Manga: Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online 3

SAO Alternative Gun Gale Online Vol 3 
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

A surprise attack leaves Llenn and M fleeing to the wasteland, where they devise a strategy to eliminate their trigger-happy pursuers and seize the Squad Jam victory. 

The opening of this volume is fairly tense as we pick up where we left off at the end of the last volume and our cornered heroes attempt to make an escape, of course the Squad Jam isn't over yet and we're down to the final two teams. 

Moving forward a little bit more, we have quite an interesting change in character from M, it made for a good twist and provided some interesting information on Pitohui as well as a slight sense of foreboding. 

This volume is action packed as we have a couple of little showdowns before tailing off as we prepare for the final showdown in the next volume. I think I struggle with this series a little bit because it takes so long for the volumes to come out, and they're quite short so we've had three volumes but we still haven't finished with the Squad Jam yet, and I feel like any progress we make is very small and it kind of inches forward, rather than anything else. 

Manga: Sword Art Online Hollow Realization 3

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization Vol 3
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

When Kirito, Asuna, Silica, and Premiere are sucked into a world where dark elves and demons abound, the four head to the Forest of the Holy Tree, which has been tainted by demon sorcery.

Kizmel pops up and we pick up right where we left off once again! This time everyone ends up separated as Asuna and Kirito get pulled in to a side quest, with Silica and Premier being pulled in as well albeit initially separately. It was nice to get to see a fair bit of Silica for once as we rarely do more than we do as just part of the ensemble. It was also nice to see Kizmel teaming up with our characters again although I was initially a little bit worried about her and allegiances. 

The main focus of this volume is a side quest involving a demon and a stone curse along with the dark elves, obviously. There's also some super shady goings on involving Genesis and his little buddy Tara. We do speed through the quest a little bit but it's got a nice amount of action before things start to slow down again and there's talk of creating a guild. Plus we have Seven popping in to add something ominous to proceedings because of course something potentially shady is going on. 

The volume starts off quite pacy with a nice amount of action but then slows down while introducing lots of intrigue and a general sense of foreboding as things step up in one regard and we're definitely left wanting more. 

Manga: Sword Art Online Hollow Realization 2

SAO Hollow Realization Volume 2 
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

After a harmless dungeon-crawling adventure with Premiere escalates into a high-level battle called the "Ground Quest," Kirito discovers remnants of the floating castle of Aincrad-a world that should have been destroyed long ago. Determined to find more clues to the puzzle and uncover Premiere's identity, Kirito decides to delve deeper into this mysterious quest...Just where could it all lead? 

My goldfish brain appreciated the little refresher at the beginning of this volume, before we dove in to the story. Of course something went wrong with the safety measures....I can't say I was surprised. There's obviously something messed up with the game and the quests and everything, this is SAO after all, but there's something suspicious about Premier too. The majority of this volume, however, was spent with our characters in game, going to school to learn the basics of the game and how it works...but in a school setting. I wasn't entirely sure of the point to this, it seemed just like an opportunity for Yuki to get to experience what school is "really like" as they have to complete various quests to help the ghosts move on. As well as letting Premier experience it too to reinforce how human she seems. 

We do have a new big quest triggered in the second part of this volume, but I'm not really sure what the point of the flash forward was after it, to then go back and carry on. I could understand if it was at the beginning of the volume, but it was right after one section of the story ended and we started another...we flashed forward...and then went back. It just seemed a little unnecessary. Maybe I'm just irritable because Genesis is getting on my last nerve. 

Once we get past the rather mundane first half of the volume, we do get some action as we have a raid and a face off with Genesis, followed by a shock ending as a familiar face pops up! For the most part I feel like a lot of this volume was a bit....meh. 

Manga: SAO Progressive 7

Sword Art Online Progressive Vol 7 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

The mysterious player Morte has manipulated the human guilds into fighting on BOTH sides of the Elf War! While Kirito challenges him to a duel, Asuna has an important task of her own: steal the battle plans from the Forest Elves so she can end this quest before it turns deadly. They need to stop the war before anyone loses their life--permanently! 

