Story, Phantom Bullet(8/10): The first arc is the meat of SAO II. It has the most episodes spanning 14 of the overall 24. Here, Kirito ends up in a VR called Gun Gale Online where he is tasked to investigate the deaths of VR players in the real world by them supposedly dying in the Virtual world. The story was crafted excellently, while it did have a slow start at first, the ending was satisfying. There are however inconsistencies to how the story picks up the pace. For instance, the story already jumped to Bullet of Bullets in the very first few episodes, then it jumps to Kirito defeating other players easily, then a duel with Sinon, then after defeating Death Gun. It feels rushed even though the story presented itself well. It doesn't give itself enough time to catch up with itself, it sends Kirito to battle and ends with KIrito beating his enemies. The story though is packed with the Impossibilities like the first SAO. This Time, characters are haunted by their past , and it's up to Kirito to guide them out of it. While that may seem irrelevant to the story, it adds a little emotional impact to the overall arc.
Story, Calibur(7/10): The second arc of SAO II. Here we find Kirito and his Harem + Klein back in Alfheim. They all do a quest to retrieve Excalibur from an Ice Kingdom and ultimately save Alfheim altogether. While it was a good watch, I felt the story was the weakest out of all the arcs. It didn't offer anything new, and it didn't bring out anything we haven't necessarily seen before in the SAO franchise. It's basically an arc dedicated for Kirito to get an upgrade. It is still refreshing to see the old team back together including Sinon to clear out dungeons and let them show off their skills after seeing Kirito slaughtering every bit of competition he has out there.
Story, Mother's Rosario(9/10): The third arc, this is where I don't want to go into detail about because it's an arc where you should see for yourself. I personally think this is the best arc out of SAO II. It doesn't focus on action as much as the previous arcs, it focuses a lot on characters and their hardships in the real world. While some may get turned off by that, it really is a good arc to see further character development in some characters.
Story, Overall (8/10): From the first to the last arcs, the story was great. While a side arc did manage to outshine the main arc for me, it still was a great story to marvel at.
Characters(9/10): SAO II brings to you a new cast with very enjoyable characters. Kirito, Asuna, and the old gang are still there. With the exception of Kirito, and Asuna on the third arc. Most of them were hardly touched. Kirito still drives the main story further with help from new characters. The first up is Sinon. Sinon later became my favorite heroine at the the end of the the first arc. Maybe i just have a thing for girls with a heavy anti-material rifle for a weapon. You get to see into her past and her reason to play a game like Gun Gale. She seeks strength and finds that within Kirito. The next up is Yuuki and the gang on the third arc. This is where the emotional aspect of the show is centered. Konno Yuuki is labeled as Zekken, or Absolute Sword. She is they say the strongest player in Alfheim. While she's strong in the Virtual world in the real world she faces countless problems. It's the same with the rest of the Sleeping Knights. They face numerous problems in real life, and they dive into the Virtual world to escape those problems. You see the relationship grow between Asuna and the Sleeping Knights as the story progresses. You see what the characters have to face in the real world, and their methods to escape that harsh reality.
Art(9/10): Just like in the original SAO, SAO II brings with it fantastic looking worlds and characters. Gun Gale is just amazing to look at. it's a deserted area with tons of destroyed building and broken down vehicles. Also sand, sand everywhere. It's the perfect setting for a game like Gun Gale where bullets are flying everywhere and the world looks like its going crumbling down. Alfheim is also present with beautifully crafted atmosphere. In the Calibur arc, you see what lies underneath the world tree, it was once a prosperous land, but now it's covered in ice and snow. The new bosses and characters are also made fairly well. The back ground characters do look a lot similar, but that's understandable since drawing thousands of unique faces would be a waste of time. However the main and supporting cast all have their personal touch to their avatars which makes the look admirable. #CaitSithSinon
Sound(8/10): The sound overall was good. I don't really have much complaints for the sound even though I gave it an 8. Both Openings were amazing and characters themselves weren't annoying to listen to.
Enjoyment(9/10): I had a lot of fun watching Sword Art Online II. It gives me more to think about when I decide to let my mind wonder. Just the thought of how close a different world can be so close to us just makes me want to watch more and more. I really do hope they come out with an SAO III, it would be to sad to see an anime as great as this with more tales to tell us stop right here.
Overall(8/10): It's an enjoyable show to watch that most people often ridicule too hard because of it's growing popularity. It's a fun series with a lot of great ideas to offer. It's not perfect having some flaws, but it's not as bad as people turn it out to be. I recommend giving the series a go and decide for yourself. Do not let anyone's opinion hinder you from enjoying this show and determine for yourself if it is worthy of your time.
