Aniplex USA has let the main distributor of their releases in North America know that they’re stopping shipments of Sword Art Online (S.A.O) DVD 1: Aincrad Part 1. This impacts only the DVD release of it as the company has informed Right Stuf that due to an error during the replication process incorrect content was placed on some of the DVDs.
Right Stuf has removed all units of this item from inventory and will resume shipments once corrected discs have arrived. For customers who have purchased this item from our store and already received it, please hold off on shipping your box sets back to us. We are currently working with Aniplex to set up a replacement disc program. When we have more information available we will update our news post and/or our customer care team will contact you directly. We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank you, in advance, for your patience.
The issues appears to be, according to those that have received copies, that the two discs are mislabeled as to what content is actually on it, i.e. the first disc is actually disc two and vice versa. The Blu-ray release is not affected by this, but there does seem to be a potential issue there as well when it comes to the opening sequence from the second episode and other openings as well, though Aniplex has not commented on that yet and it’s uncertain if it’s a source issue or an encoding issue.
Plot concept: In the year 2022, next-generation game Sword Art Online (SAO) is the world’s first true VRMMORPG. A virtual reality helmet known as “Nerve Gear” has been developed, making Full Dives into a virtual dimension possible. SAO has generated worldwide buzz, and on its official launch day, one player, Kirito, immerses himself in its virtual world. But Akihiko Kayaba, the developer of SAO, proclaims the following to all players. “This game is inescapable unless all levels are cleared. And in this world, ‘Game Over’ is equivalent to death in the real world.”