Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

The protagonist once again is someone using a close range weapon with super human speed and reflexes. She's almost an interesting character that forms inexplicably strong attachments to weirdos in an RPG. Speaking of, this is a shooter but the writers randomly portray antagonists that enjoy the killing as immoral. It's a shooter, toying with the other team and enjoying the kill are intrensic to the genre. But protagonists that enjoy the killing are not portrayed the same way. And the worst part is that in real life the protagonist would have reported the antagonist to the police and that would have been that. It's not a bad anime, and many people will enjoy it but I found the story and characters to be elementary and shallow.

I watched this before ever knowing about SWO. Something about the image of a strange pink munchkin wielding an also pink FN P90 grabbed my attention I guess. I didn't compare it to anything and enjoyed it a lot! If you are going into it thinking it will be SWO then you'd best manage your expectations. Treat this like a spin off series with all new characters. Yeah it probably should have just been called "Gun Gale Online" but I guess the guys in marketing thought it would be better to have some brand recognition.

This anime is basically Sword Art Online, but with a better director and writer. While it definitely felt different compared to SAO as it kinda throws away the vibe that the original had estabilished to focus on the slice-of-life side, it still does a good job for being what it is. The characters are relatable and likable especially the main character, the script is actually good, and the visuals have more variety added to it thanks to Studio 3Hz who, by the way, did a really great job at it and deserves credit. That being said, I'm not a fan of the plot twist towards the end, but that was just me being nitpicky. Overall, not really that impressive all-round, but it's a good anime that are worth checking out especially if you watched SAO before.

This series is set some time after the events in the original 'Sword Art Online' when the flaws that meant people couldn't exit the game and death in the game really meant death have been fixed. It is centred on Karen Kohiruimaki a girl who is self-conscious of her height so seeks out a virtual reality game where she can play a short character. Her character is Llenn and the game is Gun Gale Online. In this game there are tournaments where players form teams and fight it out till only one team has any members surviving. In her first such competition she is teamed with a player who goes by the name 'M'; he informs her that somebody will murder him in real life if he dies in the game.

If you weren't that keen on the original 'Sword Art Online' don't be put off this as it is effectively a totally new series that just happens to be set in the same reality and feature a virtual reality game. There is plenty of action and it gets tense even when there is no threat of real death for the vast majority of characters. Llenn is fun protagonist even if fans of realism might not be too keen on her entirely pink costume and matching P-90 submachinegun! The other characters are nicely varied; gun-nuts, kids just playing a game and even real soldiers using it for battlefield simulation. Given the cuteness of our protagonist there are a few surprising moments... I certainly wasn't expecting a mini-tutorial on how to sever somebody's femoral artery with a knife; I wouldn't be surprised if that gets cut from any UK DVD release! The story plays out nicely over the course of two such tournaments with the plot deepening as we learn more about the characters. The character designs are pretty good and the animation is solid. Overall I'd recommend this to anybody wanting virtual reality action without the cliché of in game death meaning real death.

These comments are based on watching in Japanese with English subtitles.

It is quickly forgotten that it is a simple spinoff and with a construction of strong characters, with their traumas and the way they reconstruct themselves in the virtual world is inspiring.

It is worth watching, even without references to the world of Sword Art Online.