Is Sword Art Online Progressive movie out?

Sword Art Online -Progressive- Scherzo of Deep Night, the second film in the Sword Art Online-Progressive film series, will be released in theaters throughout Japan on Oct. 22.

The announcement on the film's official website revealed the date alongside a stunning piece of promotional artwork. Originally scheduled to debut on Sept. 10, producers of the film shared that production experienced delays due to the nationwide spread of COVID-19. The Aug. 24 advanced film screening also had to be delayed, in addition to the soundtrack.

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Based on the Progressive light novels written by creator Reki Kawahara, The Sword Art Online Progressive films retell and expand upon the series' first main arc, known as the "Aincrad" story arc. This storyline has Kirito, the main protagonist, trapped in SAO along with 10,000 other players and starts fighting through the main dungeon with his partner Asuna Yuuki. What is known so far about the plot of Scherzo of Deep Night is that Kirito and Asuna will seek out equipment to allow them and their comrades to defeat Floor 5's boss and progress further into the dungeon.

Crew From the Anime’s Previous Film Will Return

Produced by A-1 Productions, the same studio that animated the previous Progressive film, Aria of a Starless Night (2021), several members of that film's staff also returned to direct the sequel. Ayako Kohno returned to direct the movie, with Yusa Ito again serving as Art Director alongside Character Designer Kento Toya. Yuki Kaijura is returning to compose the film's music and Eir Aoi, who has performed multiple theme songs for the Sword Art Online anime series, will perform the film's theme song, "Shinzo." Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Haruka Tomatsu will reprise their roles as Kirito Kirigawa and Asuna Yuuki, respectively.

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The film Aria of a Starless Night debuted in theaters in Japan on Oct. 30 of last year, and by the end of December, it had managed to earn more than 1.32 billion yen (equivalent to about 11.62 million USD) at the Japanese box office. In addition to being a modest financial success, the film received praise for the way it portrays Asuna, whose point of view is central to the story. The film recounts the character's journey, starting with her life as an ordinary high schooler until she becomes trapped inside the titular VR death game and must learn to survive in an unfamiliar and dangerous new world.

Every season of Sword Art Online is available to stream on Crunchyroll. The series' light novels are available in English from Yen Press.

Sword Art Online Progressive, the remake of the first SAO arc set in Aincrad, is slowly getting animated, not through TV series but with anime films. And the second movie, Scherzo of Deep Night, finally got its release date announced in japan.

Sword Art Online Progressive Scherzo of Deep Night: Japanese Release Date And New Key Visual Revealed

The Japanese Twitter account for the SAO anime series announced on June 15, 2022, that Sword Art Online Progressive Scherzo of Deep Night will release on September 10, 2022, in Japanese theaters. Just like with past SAO anime adaptations, Studio A-1 Pictures is handling the movie.

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While an international release date was not announced yet, the Japanese date is a good indicator of when you will be able to watch the movie in the US. The first movie, Aria of a Starless Night, was released in Japan on October 30, and in US theaters on December 3. As such, we can similarly expect Sword Art Online Progressive Scherzo of Deep Night to release in US theaters one month after the Japanese release, in late October.

A new key visual for the Scherzo of Deep Night movie was released as well. It most notably features, Asuna, Argo, and Kirito. Information broker Argo plays a much bigger role in the Progressive version of SAO. You can find a full resolution, creditless version of the key visual below.

Fans Should Also Pick Up The Original SAO Progressive Novel

It's important to note that while the Aria of a Starless Night movie adapted the first volume of the SAO Progressive novel, Scherzo of Deep Night is not adapting the second volume but the fourth one. When the Scherzo of Deep Night anime movie was first announced on November 1, 2021, Sword Art Online author Reki Kawahara explained that they had to skip the other two volumes due to various circumstances.

However, the Aria movie rewrote the plot of the novel by most notably introducing a brand new original character: Mito, voiced by Inori Minase. It's likely the Scherzo movie will include some changes as well to keep the continuity going, that way those who haven't read the novel won't be lost.

With that said, you should definitely pick up the SAO Progressive novel if you're a fan of the series.

Long story short, Reki Kawahara wrote the original SAO in the early 2000s as a self-published web novel, which he later rewrote once he got an official publisher. Meanwhile, the Sword Art Online Progressive was started in 2012 by a much more experienced Reki Kawahara. If the first arc of SAO is your favorite, then Progressive, being an extensive remake of the events of the first floors of Aincrad, is a must read

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