I can't begin to describe to you how sad I was to discover this is the final volume in the Progressive manga, as I've mentioned before, I love this series because it's doing over Aincrad and fleshing it out more like it should have been the first time. I was anticipating this going for a while and I was so ready for that...but nope. This is the final volume. *ugly sobbing* 

There's tension from the start of the volume because Kirito is facing down Morte while Asuna and Kizmel are finishing off a fight of their own. This volume is actually pretty action heavy with a lot of excellently drawn fight scenes throughout from the two different battles. 

To alleviate some of the tension, we do have some humour thrown in too thanks to the humans from the two guilds who get involved but are on opposing sides to each other, and have no idea what's happening. 

Volume 7 goes by quite quickly, and wraps up this particular story arc involving the elf quest and completing Floor 3 of Aincrad, nicely. While it's wrapped up satisfyingly, it's also an open ended finale, as you'd expect because while the manga series ends here, the story obviously didn't. 

Light Novel: Sword Art Online 14

Sword Art Online Vol 14
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

While struggling to reach the highest point of Central Cathedral, Kirito and Alice must confront a lamentably natural Integrity Knight. 

Okaaaaaaaay, with this volume the whole Underworld Arc comes to an end...I think. Or it might be more accurate to say the Arc with the Administrator comes to an end? I have to say, thank God because I do feel like this arc has gone on waaaaay too long, and I feel like a couple of the volumes leading up to this one dragged it out too long, and it could have been cut down a bit. 

BUT this volume was badass. The entire volume is action packed, probably because the entire volume was a giant battle! Literally battle after battle, and I was quite impressed with how it's done. Much as I love SAO, I do feel at times that Kirito is a wee bit overpowered, like in the Aincrad ARC and GGO and so on...he never really has to sacrifice much to win. This volume changes that and there was a completely unexpected plot twist. SPOILER ALERT, I was not expecting a main character to be killed off, but it happened in order for Kirito to defeat the bad guy. 

As if all of that wasn't enough to have you nervous as you're reading, this volume gives us an excellent cliffhanger. It was so well done, and has me itching for the next volume! We get to hear fragments of what's going on in the real world, and it's not sounding good. Honestly I can't remember how we left things with Asuna and co but things have definitely gone downhill. I'm thinking we're getting thrown back in to where Kirito just came from BUT I have a feeling Asuna and the other characters are going to be joining him! This volume is probably the most exciting one recently! 

Light Novel: Sword Art Online 13

Sword Art Online Vol 13
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

After Kirito and Eugeo are separated in the Central Cathedral, Eugeo continues his quest alone-until he encounters a legendary hero he's admired since childhood. Can Eugeo defeat him alone...?

Vol 13 sees us heading towards the end goal/confrontation as all our characters are heading to the one place. Asuna makes a brief return this volume, and Kirito and Alice are in a sticky situation that they have to get themselves out of and she begrudgingly works with him.....meanwhile Eugeo is being tested and he has to face Bercouli without backup..and he ends up in perhaps the worst situation out of all of them. 

This volume has a badass battle and there's a bit of a mystery to solve as Kirito has to try and figure out who would want to slow down the experiment/project. I think Asuna is getting a wee bit suspicious too! 

I liked Alice and Kirito as a duo, they worked well together once she started to trust him and they made a good team although I did think she was going to go full "I am not a number" at one point. I actually felt quite disappointed with Eugeo this volume, he overcame his confidence issues and fought like a badass and I was cheering him on...but then he got sucked in completely towards the end and I just....heaved a massive sigh because really Eugeo? Really?! 

