Movie

Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale

Name: Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale
Released: 2017

2017 • Unknown

Woke Score

1.4

out of 10

Plot

In 2026, a new machine called the Augma is developed to compete against the NerveGear and its successor, the Amusphere. A next-gen wearable device, the Augma doesn't have a full-dive function like its predecessors. Instead, it uses Augmented Reality to get players into the game. It is safe, user-friendly and lets users play while they are conscious, making it an instant hit on the market. The most popular game on the system is “Ordinal Scale” an ARMMORPG developed exclusively for the Augma. Asuna and the gang have already been playing OS for a while, by the time Kirito decides to join them. They’re about to find out that Ordinal Scale isn’t all fun and games…

Overall Series Review

Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale brings Kirito and his friends into the world of Augmented Reality through the new device, the Augma. The new ARMMORPG, Ordinal Scale, allows players to fight bosses from the old Sword Art Online game in the real world. Initially, this shift showcases new dynamics, with Kirito struggling to adapt to the real-world physicality required by the game while Asuna excels. However, the seemingly harmless game is linked to a dangerous conspiracy that targets the memories of SAO survivors. The core narrative focuses on the personal stakes of losing treasured memories and the heroic effort to recover them. The film is a technically impressive action movie that prioritizes character relationships and merit-based conflict over social commentary.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The narrative is centered entirely on a technological/ethical conflict where all major characters, antagonists included, are judged by their skill, competence, or personal motivations related to grief and loss, rather than by race or immutable characteristics. The setting is modern Japan with a racially homogeneous cast, and there is no messaging about systemic oppression, intersectional hierarchy, or vilification of 'whiteness' or any other group.

Oikophobia1/10

The film demonstrates no hostility toward Japanese civilization or the home culture. The conflict is based on a mad scientist's personal and technological transgression (memory theft), not a critique of institutions or heritage. The theme is about the characters fighting to preserve their traumatic but meaningful memories, which values the past rather than demonizing it.

Feminism3/10

The score is low but not the lowest. While the female lead, Asuna, is shown as capable and highly skilled in the new AR environment, the central conflict is structured around her becoming a victim who loses her memories, necessitating the main male protagonist, Kirito, to become the 'overpowered' figure who must save her. This returns the character dynamic to a traditional 'damsel in distress' trope, diminishing the early portrayal of the capable female lead. There is no explicit anti-natal or anti-family messaging.

LGBTQ+1/10

The movie contains no discernible LGBTQ+ themes, queer theory messaging, or gender ideology lecturing. Sexual identity is not a central component of any character's motivation or arc. The primary relationship between the male and female leads is a traditional, monogamous romantic pairing.

Anti-Theism1/10

The central conflict is purely secular and technological, revolving around scientific ethics and the nature of consciousness and memory. The villain is driven by a father's grief for his dead daughter, not religious dogma. The movie's core message champions the transcendent value of personal memory and human connection, aligning with a belief in objective truth and value rather than moral relativism.