Sword Art Online. Everyone who is somewhat of an anime fan has heard of it. It’s almost the ultimate “baby’s first anime” in terms of someone watching it and then making the true jump into the medium. Growing up on Dragon Ball and Yugioh as a kid, I knew what anime was. But if it wasn’t a shonen anime playing on Cartoon Network, then there was no way, as a kid, that I was going to be able to see it. It wasn’t till back in 2013 when I saw Sword Art Online, that I, like many others, was introduced to anime in a way that made me want to dive deeper into the medium. Needless to say, I was disappointed that the premise of “beat all 100 floors to get out” was cut short halfway through the show. That’s where Sword Art Online: Progressive comes in: a retelling of the original light novel / anime that has our main characters go through each floor of Aincrad. And now having read 40 of the 47 available chapters, I feel ready to make my review.

STORY: 6
The overall premise of the manga is what drew me to it: Kirito and Co. actually going through all 100 floors of Aincrad this time around. And while the premise is an interesting take, the “mini story arcs” of each floor are nothing really special. The characters are just about the same as the anime, save for Asuna—she is even more of a damsel in distress than before. These story arcs are serviceable, and they will keep you engaged in each individual chapter, but it is the overall plot of beating Aincrad that is going to keep you reading.

ART: 8
Now, I don’t consider myself an expert on any sort of visual art, and I would say especially manga, but the art of SAO: Progressive was very pleasant to look at. Set pieces were, for the most part, done well, and the characters were a style that appealed to me. Though, be warned, if you are not one for fanservice, there is some in this manga. It tends to come out of nowhere occasionally, and when it appears, it’s laid on thick. My only real criticism with the art of this manga is the battle scenes. They seemed to get muddled. There were many times when I felt like I was looking at black blotches on the paper, not some epic fight.

CHARACTERS: 6
And now we are at SAO: Progressive’s main issue: the characters. The manga finds itself in that terrible limbo where the characters aren’t bad, but they’re definitely not good . . . It’s up to the individual to decide whether that’s okay or not. There really isn’t much to write about. I felt that the characters were just unforgettable enough that I can think of neither pros nor cons to them. And that’s why this is the biggest problem with SAO: Progressive. Character progression is practically non-existant. Kirito remains the overpowered main character while Asuna remains the damsel in distress. Needless to say, if character is a driving point for you in a manga, stay away from this.

OVERALL: 6
I find myself only recommending this manga to two groups of people: 1) SAO fans, and 2) fans of the VRMMO “genre.” It has a cool premise and decent artwork, but the lackluster story arcs and nonexistant characterization / character progression are a major detraction to this manga. I, personally, enjoyed it for what it is. I must admit, that SAO as a whole is a guilty pleasure of mine. Maybe it’s due to it being my “first” anime way back in 2013, but I can’t help but look at the franchise favorably. And for that reason, while nothing to write home about, I enjoyed Sword Art Online: Progressive.