Sword Art Online: Alicization Spanish dub episodes 18.5-21 review

 Sword Art Online: Alicization

Spanish dub episodes 18.5-21 review

     ¡Bienvenido! Welcome back to Learning Spanish With Anime! We're getting close to the end now, and this group of episodes focuses a lot on the bonds between the main trio of the Alicization arc before setting up for the big battles to come in the finale.

    After a recap episode in which Kirito recounts the events of his Underworld journey to Alice, he also shared with her all of the information he learned from Eugeo about her past in Rulid village, as well as the secret they discovered about the Integrity Knights - that they were taken from their lives and had their memories stolen. When Kirito asks, "¿Recuerdas tu infancia, o tus padres?" ("Do you remember your childhood, or your parents?"), Alice cannot recall any memories of the distant past, not from her real childhood or the heavens the Integrity Knights were supposedly summoned from, according to the lies told by Administrator.

    Although Alice's memories have been sealed away, there are fragments that remain which are deeply tied with her emotions, much like Eldrie when Eugeo mentioned his mother's name. This was one of the most beautiful and emotional scenes in the whole series for me, when Alice describes the feelings in her heart from hearing her sister's name. "No puedo recordar su rostro ni siquiera su voz, pero estoy seguro que no es la primera vez que digo su nombre. Siento que mis labios y mi corazón la requerdan muy bien." ("I can't remember her face or even her voice, but I'm sure it's not the first time I've said her name. I feel that my lips and my heart remember her very well.")

    Alice's voice actress did a truly stunning job in this episode, portraying all of her emotions so well from her heartfelt sadness, her sobs as she mourned the life that was taken from her, to her rage against the system when she shouts into the night that she is not a puppet ("¡No soy una marioneta!") and declares her will to fight - and ultimately, her pained screams when she overcomes the seal of the right eye. It was a very moving performance. 

    Sadly, at the same time that Alice managed to free herself from the bonds of the seal, Eugeo became ensnared in Administrator's trap. Her calm, almost gleeful tone of voice when she planted morbid false memories in Eugeo's mind was chilling. Even as he lost the will to fight, the memories of Eugeo's loved ones called out to him before his recollection of them was sealed away, with little Alice pleading for him to run ("Corre!") and Tiese's final words of warning before a firewall formed between them, "No la escuches. Eso no es amor." ("Don't listen to her. That's not love.")

"Yo protegeré tu flanco derecho." ("I will protect your right flank.") - Kirito

    When Alice awakens from her traumatic experience and finds that Kirito had carried her up the next few floors on his back, her initial concern for him quickly turns to embarrassment and outrage. I really appreciate the way Alice's VA can switch from one emotion to another so well, going from subtlety to extremes. It's important in portraying a character like Alice, who has a great deal of inner conflict and still isn't sure how to feel about Kirito. 

    In an amusing twist which diverged from the original dialogue, he responds to Alice's question about carrying her up the tower with "Sí, lo hice pero no fue nada fácil" ("Yes, I did, but it wasn't easy") and then jokingly asks for a thank you kiss (a combination of the words "gracias" for thank you, and "besito" which means little kiss). Needless to say, Alice did not find it humorous. I thought it was kind of funny, but only because I knew he was kidding - Alice definitely seemed to have taken him seriously.

    While searching the higher floors of Central Cathedral for Eugeo, they are confronted with some unsettling truths - the first being that Bercouli has been frozen in place by Chudelkin, and Eugeo was taken. This was a nice calm but emotional scene before the more startling reveals, and I like Bercouli's nickname for Alice in the Spanish dub, "Pequeña", which means  "little one".

    The next shock comes when the two of them discover the source of the mysterious face that appears every time a taboo is broken, a room filled with people encased within pods attached to the wall, and Kirito asks if they are heads without bodies. ("¿Son cabezas sin cuerpo?") Alice is quick to point out that is not the case, but catching this line gave me a good laugh. Another point of interest in the Spanish dub is that Chudelkin's title is translated as "Dignatario" (meaning "Dignitary") rather than Prime Senator. The other senators - or, as Kirito refers to them, heads without (visible) bodies - are referred to as dignitaries as well. Alice's interrogation of Chudelkin was great, especially when she rejected the Synthesis title and insisted that she is not a number. ("¡No soy un numero!")

    When they find Eugeo at last, the moment is bittersweet because he appears as an Integrity Knight with his memories sealed. Even as Kirito asks "¿Recuerdas quién soy yo?" ("Do you remember who I am?") and tries to remind him "Soy tu mejor amigo" ("I'm your best friend"), he received little response from Eugeo. He also tried the same tactic he used with Alice when hanging from the ledge of the cathedral, calling her an idiot. ("¡Eres un imbécil, Eugeo!")

    After he provided so much strength and emotional support when Alice needed it, she is the one reassuring Kirito now that it won't be impossible to save him ("No será imposible salvarlo").

