[Dengeki G's Magazine December 2021 Issue] Special Staff Interview 2 - Kawahara Reki

Due to the Progressive movie coming out in the English speaking world on 3 December... and the fact that I didn't have anything else on hand to release during a busy week, I decided to do a quick translation of an interview with Kawahara Reki that was published in Dengeki G's Magazine December 2021 Issue. Unfortunately, I had a super busy weekend and didn't manage to finish it in a timely manner... and then I got called in to work to fill in for a colleague who missed her connecting flight and would be unable to come to her shift in the morning... after just going through a 24 hour shift and then preparing a presentation after it.... X_X So uh, I'm a day behind schedule, but it's the thought that counts!

Anyway, this is a short interview that came out on 29 October, just a day before the premiere of the movie. It does an important question about Mito that everyone seems to have... and also how Kawahara's schedule sounds about as hectic as mine...

Credits

Translation: Gsimenas

Interview

New character Mito is an entity on Kirito's level

——『Sword Art Online the Movie-Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night』 features an original character named Mito; how did this character come to be?

Kawahara Reki-shi (henceforth referred to as Kawahara): We had people saying "We sure could use a new character" since quite early on in our script meetings; what kind of character this would be, on the other hand, got solidified bit by bit during our ensuing conversations. Though, I do get the feeling that my preferences rubbed off on her personality and appearance quite a lot……While Mito is a new character created for this movie, she also serves as a little gimmick that interconnects the movie with the rest of the 『SAO』 series; I hope to elaborate on this somewhere at some point.

——Regarding the 3 main characters, could you share some noteworthy points about them in the movie specifically? Let's start off with Kirito first.

Kawahara: Seeing as Kirito doesn't have that many scenes compared to Asuna in the movie, I had been pondering how to make him cooler and more heroic… or something like that to make up for it back during our script meeting stage, so I brought up some ideas to that effect; now that I have had the pleasure of seeing the completed movie, Kirito turned out to be Kirito, in a good way (laughs). Of course, there has been a lot of improvement in both the animation and Matsuoka-san's performance, so there's more than enough reason to get your hopes up!

——What about Asuna?

Kawahara: This entry to the franchise is a reboot from Asuna's point of view, thus you could say that this is 《Asuna's story》, so to speak. It presents bits of her story that had not been shown in the previous installments in a meticulous and delicate manner, thus there are too many noteworthy points to possibly count them all! If I really had to put my finger on it and narrow it down, I would say: the Asuna at school before she became trapped in 《SAO》, and the character name listing order on the credit roll.

——Well now, that's all the more reason to watch the movie to the very end (laughs). Seeing as Mito is a new character, I'm sure there are plenty of noteworthy points about it, but if you had to narrow it down, what would you find noteworthy?

Kawahara: In a sense, Mito is a character on Kirito's level, thus we inevitably fussed a lot about her coolness and prominence as we moulded her character. If I were to mention an example, her main weapon is a scythe, which marks the first time this sort of weapon is used in the 『SAO』 series; the "action scenes that could only be pulled off with a scythe" are jam-packed with power, thus I would like everyone to pay attention to them. Minase Inori-san's acting was also magnificent!

——I would like to turn our attention to the movie's highlights and scenes that you feel deserve everyone's attention, situation by situation. For starters, what 『SAO』 couldn't live without: the battle scenes.

Kawahara: Well, this definitely calls for talking about the showdown against 《Illfang the Kobold Lord》, the Floor Boss of the 1st Floor! This scene was animated in episode 2 of the 1st season of the TV anime as well, but you can feel how animation techniques have evolved over time with your own skin, I believe.

——Asuna and Mito have a bond in the real world. What scene do you believe allows us to get a feel for their relationship?

Kawahara: There's a scene that I love: the one where Asuna interacts with Misumi on the school roof after school. I hope that everyone watching this scene will get a feel for how the two girls hit off and what they grew to like about each other.

——Now, we would love to hear any of your own favourite scenes that haven't been mentioned before.

Kawahara: There are way too many to count…… What comes to mind off the top of my head is the last scene. I hope everyone enjoys savouring the "beauty of the spectacle" when we get a wide view of the field design and the two main characters. Also, the part where Asuna eats her cream bun, I guess!

The large-scale campaign quest
the 《Elf War Quest》 heads to its culmination!

——Now about the 『Sword Art Online Progressive』 novels - 8 volumes published so far - that serves as the origin for this entry to the franchise. Please share with us about any points that you would like your readers to enjoy, as well as upcoming plot points and twists.

Kawahara: 《Progressive》 is a series that has been seeing a drop in its release pace and I would like to apologise for the inconveniences this has caused, but the long-running "Elf War Campaign Quest" is finally entering its culmination starting next volume, thus I hope everyone will enjoy the climax to Kirito's, Asuna's, as well as Kizmel's story!

——Do you have any plans for Mito to be added to the roster of the original 『Sword Art Online Progressive』 novels?

Kawahara: Hmm～～m, I can't say I wouldn't like to add her to the roster, but she hasn't had any presence in the novel so far, so I get the feeling she would feel out of place unless I did a lot of working around......Even if I do decide to add her to the mix, I feel she won't be based on the same backbone as in the movie.

——Now about the Dengeki Bunko label 『Sword Art Online』 series, now in its 《Unital Ring》 arc that has been well-received by fans. Please share with us any general points and future plot points that you would like fans to anticipate.

Kawahara: Now that I think about it, the 《Unital Ring》 arc has also reached its 5th volume milestone, so it should be heading to its turning point by now, but that all sounds like hot air right about now…… (sweats). Though, I feel that about 80 percent of the setup has come together, so I hope to speed things up towards the climax starting with the next volume.

——Now finally, a message for the fans looking forward to the release of the movie.

Kawahara: Seeing as tons of staff members, starting with Director Kōno, have poured their heart and soul into the 『Aria of a Starless Night』 movie that is finally coming to movie screens, I believe it will turn out to be top notch movie, thus I hope you will all enjoy it on the big screen at cinemas. You should find new discoveries in the movie each time you watch! I will do my best on the original novels so they wouldn't lag behind the movie, so I hope for your continued support!