The show is divided into two halves, but the summary will be about the first one. An MMORPG called Sword Art Online gets released, and Kirito, who was a beta tester, is overjoyed to be able to play the game for real. He makes a few friends along the way and has many adventures. But then the creator of SAO announces to all players that they can't log out, and if they get killed in the game, they get killed in real life too. Not wanting to be cursed with that fate, Kirito decides to try and clear every single floor all by himself so he can wake back up in the real world again. But he can't do it alone, and he and many other players endure a lot of hardship in the game, wondering if they'll ever get out.
The anime is pretty good for some cheap entertainment and to get away from reality for a bit, kinda like a game, but that's about it. It's far too flawed and far too riddled with problems to be anything other than that. One of its major problems lies in its main characters. They are actual characters rather than plot devices, but unfortunately, they're too inconsistently characterized and a little too unrealistically overpowered. Kirito fits the second bill, as he's ridiculously strong and competent, and he doesn't have much of a personality other than being extremely driven to complete the game, even though he does have some redeemable flaws. He also makes friends with girls a little too easily, though I don't call it as him having a harem (is it required for a harem to be classified as guy who happens to make friends with a lot of girls and not be romantically involved with them? Sure, he has a few love interests, but they're all unrequited save for one. Just because a guy is friends with a lot of girls doesn't automatically make it a harem. I'm a girl and a lot of my friends are guys just because we happen to have mutual interests!). Asuna is kind of a Mary Sue, as she's strong, beautiful, has lots of guys good and bad fawning for her virtual virginity, she's one of the few strong and hot female players in the game, and is good at sword fighting and cooking. She also tends to flip-flop from being strong and brave to frightened and whiny sometimes, depending on the situation, one of which is entirely understandable and justified, but doesn't redeem her in any way. All of the other side characters, though I do like them, are also rather bland and underdeveloped, and could have used more screen time. Also, the villains in this series are also cliche and annoying (though one of them is voiced by Todd Haberkorn. Awesome. He should totally do more villain roles).
The storytelling also leaves a lot to be desired. I felt like the creators were trying too hard to cram mountains of events into two half-season intervals, when they could have used the entire season to develop just the Aincrad arc and do more with it. It's not like Record of Lodoss War where it tries to shove things down your throat without giving you time to swallow it, but I felt that some characters, stories, and development could have been explored more if the producers took the whole 25 episodes and saved them just for Aincrad. There's also a lot of Deus Ex Machinas used all over the place when the writers write themselves into a corner, even with the technology-based setting. There's also some very questionable and even sorta squicky subplots in the second arc, which is universally considered the franchise's low point. But I actually didn't find the questionable subplot to be bad, because the character involved actually knows its bad and doesn't actually act on her feelings, and it's not as gross and over the top as everyone makes it out to be (especially compared to sacrilegious garbage like Kiss x Sis) so I'm lenient on the show for that. But unfortunately, it still doesn't save it from being as flawed as it is. Seriously, do a brother and sister (or in this case cousin) absolutely HAVE to have incestuous feelings in every new anime ever? There are anime brothers and sisters who don't have those kinds of feelings and interact just like normal siblings do, y'know! Can't you producers take a hint already? The music, despite being done by the awesome Yuki Kajiura, is one of her lesser works this time around. She definitely has some good pieces, but she seems to be losing her inspiration. But her pieces, to their credit, do good jobs with creating atmosphere and setting the mood when needed.
Unfortunately, the only good thing I really salvaged from this show is the animation, which is beautiful and crisp thanks to being produced by A-1 Pictures, and they're steadily creating a name for themselves. Kudos to them! I also found another good thing about SAO: The English dub. I really respect the actors behind the English dub of this show, as they've ranged from being solid to incredibly amazing in this dub. Special kudos goes to Bryce Papenbrook for doing an awesome Kirito. He even made me choke up during the sad parts in episode 14, and not many voice actors can have that effect. I may hate the show, but I love its English dub (and also because I feel like anime fans don't respect most English dubs as much as they should, as there are other great dubs out there. Cowboy Bebop isn't the only good English dubbed anime out there), and all of the actors do a great job in it. In fact, the English dub is what made me go back to the show and watch the whole thing again (I dropped it at episode 6 on the Japanese version), partly out of a desire to get to know some of the newer actors on the scene, like Erik Kimerer, Christine Marie Cabanos, Amanda C Miller, Laura Post, Cassandra Lee (she does an awesome Suguha. Listen to her rant during the final Alfheim episodes, she nails it!), etc. and they're all great in their own way. But even that doesn't save the show from being as flawed as it is.
If you're looking for something that'll take you away from reality for a while, check it out. But if you want a good story with flawed, non-perfect main characters and a lack of blatant fanservice, give it a miss.
