visual and trailer has been revealed.
Here is the first trailer for the second film:
Advanced tickets for the movie will go on sale from April 29th. The ticket will include a clear file and a Mubichike Digital Card, retailing for ¥1,500 (~ US 12.10).
The film will be adapting the 4th volume in the Sword Art Online: Progressive series, a re-telling of the original light novel’s first arc. The volume tackles how players progress past the 5th floor in Aincrad. The first film adapted the first half of volume 1. Volume 1 part 2, and volumes 2 and 3 will not be covered in the sequel film.
The main cast of the Scherzo of Deep Night includes:
- Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Sora in No Game No Life) will be back to voice Kirito
- Haruka Tomatsu (Naruko Anjou in AnoHana) returns as Asuna
- Shiori Izawa (Nanachi in Made in Abyss) will voice Argo
The main members of the film’s production staff consists of:
- Director: Ayako Kohno (Love Live! School idol project and Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso Episode Director)
- Chief Animation Director and Anime Character Designer: Kento Toya (Sword Art Online: Alicization, Nanbaka)
- Music Composer: Yuki Kajiura (Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica, Fate/Zero)
- Sound Director: Yoshikazu Iwanami (Fate/Zero, Kill la Kill)
- Animation Studio: A-1 Pictures (Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai, Fairy Tail)
Sword Art Online Progressive: Aria of a Starless Night was released in theatres across Japan on October 30.
Sword Art Online is a light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec, who also is the author of Accel World. The light novel series began in 2009 being published in ASCII Media Works’ Dengeki Bunko. To date, a total of 26 volumes have been published. Since the series’s debut, the series has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. The series received a TV anime adaptation in 2012, produced by A-1 Pictures. Since the anime’s first broadcast the franchise has blown up in popularity. The anime was followed by a recap film, a second season, and an original anime film that was released on over 1000 screens worldwide. Since then, the series has appeared on a plethora of media with international merchandise, various manga adaptations of the light novel’s arcs, and video games. In addition, Kawahara has relaunched the series as Sword Art Online: Progressive, a re-release of the original light novels with additional content in 2012.
Here is a synopsis of the anime from MAL:
1 year after the SAO incident, Kirito is approached by Seijiro Kikuoka from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Department “VR Division” with a rather peculiar request.
That was an investigation on the “Death Gun” incident that occurred in the gun and steel filled VRMMO called Gun Gale Online (GGO). “Players who are shot by a mysterious avatar with a jet black gun lose their lives even in the real world…” Failing to turn down Kikuoka’s bizarre request, Kirito logs in to GGO even though he is not completely convinced that the virtual world could physically affect the real world.
Kirito wanders in an unfamiliar world in order to gain any clues about the “Death Gun.” Then, a female sniper named Sinon who owns a gigantic “Hecate II” rifle extends Kirito a helping hand. With Sinon’s help, Kirito decides to enter the “Bullet of Bullets,” a large tournament to choose the most powerful gunner within the realm of GGO, in hopes to become the target of the “Death Gun” and make direct contact with the mysterious avatar.
A Sword Art Online: Progressive sequel movie, adapting the 4th volume, has is in production for a Fall/Autumn 2022 release.
Visit the film’s website here: https://sao-p.net/
And follow the Twitter: @sao_anime