Interview] Composer Yuki Kajiura talks about the soundtrack of "SAO Progressive", the latest in the "SAO" series! The soundtrack of "SAO Progressive Theater", the latest in the "SAO" series, is a piece of newness and nostalgia.

Sword Art Online the Movie - Progressive - Aria on a Starless Night" will be released in theaters nationwide on October 30, 2021. The "Aincrad" version, the starting point of the series, is retold from Asuna's point of view, making it a work that is sure to attract the attention of fans. The soundtrack is composed by Yuki Kajiura, and the CD will be released one day before the movie opens.
Kajiura says that he was more enthusiastic about the production of this work, as it returns to the series' roots. We asked him to tell us all about the soundtrack of this work!

Once again, I realized that I had made good music for the first season of the TV series.

─ ─ When you were interviewed for the TV program "Seven Rules" (broadcast on June 8, 2021), it was right around the time of the production of this soundtrack. I was surprised when you said in the interview that the total production period was one month.

Kajiura: It may sound as if the staff of the movie version gave me only one month for production, but that is not true. So I can either concentrate on a single work for a month and finish it, or I can take a short break and continue.

─ ─ You mean you don't work on various works at the same time?

Kajiura: I'm really not good at working on several pieces at the same time; it's like I'm single-tasking (laughs). When I have to work on the music for another work in the middle of a project, it is difficult to return to the original work, and I lose a lot of time. Especially with soundtrack work, I always have three or four themes for the music in my head, and the overall blueprint of the music is already completed. So I have to go back and reread the script and re-listen to the songs I wrote.

─ Each song on the soundtrack does not stand alone, but is connected to the same story, isn't it?

Kajiura: That's right. Therefore, I had various ideas in my head, such as the theme used in this song that I wanted to evoke in this song as well, and if they all disappeared (due to the interruption of other work), it would be very difficult to put them back together.

─ ─ "SWORD ART ONLINE THE MOVIE - Progressive - Aria on a Starless Night" is a re-drawing of the very first "Aincrad" version from Asuna's point of view. I imagine that had a big influence on the way you created the soundtrack.

Kajiura: I think the staff and fans are the same, but after the TV series came to a conclusion with "SWORD ART ONLINE ARISATION: War of Underworld," and a major story had ended, it was very emotional to return to "Aincrad," the place where the story began. As a lover of stories, I was genuinely happy to return to "Aincrad" where the story began.


───It's very emo that the story is drawn again from the encounter between Kirito and Asuna, isn't it?

Kajiura: Yes, yes, I remember how innocent they were back then (laughs).

──What were the requests from director Ayako Kono and sound director Miwa Iwanami regarding the direction of the soundtrack?

Kajiura: Basically, we decided to follow the music of the "Aincrad" version, and since there are scenes that are the same as in the TV series, Mr. Iwanami suggested that we use the same music for those scenes, and we talked about making the music feel like a throwback to those days.

──There are five songs in the first half of the soundtrack that have "~progressive mix" at the end of the title.

Kajiura These are the same songs as in the TV series, which was a stereo mix, but since this is a movie, we decided to use a new 5.1ch mix. The songs are arranged in the same way as in the TV series. In addition, we decided to use more of Asuna's theme this time.

─ ─ The story is told from Asuna's point of view, right?

Kajiura: We did create battle songs using Asuna's theme at the time, but when Asuna fights, Kirito is usually with her, and he plays a big role, so Asuna's own battle songs were rarely used in the story. Also, Asuna's melody was rarely used in other scenes in the TV series. We decided to revive it this time, and I think about half of the menu Mr. Iwanami gave us was Asuna melody arrangements. For me, it was a very nostalgic soundtrack. Once again, I realized that I had made good music for the TV series. I don't know if I should be saying this myself (laughs).


(laughs) ─ ─ No, it was really wonderful.

Kajiura: My infatuation with "Sword Art Online" is especially evident in the early soundtracks. The worldview was particularly heavy in the early days, but it was a gamer's dream world, where you could dive fully into a virtual space. The virtual world was fantastic and beautiful, and the anime was full of the background that is what the game world is all about. I was very excited to be able to add music to it. The fun part of this soundtrack was that I was able to create it while remembering the feelings I had back then. I hope that games like "Sword Art Online" will become a reality in my lifetime. I don't want to be trapped in the game world without being able to log out, though (laughs).

─ ─ Indeed (laughs). It is a work with a lot of charm, and when the TV series started in 2012, it seemed inevitable that "Sword Art Online" would immediately win the hearts of fans.