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Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online Light Novel #1
ソードアート・オンライン オルタナティブ ガンゲイル・オンライン I ─スクワッド・ジャム─
身長183cmの女子大生・小比類巻香蓮。長身コンプレックスが災いし“現実世界”では人付き合いが苦手な彼女を変えたのはVRMMO“GGO”だった―。身長150cmにも満たない理想の“チビ”アバターを手にした香蓮は、全身ピンクの戦闘服を身に纏い、プレイヤー“レン”となってGGO世界を駆け回る!そんなレンの前に現れた美人プレイヤー“ピトフーイ”。GGO内ではレアな女性同士、意気投合するのだが―ある日レンは、最強ガンナー決定戦“BoB”のチームバトルロイヤル版“スクワッド・ジャム”への参戦をピトフーイから打診され…。時雨沢恵一&黒星紅白による、もう一つの『ソードアート・オンライン』が登場!
472 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 2014
43 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 17, 2016
I picked up this book at the local bookstore inside one of the supermarkets, just because one of my friends was reading it at the time and I thought of increasing my Japanese reading a bit too. I read it once, it was great, then I read it a second time, this time and English, and boy I might have thought it was a different story on the first few pages. This book has a very interesting set of themes that mainly applies to people of the modern day and age and I thought it was a bit odd and risky for the author to take this on. However, the delivery was very, very, smart and amusing, especially the main theme that presents the idea of video games, set in fictional conflicts/wars involving shooting and killing within them. Though the book had a smaller theme concerning the complexes of individuals, I feel that this idea of "virtual killing" is going to be the main theme for the whole series. With such a fresh theme presented, this book blew me away, as it was just a new experience, not to mention that the English version was, in my opinion, better at focusing on this bigger theme, though it did hinder the smaller ones, but those can be set aside as this series will lean on this bigger theme.
Killing, it's been a thing that's been with humans for thousands years, whether you like it or not, this also applies to killing for sport, like hunting. And then there is virtually killing, other people who are in control of other virtual avatars. Gun Gale Online is a game in this book where your consciousness is transferred to a virtual world, in which you get virtual smell, feelings, taste, sight, and sounds, and in this game, kill. The author shows various ideas concerning this theme with many characters and their opinions, though this is still yet to be fully completely as the main character goes through the process of formulating her opinion and will probably be concluded by the end of the series, which is still going to be a long time from now.
And that pretty much sums up the whole experience of this first book in the series, a new and fresh experience that I look forward to keep reading in both Japanese and English.
Killing, it's been a thing that's been with humans for thousands years, whether you like it or not, this also applies to killing for sport, like hunting. And then there is virtually killing, other people who are in control of other virtual avatars. Gun Gale Online is a game in this book where your consciousness is transferred to a virtual world, in which you get virtual smell, feelings, taste, sight, and sounds, and in this game, kill. The author shows various ideas concerning this theme with many characters and their opinions, though this is still yet to be fully completely as the main character goes through the process of formulating her opinion and will probably be concluded by the end of the series, which is still going to be a long time from now.
And that pretty much sums up the whole experience of this first book in the series, a new and fresh experience that I look forward to keep reading in both Japanese and English.
February 4, 2022
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online: Squad Jam, Vol. 1 by Keiichi Sigsawa is a Young Adult novelization based of the Manga/Anime SAO spin-off series “Gun Gale Online.”
I have to admit I don’t know much about Sword Art Online anime universe, save for the 12 episode anime adaptation of Gun Gale Online, but I thought it would be interesting to give the Gun Gale Online light novel titled “Squad Jam” a read. I wanted to see if someone inexperienced as me with this anime franchise would be able to give this book a read and not be greatly confused. Thankfully, I wasn’t confused at all, and if anything, this first volume makes me want to snatch up anything SAO related to catch up on what I’ve been missing all these years.
Gun Gale Online: Squad Jam is set in a near future 2026 where a VR game called Sword Art Online has taken the world by storm. Karen Kohiruimaki is an introverted college student suffering from social anxiety issues due to her tall height. When she discovers the spin-off VR Military game called Gun Gale Online. She takes the opportunity to escape the real world , and become something she’s always wanted to be a cute and confident person. In this virtual world of GGO she adopts the online persona of Lienn a super fast small cute pink camouflaged girl wielding a deadly P-90 submachine gun. Before, long she meets a fellow girl gamer called Pitohui, and they become fast friends. This friendship leads her to be convinced to join Squad Jam the first ever team based battle royal tournament in Gun Gale Online’s history.
And… that’s the plot! It really is an extraordinarily straightforward story for this one. Llenn and M shoot guns, get shot at, the bullets are flying everywhere… It’s pretty much just a long series of action sequences. You get to learn a whole lot about guns, and a few things about the characters. I imagine there will be more to learn about them in later volumes, but for now there isn’t a whole lot. Karen is a tall and shy college-aged woman in real life, but in the game (as “Llenn”) she gets to live her dream of being short and cute. And also, shoot lots of people in a video game. (Living the dream!)