Because this is a Reki Kwahara novel, things start out bad and then get much, much worse by the end of the volume. The entire volume is paced well, and we speed towards the final showdown....with a huge plot twist that leaves you screeching. The final scene....it was seriously like some Star Wars stuff. It seemed a bit familiar and my brain screamed Star Wars and started playing the theme tune in my head. Either way, things have certainly taken an interesting turn and things are definitely livening up! 

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Light Novel: SAO 12

Sword Art Online 12: Alicization Rising 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Eugeo has finally met Alice again, but she's no longer the same girl he once knew, now calling herself an Integrity Knight. Even worse, the reason for Alice's unexpected return is to capture Kirito and Eugeo!

As we start the volume, we pick up right where we left off last volume and we learn aaaaallll about the Underworld. Cardinal gives us the lowdown on everything, including Quinella and what's to come and generally fills in the blanks and answers the questions we've been asking! Everything or mostly everything is revealed, I would say, and Kirito and Eugeo must set out to retrieve their swords, get Alice and put the Cardinals plan in to action. 

The first part of the book is quite stodgy, I won't lie to you. It's heavy with explanations and details but I kind of didn't mind it because we got so many answers and learned how the world operates and how it became like it is, which is something I've been curious about for a while.  

Once things get going there's plenty of action and battles as Kirito and Eugeo head up towards the big bad, fighting various knights along the way before being brought up short by Alice. This volume perfectly illustrated why I don't like children and why they can't be trusted in these kinds of books. They're all creepy and lowkey evil. 

At this stage, I can't help but feel sorry for the Integrity Knights, having their heads messed with and so on. Fanatio was even relatable to an extent. I'm not going to lie, this volume ends on quite the cliffhanger and it's a lot shorter than last volume! There's no dipping out of the Underworld to check on Asuna and the others either, we stay with Kirito the entire time. Things are really heating up and we're getting to the climax of the story, and this volume paves the way for what I'm assuming is the final part of the arc! 

Manga: Sword Art Online Calibur

Sword Art Online Calibur
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

The goddess Urd is in danger, and only Kirito and friends can save her! The evil frost giants have invaded her homeland of Jotunheim, bringing death and destruction in their wake. The linchpin of it all is the giant king's sword-the legendary weapon Excalibur! If Kirito's crew can make it to the end of the dungeon and pull the sword from the stone, peace will be brought to the land once more...!

As you may or may not be able to tell from the title of this volume, this is the manga version of the Excalibur arc of the anime, that was literally like...one maybe two episodes! We get to explore more of ALO and there's plenty of Norse mythology scattered throughout, so for me, it was a winning combination!

The whole gang aside from Agil and a couple of the others set out on the quest for Excalibur! I'm a big fan of any story arc that lets us see some of the other characters in action and Klein cracks me up! Plus Sinon gets to be a total badass too! They all work so well together as a team. It was nice to see the story focus on all of them collectively working together and each getting their own moments rather than just focusing on one or two like usual. 

The story is well drawn, I really do love the art, and the battles where drawn cleanly. The volume is fast paced and there's lots of action, and fighting packed in, along with a lot of information. It may only be a quick side quest but it's well fleshed out and created and really drew me in to the plot and what was going on! I loved all of the little details thrown in, the mythology and the intricacy of the quest. I'd love to see more side quests like this in the story! 

Manga: Alternative GGO

SAO Alternative Gun Gale Online
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Karen Kohiruimaki always felt out of place in the real world. Due to her extreme height, she found it hard to make friends with other girls her age. Everything changes when she's introduced to VR and Gun Gale Online. In GGO, Karen is free to play the cute, chibi avatar of her dreams! Can Karen find friendship in this bullet-ridden MMO...?

Ahhh yeaaaaah, brand new Sword Art Online, with brand new characters! Or you know....Gun Gale Online as it where. There's some brilliantly drawn, fun colour pages at the beginning, and the art in general is very well drawn. There's lots of detail and the characters are fantastically drawn too! Llen is cute but not overly cute you know? 