    Eugeo's voice actor does a great job showing how different and empty he is with all of his happy memories sealed away and only devotion to Administrator remaining. He sounds like a completely different person. Kirito engaged him in a fierce battle while desperately trying to remind him of all the people he cares about and his goal of saving Alice, pouring his heart and soul into his words and sword strikes.  

    When Eugeo activates his Enhance Armament and freezes Kirito and Alice in place, Kirito sounds absolutely heartbroken when he says "Amigo... ¿por qué?" unable to understand why Eugeo would do this when in fact, this was the moment when Kirito was finally able to get through to him. Eugeo's plan was to keep his friends safe while he faced Administrator alone.

    Well, that didn't work out the way he hoped, but it was heartwarming to see Kirito and Alice catch up with him, reuniting the main trio at last. It was awesome seeing Alice finally get to tell off Administrator too, further cementing the decision to fight against her and what she represents. The episode ends with the three of them preparing to fight Chudelkin, whose high pitched overly fanatical voice was harder to understand this time around during his outbursts of anger and groveling, now transformed into a giant creature made of flame elements (which sounds a lot cooler than it looks).

    Check out my translation guide below for common and key phrases from this episode, and stay tuned for more weekly episode reviews of Sword Art Online: Alicization's Spanish dub. My next blog post, which will conclude the Alicization storyline before moving into War of Underworld, will come during the first week of the new year. ¡Hasta luego! 

Voice Acting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Translated Script: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommended Proficiency: Intermediate 

Key phrases: 

• La tierra prohibida - The forbidden land 
• El brazo de encarnación - Incarnate Arms (literally, "the arm of incarnation") 
• El sello del ojo derecho - The seal of the right eye
• Llamada al sistema. Genera elemento de sombra - System call. Generate shadow element

Common phrases: 

• Hace muchos años - Many years ago
• ¿Dónde estoy? - Where am I? 
• Es muy pronto - It's too early 
• Tú mismo lo dijiste - You said it yourself
• ¡No lo hagas! - Don't do it!
• Debes tener frio - You must be cold  
• Hola. ¿Cuánto tiempo? - Hello. How long (has it been)? 
• Ella siempre está preocupada por ti - She's always worried about you
• Por ahora es imposible - For now it is impossible
• Adelante, habla. No tengas miedo - Go ahead, talk. Don't be afraid

*All images are from Sword Art Online: Alicization, screenshots taken by me

Sword Art Online: Alicization Spanish dub episodes 15-18 review

 Sword Art Online: Alicization

Spanish dub episodes 15-18 review

    ¡Bienvenido! Welcome back to Learning Spanish With Anime! Picking up right where the previous episode left off, as Kirito and Eugeo continue to climb the floors of Central Cathedral following their victory against Deusolbert, they encounter two suspicious girls.

Linel and Fizel playing innocent

    The young girls claim to just be curious about the "intruders" in the cathedral, but their innocence was only an act, as Kirito and Eugeo soon find out when the girls stab them with poisoned daggers and introduce themselves as Linel Synthesis Twenty-Eight and Fizel Synthesis Twenty-Nine. My first impression was that Linel and Fizel sounded older in the Spanish dub, but it's probably a more realistic tone of voice for girls around eleven years old than the traditionally high-pitched voices we're used to hearing in anime. 

    As they drag the paralyzed Kirito and Eugeo up the stairs, Linel and Fizel explain the sordid story of their past, how they were the sole survivors of Administrator's experiments in the art of resurrection. The way they recount the tale with little emotion matches their portrayal in the English and Japanese voice acting, and so does Linel's cheerful attitude when she assures Eugeo, "Pero no se preocupen. Nosotras somos muy buenas matando gente." ("But don't worry. We're very good at killing people.")

    Linel and Fizel's plan to claim credit for taking down the intruders themselves backfired when Kirito turns the tables on them, and tells them to watch his battle with the Integrity Knight they mocked - Fanatio Synthesis Two.

    I was surprised to hear how deep Fanatio's voice sounded when she was wearing her helmet. Personally, I think it would have worked better for the reveal if it was simply difficult to determine the gender of the voice behind the mask, because I felt a voice change to that degree (with their lack of modification tech) was unrealistic, but that's the only criticism I have of the dub. Once the helmet comes off, Fanatio's voice fits her perfectly. 

    Fanatio's internal struggle was never as compelling to me as the stories of the other main Integrity Knights, but I enjoyed Kirito's clever realization that there must be someone Fanatio loves and hearing him say he was fighting so that she, and everyone including the Knights, could express her love ("expresar tu amor"). His admission that the best swordsmen he knows are women was great too.

"Quiero protegera todos en este mundo. A ti, Alice, y a ella también." ("I want to protect everyone in this world. You, Alice, and her too.") - Kirito

    When Fanatio was wounded by their battle, the absolute anguish in Kirito's voice at the knowledge that his sacred arts would not be enough to save her felt very real. So was Eugeo's surprise at Kirito's concern for his enemy as he reminds him, "Ella intentó matarte" ("She tried to kill you"), and his quiet reflection on Kirito's words that even the Integrity Knights are just fighting for what they believe in. Kirito ends up using one of the special daggers given to them by Cardinal to transport Fanatio for life-saving healing arts, but that's one less that they have to use for Alice and Administrator.