There are a few questions left lingering in the air after reading the novelization, but that could very well be the fact that I’m jumping into first volume of a now ten part light novel series. They mention a few events and certain names pop up often, but I have no idea who they are. I won’t count that as a negative, though, as that is my lack of SAO lore knowledge that is causing this issue, not the book.
Overall, GGO: Squad Jam Vol. 1 is really not a terribly conflict-driven story, since it’s literally just “Will Karen win the tournament?” I personally think plenty of SAO fans or newcomers are going to get a kick out this novelization. Even if you don’t know much about SAO franchise, but enjoy action-packed sci-fi stories, this book is well worth the read.
I have to admit I don’t know much about Sword Art Online anime universe, save for the 12 episode anime adaptation of Gun Gale Online, but I thought it would be interesting to give the Gun Gale Online light novel titled “Squad Jam” a read. I wanted to see if someone inexperienced as me with this anime franchise would be able to give this book a read and not be greatly confused. Thankfully, I wasn’t confused at all, and if anything, this first volume makes me want to snatch up anything SAO related to catch up on what I’ve been missing all these years.
Gun Gale Online: Squad Jam is set in a near future 2026 where a VR game called Sword Art Online has taken the world by storm. Karen Kohiruimaki is an introverted college student suffering from social anxiety issues due to her tall height. When she discovers the spin-off VR Military game called Gun Gale Online. She takes the opportunity to escape the real world , and become something she’s always wanted to be a cute and confident person. In this virtual world of GGO she adopts the online persona of Lienn a super fast small cute pink camouflaged girl wielding a deadly P-90 submachine gun. Before, long she meets a fellow girl gamer called Pitohui, and they become fast friends. This friendship leads her to be convinced to join Squad Jam the first ever team based battle royal tournament in Gun Gale Online’s history.
And… that’s the plot! It really is an extraordinarily straightforward story for this one. Llenn and M shoot guns, get shot at, the bullets are flying everywhere… It’s pretty much just a long series of action sequences. You get to learn a whole lot about guns, and a few things about the characters. I imagine there will be more to learn about them in later volumes, but for now there isn’t a whole lot. Karen is a tall and shy college-aged woman in real life, but in the game (as “Llenn”) she gets to live her dream of being short and cute. And also, shoot lots of people in a video game. (Living the dream!)
There are a few questions left lingering in the air after reading the novelization, but that could very well be the fact that I’m jumping into first volume of a now ten part light novel series. They mention a few events and certain names pop up often, but I have no idea who they are. I won’t count that as a negative, though, as that is my lack of SAO lore knowledge that is causing this issue, not the book.
Overall, GGO: Squad Jam Vol. 1 is really not a terribly conflict-driven story, since it’s literally just “Will Karen win the tournament?” I personally think plenty of SAO fans or newcomers are going to get a kick out this novelization. Even if you don’t know much about SAO franchise, but enjoy action-packed sci-fi stories, this book is well worth the read.
June 23, 2018
I decided to read this book because SAO is a very popular LN and Anime. I never read a super hype series before so I gave it a shot. It turns out that this GGO LN is quite overrated in my opinion.
I want to start with bad point.
The author describe so much for unnecessary information. I understand that he want to make reader know what the gun is like but this much information easily make reader disconnect from the story itself, which is bad.
To add to this point, it seems that the author is not an active gamer. For example, he put a lot of realism into the gun that characters used and describe it a lot! With that realism and as a game, some guns should not be used. All gamers will know that, at late game, there will be only a few weapon worth using. However, in this LN, almost every characters used different gun that made from countries around the world ranged from WWI to futuristic laser beam, which is quite absurd.
Other than that, the theme is unique and interesting. The character is lovable. The strategy is quite interesting and realistic before it is going full fantasy mode later.
I would recommend it for anyone who like Gun and action-packed LN. However, if you want something entertaining with meaningful for your life, you should skip this one.
I want to start with bad point.
The author describe so much for unnecessary information. I understand that he want to make reader know what the gun is like but this much information easily make reader disconnect from the story itself, which is bad.
To add to this point, it seems that the author is not an active gamer. For example, he put a lot of realism into the gun that characters used and describe it a lot! With that realism and as a game, some guns should not be used. All gamers will know that, at late game, there will be only a few weapon worth using. However, in this LN, almost every characters used different gun that made from countries around the world ranged from WWI to futuristic laser beam, which is quite absurd.
Other than that, the theme is unique and interesting. The character is lovable. The strategy is quite interesting and realistic before it is going full fantasy mode later.
I would recommend it for anyone who like Gun and action-packed LN. However, if you want something entertaining with meaningful for your life, you should skip this one.
September 21, 2018
I obtained this book from a LootAnime Box subscription. They like to surprise me with a anime book. A lot of times they are good and some are a struggles.
Karen Kohiruimaki is tall, awkward, and painfully shy. She has no friends in her new high school because she’s the new kid and everyone has their cliche and a circle of friends. She try on-line virtual reality gaming. Every one of them she tries takes her height and make her character the same height. She wants to petite.
