SAO is one of the most highly contested anime ever made. All over the 'net, the passion is insane - either for or against it. Personally, though I acknowledge it's many faults, I truly enjoy the series as a whole and greatly looked forward to the second season.
Story (by arc)
GGO: This arc did do some good things - however, I will admit, it isn't a favorite arc in general for me. I liked that events from SAO trickled into this new game and that consequences from the characters previous actions came back to bite them in this arc. Sinon was a character I liked ... and hated too. Her issues were serious, but for some reason, I felt little emotion for her - there was a coldness I couldn't get past with her and her story, though I liked her character and the strong female lead she portrayed. It was nice to see Kirito get some development and to see the internal issues that haunt him from the previous game. Overall the GGO story was "meh" for me - enjoyable when it came to the left-over issues from the original series, but the fights and the game itself just didn't interest me and the overall story and characters introduced just brought little to the table for me.
Caliber: This was a cute, mission arc I did enjoy. The mythology woven into the mission was enjoyable though I felt the arcs purpose was to bring Sinon into the fold and begin focusing on the "group" once more. Could SAO 2 done without it? Yes. Definitely. But it wasn't a horrible - for me, it felt like an OVA that should have been released after the seasons end and wasn't important enough to include within the season itself.
Mothers Rosario: This is one of my favorite arcs in the entire SAO series and one of the better written works by the author. This arc was more mature. It finally gave Asuna a chance to shine and develop while introducing us to the wonderful character that is Yuuki. Yuuki shone bright in this arc - bringing entertainment and joy before delivering some incredibly emotional reality to the screen. This arc did several things - 1) It dethroned it's previously considered OP hero, Kirito, and showed us the true strongest swordsman in the game. This was important for me - Kirito had always been so strong and perfect, seeing up one-upped was refreshing. You can't always be the strongest. I love him, but I felt this action was important nonetheless as his character has been previously far too overpowered. 2) Yuuki and her personal struggles brought a lot of reality to the screen - her personal struggles brought a very mature issue to the screen and how she handled her struggle was refreshing to witness.
The idea of using the technology we saw destroy people in season one, bring people who are sick or facing challenges peace, escape and joy was wonderful. And incredibly emotional. When one sits down, how many of us have someone we know affected by the same challenges many of the characters in this arc faced? And how wonderful such technology would be for those people? This arc had weight and felt more "real" much like the first half of the first season. Whether the explanation of Yuuki's illness itself is correct, I'm unsure, but the message the arc delivered resonated nonetheless.
Overall:
Story: 6. As I went over above - I enjoyed the entire season however I felt GGO - as a whole was a meh arc and Caliber would have been better as an OVA so because of that, my overall ranking of the story is weighted down. Mother's Rosario, the final arc, was excellent and the shining star of the season - on it's own, I give it a 8. This season had issues with pacing and flow in terms of the overall story.
Art: 8. As usual, the art was beautiful. The series has always been beautifully animated with very appealing art.
Sound: 8. The OST is excellent for the SAO series and the quality of all of the opening and ending themes was excellent. The voice acting was well done with specific characters really shining as their VAs were spot on.
Overall: 6. A solid sequel with strong and weak areas, an incredible closing arc, beautiful art and solid sound. It was different than the first series in that it had three separate arcs and the flow wasn't as smooth because of it but it returned to similar season one magic with it's third and final arc. The final episode set us up for a great third season, should we get one, and a satisfying (IMO) close should we not.