Karen as Llen is cute yet badass. That's literally her all over. As Karen you feel for her. I didn't have a great time at school because of my appearance either, and I really empathised and related with her and her situation. Pitohui is hilarious and badass...but also kind of shady. Like maybe it's me being overly suspicious but she seems shady and I couldn't shake the feeling the longer I read. M was an interesting partner choice for Llen and it was funny to watch the interactions between the two of them! 

We get introduced to Karen and how she met Pitohui and started to get in to the game. Standard really. Then we swiftly head in to the Squad Jam competition. There's plenty of action and a good, swift pace. There's some brilliant tactics and each scene is drawn with excellent detail, as are the guns and the bullet lines and so on. 

There's fun action and battles, but there's also a couple of mysteries too. I have my suspicions about Pitohui and who she really is but there's a piece that doesn't quite fit and I'm curious to see how it's going to play out. Either way, this is an explosive first volume that sucks you back in to the world of GGO and expands on what we already know, showing us more of it as well as introducing us to new, interesting characters! There's even a tiny, tiny cameo! 

Manga: SAO Girls Ops 4

Sword Art Online Girls Ops 4
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Lux's dark past with SAO 's Laughing Coffin guild has been revealed-along with the bad blood she shares with Gwen, leader of the Batty Bats. When the girls are sent on a quest to eliminate Gwen, will Lux be able to follow through and betray her former friend yet again...?

The time has come to deal with Gwen, finally! I have to say I really don't like her but by the end of this volume, I felt for her a little bit, I was softening towards her. I feel like she'll be a fun addition to our group and I'm hoping she'll be involved in coming adventures! 

The art is so cute, and it captures the characters we all know and love incredibly well. There's lots of action in this volume too, and I do love an action packed SAO volume, because the action sequences are always drawn brilliantly! 

We get a glimpse of Kirito too, it would be rude not to really wouldn't it!? ;) 

Kirito and Sinon get to have their badass hero moment, because SAO. It's probably the most we've seen of Kirito in this side series, it's actually one of the best side series I've read to be honest. The pace is fast, the art actually looks like the characters without having changed them too much and the plot has been really good. His appearance didn't take away from the girls moment either and it showed that friendship comes first, which was nice to see! 

The volume has a nice pace as we wrap up the story arc with Gwen and her group. It all comes to a satisfying end, as does the volume in general. Whether or not this is the last volume! I'm not entirely sure! If it is then it's all been wrapped up brilliantly, and if it isn't then this story arc has been finished up ready to start the next one! It's such a fun series, I hope it goes on for a bit longer! 

Winter 2017 Manga

Hey guys! 
How's it going?! 
For today's blog post I'm hooking you up with all the brand new manga coming out this Winter! I'm talking October to January, I may or may not have missed a couple but I'm fairly sure I've gotten most of them! There's a nice mix of genres so hopefully you'll find something that takes your fancy! I'll edit this as new covers that are missing, are released!

Frau Faust -Out Now!

From the creator of The Ancient Magus' Bride comes a supernatural action manga in the vein of Fullmetal Alchemist! With electrifying art and a gripping story, Frau Faust reimagines the protagonist of the classic tale who makes a deal with the devil as a tenacious female scholar. 

More than a century after an eccentric scholar made an infamous deal with a devil, the story of Faust has passed into legend. However, the true Faust is not the stuffy, professorial man known in fairy tales, but a charismatic, bespectacled woman named Johanna Faust, who happens to still be alive. Searching for pieces of her long-lost demon, Johanna passes through a provincial town, where she saves a young boy named Marion from a criminal’s fate. In exchange, she asks a simple favor of Marion, but Marion soon finds himself intrigued by the peculiar Doctor Faust and joins her on her journey. Thus begins the strange and wonderful adventures of Frau Faust!

I've got a review for it right.....here! 

Akashic Records of the Bastard Magic Instructor - Out Now!