She tries Gun Gale Online (GGO) and finally she is petite and fast. Her character wears pink and her weapons are pink. She teams up with the armory seller Pitohui and forms a friendship. Karen wants to met her friend in real life (IRL). To be able to do that she must win the GGO Squad Jam. The catch, Pitchui picks her teammates.
She picks one guy - M. this guy is huge and intimidating. In the Squad Jam a team can have the max of 6 players. Karen enters the competition without knowing what the outcome will be and possibility outnumbered and outgunned.
This is the first book in the series.
Karen Kohiruimaki is tall, awkward, and painfully shy. She has no friends in her new high school because she’s the new kid and everyone has their cliche and a circle of friends. She try on-line virtual reality gaming. Every one of them she tries takes her height and make her character the same height. She wants to petite.
She tries Gun Gale Online (GGO) and finally she is petite and fast. Her character wears pink and her weapons are pink. She teams up with the armory seller Pitohui and forms a friendship. Karen wants to met her friend in real life (IRL). To be able to do that she must win the GGO Squad Jam. The catch, Pitchui picks her teammates.
She picks one guy - M. this guy is huge and intimidating. In the Squad Jam a team can have the max of 6 players. Karen enters the competition without knowing what the outcome will be and possibility outnumbered and outgunned.
This is the first book in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2020
Better than expected.
As a spin off from the main Sword Art Online series this one takes place only in GGO, as the title suggests, with all new characters.
I loved seeing the brief glimpses of what everyone’s real life is like compared to their game life. I love Llenn as a character.
My biggest worry was the action. For a thick light novel most of it was action, as expected, and I figured there would be too much action, making it boring to read. Nope! Still entertaining all the way through. A few battles lasted longer than I would have personally liked but the entire Squad Jam was a surprisingly quick read.
Lots of new mysteries, lovable characters, and new (familiar) world to explore.
As a spin off from the main Sword Art Online series this one takes place only in GGO, as the title suggests, with all new characters.
I loved seeing the brief glimpses of what everyone’s real life is like compared to their game life. I love Llenn as a character.
My biggest worry was the action. For a thick light novel most of it was action, as expected, and I figured there would be too much action, making it boring to read. Nope! Still entertaining all the way through. A few battles lasted longer than I would have personally liked but the entire Squad Jam was a surprisingly quick read.
Lots of new mysteries, lovable characters, and new (familiar) world to explore.
February 7, 2019
If you've watched the anime you'll love this! Same great story of the first squad jam but goes into way more detail, such as certain parts from the view of other teams to explain what happened away from Llenn
Read
January 25, 2021I couldn’t get into the anime, but my brother recommended this and I decided to give it a shot. It’s pretty light and entertaining, which was about what I was looking for in my current reading slump. Liked it more than I thought I thought I would.
April 16, 2018
Releído... X2
Me gusto, de todos los spin-off de SAO este este es mi consentido. Me divirtio mas que la batalla de Sinon ya que aqui si se centro en el juego.
LLEEN es muy divertida y tiene una suerte del demonio; y aunque no supimos mucho de SHINC, ese equipo de chicas rudas le dieron un buen final al torneo.
Vamos que no tiene el deje de drama de SAO y es mas ligero de leer y seguir (un complejo de altura, nada de muertes).
Me gusto, de todos los spin-off de SAO este este es mi consentido. Me divirtio mas que la batalla de Sinon ya que aqui si se centro en el juego.
LLEEN es muy divertida y tiene una suerte del demonio; y aunque no supimos mucho de SHINC, ese equipo de chicas rudas le dieron un buen final al torneo.
Vamos que no tiene el deje de drama de SAO y es mas ligero de leer y seguir (un complejo de altura, nada de muertes).
October 6, 2019
In truth I had allready seen the anime for this, but it was still a great read, and I will be reading more of the series soon.
September 29, 2022
New character here on the Gun Gale Online. Well, The story was not that good, but for the fans who can't never satisfied with SAO stories, this is good enough.
Read
June 5, 2025Dropped at 20% (couldn't get into it the same way as the main series). Might retry in the future.
January 27, 2025
Lots of bad language, if you can get past that, great book!
May 10, 2024
A refreshing spin on the SAO franchise.
I picked this up as I was interested to read Keiichi Sigsawa's take on a virtual reality online game world/VRMMO.
For those who aren't aware, the author also wrote Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World which is a thoughtful, episodic slice-of-life story that uses speculative fantasy tropes to explore social/political issues. There's a bit of commentary in GGO, but there is more focus on gear, action and tactics with mystery simmering in the background.
The author's also a firearms nerd (his pen name SIGSAWA is a reference to SIG SAUER), and he uses his knowledge to great effect in GGO. The extra details add richness to the world.
I picked this up as I was interested to read Keiichi Sigsawa's take on a virtual reality online game world/VRMMO.
For those who aren't aware, the author also wrote Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World which is a thoughtful, episodic slice-of-life story that uses speculative fantasy tropes to explore social/political issues. There's a bit of commentary in GGO, but there is more focus on gear, action and tactics with mystery simmering in the background.
The author's also a firearms nerd (his pen name SIGSAWA is a reference to SIG SAUER), and he uses his knowledge to great effect in GGO. The extra details add richness to the world.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews