At long last, Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale was released. This work, which is also the latest work of the Sword Art Online (SAO) series, has moved the world from VR (virtual reality) up to now and has become a work that is set on AR (augmented reality). AR has been talked about now, but at the beginning of the production of the movie version, it was still not considered important to the general public.
Here is an interview with Director Tomohiko Ito.
Interviewer: Professor Kawahara made the complete original content this time. What was your impression when you first saw Dr. Kawahara’s original plan?
Ito: I felt that AR (augmented Reality), I and the other producers also felt that VR (virtual reality) is not newer in the contrary.
Interviewer: Have you actually made it, did that impression change?
Ito: Actually, during the making of the movie version, Pokemon GO got a huge hit, and a phenomenon that made it easier to understand even at a meeting called “AR cannot surprise me” happened. From that point I thought that “I feel like going in and going out”.
Interviewer: In reality, scenes where AR including holoid lenses are being taken up a lot has increased. Again, Mr. Kawahara realizes that he is looking ahead.
(Holoid lenses are holographic computing lenses developed by Microsoft.)
Ito: That’s right. Holo Lenz was also experienced, but I thought that it seems to be “augmer”. I can get angry when I say it together. Mr. Kawahara thought that it was fluffy.
(Augmer is the AR device used by Kirito in the movie version. Sony is in charge of its design.)
Interviewer: Have you been conscious of creating animation as it is the AR world this time?
Ito: Because AR is a reality at last. We must take action with the actual body. I can not fly or jump superhumanly, and weapons are like holograms so we can not compete with each other.
Interviewer: “SAO” celebrates its 5th anniversary, is he thinking about future developments?
Ito: That is because the producer is thinking about it, so I do not know (laughs).
Staff: I once said, “I will do everything if there is an original” in the overseas invent, I guess (laughs).
Ito: (laughs). Well then I will do it as long as the original remains.
Staff: I have not decided anything yet, but I think there is no reason not to do it.
Interviewer: I am looking forward to it! Finally, since this interview has pretty maniac contents, I’d like you to tell me the last point that people on the second lap are watching here.
Ito: This is not what Mr. Kawahara is saying officially, but the book “SAO Incident Full Record” that appeared in the original is also a key in the movie version. There remains the mystery of “Who wrote that?” and the mystery of “A sentence added and pages added”. There is a person who thinks that way.
Interviewer: I see! That’s good information to be looking forward to the next time you see it. Thank you very much!
Sword Art Online – Ordinal Scale’s movie version by Aniplex was released on February 18, 2017 (Saturday) UTC+09, with the theme song “Catch The Moment” by LiSA.