Sisti is a young magic-user in training who attends prestigious magical academy where she hopes to be trained by the best of the best. However, when her instructor suddenly retires, his replacement is anything but what Sisti had hoped for?lazy, incompetent, and always late! Can Sisti still learn magic and unravel the mystery of Sky Castle with such a terrible teacher to lead her?

So, I watched the anime version of this and it took me a few episodes to get in to it like...I watched the first episode and was like "nah I'm out" but then ended up watching a couple more...and then ended up loving this series by the end! So I'm picking up the manga to see what happens next! 







Rental Shop Yokai  -Out Now!

A young man named Hiiragi has recently learned that he has a half-brother. Seeking him out, he not only finds the brother he never knew, but discovers he is a mysterious individual covered in bandages who runs an exclusive rare animal pet shop. But this unique shop is itself a front for something even more mysterious: a secret shop where customers in-the-know can sign a contract forged in blood and rent out yokai for their own singular purposes!

Not gonna lie, I think this one sounds like fun! Also super Halloween appropriate!









Yokai Girls - November 7th

Nishizuru Yakki has always considered himself a fairly normal guy. He's graduated from school, works a part-time job, and has never had a girlfriend. Yet he does have one unusual ability - he can see yokai! He usually copes with these ghostly visions by ignoring them - until he meets a mysterious young woman named Rokka. Now, his normal days have taken a notably abnormal turn, as Yakki finds himself the sole defender of a motley array of sexy supernatural beings!











Angels of Death- November 14th

Most girls that wake up in the home of a serial killer would panic, but not Ray. In fact, her meeting with the killer Zack is actually quite convenient because her only wish is to find a good way to die.

In case you fancy something a liiittle bit dark... 













Forbidden Scrollery -November 14th

Where else would a girl with the power to translate any tome she sets in her lap reside except a library? Sure, some books may be more dangerous than others, but that's far from discouragement for a true bibliophile like Kosuzu Motoori!

The book nerd in me can't resist this... 












Graineliers - November 14th

Rihito Takarai (Ten Count) pens anything but a garden variety fantasy! In a world where the seeds of plants are imbued with power, the wheels of fate begin to turn for Luca, an illegal seed cultivator, when the government-sanctioned Graineliers come to take away his father, who in turn hands Luca a rare and powerful seed...!

I'm intrigued by this, I'll admit the cover doesn't match the image that was in my head when I first heard of this series!

Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online -November 14th

Karen Kohiruimaki always felt out of place in the real world. Due to her extreme height, she found it hard to make friends with other girls her age. Everything changes when she's introduced to VR and Gun Gale Online. In GGO, Karen is free to play the cute, chibi avatar of her dreams! Can Karen find friendship in this bullet-ridden MMO...?

So....a Sword Art Online series without Kirito?! I mean..I'm assuming it's without Kirito! I am intrigued to see what GGO will be like as we didn't get to see much of it and when we did Kirito was cracking out a sword! 








Magical Raising Project  - December 12th

Cover TBA!

The hit social network game "The Magical Girl Raising Project" selects one out of every tens of thousands of players to become a real life magical girl. The lucky chosen girls gain magic powers as well as incredibly good fortune, and spend their days blissfully. 

But one day, an absolute announcement declares that the number of magical girls has risen too high and must be cut down to half. Sixteen young maidens are thrust into a merciless, deadly contest to survive...but how many will come out the other side?

I've read the light novel version of this and it was bloody brilliant, so I'm excited to see what the art's going to be like and how it'll translate to a manga!

A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School -December 12th

Cover TBA!

Haruaki Abe is the kind of guy who wouldn't say boo to a goose. But when he starts his teaching career at a high school full of creatures that go bump in the night, he soon discovers that his students have no such qualms, and they'll have him screaming "eeeeeeek"!

