Apr 14, 2015
So this is my first review on this site, so be gentle on the rating lol.
ok so,
I was pretty disappointed with the second season of SAO. The GGO idea was ok, but like some of you [I'm sure I'm not the only one] feel like SAO should have ended at season 1. I'm a romance anime kind of guy so I try to pay attention more the the characters then the plot, but all the same I've got a few problems with SAO2's plot&characters.
Sinoon
I didn't like her from the start. She's your typical gun girl holding that giant piece of hardware and wielding it
...
like she's the bad ass they would have you believe she is. She isn't. She's just some girl who Kirito bumps into in GGO, and happens to have PTSD after a run in with some random who was holding up a post office. You heard right, a post office. It's these types of cliche's that made SAO2 unattractive to me in the first place. She's there as eye candy for the first half of the season then fades into the mist of Kirito's harem.
Kirito
The man we all know and love. Not this season ladies. He was very underwhelming unlike in season 1. He felt weaker and less like a hero. Despite all the logical flaws in sending a kid in to do the governments dirty work, and magically develops PTSD. He manages to overcome his PTSD, and defeats the bad guy with little to no plot at all. So what? He beat some mini game that supposedly is impossible for everyone else. He buys a light saber [sword] and continues to be a sword user even though he's playing a game that involves the use of guns. Makes sense right? The writers didn't seem to care enough to give much plot to the bad guy other then to kill kill kill! Whats worse off though, Kirito beats this guy in the biggest tournament in the game. Tell me how Kirito manages to get into a tourny this big without any kind of prerequisite other then having played the game for 5 minutes, and manages to stay alive long enough to beat him in a match with the biggest gun slingers on GGO? I think the writers got lazy and just wanted to make a quick buck riding off the fame of the first season. The second part is about a small quest to find the legendary weapon Excalibur. I can accept this little story somewhat, but there was almost no plot to it. they had 2 hours to complete some story that should have taken WAY more episodes to develop plot to. Then Kirito manages to fade into the mist as the baton was passed to Asuna.
Death Gun
Very under rated bad guy. He literally was just some nut they could have picked up off the street given some nerve gear and was told to start killing peeps. That's how little this bad guy meant to this part of the story. So ask yourselves why did they spend half the season with this guy when he had little to do with it. Other then Death Gun himself, you find out his little brother was that creepy kid who was close friends with Sinoon. Oh but the way they reveal that was soo origional. Hey, I heard you won so I came over to celebrate. SURPRISE RAPE! Bam, we find out he was one of the guys and then they get caught and it's all over. What the hell was the point of this entire season am I right?
Asuna
Not much to say other then I'm glad she was given a little more air-time with her personal life. I kind of wish Kirito would have been more relevant to her problems [makes for a more cute romance], but we can't always have what we want now can we?
The girl I forgot the name of and you will too
Yes, I literally just finished watching this season not even 5 minutes ago, and I already forgot her name. That's how little she meant to this season. Why do writers add characters who last for no more then 5 episodes then kill them off? I'll tell you why. It's because they either realized they screwed up big time with this or they figured they had your money by this point so who cares [or they are really stupid]. I honestly can't say much about this character other then she was random and stronger than Kirito. WHAT? FOR REALSIES? Unfortunately that was the case. I hate when an anime has some random character show up then kill them off like it was nothing. I hate it even more when this character plays a significant role of some kind. Seriously though, all I remember is that she was stronger then Kirito, then died. The relevance is astounding.
The Harem
Little relevance to the story other then introducing the last arc to the season by mentioning the super powered player that no one say coming then all of a sudden cared that they died. Still wants Kirito's babies, Klein is the guy who can't catch a break with girls [insert typical lonely loser jokes].
Story 1/10
Nothing good can be said about the story. I've already read the majority of comments. So I'm not alone in this one. I don't agree with all the hate on SAO season 1, but I will say this much. I had heard that there was a choice to either make SAO season 2, or Accel World season 2. They chose the wrong one. I remember telling myself season 2 of SAO won't be very good, and I wasn't wrong. I'm just glad that season 2 of Accel World might still happen.
Art 9/10
Just because the story sucked doesn't mean it's not SAO. The origional art was beautiful, and SAO season 2 is no different. I fell in love with how beautiful the art was. How visually stunning the fights/background/etc. was.
Sound 8/10
Some new songs, but the same old fight sound track as before. I was hoping for a new more epic "fighting sequence" song, but that doesn't mean the old one was bad. I was okay with it, but like I said: could have been a new more epic song.
Characters 3/10
Little is to be said about the new characters. Literally little to be said. The one that stuck around become another harem candidate, while the other died before falling into the same role. No real development for the new character's other then learning that Kirito had another hidden run in with the laughing coughin guild, and magicly has PTSD out of nowhere from it.
Enjoyment 2/10
It's another SAO. That's pretty much it. Nothing else really. If I enjoyed anything, it would be the art and sound. So 2 out of everything else.
Overall 2/10
SAO vs. SAO2
I won't deny it. I loved SAO. SAO 2 ruined that for me. I think less of SAO now because of SAO 2. It's like that nice candy you liked until you ate too much of it and got sick. Now you can't eat it anymore without remembering that you got sick from it. Let's face it. SAO2 flopped, and HARD. There was one tolerable arc and it didn't even last more then what? 2 episodes maybe? The quest for Excalibur, and it wasn't even that good with how little plot it received. I wish Asuna and Kirigaya's relationship got a little deeper, infact at the end of all that crap I found myself hoping that he would maybe propose to her to indirectly save her from her mothers tyrannical betroths, but I was sorely disappointed.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who was a hardcore fan of season 1, but I'm not an expert anime critic. I'm just some dude who likes what I like. If you liked SAO2 then good for you. I'm glad you liked it, but I for one am dreading a season 3, if they are stupid enough to make a season 3 that is.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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