    The next person they come across following the battle is not another Integrity Knight, but a girl who operates an elevating platform which can take them to higher floors. Kirito's laid-back tone of voice when he speaks with her is an amusing contrast to Eugeo, who is curious but much more cautious at first, warning that it could be a trap ("Podría ser una trampa").

    Kirito asks the girl who operates the lift, "¿Podrías decirnos tu nombre?" ("Can you tell us your name?") However, she surprises both of them when she answers, "No recuerdo tener nombre." ("I don't remember having a name.") She sounds somewhat robotic in her speech at first, and there's a quality to her voice that's almost haunting, but when Eugeo brings up the topic of dreams, she shows genuine emotion when she tells them, "Me gustaría poder voler cómo los aves." ("I would like to be able to fly like the birds.") 

    On their way to the next room, as the two of them consider the fate of those who had their memories stolen by Administrator, Eugeo asks, "¿Cardinal se encarga restaurar la todo, verdad?" ("Cardinal is in charge of restoring everything, right?") But Kirito dodges the question, knowing that's not exactly Cardinal's plan even if they were to defeat Administrator.

    The elevating platform allowed them to speed up their journey and bypass a number of floors. When they arrive at the 80th floor of the Central Cathedral, they find Alice at last, seemingly resting without her sword. However, they realize they were mistaken when the beautiful flowering tree behind Alice transforms back into her divine weapon, the Osmanthus Blade, a sword which she proudly proclaims can split rock in two ("partir la roca en dos"). 

    The resulting duel was short but sweet with an impressive strategy team strategy by Kirito and Eugeo, and an even more impressive counter move by Alice. The clash between their blades did in fact split rock in two, blowing a hole straight through the cathedral wall. Kirito and Alice fall from the building, while Eugeo watched in shock as the stone wall repairs itself, leaving them separated. 

"¡No, basta! ¿Qué haces, idiota? ¿Cómo eres tan inconsciente?" ("No, stop! What are you doing, idiot? How are you so oblivious?") - Kirito

    Kirito managed to catch himself and Alice, hanging from the outer wall of the cathedral by his sword, but she was not happy to be saved by a criminal. The exchange between them in this scene is hilarious as Kirito repeatedly calls her "idiota" in frustration that she seems to be working against his attempts to save her life. The combination of fury and embarrassment in Alice's voice is perfect when she shouts back, "Cómo te atreves a insultarme?" ("How dare you insult me?") And of course, Kirito's response is to tell her to shut up. ("Callate!") 

    I had forgotten how much I love this scene - and really, this whole episode. It's great in every version I've watched so far. Kirito and Alice run the full range of emotions here, from their early frustrations to Kirito's tearful confession about the truth behind their crime, that it was only to save Ronie and Tiese ("Sólo fue para salvarlas"), eventually forming a sort of partnership where Alice even allows herself to be vulnerable and accept help from Kirito. Both VAs did an excellent job portraying that development. 

    The reveal that there are minions (same name in Spanish, but also called "monstruos de la tierra", or "monsters of the earth", by Alice) mounted on the outer wall to guard the upper floors of the cathedral comes as quite a shock to Alice, who begins to question the intentions of Administrator and the Axiom Church for the first time. The fact that Kirito's offhand remark about a festival in the capital seemed to bring back memories that she once attended the event herself, which she shouldn't have if she were truly summoned from the heavens for the sole purpose of carrying out her mission, also gave her pause.  

    Meanwhile, back in the real world, Asuna noticed that a ship which was supposed to be guarding the Ocean Turtle moved out of position, hinting at something ominous to come. And inside the Central Cathedral, Eugeo continued to advance up the tower alone until he found the next Integrity Knight in their path (in the bath) - Bercouli Synthesis One. 

"Te preseno a mi espada, la perforadora del tiempo." ("I introduce you to my sword, the piercer of time.") - Bercouli

    Bercouli's deep voice suits him well, and nicely portrays his relaxed and thoughtful tone. He explains to Eugeo that his divine weapon, a sword created from the system clock ("el reloj del sistema"), has a unique ability - while Alice's sword cuts space ("cortar el espacio"), his sword cuts time ("cortar el tiempo"), which makes for an especially challenging and exciting battle. Eugeo's strategy with the fake sword is one of the most brilliant I've seen in SAO. 

    As Eugeo is trapped inside the ice with his opponent, Bercouli points out that his strategy will kill them both ("matános a los dos"), but Eugeo calmly replies, "No, solamente a ti." ("No, only you.") While the memory release ability of his sword drains both of their life, Eugeo reasons that his overall life values are higher, and would ultimately allow him to outlast Bercouli. 

