Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online Part 2 (Collector’s Edition Blu-ray) Unboxing

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online is a 2018 anime series animated by Studio 3Hz, published by Aniplex and is based on the light novel series of the same name by Keiichi Sigsawa. This is a spin-off to Reki Kawahara’s Sword Art Online series but you only need knowledge of at least the Gun Gale Online arc to enjoy the rest of this!

As mentioned in my unboxing post for Part 1, SAO Alternative is an interesting spin-off because we focus on a different group of characters who have had no interactions with Kirito and the rest of his gang from the main series. I found the series to be enjoyable to watch and it ends on a rather good note overall. Karen is still my favourite SAO girl (don’t @ me).

Aniplex of America handles the license to the series across the English speaking territories, with two volumes for this series in general. Anime Limited acquired the UK & Ireland rights and were able to release it on Blu-ray, but had to follow with the 6 episode structure. But the good news is that the disc masters match the Aniplex of America release which is essentially the best possible outcome for home video. For those who don’t know, Aniplex masters aim for Japanese Blu-ray quality which is what the show should look like on the disc without any issues affecting audio and video. No DVD master exists so this release is only on two Blu-ray discs instead of a combo pack.

Note: This unboxing contains screenshots of cover art or booklet artwork that may have spoilers included, so readers are advised.

The UK release by Anime Limited just has one variation of the collector’s edition set this time around. Much like Part 1 the box itself is much nicer in design over the Sword Art Online Season 2 sets because there’s no annoying foil effect all over that’s ruining the artwork. Part 2 will be able to slot into Part 1’s release.

Released in August 2019, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online Part 2 contains episodes 7-12 of the series across two Blu-ray discs. Audio options available include the English Dub and main Japanese language with English subtitles. The discs are region locked to B territories, and the white subtitles are unlockable during playback. Also included in this set are a number of on-disc features that were also in the Aniplex of America release. The physical contents exclusive to the UK Collector’s Edition are also replicas of the Aniplex of America release, in other words, you are essentially getting the exact same release (with AL packaging) for a better price point.

You can order Parts 1 and 2 of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online through Amazon UK and Shop AllThe Anime (Part 1 no longer has the box variation as it sold out).

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages: English, Japanese
Audio: English Linear PCM 2.0, Japanese Linear PCM 2.0
Video: 1080p High Definition Native format with 16:9 ratio
Region: B
Subtitles: English
Locked Subtitles: No
Discs: 2

Plot Synopsis (via Anime Limited):

“The Second Squad Jam is to going be held and Karen’s friend, Miyu, decides to join her in the battle royale. Converting her avatar from another VRMMORPG, she joins Gun Gale Online as Fukaziroh. As the Squad Jam approaches, LLENN becomes nervous about taking Pitohui down.
Before she faces off with Pitohui, LLENN makes a big decision!”