Sword Art Online has earned its spot as a top Isekai series, with its protagonist, Kirito, finding himself dropped into virtual worlds where dying in the game will normally mean losing his life in the real world. While the television series hasn’t revealed plans to return following Alicization, the latest film, Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night, has taken the top spot in Japan’s box office by taking viewers back to the past of the popular anime franchise.
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The Progressive side of Sword Art Online follows new stories that took place during the first season of the anime adaptation, in which Kirito and Asuna were attempting to fight for their lives in a video game environment in which death in the game meant losing your life in the real world.
Sword Art Online: Scherzo of Deep Pockets
Sword Art Online’s prequel film sold around two hundred thousand tickets in Japan, making it the number one film this past weekend in theaters and pulling in around $2.17 million USD.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to dive into the unique world of Sword Art Online, Crunchyroll has an official description to give you a better idea of this Isekai series:
“In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online – a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other – debuts, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in a wholly realistic gaming experience. But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG – a log-out button. Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, “game over” means certain death – both virtual and real.”
Do you think Progressive has the backing to stay in the number one box office spot for next weekend? What was your favorite anime film of 2022? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Isekai.