"Es una historia demasiado fantástica para ser verdad." ("It's a story too fantastic to be true.") - Bercouli 

    After learning Bercouli's name, Eugeo is shocked by the revelation that the Integrity Knight he's fighting now is the same legendary hero from the stories told in his village. Like a child who was crushed to learn a harsh truth about someone they used to idolize, there is such sadness in Eugeo's voice when he asks, "¿Tú mataste al dragon?" ("Did you kill the dragon?") The same dragon from his own legend, which they found in the ice cave near Rulid. 

    It seems Bercouli is giving serious consideraction to his words when their conversation is interrupted by the weird, bouncy little clown named Chudelkin. I've never really cared for this character, but his voice actor does a great job with creating a voice that fits his strange appearance, and the frequent shifts from high pitched to low gives the sense that he's unstable and dangerous more so than the English voice I'm used to hearing. Bercouli calls him out right away for deceiving the Integrity Knights and insists, "Este niño no es ningúna asesino del reino oscuro." ("This boy is no assassin from the dark kingdom.") Chudelkin responds by freezing Bercouli, and Eugeo is left facing an uncertain fate.

Snack time on the outer wall of Central Cathedral

    At the same time, Kirito and Alice are sharing a snack of steamed buns (courtesy of Cardinal) as they plan their next move. When Kirito mentions the name of Alice's sister, Selka, it strikes a chord in her heart that she can't ignore, and finally, Alice agrees to hear him out. 

    Check out my translation guide below for common and key phrases from this episode, and stay tuned for more weekly episode reviews of Sword Art Online: Alicization's Spanish dub. The next blog post will feature some major turning points in the story, with Kirito and Alice working together towards a common goal. ¡Hasta luego! 

Voice Acting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Translated Script: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommended Proficiency: Intermediate 

Key phrases: 

• Recuerdos - Memories
• Fortalecer Armamento - Strengthen Armament (used in place of "Enhance Armament") 
• Genera el elemento aéreo. En forma de ráfaga. - Generate aerial element. Burst form. (The sacred art which operates the lift.) 
• Llamada al sistema. Redefinir objeto. En forma de cadena. - System call. Redefine object. In the form of a chain. (Alice's command to turn her gauntlet into a chain.)
• Llamada al sistema. Genera elemento metálico. En forma de cuña. - System call. Generate metallic element. Wedge shape. (Kirito's command to create metal wedges for climbing.)

Common phrases: 

• ¿Estás allí? - Are you there?
• Ahora prepárate - Now prepare yourself
• Tienes que vivir - You have to live
• Sí, ya me dijiste - Yes, you already told me
• Disculpa la tardanza - Sorry for the delay
• Esta es la verdad - This is the truth
• Tengo tanta hambre - I am so hungry
• No tengo ningún problema - I have no problem 
• ¿Qué tenemos aquí? - What do we have here?
• No necesitas disculparte por eso - You don't need to apologize for that
• Debe ser algo muy importante - It must be something very important
• Ahora voy levantarte - Now I'm going to lift you up 
• No hay tiempo para discutir - There is no time to argue
• ¿Cómo te lo explico? - How do I explain it to you?
• Yo no tengo ningún maestro - I don't have any teacher
• ¿De qué estás hablando? - What are you talking about?
• ¿Qué demonios estás hablando? - What the hell are you talking about? (this phrase courtesy of Bercouli) 

*All images are from Sword Art Online: Alicization, screenshots taken by me

Sword Art Online: Alicization Spanish dub episodes 12-14 review

 Sword Art Online: Alicization

Spanish dub episodes 12-14 review

    ¡Bienvenido! Welcome back to Learning Spanish With Anime! We've reached the halfway point of the Alicization arc, and at long last, Kirito and Eugeo are about to face the Integrity Knights standing between them and their goal of rescuing Alice. 

    Their first opponent, awaiting their arrival on Alice's orders, is the knight Eldrie Synthesis Thirty One. It doesn't take long for Eugeo to recognize the young man and realize that he was a champion swordsman who competed in the recent tournament and has a family in the Human Empire, not a divine knight sent down from the heavens - and this revelation shakes Eldrie to his core. This scene had great execution, and Eldrie's voice portrayed his inner turmoil perfectly. 

    One interesting difference in translation here is the fact that all of the system commands used during the battle (and in previous episodes as well) are spoken in Spanish. This may not stand out much to those who watch the English dub, where the commands are also said in the same language the characters are speaking, but in the original Japanese version (and the light novels as well), the system commands are specifically said in English - which the residents of Underworld consider to be their "sacred language", and don't really understand the meaning behind the words aside from the effect they produce. The difference in lore aside, it was cool to hear how each of the commands translated into Spanish.

