Story: 9
The story is fairly simple, everybody is trapped in a virtual world where death is real and the only escape is beating 100 levels of monsters and bosses which threaten your life. However, the story also encompasses the romance which develops between Kirito and Asuna throughout the levels. People who down-rate this story are usually upset that it's not intricate enough. If you're looking for something more intricate I suggest you leave and watch Death Note or some other psycho-thriller.
Art: 9
The art was excellent, but not perfect. There are minor flaws which definitely become more prevalent in the second season of the anime.
Sound: 10
The music was wonderful as were the voices, I have no complaints for sound. Disclaimer: I watched this anime subbed, not dubbed.
Character: 10
This is the winning point which causes me to give this anime a 10. The character development throughout the anime is extraordinarily pleasant, and doesn't create awkward moments like numerous other anime (I'll refrain from naming them). Kirito is obviously an Ace (aka overpowered character), but that doesn't detract from developing the MMO solo-player as he interacts with others and falls in love. I can't explain every aspect of this, but if you're interested watch the anime.
Enjoyment: 10
I loved watching this anime. Every episode was enjoyable regardless of whether is was serious or not. When my friends told me to watch this anime season 1 had just finished, and I watched straight through without breaks because I didn't see any reason to stop. One minor flaw is the constant skipping of time intervals. The story jumps from level to level without explaining what happened at the levels in between (ex. 9 to 25 without any episodes in between). However, if you can use basic logic you'll realize that 100 episodes to beat a video game isn't necessary.
Overall: 10
I'm sure I'm about to piss off a ton of the people who bitch about this anime. Well, I don't care. Helpful or Not Helpful, I strongly recommend this anime to anybody looking to enjoy an action-romance anime which does both genres justice and is an easy watch overall.