Sword Art Online Calibur -December 12th

The goddess Urd is in danger, and only Kirito and friends can save her! The evil frost giants have invaded her homeland of Jotunheim, bringing death and destruction in their wake. The linchpin of it all is the giant king's sword-the legendary weapon Excalibur! If Kirito's crew can make it to the end of the dungeon and pull the sword from the stone, peace will be brought to the land once more...!

If you watch the anime, this is that tiny little arc before Mother's Rosary, it's like 3 episodes long and I'm guessing it's only going to need this one volume! I did wonder if it'd be in manga form or not!

Baccano! - December 12th

Cover TBA!

New York, 1927.

In a corrupt city where crime rules the streets, Firo Prochainezo is Camorra, an Italian criminal syndicate distinct from the mafia. A member of the relatively small Martillo family, Firo's nevertheless got big ambitions and is determined to make his mark. But while the Martillos may not be the biggest bad guys on the block, they've got some distinct advantages working in their favor. Does Firo have what it takes to become a made man? 

Let the crazy ruckus begin!

Though You May Burn to Ash -January 23rd

Cover TBA!

Desperate to save his ailing sister, Ryouma Shinomiya enters into a high-stakes game where losing means death! What's more, he's a girl now!?

The Saga of Tanya the Evil -January 23rd 

Cover TBA!

When the average Japanese salaryman is suddenly thrown into in a world wracked with warfare and hardship by a supernatural power, they might first think to hide or run away. But not Tanya Degurechaff. A calculating and utilitarian man has been reborn as a child soldier. This young girl will do anything to rise in rank and find a way to live a life of comfort, and woe to any king, country, or god who stands in her way.

I've heard good things about the anime, so I'm excited to give this a try!

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Manga: SAO Mother's Rosary

Sword Art Online: Mother's Rosary Volume 3
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Yuuki's sudden disappearance has left Asuna bereft. It had seemed like everyone was having such a good time-what did she do wrong...? She turns to Kirito in her search for answers, but she may end up wishing she'd never pulled on that thread. The most heartbreaking arc in SAO comes to a tearful conclusion...!

This volume brings the Mother's Rosary arc to an end, and this arc really does wrap up beautifully! This is pretty much the saddest arc in SAO, and the ending manages to choke me up a little bit when I watch the anime, I can't lie! 

Yuuki is MIA and Kirito is sorting Yui out in the real world using a camera she can see through and some scientific things that quite frankly....I rarely understand. I'm not that great with technology but it does look good! We finally find out the truth about Yuuki and this arc will give you all the feels. 

The art is recognisably SAO but with the artists own twists and quirks. Whereas the Phantom Bullet arc is pretty much exactly the same, the art for this story arc is a little bit different. It's nice and totally cute! 

The entire arc follows the story in the anime, and it's just as heartbreaking on the page as on the screen. Yuuki is such a strong character and she shows you that you can push forward and keep fighting no matter what. I kinda envy her optimism, energy and strength to be honest! 

I wasn't sure how well some things would translate over from the anime, but I really loved how well drawn this arc was and how the montages where drawn throughout the volume. I also loved that after having such a spotlight on Kirito from the past couple of arcs we got more of a focus on Asuna in this one. This arc has been a nice change of pace, not just featuring the girls a bit more, but there's no high stakes fighting etc, they're just playing the game, if that makes sense. Either way, this arc has been an interesting change and it wraps up perfectly! 

Manga: SAO Phantom Bullet

Sword Art Online: Phantom Bullet Vol 3 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

With the prelims over, it's time to head into the main event-the Bullet of Bullets tournament! But this fun free-for-all has turned into an IRL death match when a member of SAO's Laughing Coffin raises the stakes. Can Sinon and Kirito figure out who Death Gun is before it's too late?!

*announcer voice* Laaaddieeess aaaaand Gentlemeeeeeeennn let the Bullet of Bullets begiiiiiiinnnnn! 