"Liberación de recuerdo." ("Memory release.") - Eldrie

    After they're interrupted by a dragon mounted knight, Kirito and Eugeo are forced to flee, and the mysterious voice Kirito heard in the garden during episode 8 guides them to a hidden sanctuary, which is where they meet Cardinal. The young sage of the library they now find themselves in possesses a great knowledge of the system and some of the same powers as the Administrator who commands the Integrity Knights and rules over the Human Empire, but the extent of her abilities is limited. When Eugeo leaves the room and Cardinal begins to explain to Kirito in more detail, he arrives at the conclusion that she - just like him - is aware this world is a simulation, and she is in fact a product of that system itself. 

    Cardinal's VA does an excellent job giving her a young voice befitting her appearance, while also sounding wise beyond her years. It was interesting how Kirito first refers to her as "niña" ("girl") then "señora" ("lady", "ma'am", or "mrs." depending on the context), and also switches between informal and formal pronouns when speaking with her ("tú" being the informal "you", and "usted" being the more formal one used to address someone older). 

    Perhaps the reason behind the switch is that Kirito speaks more formally with her when he's asking polite and thoughtful questions, such as "¿Podría decirnos quién es usted?" ("Could you tell us who you are?") On the other hand, he uses informal speech when her revelations cause him to react emotionally and declare, "Tú eres parte del sistema!" ("You are part of the system!") I thought it added a nice layer of complexity to their dialogue that just wasn't possible in the English version. 

"En el corazón de Quinella sólo había oscuridad." ("In the heart of Quinella, there was only darkness.") - Cardinal 

    Cardinal reveals the truth to Kirito how Administrator, originally born into the Human Empire as a child named Quinella, acquired her power and used the knowledge she learned about the system to raise her stats, and then put laws in place that would forbid others from doing the same. Her youthful looks in combination with her impressive abilities in the sacred arts earned her plenty of followers over time, and she was able to put on a very good act of the benevolent ruler while slowly seizing power for herself. 

    Quinella as a child actually has a cute voice in the Spanish dub, but when she laughs, you can tell she's a bit unhinged, which I thought was a great touch. Likewise, the acting for the more aged Quinella was also expertly done, especially in scene where she found the command list. As someone who is not in the best of health myself, I always appreciate it more when a character's ailment is portrayed well in their voice instead of feeling fake or forced, and Quinella's deep coughs as she neared the end of her life sounded very real. 

"Llamada al sistema. Genera el elemento luminoso. En forma de rayo. ¡Descarga!" ("System call. Generate luminous element. Lightning form. Discharge!") - Cardinal

    Cardinal goes on to explain her connection to Administrator and the Cardinal system from old Aincrad that shares her name, the synthesis ritual used to create the Integrity Knights, as well as the series of events that led to her conflict with Administrator and how she ended up in this library separate from the rest of the world, where she has been watching and waiting for a lonely two hundred years without any human contact. This scene also provides an explanation for the mysterious voice Kirito heard in the garden - it was a spider named Charlotte which acts as a partner of sorts to Cardinal. 

    Episodes 12 and 13 reveal a lot of important information about the history of the Human Empire, but I found it easier to follow than the technical details of episode 6. Kirito provides a much shorter summary for Eugeo when he fills him in later on, leaving out anything that might hint at another world beyond the Underworld. 

"Así que esto es. Así se siente un abrazo." ("So this is it. This is how a hug feels.") - Cardinal

    After a brief heartfelt moment where Kirito gives Cardinal her first hug, she switches right back to her "all business" attitude so quickly it's almost comical. Cardinal confronts him with another harsh truth - a predetermined event in which the Dark Territory will invade the Human Empire, set in motion by the creators of the Underworld, and she does not expect the battle to end well. She warns Kirito and Eugeo to prepare themselves to fight the Integrity Knights to the death, but Eugeo insists that he came to save Alice, not to kill her ("para salvarla, no para matarla"), so Cardinal provides an alternative solution in the form of capturing Alice and retrieving the memory crystal stolen from her to undo the synthesis ritual. As a parting gift, she also provides them with special abilities for their swords just like the Integrity Knights, perfect weapon control (which is translated here as "el dominio absoluto", or "absolute domination"). 

    By now, Kirito has dropped all formalities with Cardinal and is back to projecting his usual cool confidence, even in the face of an event which will bring disaster to the Underworld, as he plans against all odds to save everyone. I enjoyed Cardinal's funny little quip, "De verdad, que eres un tonto" ("You really are a fool"), and the nice callback to Kirito's time in Aincrad when his response to Cardinal telling him that the Central Cathedral has one hundred floors ("cien pisos") was a sad groan. 

    Shortly after retrieving their swords from the armory, Kirito and Eugeo encounter the same Integrity Knight who interrupted their duel with Eldrie - Deusolbert Synthesis Seven. The resulting battle is beautiful to behold with stunning special effects, a brilliant display of teamwork by Kirito and Eugeo, and great voice acting all around. 

