Aug 12, 2013
I can hardly talk about any points I had lined up without being dismissed as just another voice in a rising tide of dissent and criticism aimed at Sword Art Online. If you need some constructive take-down of this show, there's always one to be found.
Let me talk about one of the biggest flaws this anime had, and how fixing it could have salvaged this anime.
Sword Art Online, the internal world, takes itself far too seriously. With a premise built around a bunch of people trying to beat a VMMORPG, there needs to be some solid development to the story, the setting, and audience investment
...
in general for this to be overlooked.
Yes, these players can die, I know. But every time I think about it I remember 'they're playing a game'. Putting both together means the audience needs to really feel just how serious this situation is; you hardly get that. Let's list why:
1. Kirito is a walking juggernaut/panty-wetter. At one point he's outmatched at something like 7-1 by other players. he proceeds to walk straight at them as they hack and slash at him repeatedly (remember, he can die boys and girls), only for him to sput off "I can regen faster than all of you can hurt me". A protagonist who consistently pulls shit like this breaks any semblance of conflict or danger. Not only that, every bloody player with a vagina is trying to hump him because harem-logic. Fuck.
2. Antagonists have little to no motivation. (MILD SPOILER) When it turns out the creator of this death-trap has jack-all of a reason for setting this in motion, and the players/survivors barely give a shit about this in itself, it bothers me. A real outburst from Kirito over it would have been something at least; An ill-fated gang-up on the creator would have saved faced. Nope. There's no sense of threat from this. It's just... vapid.
And when another antagonists actions (again, true motivation lacking) are so over-the-top it makes you want to vomit cheese, you break the sense of reality yet again.
I can't even go on. It hurts to think about it.
What I'm pointing out is that there is no sense of 'Oh shit lives are at risk and these guys mean business and the hero is in serious danger', all the while we are expected to think otherwise when the setting is a Virtual Game.
A Game. If they played this aspect closer to the comical side of the situation, Focused on developing solid characters and really breathing life into just how real this virtual world was supposed to feel, this anime would've stood a chance.
It doesn't. It simply doesn't.
Last note: The romance between Kirito and Asuna, while it hijacks the storyline far more than it should, was the only thing that I really approved (in the first arc at least). It's not overly-complicated, it's simple, it's sweet, and given their age and circumstances, it's mature. I enjoyed it for what it was worth
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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