Story: 6
The story, the story goes all over the god damn place. It do whatever it damn please and that's one if it's flaws, it doesn't stay on one issue. Many may say "Well, it's following the manga.", which i'll reply "Then that mean it's not doing much justice." Not only did it ruin the overall enjoyment of the show, but also the outlook of the characters. I'll get to that later, but let me grind on this story for a little bit
Alright, the story revolves around a boy name Kirito, or cardboard for short. He's enter this virtual reality name SAO, interesting. So, he gets stuck in the game and have to battle his way to the 100th tower, if that what I remember. That sounds awesome right? It is, but it's like the creators had a different agenda and took a dump on the original story.
They turn it into a love story, a bad one at that. But it wasn't just turn into a love story, it was a harem before. They ignore that there was a battle to get to the top to the 100th tower and focus on the romance aspect. But it's kind of hard to like the romance, when the characters themselves aren't really likable.
But I know there is more ground to cover, so I dont want to just focus on the 1st half. The 2nd half however, they fix all of this. I know many don't like the 2nd half, but I thought that's when Sword Art Online really shine. It didn't go off rail like the first one, so I have to admire that.
It was average, but it really did keep me engage for awhile. I could feel Kirito desperation, which kept me watching. I can't really say much about this half, considering it was overall alright. But it's not enough to keep it from being a 6.
Art 9:
Okay, i'm not going to lie, the art is fucking beautiful! It's like one of the best thing art i've seen this year, or i'm just freaking dumb.
Sound 8: The opening and ending music, is where it really shines. Hell, I even listen to some of it on my phone and that's saying something. Not to mention, the music the in battle sequences make it more epic. It has that kingdom hearts vibe, which I love.
Characters 4: If you were to ask who were my favorite character was in SAO, it would be none. The characters is what ruin everything for me, because none of them was interesting. The one that piss me off the most, is Asuna! She was the one who was the most promising, but she failed! I was devastated when she turn into a stereotypical tsundere character.
She just goes in a fit and just cries, thats all she do! Don't get me started about yui, I could give two shits about her. Her annoying ass voice, makes me want to strangle her neck. She's really not that special, she's just there after season 1.
Kirito, is not all that annoying as the rest of the main characters. But he's like a cardboard, that's all he is. His only characteristics are: A young man who's nice to woman and likes to help everybody. But he's aggressive and don't stop until his goals are finish. Chances are, you've probably heard of something like that.
Nothing wrong with that, but he's not really an interesting character at all. It's like he's there just to push the story foward, but he's probably the most tolerable. Then there is his sister, which is another character to push the story foward. But she's also tolerable like kirito, so that's fine.
Enjoyment 7: If you just watch this without ever thinking of it's flaws, you'll probably enjoy this. I have to admit, the action of the show is what really captivate me. The rest of it however is eh, nothing to be really excited about. But nevertheless, it's a good show to watch if you want to pass time.
Overall: The show had potential, but it's potential thats wasted. But it doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable, it was quite a fun watch. I would suggest this to people who just like action, because that what keeps me watching. However, don't go into thinking that it will be best anime you'll ever seen, otherwise you'll be dissapointed. Otherwise, just watch it and form your own opinion.
