Review: #918
Title: Sword Art Online: Progressive Vol. 5
Series: Sword Art Online: Progressive – 5th volume
Author: Reki Kawahara
Comments: The fifth volume takes place on the sixth floor and the floor has a weird theme to it: puzzles. That is, so many things cannot be done before you solve the puzzle that it feels way too impractical. The author has also put in details about the game that is sheer impossible, or plainly stated, no developer would waste all those resources for something with such low priority. With the characters able to pull out any book to read, to multiple facets of certain rules, it feels like the author is just trying to impress… without actually knowing the limitations on what this would be the case. While that breaks the immersion a bit, Kirito and Asuna keeps getting sidetracked. They are constantly attacked by the same characters, which is starting to become tiring by this point. However, the story told is interesting enough that it manages to hold together. Unfortunately, a lot of time was spent on specific events, so much that when the end of the novel is approaching and you realize that the characters will not clear the floor in this volume, it’s disappointing to say the least. So all in all, we have Kirito and Asuna start the main questline for the floor, break up the tension between the two leading guilds, fight off against other characters who was wanting to kill them, and then finishing off with a long running quest that spanned over multiple floors. While that sounds like a lot, it still doesn’t feel like much once you’ve finished the novel.
Rating: 6/10