Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

Have you played online multiplayer games? They have a charm of their own, allowing you to intermingle with all sorts of other people and feel the real pressure of certain in-game situations. Sword Art Online showcased a death game that took this pressure to another level, locking players in the game world until they completed it and leaving them no other option for escape. But what if it wasn’t quite so? What about a game where you could log in and out as needed but were under pressure from entirely different things in-game?

“Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online” is a 12-episode TV anime series that aired from the 8th of April until the 1st of July in spring 2018. Aniplex of America obtained the license, Studio 3Hz brought it to life, and Aniplex, Genco, ASCII Media Works, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Egg Firm, Straight Edge, and Kadokawa produced it.

The main staff behind it were producer Suzuki Kenta, producer Futami Yousuke, sound director Aketagawa Jin, and director and storyboarder Sakoi Masayuki. Featuring the genre of action, it possessed the main themes of military and video games. Each episode ran for 23 minutes, and the series received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older.

Much like the original SAO, this series is also based on the source light novel of the same name. It began publication on December 10, 2014, and is still ongoing, thanks to the hard work of author Sigsawa Keiichi and artist Kuroboshi Kouhaku. Since June 26, 2018, Yen Press has also been publishing it in English under the Yen On imprint.

It received a special summary episode titled “Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online: Refrain” in May 2018, and a sequel series titled “Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II” is set to release in the future. The series is an alternative version of “Sword Art Online II,” which is also set within the Gun Gale Online game world.

Take a step back from Kirito, always clad in black, no matter which game he goes into. Instead, turn your attention to a very short little girl wearing desert pink, famous within Gun Gale Online as the "Pink Devil." She is the one who mercilessly hunts down other players in this firearm-centered world within the virtual reality of GGO.

Little do these players know how different she is in real life, because this feared player killer is not the kind of person you’d expect at all. She is a shy university student in Tokyo named Karen Kohiruimaki, a girl who is very tall, in stark contrast to her in-game avatar. She happens to tower over all her peers, and this dismays her greatly, building up insecurities regarding her height with each passing day. At one point, she decides to escape to a virtual world for a change of pace and tries many games, hoping to secure the ideal avatar.

All she wanted was a cute and short character, finally finding her ideal self within the world of Gun Gale Online. Overjoyed with her new persona, she pours a lot of her time and energy into the game as LLENN, slowly building up her reputation as the legendary player killer. But she is not invincible, and one of her targets gets the best of her one day, leading her to a fateful meeting with a player named Pitohui.

Pitohui is a skilled and eccentric woman of great height in-game, and she quickly becomes friends with Karen. She insisted that LLENN take part in Squad Jam, a GGO battle royale in which teams compete against one another before fierce combat ends with only one survivor. Now thrust into a heated competition, LLENN must battle with all her strength, wits, and willpower if she wants to aim for the top.

If I’m being completely honest, I truly loved everything about the first half of Sword Art Online Season 1. From the story, setting, character, buildup, and everything, it just resonated with me as a gamer. But the second half was terrible, where they broke down solid characters and forced them to facilitate a sad continuation.

So when I somehow made up my mind to watch Season 2 set within GGO, I was actually happy to see that it wasn’t as horrible as Season 1’s Second Half. My low expectations were met, and I kind of liked GGO’s desolate setting. Because of this, I fairly enjoyed this Alternative Gun Gale Online series too, which brought with it its own colorful characters (literally) and different story. If you are honestly sick of Kirito’s OP-ness and chick-magnetism but still want something SAO-ish, this is an okay route to take.

The story is pretty decent, in my opinion, albeit not groundbreaking. We see how LLENN actually puts time and effort into adapting to and learning about GGO instead of being OP in every way. She is no veteran gamer, and the whole thing is mostly about escapism, something I can really relate to.

The series also works on helping the audience understand how the game works, smoothing the road ahead for both parties. We learn about the GGO world, its mechanics, locations, weapons, equipment, tactics, and so on. I give them a lot of credit for worldbuilding, though. The dialogues are well-structured and executed to set the tone of each scene. What’s more, the characters here communicate and work together!

The way these characters interact actually feels like real-world gaming, where we must work collectively to reach a goal strategically. Many of the good and bad aspects that come with online gaming are also reflected here. So while I praise it for its solid writing and theme exploration, there are some issues as well.

First off, the plot armor problem is still there, despite not being as bad as Kirito’s. LLENN has a decent amount of that armor on, and the show occasionally abuses it to the point that it looks kind of ridiculous, albeit entertaining to watch. Moving on, some of the weapons’ damage and effects are wildly inconsistent, breaking the norms of such weapons in the realm of gaming.

Lastly, they went ahead and used the “If you die in-game, you’ll die in real life” card again in an unnecessary way. These players are not trapped here, and GGO is not endangering their real lives in any way, but some characters are going to or choosing to “die” in real life if they fail in-game. Overall, this is no masterpiece of a story, but it’s done fairly well, and I enjoyed it.

I spoke about the characters earlier too, because they are a huge driving force in this anime. They are not extremely complex, but they are fun, interesting, and entertaining enough to keep you engaged. Karen is a likable and relatable protagonist who is not over-the-top, boring, or generic.

This girl genuinely enjoys GGO and puts real effort into it. She slowly develops by meeting new friends, rivals, and enemies within GGO, and it’s a pleasure to watch her. Pitohui is eccentric enough to command the screen, but she also has some mysterious and serious ailments. Despite not being a main character, I really liked Asougi Goushi too. He is a normal dude with a simple backstory and entertaining reasons for doing what he does. I’ve also got to mention how much I enjoyed their offline interactions as well; those were just too fun!

This is the SAO franchise we are talking about, so it goes without saying that the art and animation departments are pretty darn good. It has its minor faults every now and then, but it is overall consistent and great to watch. The character designs in the real world and GGO are great because of the overwhelming contrasts they have.

The GGO Avatars actually look like what you’d expect from a gun-centered MMORPG, to boot. The backgrounds and scenery are well polished and detailed as well; props to that. The animation is fluid and easy on the eyes too! I honestly enjoyed this one visually and hardly have any concrete complaints in this department.

I would say my favorite thing about Alternative Gun Gale Online is the Sounds and Music department. SAO always has great audio, and this one doesn’t disappoint. The OSTs have techno, sci-fi, and gaming vibes that blend so well with the overall setting and scenes of the anime.

They enhance each moment so well that you can’t help but feel immersed. The opening theme is "Ryuusei" by Eir Aoi, which is a fantastic and catchy song that was a pleasure to experience. The ending theme, "To see the future," by Karen Kohiruimaki (Tomori Kusunoki), is great too, all while bringing about a completely different tone.

The voice acting is excellent, and I humbly acknowledge the superior work that all of these Seiyuus did in giving their characters so much life and making them even more likeable. The best part, though, is the insert songs.

ReoNa herself sings these songs as the character Kanzaki Elsa. Believe me, these songs are absolute bangers that I kept listening to long after I finished watching this series. The album goes by the name “Elza” featuring ReoNa; check it out and judge for yourself.

Honestly, the Alternative Gun Gale Online was a breath of fresh air for me, and I truly enjoyed it. There are no consistent or gaping problems that plague the whole anime, and it remains fun and entertaining from start to finish. There’s just something very gratifying about watching this little “Pink Devil” take on such a diverse range of opponents in creative ways. The insert songs are just godly in my eyes, and I think more people ought to hear them. Overall, I recommend this one, whether you’re a fan of the SAO series or not.