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Sword Art Online #20
Sword Art Online, Vol. 20: Moon Cradle
It's back to the drawing board as the kidnapper just barely slips from Kirito's grasp. The new plan calls for a visit to the scene of the crime so that Asuna can use her scrying art to peek into the past, though what she learns is troubling to say the least...But before they can act on the new information, the villain strikes again! This time, Ronie and Tiese have been captured, and their fates rest in the claws of a young yellow dragon...!
248 pages, Paperback
First published September 8, 2017
51 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
About the author
Reki Kawahara
280 books912 followersKawahara Reki (川原礫) is the writer of Sword Art Online and Accel World. He also uses the pen name Kunori Fumio. His hobby is cycling.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 25, 2022
Quite possibly the worst book in the series… and that is saying a lot!
November 11, 2020
I had so many problems with this volume. It's not a bad book at all, if you're a fan and you'd like to explore more deeply into the Underworld and what happened in all those years after the war, this is just perfect for you. These two volumes, 19 and 20 do explore a bit more, and apparently the idea is for the writer to eventually do a series for this, like with Progressive.
But we could've done without. I wouldn't have mind if these had been the first two books on a second expansion, this time on Alicization, because at least it would have given me the chance to decide if I wanted to read this or not. As much as I like SAO, I'm not reading Progressive because I'm not interested in dwelling more into Aincrad, and the same goes with the Underworld. There are some who'd love this, and some who won't. But having them shoved in between our main story feels like an intrusion, as if he wants me to care about this characters and this new plot just so I read the expansions.
Problem is I have to admit I've never liked Tiese and Ronie, I just can't relate to them. I only see them as Kirito's fans, they never developed enough in the previous books for me to care as individual characters and potential knights. And the fact that they are constantly reminding you how in love they are with Kirito or Eugeo doesn't help them. They can't let go of it and in this book I felt we were reminded constantly of their unrequited love instead of focusing on them growing as knights. Though that is certainly a very personal feeling.
There were other issues plot wise that probably shouldnt' have happened. For example, and keeping this spoiler free. I know Kirito and Asuna speak Japanese with a lot of English in between, because that's a thing. It's never been a problem before, and no one had a problem understanding them all through the Alicization arc. But suddenly, in this particular book, Ronie and Tiese are shocked every single time Kirito uses a 'sacred language' word and they keep asking their meanings as if they were only speaking English all of a sudden. And it's annoying because what it wasn't an issue before, suddenly is a big important thing that takes pages and pages to explain.
Kirito is also going back to the previous I-can-do-it-all attitude, he suddenly can do just about anything and as usual Ronie is so shocked with everything he does and how powerful he is. I get it, he has always been like that, this is nothing new, but Asuna is suddenly so weak and so behind him, and I can't buy it! She has a Goddess account, if anything she could do anything she wants, and her constant changes are very drastic. Asuna was a very powerful woman in Aincrad, and then became a damisel in distress in ALO, then she is back to being powerful and confident in Mother Rosario, and she comes and saves Kirito herself here, commanding a whole army, so it bothers me know that she is reverting again to a more passive role. She can do a lot, but she is letting Kirito handle most of it, when I know she could do it. I like more the confident Asuna, and I do hope we go back to her once we're back in the real world.
Lastly, what the hell was it with that dragon pov chapter? I know it was suppossed to be cute, it kinda is, but it was totally unecessary and if anything I would've loved this book to be shorter. There's tons of explanations in this volume that we don't need. It mostly felt like an exhausting read. For me, book 18 was the perfect closure to the Alicization series and I was ready to go with Alice into the real world, so this stalling has been particularly exasperating for me.
But we could've done without. I wouldn't have mind if these had been the first two books on a second expansion, this time on Alicization, because at least it would have given me the chance to decide if I wanted to read this or not. As much as I like SAO, I'm not reading Progressive because I'm not interested in dwelling more into Aincrad, and the same goes with the Underworld. There are some who'd love this, and some who won't. But having them shoved in between our main story feels like an intrusion, as if he wants me to care about this characters and this new plot just so I read the expansions.
Problem is I have to admit I've never liked Tiese and Ronie, I just can't relate to them. I only see them as Kirito's fans, they never developed enough in the previous books for me to care as individual characters and potential knights. And the fact that they are constantly reminding you how in love they are with Kirito or Eugeo doesn't help them. They can't let go of it and in this book I felt we were reminded constantly of their unrequited love instead of focusing on them growing as knights. Though that is certainly a very personal feeling.
There were other issues plot wise that probably shouldnt' have happened. For example, and keeping this spoiler free. I know Kirito and Asuna speak Japanese with a lot of English in between, because that's a thing. It's never been a problem before, and no one had a problem understanding them all through the Alicization arc. But suddenly, in this particular book, Ronie and Tiese are shocked every single time Kirito uses a 'sacred language' word and they keep asking their meanings as if they were only speaking English all of a sudden. And it's annoying because what it wasn't an issue before, suddenly is a big important thing that takes pages and pages to explain.
