Sword Art Online the Movie – Progressive – Scherzo of Deep Night

Thousands of players are trapped in a virtual reality world where dying in the game means death in real life. Kirito and Asuna work together to climb the levels of the floating castle Aincrad to find a way out. While exploring ruins and catacombs on the fifth floor with the help of an information broker named Argo, they face dangerous monsters and players who kill others for sport. Tensions also rise between two powerful guilds, the Aincrad Liberation Squad and the Dragon Knights Brigade, while a hidden figure manipulates events from the shadows.

Directed by Ayako Kono, this film is the third in her directing career, following Accel World: Infinite Burst and Sword Art Online the Movie - Progressive - Aria of a Starless Night. The movie features a voice cast including Haruka Tomatsu, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Inori Minase, Shiori Izawa, Hiroki Yasumoto, and Tomokazu Seki, with a screenplay by Yukito Kizawa. Produced in Japan by companies including Aniplex and A-1 Pictures, the film earned 16 million USD at the worldwide box office. Audience reception is generally positive, with a rating of 6.7/10 on IMDb based on 1,500 votes and a higher score of 7.7/10 on TMDB from 234 votes.