Sword Art Online is back in a new anime adaptation. Though not the long-awaited, currently in production third season, it is attached to source material of it’s own.  The new series is based on the in-universe game Gun Gale Online and focuses on new lead character Llenn. This is the anime version of the “Alternative” SAO.

Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online is a 2018 seinen anime adaptation of the light novel of the same name, it is produced by Studio 3Hz, and licensed by Aniplex of America. It is currently available for streaming in Japanese subs on Crunchyroll & Hulu.

Lead character Llenn as she appears in the anime.

Sword Art Online’s first spinoff off anime has begun streaming and is based on the light novel of the same name. Focusing on lead Llenn (real name Karen Kohiruimaki), the new series returns SAO to Gun Gale Online, the game the first half of season two was based in. Karen is going through a complex over her height and is introduced to GGO as an effort to cope. Here she gets a new petite, child-like avatar much to her joy and tries to overcome her shyness.

Unlike it’s drama heavy big sibling, Alternative a very action focused series.

THE GOOD: SAO Alternative tends to live up to its namesake by providing fans a different version of Sword Art Online. The good news is that it succeeds quite well in this. While Sword Art Online has a very character, drama driven direction, Alternative tends to put the action at the front lines, and because SAO is known for it’s fun action sequences this is a great way to start a mid-season break of sorts for the core anime series if 3Hz & Aniplex opt to keep it going beyond a freshmen season, which is looking likely as this writing. Episode one is pretty slow and doesn’t really detail the characters much, but the series is steadily finding it’s growth with character development over time.

While slow to develop characters, SAO Alternative’s action remains of high quality from the very start.

Things really pick up with episode two, we actually get an idea of who Llenn is and her small trust circle of friends with the introduction of Pitohui & M. The bond between Pitohui & Llenn is shown off early and keeps things moving along into the Squad Jam, an online tournament featured in GGO that’s a battle royale style team-based event. Pitohui is unable to attend due to real life obligations, so she arranges for Llenn to team up with M who has a bulky & intimidating in-game avatar.

Karen/Llenn in the real world.

THE BAD: Starting the series off with a time jump did it no favors, not only that but it was jumped to the mid-way point of the Squad Jam. As a result of the time skip character development is greatly effected, but picks up on episode. I can’t help but feel that if episodes two and one were switch SAO Alternative would be in a much better place.

SAO Alternative has it’s issues, but I have no doubts that it’ll finish strong with it’s current direction.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Sword Art Online Alternative while not season three is a good reason to kill the itch for anime as the third season continues it’s production. Though it’s slow at developing characters, it’s action is some of the best the anime version has provided to date. While I can’t necessarily recommend ‘Alternative’ to everyone, I most certainly can recommend it to SAO fans of all types. Otaku Dome gives Sword Art Online Alternative’s first three episodes a combined score of 75 out of 100.