The premise of the story was highly promising. Whilst not original, people being trapped in a game is an interesting concept, and for the first 12-14 episodes, I was genuinely fascinated by the world created. Game culture references were excellently integrated, and for the majority of the time, the world appeared believable. The soundtrack composed by Yuki Kajiura (the creative genius behind the OSTs for Puella Magi and Fate/Zero) once again displays her talent for tension during some of the more intense boss battles.
However, when it came to characters and plausibility, the show began to unravel. The main character is an archetypal Gary Stu, hell bent on being the ultimate ‘bad’ good guy – tries to look cool, with an unnatural aura of perfection, yet helps anyone and everyone at every given opportunity. Side characters are introduced and tossed aside as if on a whim, with very few characters ultimately bearing any real significance. The 1st arc, that could have taken up 24 episodes by itself is condensed into 12-15 eps, leaving little room for character development and turning many of the supposed ‘feels’ moments into something almost laughable. In this regard, I felt that the show needed to slow down the erratic pace in order to connect with me on any level whatsoever.
Gripes with the series aside, the first 14 episodes were done surprisingly well and in spite of the one OP main and use of side characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the first arc of SAO. The same cannot be said for what I watched of the second…
Immediately in the second half, we enter into a nightmare of NTR, fanservice, incest and faeries. The personality of the characters, along with any vague character development is shattered in a series of panty shots and tentacles (I watched a scattering of eps across the second arc as opposed to the entirety in sequence). While I felt as though the show could have taken itself a little less seriously in the first arc, this went beyond anything I could have possibly dreamed of. The one dimensional villain, the loss of the minimal character development and the devolution into NTR, incest and faeries turned me off the series entirely, forcing me to drop SAO.
Despite everything however, I believe that the first arc is genuinely worth the effort, as long as you are aware of what you are watching. Is it deep and meaningful? No. Will it change your life? No. Will you care about the characters? Probably not. However, if light entertainment is what you desire and if you can avoid analysing the show in any way whatsoever, I can guarantee that the great animation and excellent soundtrack will provide you with what you seek.
##If you choose to watch SAO, I strongly recommend that you watch the first 14 episodes ONLY and leave the rest up to head cannon, because the second arc is truly horrid and will ruin what was otherwise a silly but on the whole enjoyable experience.