Kirito is also going back to the previous I-can-do-it-all attitude, he suddenly can do just about anything and as usual Ronie is so shocked with everything he does and how powerful he is. I get it, he has always been like that, this is nothing new, but Asuna is suddenly so weak and so behind him, and I can't buy it! She has a Goddess account, if anything she could do anything she wants, and her constant changes are very drastic. Asuna was a very powerful woman in Aincrad, and then became a damisel in distress in ALO, then she is back to being powerful and confident in Mother Rosario, and she comes and saves Kirito herself here, commanding a whole army, so it bothers me know that she is reverting again to a more passive role. She can do a lot, but she is letting Kirito handle most of it, when I know she could do it. I like more the confident Asuna, and I do hope we go back to her once we're back in the real world.
Lastly, what the hell was it with that dragon pov chapter? I know it was suppossed to be cute, it kinda is, but it was totally unecessary and if anything I would've loved this book to be shorter. There's tons of explanations in this volume that we don't need. It mostly felt like an exhausting read. For me, book 18 was the perfect closure to the Alicization series and I was ready to go with Alice into the real world, so this stalling has been particularly exasperating for me.
April 6, 2020
Hay una escena en particular con la Blue Rose Sword y los recuerdos sobre Eugeo que me llegó. Me movió los feels.
Pero bueno...
Moon Cradle 1 y 2 clarifican algunas cosas que no fueron explicadas tan a fondo sobre Underworld: sus leyes, sus habitantes, las criaturas que habitan en él y el destino del mundo después de la guerra.
Ronye y Tieze son muy buenas protagonistas; sus sentimientos son auténticos, sus acciones justificables y su evolución es constante. Lo único que me molesta es que me las siguen mostrando como damiselas en apuros que necesitan ser salvadas.
A pesar de ser las protagonistas de este arco y haber alcanzado cierto nivel de poder, siempre es "el espadachín negro" quien salva el día con sus super habilidades sacadas de la manga. El tipo me cae bien; pero siento que Reki le da visibilidad hasta cuando no le corresponde.
De resto, todo bonito. Me gustó bastante.
(P.d: Tsukigake es lo más. La amo).
Pero bueno...
Moon Cradle 1 y 2 clarifican algunas cosas que no fueron explicadas tan a fondo sobre Underworld: sus leyes, sus habitantes, las criaturas que habitan en él y el destino del mundo después de la guerra.
Ronye y Tieze son muy buenas protagonistas; sus sentimientos son auténticos, sus acciones justificables y su evolución es constante. Lo único que me molesta es que me las siguen mostrando como damiselas en apuros que necesitan ser salvadas.
A pesar de ser las protagonistas de este arco y haber alcanzado cierto nivel de poder, siempre es "el espadachín negro" quien salva el día con sus super habilidades sacadas de la manga. El tipo me cae bien; pero siento que Reki le da visibilidad hasta cuando no le corresponde.
De resto, todo bonito. Me gustó bastante.
(P.d: Tsukigake es lo más. La amo).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2023
Moon Cradle Volume 20 continues the tale that started in Volume 19. There the Human Unification Council was tasked with identifying the culprit behind the crime that was bound to send their plans for unifying the Human Empire and the Dark Territory post-War of the Underworld. There, it was highlighted that the story was told wholly from the perspective of Ronie. Here, she continues to be in the driver's seat for the story, but Asuna adds some perspective to some intimate time with Kirito, and Kirito gets a moment to shine, something missing from the previous volume.
Considering my concerns with Kawahara putting Kirito on the sidelines for so long in the "war of the underworld arc" I am actually fine with this miniarc provided some context for the world and how the world views him. While his closest allies see him still as a trainee from Swordcraft Academy who happened to be a hero, others at times view him as some god, someone who can use the power of incarnation (imagination) to ways they never thought possible. It is an interesting contrast and at times leaves a few characters shaken, specifically, those closest to Kirito who still tease him for his childish antics, especially, anytime food is involved. The scene when Asuna is trying to perfect cooking fish and asks for his opinion is one of the examples of this.
For Ronie and Tiese, the volume gives them their much needed development both as characters who are still dealing with feelings of guilt over sparking the entire incident, unrequited feelings of love (Tiese for the dearly departed Eugeo, and Ronie for Kirito who has Asuna), and lastly action scenes since...well this is about the sword arts. Curiosity is the driver of the action as Tiese has in her head that she can see Eugeo for just one more time, after, seeing how Eugeo appeared beside Kirito to slay the revived Vecta in the War of the Underworld, and brings Ronie along. Ronie has another run in with a foe she slayed.