Kirito, being Kirito, will be using his lightsaber....I mean....sword. As you can see from the GIF ;) 

So, the prelims are over and the Bullet of Bullets is about to kick off. We open the volume with some more information about Laughing Coffin and what went down with them in SAO, it's actually quite chilling. So we know who Death Gun is....or at least partially as we still don't have an actual name. I've been eagerly awaiting this volume, as unlike the anime, it provides more insight and thoughts from the characters and is giving this story arc a new dimension. 

We're introduced to the arena with quite a lot of detail, which was nice, and then it's all action and tactics and it's like that for the entirety of the volume, with some little breaks as we check in with Asuna and the others. While Kirito is teaming up with Sinon to take down Death Gun so that they can have the rematch she wants so much, Asuna wants answers after she and Klein realise who Death Gun is. 

The checkpoints provide lots of interesting information both on the settings and the guns the characters use which is some interesting background information to have as you're reading and helps to bring the setting and game alive! The art, I have to say, is very close to the art from the anime, so the characters are very familiar and it's very well drawn. Although there's a fair bit of fan service and I'm still getting used to the bullet prediction lines! 

Phantom Bullet's third volume is fast paced and we get left wanting more as the volume comes to an end with one final, chilling visual. Hopefully we won't have to wait long for volume four, which I *think* is the last volume in this story arc if I remember the anime correctly! 

Light Novel: Sword Art Online Vol 11

Sword Art Online: Alicization Turning
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

It's been two years since Kirito entered another mysterious fantasy world and met the boy named Eugeo. At the Northern Centoria Master Swordsmanship Academy, the two of them have advanced to become upper rank trainee swordsmen. Now they spend their days training, aiming to one day earn the rank of Integrity Knight, the greatest peacekeepers in the human world. Soon, appropriate for their new ranks, both Kirito and Eugeo are assigned apprentices and they all deepen their bonds while perfecting their bodies and minds. But suddenly, an evil rears its head and threatens their peaceful lives. Eugeo tries to draw his sword to fight but he finds himself helpless as a message appears in words he can't read. They say--SYSTEM ALERT.

Buckle in kiddies, you're in for a bumpy ride in this volume of Sword Art Online! Things happen, some realisations are made and then boom...end of the volume. See you next time! It's pretty brutal. Because I'm making all kinds of assumptions and theories and it's going to be a while until next volume, I guess! 

Sword Art Online, as a whole, was pretty disturbing. Let's be real. The whole concept behind it was disturbing. Reading it was disturbing. Watching it was disturbing. But this arc is taking all of that to a new level. Sure there's no 'you die in the game you die in real life' but that doesn't make this arc any less...well...disturbing. In this volume we learn a whole tonne more about the world that's been created, how it changed and grew and became what it is when Kirito found himself in it, and we get some more information on Rath. 

Then there's the disturbing scene with Raios and Humbert. My hatred for them knows no bounds. But this volume is pretty pacey. We have Eugeo's POV for most of the volume, and we shift from the school after said disturbing scene and meet up with Alice a lot sooner than I was expecting! I was here ready to be in it for the long haul and do the tournament etc but nope. This arc is moving forward pretty speedily. Thanks to Asuna we have some seeds of intrigue scattered throughout her POV and we even get some Kirito POV time. Things have changed with Alice, and Kirito finds himself participating in a prison break but that's not the most shocking development of the whole volume. 

We meet Cardinal. Yep...let that sink in. Where've you heard it before? Sounds super familiar right? It should *wink*. It took a moment when I was reading, for me to answer all of those questions and then it hit me like a brick. That's pretty much all I'm going to say about that...but yes. We have a pretty major development right before the end of the book! 

I'm mildly worried we're going to lose out on Tiese and Ronie, I feel like there's lots of potential with them and we're possibly not going to get to see them again. Which will be a liiiittlleee bit disappointing. 

