Sword Art online is a great anime in terms of concept and visuals but falls flat when it comes to unique characters or plot lines. The exciting concept and extremely fine animation were enough to make me give it a chance but after meeting the bland main protagonist who walks around void of believable emotion and any motivation, I can't say it's well written. All female characters are portrayed as weak and in need of being saved and Kirito is the only one who can get the job done despite there being no actual reason for why he is the only one capable. He is often in position of unique edges such as his "dual wielding" but the anime fails to explain why he is the only one to get such a boost! The show makes Kirito stronger because the writers did not have a better way around it. They made a static character that doesn't grow and a story that is as cookie cutter as Shadow the Hedgehog- wait... I mean Kirito.
What this Anime does have going for it is how easy it is to watch. The characters and plot are simple to follow and honestly, you probably already know the characters if you've seen another anime or movie in your entire life. As I joked above, if you want to know what Kirito is going to do, just imagine what Shadow the hedgehog would do- it's generally the same thing. It's also beautiful to look at. The animators and visual devs went all out and made this one of the best animes I've ever seen.
In all, I don't think this is a good anime because I cannot get past my opinion of the characters and simplistic plot however it isn't without redemption. Of course, that's just my opinion and I know lots of people who see something I don't within this plot. All I can say is, as a writer myself, this anime feels very generic and poorly supported.
