NOTE: This review contains major spoilers for this volume and assumes you are familiar with the previous Sword Art Online arcs. You can find our review of Volume 1 here; read our review of Volume 2 here.
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Sword Art Online’s Mother’s Rosary arc comes to a heartfelt conclusion in Volume 3. While the volume’s setting continues to bounce between the real and the virtual world, the heart of our character’s conflict is a real one, and one that is almost impossible to read without getting misty-eyed.
Yuuki’s gone completely offline, and after Asuna’s attempts to contact her are unsuccessful, Kirito’s enlisted to help track her down in real life. It’s now that we learn the truth: cheerful, generous, kind, lovable Yuuki has AIDS, and after a lifetime of fighting the disease, her body is in the final stages of shutting down.
Even though the threat of death has been an underlying drive throughout the SAO franchise, Yuuki’s situation feels a little different. It’s not a threat, it’s a truth. And that makes it so much more personal.
Yuuki’s been hospitalized and quarantined for three years while working as a beta tester for Serene Garden, a virtual hospice program that utilizes the sensory stimulation of the FullDive software to create a better life for terminally ill patients. In fact, every member of the Sleeping Knights is a terminally ill patient playing in virtual reality to improve the quality of their lives.
This explains why Yuuki tried to break ties with Asuna after they successfully defeated the dungeon boss and why nobody in her guild was willing to reveal the truth. The whole guild wanted to insulate Asuna so she wouldn’t suffer from grief. But love and friendship can’t just be turned off, and their attempt to push Asuna away just drives her to learn the truth, ultimately bringing them all closer together.
Despite the fact that most of this volume takes place in real life, it still includes background guides at the end of each chapter, supplementing worldbuilding information where the story is unable to include it naturally within the panels. Like previous volumes, the storytelling is tight and efficient, the writing and artwork working hand in hand to pull at the reader’s heartstrings.
Naturally, Asuna is devastated to learn the truth, and the volume effectively conveys the emotion, through tears and even questioning God. Realizing that they only thing she can do for Yuuki is help to make her last days more enjoyable, Asuna asks her what she would do if she had the strength to leave the hospital. Yuuki’s last wish is to be able to go to school, so Asuna concocts a plan to make her wish come true. With Kirito’s help, they develop a program that allows Yuuki to participate in school by mounting a small camera on Asuna’s shoulder.
The use of VR equipment as something other than a form of entertainment hasn’t really been addressed in the franchise before, but the way that it introduces these things within this volume is really smart. It’s not just dropped in as a side fact, it’s completely integrated into the story of this arc and the arc itself depends on it. The fact that the franchise is even taking the time to consider other uses of the technology is a testament as to how much the series has grown over the years, and for that they definitely deserve all the kudos.
Asuna’s experience with Yuuki puts her life into perspective and gives her the courage to confront her mother and stand up for herself, paving the way for her character’s growth. She invites her mother to the VR world, to show her why the game is so important and prove that here, she has a life too. Again, we see that VR technology isn’t just for entertainment. To Asuna, it’s no longer an escape, it’s an extension of herself, and sharing this begins to build the chasm between Asuna and her mother.
Yuuki spends the last moments of her life in Asuna’s arms, surrounded by more than a thousand other players. The art refuses to show her death in the real world, focusing on showing her passing in the world she loved, the world that gave her something to live for in the last few years of her life. It’s a scene that’s as beautiful as Yuuki’s soul, and it serves as a beautiful conclusion to what has so far been my favorite SAO arc. It will leave you somewhat devastated, but also whole.
Story: 5 out of 5 stars
Art: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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