While I found the beginning of this volume a little bit slow as we built up towards a certain dark event, the majority of this volume has a great pace and provides us with lots of intrigue and information as well as a shock twist at the end of the book. Yep. Right at the end! We finish up with the school and head in to new settings and territory just before the book ends, and I'm very intrigued to see how this is all going to play out. We have a rough deadline thanks to Asuna's POV for when this is all going to be resolved, but I since we've got a long way to go still! 

I feel like this arc is like every horror movie ever with the AI taking over control basically. But it's a bit more disturbing. 

Manga: Sword Art Online Progressive 5

Sword Art Online Progressive Vol 5
Rating: 4/5 
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

It's time for the "real" SAO--the third floor! Kirito and Asuna are hardly out the door when they stumble upon the start of the Elf War quest. When they decide to side with the elite dark elf Kizmel, they're set on a path that will push them harder than ever before. But together, nothing can stop them...right? 

This volume of SAO Progressive carries straight on....like literally we're just a few hours on from the end of the last volume, and Kirito and Asuna have just hit the third floor. I've got to say, I'm loving the pace that this manga is taking, a couple of volumes for each floor. It's also funny, along with full of action. 

I love getting to know Asuna better in these volumes, we get to know her in Aincrad, and we get to see her past in little flashbacks...and we get to see how she adjusted and coped and became the Asuna we see for most of the main SAO. You guys might remember there was a point in SAO when Asuna refused to sacrifice NPCs...in this volume we see her struggling to deal with NPC's and how different they are. Kirito has a more logical approach. NPC's aren't real...whereas he and Asuna are and could die if they aren't careful. Whereas Asuna doesn't like letting the NPC's die. You see what made her feel that way, it was very well done. 

We also indirectly get to know Kirito better too as we see him quite a lot throughout the story, obviously. It's nice to get to see him in different situations, and during the beginning of Aincrad. In the original story there's a load of huge time jumps, and while we know Kirito....I just feel like we get to see that there's more to him, more sides. 

I also really love watching Asuna and Kirito's relationship in these volumes. In the original story...they meet a couple of times and then they end up together. In this volume we get to see how their acquaintance started, and watch as their feelings develop and their relationship develops and they get to know each other. They already know each other pretty well...Asuna knew straight away which Elf Kirito sided with in the Beta test...which cracked me up. 

I'm also loving all the new insights in to Aincrad and I was always so curious about what happened on the other floors and what the other floors where like. Turns out that SAO has Elves on the third floor. Yup. Didn't see that coming. We get a new character in this volume called Kizmel, she's a dark elf and an NPC and I'm interested to see how this is going to play out as Asuna is quite attached. Plus it's a Quest, and I don't recall seeing a Quest before in the original SAO. 

The only problem with this volume though...is that I spotted a couple of inconsistencies with the main/original story. Like Kirito makes a comment about SAO not having a marriage system or whatever the wording was, and um.....yeah there is. Because there's that whole murder mystery thing that goes on in the main story. I distinctly remember it in the anime at least. The guy murdered his wife to get an item or whatever it was and they had shared storage because they where married, I think was how it went. Either way, we know they do have a marriage system because.....Kirito and Asuna. There where a couple of other little things too. I mean, we pretty much saw the first floor and then skipped a tonne, so the author kind of has free reign, but some things do stick out as not fitting. 

I'm not going to lie to you guys. The art in Progressive is waaaaaaaayyyy better than the original Aincrad arc. Way better. Sword Art Online Progressive is the Aincrad we all deserved and seriously should have gotten. It's so damn good. We get to explore the world of Aincrad, see more of it, see the other floors. It's more fleshed out and so are the characters and their relationships. I know at the end of the SAO Ordinal Scale movie it says "SAO will return" or something, and I know they'll probably do the Alicization arc which is yaaaaay because continuing the story finally BUUUTTT, my heart longs for a Progressive anime too. Because awesome. But for now I'll have to settle for the manga, and I'm a-okay with that!