Sword Art Online Progressive, the remake of the first SAO arc set in Aincrad, is slowly getting animated, not through TV series but with anime films. And the second movie, Scherzo of Deep Night, finally got its release date announced in japan.
Sword Art Online Progressive Scherzo of Deep Night: Japanese Release Date And New Key Visual Revealed
The Japanese Twitter account for the SAO anime series announced on June 15, 2022, that Sword Art Online Progressive Scherzo of Deep Night will release on September 10, 2022, in Japanese theaters. Just like with past SAO anime adaptations, Studio A-1 Pictures is handling the movie.
- MORE - Are The SAO Progressive Movies Canon?
While an international release date was not announced yet, the Japanese date is a good indicator of when you will be able to watch the movie in the US. The first movie, Aria of a Starless Night, was released in Japan on October 30, and in US theaters on December 3. As such, we can similarly expect Sword Art Online Progressive Scherzo of Deep Night to release in US theaters one month after the Japanese release, in late October.
A new key visual for the Scherzo of Deep Night movie was released as well. It most notably features, Asuna, Argo, and Kirito. Information broker Argo plays a much bigger role in the Progressive version of SAO. You can find a full resolution, creditless version of the key visual below.
Fans Should Also Pick Up The Original SAO Progressive Novel
It's important to note that while the Aria of a Starless Night movie adapted the first volume of the SAO Progressive novel, Scherzo of Deep Night is not adapting the second volume but the fourth one. When the Scherzo of Deep Night anime movie was first announced on November 1, 2021, Sword Art Online author Reki Kawahara explained that they had to skip the other two volumes due to various circumstances.
However, the Aria movie rewrote the plot of the novel by most notably introducing a brand new original character: Mito, voiced by Inori Minase. It's likely the Scherzo movie will include some changes as well to keep the continuity going, that way those who haven't read the novel won't be lost.
With that said, you should definitely pick up the SAO Progressive novel if you're a fan of the series.
Long story short, Reki Kawahara wrote the original SAO in the early 2000s as a self-published web novel, which he later rewrote once he got an official publisher. Meanwhile, the Sword Art Online Progressive was started in 2012 by a much more experienced Reki Kawahara. If the first arc of SAO is your favorite, then Progressive, being an extensive remake of the events of the first floors of Aincrad, is a must read