Aniplex of America Inc. has announced a digital release of Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale-, a film that has hit theaters last year. It is available on iTunes, Vudu, and the Microsoft Store. This same version is planned to hit Amazon Video and Playstation Video as well. The main reason for the release was to give fans a more accessible option compared to the physical package. However, there is one drawback, in that the digital release is censored, while the film is uncensored on Blu-ray and DVD.
The film itself stars the original voice cast for the anime, where it also features an English Dub with voices such as Bryce Papenbrook. Studio A-1 Pictures animated the movie alongside director Tomohiko Ito, character designer Shingo Adachi, and composer Yuki Kajiura.
PRESS RELEASE
Aniplex of America Announces
Sword Art Online The Movie –Ordinal Scale-
Now Available for Digital Release
The movie that brought Sword Art Online fans together worldwide now available for digital download!
SANTA MONICA, CA (February 1, 2018) – Aniplex of America Inc. announced that the fan-favorite anime blockbuster Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale– is now available for digital release, launching on iTunes, Vudu, and the Microsoft Store. The film, which takes place after the high-stakes events of Sword Art Online, will also be available on Amazon Video and Playstation Video at a later date. Now fans unable to purchase the package release can experience the action, giving a budget-friendly, censored option just in time for the next season of Sword Art Online. Links to download the film can be found at: http://sao-movie.net/us/blu_
Based on the franchise of best-selling light novels that inspired the TV anime, Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale– captured anime fans across North America, with its nationwide theatrical release grossing over $1.35 million on opening weekend. Fans lined up at sold-out theaters as Kirito and Asuna came to life in this new story by original author Reki Kawahara. Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale– hit the silver screen in February of 2017, debuting at #1 in Japan and grossing more than ¥425 million. Now, almost one year later, fans can own the digital version of the film that IGN’s Alex Osborn calls “a gift for longtime fans.”
Further catering to longtime fans, Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale– features the original voice cast from the TV series, with Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Sword Art Online, Eromanga Sensei) as Kirito, Haruka Tomatsu (PERSONA 5, Darling in the Franxx) as Asuna, and Ayana Taketatsu (Sword Art Online, The Asterisk War) as Leafa, and introducing Sayaka Kanda as a new character Yuna. The movie also stars an English dub cast of heavy hitters, including Bryce Papenbrook (Blue Exorcist, Sword Art Online) as Kirito, Cherami Leigh (Sword Art Online, ERASED) as Asuna, and more. Famed studio A-1 Pictures (Blue Exorcist, Sword Art Online, ERASED) beautifully animated Reki Kawahara’s vision to life with director Tomohiko Ito (Sword Art Online, ERASED), character designer Shingo Adachi (Sword Art Online), and composer Yuki Kajiura (Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] THE MOVIE 1. Presage flower).
Labeled as “a must-watch for all anime fans” by MANGA TOKYO, Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale– pulls no punches, delivering an action-packed love letter to longtime fans of the franchise and new fans alike. In their review, Crunchyroll.com’s Isaac Akers claims “as a film for fans, Sword Art Online The Movie -Ordinal Scale– succeeds because it reaches for and achieves a single peak of unadulterated fan joy.” The uncensored version was released on Blu-ray and DVD in December of 2017, and now fans can own the censored digital release across a variety of platforms.
For more information, please visit the official website: sao-movie.net/us
About Sword Art Online The Movie –Ordinal Scale-:
The NerveGear, the world’s first dedicated full-dive device developed by the genius programmer, Akihiko Kayaba in 2022…a revolutionary machine that opened up infinite possibilities for the world of VR (Virtual Reality). Four years later…. A next-generation, wearable multi-device called the Augma has been released to compete with the NerveGear’s successor, the Amusphere. A cutting-edge machine boasting the ability to enhance AR (Augmented Reality) to the maximum, the Augma offers a safe, user-friendly experience, as it can be used while the player is awake, making it an instant hit. Its most popular title is an ARMMORPG developed exclusively for the Augma, “Ordinal Scale (a.k.a. OS).”
Kirito is about to join Asuna and the others as an Ordinal Scale player, but they’re about to find out that it isn’t all fun and games…
For more details, please visit: http:///www.sao-movie.net/us
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STAFF
Original Story: Reki Kawahara (Dengeki Bunko / ASCII MEDIA WORKS)
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Character Design Concept: abec
Character Design: Shingo Adachi
Music: Yuki Kajiura
Animation Production: A-1 Pictures
Distributed by Aniplex Inc.
Produced by SAO MOVIE Project
CAST (Japanese/English)
Kirito / Kazuto Kirigaya: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka / Bryce Papenbrook
Asuna / Asuna Yuuki: Haruka Tomatsu / Cherami Leigh
Yui: Kanae Ito / Stephanie Sheh
Leafa / Suguha Kirigaya: Ayana Taketatsu / Cassandra Lee Morris
Silica / Keiko Ayano: Rina Hidaka / Christine Marie Cabanos
Lisbeth / Rika Shinozaki: Ayahi Takagaki / Sarah Anne Williams
Sinon / Shino Asada: Miyuki Sawashiro / Michelle Ruff
Klein: Hiroaki Hirata / Kirk Thornton
Agil: Hiroki Yasumoto / Patrick Seitz
Seijirou Kikuoka: Toshiyuki Morikawa / Matt Mercer
Akihiko Kayaba: Koichi Yamadera / Marc Diraison
Yuna / Yuuna Shigemura: Sayaka Kanda / Ryan Bartley
Eiji / Eiji Nochizawa: Yoshio Inoue / Chris Patton
Tetsuhiro Shigemura: Takeshi Kaga / Taylor Henry
Voice Director & ADR Script Writer: Alex von David
