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Anime seems to be having an odd relationship when it comes to recapping a series. While the purpose for it is to remind fans of certain events that have happened, or even to bring in a new audience, it has its drawbacks. The reason why fans are so connected to a show is because of the time they invested with the world and the characters that live there. There are times where recapping the series helps by giving the story more focus, which seems to be what makes Sword Art Online: Extra Edition work.
Sword Art Online: Extra Edition is an OVA movie, which mostly recaps what happened during the 25-episode series. It is told from the view of various characters, but mostly from the main protagonist, Kazuto Kirigaya. At the same time, as a side story, the main girls from the series are trying to teach Suguha how to swim in real life so they can perform a quest in Alfeim Online.
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While there is a nice side-story tacked on throughout, much of Extra Edition is recycled clips from the series, and not much exploration into those events. Judging the animation of the new material, there definitely isn’t too much to complain about. However, one of the strong points of the series were the beautiful fight sequences and how smoothly the characters moved throughout. In the OVA, they didn’t show off any of those moments, and didn’t have anything spectacular for the side story.
Actually, a lot of Extra Edition’s features are recycled from the original series, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Another strength the show had was the music, done by Yuki Kajiura, and the OVA plays some of the best pieces that were used in the series. Mix that in with the opening and closing themes that were also featured in the series to play at crucial moments in the recap makes the story that much more exciting.
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While the story is familiar to those who watched the original series, it definitely does feel a lot more focused. One of the biggest complaints of the series was the story and how it felt very forced, messy, and didn't seem to have a central angle. Due to the time constrictions of the OVA, it seems that they felt it important to mention the big plot points that happened in the series, and it was used to great effect. The story felt much more clear and natural, and getting the point of view from different characters was a nice touch. With the announcement of a second series on the way, it’s also a good starting point for those who haven’t watched the series at all.
While a lot of Sword Art Online: Extra Edition feels rather recycled from the original series, it does bring its own charm. It fixes a lot of the big issues that people complained about, such as the story having no focus. The side story of girls going to a pool in bathing suits, while feeling very tacked on, did help serve a purpose in the overall narrative (if only for a little bit). It’s definitely something that fans of the original series will eat up, causal viewers will enjoy, and a good launching point for newcomers.
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