Overall it was a good volume and sets the foundation for a potential direction for the future of the Underworld if Kawahara decides to ever return to it. I feel like he would since epilogue of the War of the Underworld didn't exactly connect to the Moon Cradle arc, and with Kirito's and Asuna's memory wipes once they emerged from the 200 years, there is presently no information about what occurs.
Good volume.
Considering my concerns with Kawahara putting Kirito on the sidelines for so long in the "war of the underworld arc" I am actually fine with this miniarc provided some context for the world and how the world views him. While his closest allies see him still as a trainee from Swordcraft Academy who happened to be a hero, others at times view him as some god, someone who can use the power of incarnation (imagination) to ways they never thought possible. It is an interesting contrast and at times leaves a few characters shaken, specifically, those closest to Kirito who still tease him for his childish antics, especially, anytime food is involved. The scene when Asuna is trying to perfect cooking fish and asks for his opinion is one of the examples of this.
For Ronie and Tiese, the volume gives them their much needed development both as characters who are still dealing with feelings of guilt over sparking the entire incident, unrequited feelings of love (Tiese for the dearly departed Eugeo, and Ronie for Kirito who has Asuna), and lastly action scenes since...well this is about the sword arts. Curiosity is the driver of the action as Tiese has in her head that she can see Eugeo for just one more time, after, seeing how Eugeo appeared beside Kirito to slay the revived Vecta in the War of the Underworld, and brings Ronie along. Ronie has another run in with a foe she slayed.
Overall it was a good volume and sets the foundation for a potential direction for the future of the Underworld if Kawahara decides to ever return to it. I feel like he would since epilogue of the War of the Underworld didn't exactly connect to the Moon Cradle arc, and with Kirito's and Asuna's memory wipes once they emerged from the 200 years, there is presently no information about what occurs.
Good volume.
February 23, 2024
Few words about Moon Cradle
Overall, it was okay. The first volume was particularly good at explaining the situation in Underworld after the war. Additionally, it introduces more of Tiese and Ronie, who didn't play major roles in Alicization.
My thoughts on the second volume are different, however. I found the beginning of the second volume to be odd, as new and important plot information, never mentioned in the first volume, is introduced but only sparsely addressed at first. Instead, part of the focus was on trivial matters, leading to a slow and tedious pacing. However, the finale was more exciting and captured my interest more. Nevertheless, the conclusion of the filler arc felt unsatisfactory as it is left very open-ended. In the afterword, Kawahara explains that (Alicization Spoiler) he may want to continue the story about the two hundred years and tie this story into Moon Cradle. So, the ending is okay, but it's still a shame that the reader doesn't get direct answers to the lingering questions.
Overall, for a filler arc, it wasn't bad. I found the first Moon Cradle volume better than the second and now I'm hyped for how the next main arc will begin.
Overall, it was okay. The first volume was particularly good at explaining the situation in Underworld after the war. Additionally, it introduces more of Tiese and Ronie, who didn't play major roles in Alicization.
My thoughts on the second volume are different, however. I found the beginning of the second volume to be odd, as new and important plot information, never mentioned in the first volume, is introduced but only sparsely addressed at first. Instead, part of the focus was on trivial matters, leading to a slow and tedious pacing. However, the finale was more exciting and captured my interest more. Nevertheless, the conclusion of the filler arc felt unsatisfactory as it is left very open-ended. In the afterword, Kawahara explains that (Alicization Spoiler) he may want to continue the story about the two hundred years and tie this story into Moon Cradle. So, the ending is okay, but it's still a shame that the reader doesn't get direct answers to the lingering questions.
Overall, for a filler arc, it wasn't bad. I found the first Moon Cradle volume better than the second and now I'm hyped for how the next main arc will begin.
August 20, 2020
While I still thoroughly enjoyed this story, will eat up any work that expands the SAO series, and want to find out more of what happens in the time Kirito and Asuna spend trapped in the Underworld, I do agree with some of the other reviews that this one piece of the story(both volumes of Moon Cradle) was longer then it needed to be. I've always felt like Kawahara could have done so much more with the Aincrad arc which was pretty much wrapped up in one volume(not counting side stories or Progressive) and takes place over 2 years, but then we get 2 volumes for one side story that takes place over the course of 1 week and other then starting to fill in a time gap this story doesn't seem to have much purpose. Oh and its not even done..... There's at least 3 more volumes that pick where Vol 18 ended after this before well get to even hope to see a conclusion to the story started here. Probably could've gone with presenting it as a SAO:Alternative series instead. Just my opinion...