    Deusolbert's voice is serious and unrelenting at first, but later takes on a more somber tone after speaking with Kirito and Eugeo when he realizes there is truth to their words. It was very similar to the tone of his voice in the English dub, which suits him very well. Another point of interest is that he and Eugeo both used the phrase "un corta doble" ("a double cut") to describe consecutive attacks of Kirito's Aincrad style sword skills, which differs heavily from the one used by Integrity Knights.

"¿En serio no lo recuerda?" ("You really don't remember it?") - Eugeo struggles with the knowledge that Deusolbert has no memory of arresting Alice eight years ago

    The raw emotion in Eugeo's voice was the highlight of this scene, as he is confronted with the harsh truth that the Integrity Knight who took Alice from their village when they were children has no recollection of the event. Kirito's calm, logical words offer a good balance for Eugeo's grief and anger, and he explains his theory - Administrator erased his memory in order to preserve the notion that the Integrity Knights are summoned from the heavens, because knowing Alice was once a young girl from the Human Empire before joining their ranks would conflict with this deeply held belief. 

    With Kirito's encouragement, Eugeo is able to let go of his rage and continue moving forward, leaving Deusolbert alive. As they climb the seemingly endless stairway of the Central Cathedral, they talk about the new sword abilities granted to them by Cardinal, but Kirito is mysteriously quiet on the subject, and only teases, "No, no, tendrás que esperar para ver, mi amigo." ("No, no, you'll have to wait and see, my friend.") 

    Check out my translation guide below for common and key phrases from this episode, and stay tuned for more weekly episode reviews of Sword Art Online: Alicization's Spanish dub. The next blog post will cover four episodes as Kirito and Eugeo continue to battle the Integrity Knights and search for Alice. ¡Hasta luego! 

Voice Acting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Translated Script: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommended Proficiency: Intermediate 

Key phrases: 

• La espada negra de Kirito - Kirito's black sword (which is still unnamed) 
• El día del creación - The day of creation
• Cuatro dioses - Four gods
• El mundo exterior - The outside world 
• Genera el elemento térmico. En forma de flecha. - Generate thermal element. Arrow shape.
• Genera el elemento criogénico. En forma de ave. - Generate cryogenic element. Bird shape.
• ¡Descarga! - Discharge! (This is the command which releases the element.) 
• Liberación de recuerdo - Memory release
• Llamada al sistema. Inspeccionar lista de comando. - System call. Inspect command list. 
• Llamada al sistema. Genera el elemento lunimoso. Moldear elemento. Forma liquida. - System call. Generate luminous element. Mold element. Liquid form. (The command young Quinella used for healing.) 

Common phrases: 

• Biblioteca - Library 
• Cuidadosa - Careful
• Aquí están - Here they are
• No tenemos tiempo - We don't have time
• Todos estamos bien - We're all okay
• Doscientos años - Two hundred years
• Ahora te explico - I'll explain now
• Conozco se nombre - I know his name 
• Me gustaría continuar - I would like to continue 
• Querido - Dear / Querido padre - Dear father
• ¿Qué hacemos? - What do we do?
• ¡Rapido, entran! - Quick, come in!
• Con su permiso - With your permission 
• Gracias por salvarnos - Thanks for saving us 
• Necesitas comer algo - You need to eat something
• Digame sus nombres - Tell me your names
• No puedo creerlo - I don't believe it
• No puedo recordar nada - I can't remember anything
• ¿Por qué? No entiendo - Why? I don't understand
• ¿Qué más tenemos que hacer? - What more do we have to do?
• ¿Podría decirnos quién es usted? - Could you tell us who you are? 
• Supongo que gracias - Thanks, I suppose (Kirito is sarcastic in response to Eldrie's comment)
• ¿Sabes algo más sobre él? - Do you know something more about him? 

*All images are from Sword Art Online: Alicization, screenshots taken by me

Sword Art Online: Progressive - Aria of a Starless Night Spanish dub review

 Sword Art Online: Progressive

Aria of a Starless Night

Spanish dub review

  ¡Bienvenido! Welcome back to Learning Spanish With Anime! I've been reviewing SAO's Alicization arc for the past few weeks, but the SAO: Progressive movie, Aria of a Starless Night, was recently released on Crunchyroll, and when I saw that it had a Spanish dub, I decided to do a special edition review of this long-awaited film before continuing Alicization. 

    Unlike the Progressive light novel Aria of a Starless Night is based on, the movie follows Asuna's point of view instead of Kirito's and adds a bunch of new content. It all starts off by showing Asuna's life before the SAO incident, particularly her interactions with her family at home and her classmates at school. This offers some new background behind her decision to log in, and more detail to her early days in the game. 

    These new scenes don't always match up with the storyline from the original light novel, but I enjoyed both versions very much. A few of the new scenes even turned out to be some of my favorites from the movie. And just as I've come to expect since watching Alicization, the Spanish dub is very high quality.

 

Another uncomfortable breakfast with the family. At least her brother, Koichirou, gets to make his first anime appearance!  

    The opening scenes give a good sense of the family dynamics at Asuna's home. The stern voice used for Asuna's mother fits well with her personality. Asuna's father and brother, on the other hand, sound much more relaxed and casual in their dialogue. The atmosphere stands in stark contrast to her cheerful and fulfilling school life, where Asuna is constantly surrounded by friends. 

    This is where another one of the movie's major additions comes in, new character Misumi who is an avid gamer. Misumi has a more tomboyish voice compared to Asuna's sweet, higher pitched tone, but it definitely suits her character. She becomes the one who gets Asuna into gaming and tells her about Sword Art Online. When she finds her brother's brand new NerveGear and a copy of SAO sitting on his desk, Asuna can't resist diving in to explore the world for herself. 

"¿De verdad estoy dentro del juego?" ("Am I really in the game?") - Asuna

    Like the innocent newbie she is, the first thing Asuna does upon entering Sword Art Online is ask an NPC where she might find her friend - by shouting her real name in the middle of a crowded town square. Of course, Misumi nearly tackled Asuna to stop her, resulting in much confusion because her in-game avatar, a big burly dude named Mito with a scythe, bears no resemblance to Asuna's friend Misumi. It was hilarious how menacing the voice of Misumi's male avatar sounded through the skull mask when trying to reassure her, "Asuna, calmate. Soy yo, Misumi." ("Asuna, calm down. It's me, Misumi.") While Asuna was insistent at first that this couldn't possibly be the same person, her poor embarrassed friend shouts, "¡Callate, no me llames por mi nombre real!" ("Shut up, don't call me by my real name!")

    After that misunderstanding is sorted out, Mito shows Asuna all of the fun things to do in el castillo de Aincrad (Aincrad castle). All seems to be going well until Asuna tried to log out, only to realize that the option isn't there, and the two are teleported back to the plaza where an enormous cloaked figure appears and, looking over the town, delivers his message.

    The cloaked figure identifies itself as Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of the game, then explains the situation to the captured players - no one is leaving this game until they conquer all one hundred floors, and death in the game means they die in real life. Kayaba's tone of voice was the perfect mix of calm and intimidating, befitting his real life personality and the towering in-game representation of him. He sounded like he was taunting them at the end of his speech when he said, "Buena suerte, jugadores." ("Good luck, players.") 

    Just as Kirito did in the first episode of the anime series, Mito also decides that the best course of action is to leave the town and get to the best areas for leveling up early. However, Asuna was not an experienced gamer, and jumping right into the fight proved difficult for her. After her first encounter with a monster almost ended in her death, Asuna breaks down in tears. You can hear the complete despair in her voice when she screams at Mito, "¡No, no estoy bien!" ("No, I'm not okay!") Mito does her best to reassure her with a heartfelt promise, "Puedes confiar en mi." ("You can trust in me.") 

    As time passes and Asuna improves her fighting capabilities with Mito's help, the two start to feel comfortable in their routine of progressing through the game. However, their false sense of security is shattered when they come across a group of players who triggered a trap and were surrounded by monsters. Asuna insists on trying to save the players in danger, pleading with her friend, "¡Tenemos que ayudarlos!" ("We have to help them!") But Mito urged Asuna to take the safer and more practical approach, gently telling her, "No hay nada que nosotras podemos hacer por ellos." ("There is nothing that we can do for them.")

Asuna & Mito vs the army of carnivorous plants, aka Nepenthes 

    This turns out to be some major foreshadowing of things to come when Asuna and Mito find themselves in trouble after a routine monster slaying excursion suddenly becomes too much to handle. Asuna and Mito are separated, surrounded on all sides by vicious man-eating plants, and reduced to only a sliver of their HP as their healing potions run out. With no visible chance of reaching her friend, Mito believes she is unable to protect Asuna, and decided that she would rather leave than watch her die. 

    Both voice actresses did a great job in this scene. Mito's voice is filled with pain and regret as she blames herself - "Perdoname. No puedo cumplir mi promesa." ("Forgive me. I can't keep my promise.") Asuna, on the other hand, is just as paralyzed by her fear and despair as she was on the first day of SAO. Fortunately, Kirito appears just in time to save her by taking down the monster himself in this movie-original first meeting.

    Kirito's soft, adorably awkward dialogue in this scene stands out even more after watching Alicization's Spanish dub so recently, which is really a testament to the skill of his voice actor. There are several years of experience between the Kirito we see here and the one I was watching just last week, who was threatening goblin hordes and cracking jokes with ease. It made me realize yet again how great his character development has been over all this time. 

    After the shock of being abandoned by her friend, Asuna throws herself into battle, spending days at a time fighting her way through dungeons with little rest, until she finally meets Kirito again. Her tone of voice in these scenes, hushed and defeated in a way but still possessing a hidden strength that pushes her forward, is a good representation of her emotional state. Once again, Kirito helps her out of a potentially deadly situation, and then informs her of a strategy meeting for Aincrad's very first boss raid.

