I criticize SAO because of the horrendous second half. It was a series where they tried to shove as much as possible into a ballon but the balloon can only fit so much tension before it pops. They should have expanded the first half since the stakes were high, the characters weren't completely developed, and there was so much left to explore. The additional ideas they could have explored on the top of my head are change in order and how humans interacted in a lawless society (big topics that breezed passed them). They did some cool things but it was brief (the assassin and the killers). I get the search for a relationship side for Kirito cause he’s a loner but they shouldn't have made it the prime subject. They should have done something similar to Avatar Korra where they had one season devoted to the struggle as an Avatar, another for the stakes, and now what happens after the immense change.
As a director showing the audience a new world, it’s good to follow a prestigious standard story arch. Part 1: the development (more optimistic elements and characters constantly grow), Part 2: hits a darker turn (shit hits the fan and things become too difficult on a large scale for the protagonist), Part 3: change (how the resolve from the last problem effected people and how things can be balanced), Part 4 or End of Part 3: ultimate conclusion to the story. That was a brief idea of how the process works and I'm not saying that it should be copied but its a good bases to follow since so many solid mediums have done. Ex. Christopher Nolan’s Batman, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Indian Jones, etc (list of famous works go on). If you notice, the structure of this standard is also what many analytical essays are like. If they have at least done that then SAO would have been an AMAZING series but they FUCKED IT. They had a superb villain with a god complex, fresh out look at a lost idea (video games-> HACK series), and just so much to work with for the story and characters (psychology, economics, humanity, religion, change, sociology, etc of this new world). SAO is like a cook who was given high quality ingredients but made coleslaw.
How to Improve the Show
SPOILER WARNING:
The executive business man pedo crap with Asuna was a detrimental choice to the series since the first half established her as a strong independent character, but then changed into a damsel in distress aka objectifying women. The misogyny was obvious and created a down hillside to the series. The 2nd half's villain was force to be hated and the incest love complex was just cringing. The second half could have easily been fix by simply extending the first half.
The situation presented in SAO was something so many philosophers wish they could test, making a new world and watching how modern people answer to the conflict; restarting everything to observe the chaos and human development. An example of an interesting idea to explore would be like a powerful leader figure that guides the people in this predicament but then he's removed from the equation because the villain (god like being) kills him off. The story to take a dramatic turn, allowing the audience to see the unraveling of such a well established system. WHAT!?!?!?! IS COULD HAVE BEEN DONE? The guild was run by Kayaba Akihiko from the beginning. Let him fake his death during the fight with the boss on the 75th floor. No heir to throne and maybe his OP shield is left so everyone wants it and Kirito is feared for having it because he would be too powerful. So everyone becomes archaic, bringing the main characters into a dark turn of events. Heathcliff, Akihiko in SAO world, could been more charismatic, giving the viewers a reason to feel attached to the character. He could have been a mentor like character to Kirito where he would teach him how to be a leader and taking Kirito out of his secluded shell, creating an empathetic feel. A clash of ideals at the end would have been the epic climax everything built to, Kirito believing in humanity while Akihiko wields the latter. When Kirito wins the fight and debate, the Seed would have been that much more depth and reward to the series. That character development would have hit it home right into the gamers’ hearts. It would have been gripping and inspiring to all viewers.
Another issue SAO had was focus. "Survival" was the main task but it became more about Kirito's search for a people, primarily a girl. I liked how he started and found a group but then it was lost, but then it just toppled over. There were a lot of situations were some kind of life lesson was embedded somewhere in his harem adventures, but was that really that bit really necessary for the overall story. The emotions aren't from the actual event, but rather the girl's DISNEY EYES (making me feel tingly and protective. HAHA I'M ABOVE THAT). You get the intense setting by the stakes so to preserve their precious formula, they added little bits of struggle to make it looks like Kirito had character build, but it really digresses rather than supporting the main themes. I these episodes like OVAs or fillers when they had so much other material to work with. These shenanigans caused Kayaba(the bringer of the twist and purpose of SAO) to be a weak character since we weren't given much about him. Yes there are struggles, but like I said before. Themes are trivialized. We don't know him more than Heathcliff and his game. That's why I wanted more about the chaos or about the game itself. Under exploring SAO also means not really understanding who Kayaba is. If you've seen Indie Games the movie, you would get want I mean. A game is a medium of art and therefore a form of expression. You can clearly see that Kayaba did this for philosophical and experimental reasons. That was the conclusion but not the focus. It went off of what it was intended to do. During the fairy crap, I liked that the sister was part of the adventure but she was there for the wrong reasons. She was the drive Kirito used to continue fighting in SAO but when he comes out of the game, the viewers see siblings not really knowing each other, one-sided incestual love, and misconception. This creates a gap between such a central relationship which makes it feel like coming out of SAO that much less meaningful. I would like to also add Asuna's tentacle crap was cringing and the molestation scene was uncomfortable. Shock value creates emphasis. Lacking focus again. The shifts in ideas make the series feel scattered. The ending worked because of the intensity factor and it was one of the only good scenes because we get to see Kirito man up and dominate his oppressor. If you think about it, there isn't real build other than small events that are irrelevant from the plot. That's why I also mentioned that by exploring Aincrad makes the Seed more ionic than just some tool. The lack of focus created a blur of ideas in the series limiting the amount depth that naturally accumulates.
Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is that SAO was not thoroughly planned out. It was an OK anime but it’s not even close to its true potential. My example isn't the answer but its a huge improvement compared to what SAO is now. I’m putting so much weight on this show because it brought in such a large fan base into the Anime community. Giving SAO praise means that the industry won’t change and continue using this over used formula and Anime will still be seen as an immature medium. People must be more critical with what they watch in order to help improve work. Behind every great piece of work is a thousand failed attempts to make it and clearly SAO wasn’t given much thought.
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