Sword Art Online Extra Edition

It pains me to give something SOA related such a low rating but this more than deserves it, in fact I'm likely being generous.

"Extra Edition" is a feature length SOA movie where the vast majority of the content is ripped straight from the television series.

It follows Kirito and the girls as they regale each other with stories about their time in game. Each time the "Story" is just an excerpt from the show and this makes up most of the film. The new content is the filler in between the excerpts and a very short story at the end where we see our team attempt a new dungeon.

Arguably Extra Edition exists for two reasons, for one it's blatant fan service and secondly it's the very definition of a cashgrab. Essentially what they've done here is take an existing product and wrap it up as something new.

For hardcore SOA fans only, this brings little to nothing to the table.

The Good:

SOA charm

The Bad:

Very little new content

It's… good I guess? I mean it's pointless and probably disappointing to some, but I didn't really hate it or even dislike it that much. It simply serves to retell the events of the show and have a nice little adventure at the end, and it does that, so mission accomplished I suppose. It actually cuts out a lot of the boring drama that plagued the show, which is nice. The animation is great, that's one thing that's been consistent throughout this series, which is a plus. If you're too lazy to actually watch the show (and you're honestly not missing that much), then I think you can watch this and get the gist of the show just fine. I had only one problem with this movie. During the scene with that guy trying to get Kirito to tell him what happened in SAO, Kirito says "I need to be somewhere, lets make this quick". It's day out during this. When they're done talking the sun is going down, and Kirito doesn't seem to have a problem with this. Only problem I had.

I'm a big fan of the Sword Art Online universe, and while I'm watching this and enjoying it, it doesn't really give me anything now as it would've done when it was new.

I believe this is meant to be a "Catch Up" or Hype-builder for Season 2, as it was released between the initial first season and 2nd season had been announced.

This is strictly meant to catch the viewer up, refreshen the mind while also getting to revisit the cast and see what they've been up to meanwhile. It doesn't give alot of "new" content, it's mainly fan service. However, it has its charms.

My ranking on this is definitely lowered due to the accessability of seeing the other seasons now, so this movie isn't needed. But if you've taken a break from SAO and wanna begin on S2 for the first time, but you don't really wanna see the whole series again, this would be a great refresher.

In terms of giving new content, it's not alot.

But it has the charm of SAO, it has the most loved cast (Silica, Sugu, Asuna, Liz and Kirito mainly)

The Pros:

• SAO Style
• Fun to see "offline" content, no matter how little
• Good recap of S1

Cons:

• Not really needed anymore given how accessible the series is with more seasons and stuff now
• Little new content, mainly re-used assets from S1.

Really just a recap of the series mixed with a extended new episode of the series I say it's worth a watch it's a fun one and if your looking for more sao definitely a fun watch.

If you plan on watching the entire series in a single sitting, if I were in your shoes, I'd pass on this, because It isn't needed at all for the future series.

Most of the movie, 85% if not higher, is just a large recap of season 1, with just kirito narrating here and there, meanwhile there are some few new scenes in the present with characters in their non-gaming life talking and having fun.

If you plan on watching season 1, then giving it some time for the next season, then I'd watch this (in other words, watch season one, Wait 2 - 3 months or something, then watch this, to then watch season 2,) just to refresh your memory and get some small added bonus with the new scenes, but otherwise, don't bother.