    The strategy meeting, in addition to highlighting the tension between beta testers and the rest of the players, introduces some of the other major characters who will be fighting on the frontline in Progressive. Despite watching around half of Alicization's Spanish dub already, this is also the first opportunity I've had to really listen to Agil's portrayal by his Spanish VA prior to War of Underworld. 

    It was a bit of a surprise to me that Agil's voice in the Spanish dub wasn't as deep as his English or Japanese voices, but in the end, it was still a pretty good fit for him and sounded totally natural in the boss raid scene. Kibao, on the other hand, sounded just like I figured he would, loud and assertive, and Diavel's voice had an air that was both casual and commanding, befitting the leader of the raid party when he proclaimed himself a knight. 

    Following the heated debate at the meeting and Kirito and Asuna agreeing to form a party, making him the first person she partnered with since Mito's departure, they share a meal of bread and cream together and then return to the little farmhouse he was renting to continue planning for the upcoming battle. The conversation they have outside is an anime original, and one that I really loved because of how well it incorporated Mito's story into the themes already present and tied everything together. Kirito relates to her predicament, both as a beta tester and as someone who also had to make a decision on the first day of SAO whether to stick with his new friend or forge ahead on his own with only his own life to worry about. The choice weighed heavily on him, and it shows.  

    Another thing I really appreciated about these scenes between the boss fight was how they showed the progression of Kirito and Asuna's relationship in the way they speak to each other, from the awkwardness of their first meeting to the relaxed, easy dialogue they share on the way to the labyrinth tower. I thought it was a really nice touch, and the transition was done well by their voice actors. 

The first floor boss chamber had a really beautiful design.

    The boss fight itself was just as epic as it was in the original episode from season 1, plus a stunning animation upgrade. There were a few notable differences, like a bulked up boss and a more dramatic end for Diavel, but the biggest addition by far was Mito's role in the fight. Although it did come off as slightly unrealistic that the battle around them just seemed to stop while they had their heart to heart, the scene was well acted by Asuna and Mito's VAs. Asuna's declaration to her old friend, "Ahora terminamos este juego" ("Now we end this game"), was a clear sign that she was finally able to accept Mito's actions, forgive her, and keep moving forward. 

    The boss battle ended in victory, but it was not the last challenge that Kirito and Asuna had to face before moving on to the next floor. The hostility against beta testers reaches a breaking point when a member of the raid party - a familiar face who also appeared in the Aincrad and Alicization arcs, Johnny Black - fires accusations at Kirito and all beta testers, blaming them for Diavel's death during the battle. Mito is conflicted but ultimately decides, "Debo decir la verdad." ("I must tell the truth.")

    However, before she can come forward, Kirito steps up and delivers his iconic "beater" speech. His Spanish VA really sold this shift in personality, sounding like he was totally in his element playing the villain. I've mentioned in my reviews of Alicization that Kirito's voice actor has a great range which made him one of my favorites to listen to in the Spanish dub, and this scene is a perfect example of that. 

"Al final, somos iguales." ("In the end, we're the same.") - Asuna

    The movie ends on a slightly different note than the original, with Asuna and Kirito moving on to the second floor together instead of going their separate ways following their conversation. It was another addition I really enjoyed, and Asuna's hints that Kirito gave her hope was a perfect end to the film.

    Check out my translation guide below for common and key phrases from this episode, and stay tuned for more weekly reviews. Next time, I'll be continuing my reviews of Sword Art Online: Alicization's Spanish dub. ¡Hasta luego! 

Voice Acting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Translated Script: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommended Proficiency: Moderate

Key phrases: 

• ¡Bienvenida a Sword Art Online! - Welcome to Sword Art Online! 
• El castillo de Aincrad - Aincrad castle  
• ¡Cambio! - Switch! (Literally, "change") 

Common phrases: 

• Primero - First
• Saludos - Greetings 
• Felicidades - Congratulations 
• Hermano - Brother
• Entendido - Understood
• Cuidado - Careful/Watch out 
• Buen trabajo - Good work
• Bien, ya me voy - Okay, I'm leaving
• Soy caballero - I am a knight
• ¡Eres la mejor! - You're the best!
• ¿Qué dices? - What did you say?
• Si tú lo dices - If you say so
• Tengo un idea - I have an idea
• Ya me siento mejor - I already feel better
• No te confundas - Don't get confused
• ¡Perdí otra vez! - I lost again! 
• ¿Ya terminaste? - You're already done?
• ¿De verdad lo crees? - Do you really believe it?
• ¿Puedo decir algo? - Can I say something?
• ¿Podemos continuar? - Can we continue?
• Gracias por la comida - Thanks for the food
• ¿Cómo va a la escuela? - How's school going?
• ¿Quiere jugar conmigo? - Do you want to play with me?
• ¿Quieres practicar un poco más? - Do you want to practice a little more?
• ¿Puedo decirte algo? - Can I tell you something?
• No entiendo que está pasando - I don't understand what is happening

*All images are from Sword Art Online: Progressive - Aria of a Starless Night, screenshots taken by me