August 22, 2020
Ronie & Tiese fans - oh yes, this is for you. these girls have been through a lot, but they're tougher than most people seem to think, and yes, they still carry their love for boys they just can't have around with them, which leads to
A LOT OF TALKING ABOUT - AND MISSING OF - EUGEO
you have been warned.
and the last chapter . . . well, I cried off and on throughout the book, but that last chapter was harder than the rest put together, so again, fellow Eugeo Fans, I can't warn you enough about that last chapter - but it's beautiful, just like our Blue Rose Boy.
A LOT OF TALKING ABOUT - AND MISSING OF - EUGEO
you have been warned.
and the last chapter . . . well, I cried off and on throughout the book, but that last chapter was harder than the rest put together, so again, fellow Eugeo Fans, I can't warn you enough about that last chapter - but it's beautiful, just like our Blue Rose Boy.
August 26, 2021
Kirisuna saves the day
It was fantastic reading some Kirisuna moments after long time and it also gave the clear picture off what Asuna feels about other girls on their affection towards Kirito. I also hope Tiese will be able to hear Eugeo voice and Ronie will find her happiness by casting out her unrequited feelings or infatuation over Kirito. Kirito is only made up for Asuna so I hope everyone would be cleared of that in future. Now time to look for the Kirito and Asuna adventures with their friends in real world.
It was fantastic reading some Kirisuna moments after long time and it also gave the clear picture off what Asuna feels about other girls on their affection towards Kirito. I also hope Tiese will be able to hear Eugeo voice and Ronie will find her happiness by casting out her unrequited feelings or infatuation over Kirito. Kirito is only made up for Asuna so I hope everyone would be cleared of that in future. Now time to look for the Kirito and Asuna adventures with their friends in real world.
May 16, 2020
Buen transcurso de la historia, luego de que Asuna y Kirito se quedaran atrapados en underworld. Una historia, a un que secundaria, con mucha información acerca de las pasajes de Kirito y Eugeo, el cual nos da un leve entendimiento de como se sienten ellas y como quieren afrontar su futuro. Esperar con ansias la continuación de esta parte de la historia dentro de Underwolrd, hasta llegar a las descendientes de Tieze y Ronye y la pelea final contra los oscuros, final del tomo 18.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2020
An enjoyable read, with some good story involving the two apprentice knights more than the usual two protagonists, but it felt like it was missing something. Was really hoping Mr OP himself wouldn't come to save the day, but Kawahara brought him in, nevertheless.
Part of me wants to know more about the underworld, but I think the story should have ended in volume 18 when Kirito and Asuna woke up (and not with them going back into the futuristic underworld)
Part of me wants to know more about the underworld, but I think the story should have ended in volume 18 when Kirito and Asuna woke up (and not with them going back into the futuristic underworld)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2021
I did enjoy reading this novel, it was better than, a few of the previous volumes, but It seemed almost like a side story. The main characters are the appentices Ronie and Tiese as they deal with trying to keep the peace between the dark work world and theirs. Their Dragons also feature a bit in this volume. It kind of looks like this might be all we get from the underworld for the time being, as a last novel, this was not great. It sets up who the enemy will be, but we might not see it.
September 25, 2024
I did end up loving this though it took me longer to read it than I wanted. I fell into a little slump after being too busy to read.
The only complaint I have is this was mostly in Ronie's point of view. She's not my favorite character, but at least she's decent. I would be better if it was in Kirito or Asuna's POV.
Also Ronie needs to really stop her crush on Kirito. He has a girlfriend...*sighs*
The only complaint I have is this was mostly in Ronie's point of view. She's not my favorite character, but at least she's decent. I would be better if it was in Kirito or Asuna's POV.
Also Ronie needs to really stop her crush on Kirito. He has a girlfriend...*sighs*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2023
It's almost slice of life for the first half! What with how cooking works in the underworld! The second half was a bit more interesting. But at this point, I really had enough of Underworld. It gave me almost a fright, when Kirito used rings to stop the Emperor! I was like "oh no, is this a setup for unital ring"! I could not bare another five novels set in the Underworld!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2020
It was super slow and the story was more extended than it should be, at one point it was painful, unlike the other books which I really enjoyed, this one contains so many unnecessary details, I hope Unital Ring is better...
February 1, 2021
This book was entirely unnecessary. It was a slow and painful read. The two main characters of Tiese and Ronie are not interesting enough to dedicate an entire book to. Honestly, this series should’ve stopped stopped at volume 18.
September 28, 2022
I would like to comment this is another filler like volume 19, if I didn't read the author's note. Well, everything have a purpose, but this is a rather bored volume.
May 26, 2025
Like how the cast is dealing with grief. 9/10.
August 18, 2024
The two apprentices as POV characters are still boring, but get slightly better about half way through. I just found it incredibly hard to care about them. But I was able to power through to a fairly mediocre ending. I'm just happy to finally finish it.
November 13, 2025
Better than the previous Volume.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews