The pros until that point:
Animation: I don't think anyone can really say a bad thing about this aspect, since it is honestly pretty damn great.
Romance: Most anime never move past the awkward interactions between the two main characters, but this one definitely does. It was beyond gratifying seeing the male and female main characters actually fucking get together, and was made even more so because each one was a badass. The girl didn't depend on the guy, and the guy didn't objectify the girl. A HUGE breath of fresh air.
The world: The set up is simple: You lose, you die. To win get to level/floor 100 and beat it. This allowed for the focus to be less about setting up the world and more about just exploring it, and given the stellar animation, this was thoroughly enjoyable. Especially since most anime viewers are also gamers and would love the chance to explore their favourite games (Skyrim for example.)
Death: It had gravity here, and you could see it weighing on the characters with each friend they saw die or each foe they were forced to kill.
Cons until that point:
Harem: This was mostly forgivable as it was relatively minimal, and the romance between the main characters was fleshed out to the point that most of the harem girls allowed themselves to be okay with being friends with Kirito.
Time Skips: I honestly would have been perfectly happy if a few seasons had been dedicated to exploring the world and going from boss to boss. This is probably my biggest gripe, as it feels like a hugely missed opportunity.
Minor subjective complaints here or there: These were minor personal things that I found to be either a bit irritating or would have preferred removed, but otherwise don't really impact my final thoughts in a noticeable way.
Now... AFTER they "beat" the game....
Pros:
The animation: This is honestly all I have. It was another well-animated world, but I felt cheated out of the one we had gotten used to and didn't have much a chance to explore this new one.
The CONS:
Story: It became a "rescue the princess from the rapist bad guy" trope. In the first game they had a very real, concrete threat: dying. They didn't really NEED a villain, and that was part of the beauty and charm of it. There is literally nothing unique or engaging about the rapist/elf-lord in the second world. Such a waste of potential, and a downward dive into a pile of shit.
Characters: Harem was kicked up ten notches and even includes Kirito's "sister." I believe they're technically cousins, but were raised and thought of eachother as brother and sister. Fucking really? And of COURSE they unknowingly spend time together in the game and she falls in love with him AGAIN without realizing it. This was such a waste of time for me.
The main gripe though is of course Asuna and Kirito. They had blossomed into such a wonderful thing that I couldn't believe the degree in which they were shat on. They were two strong, independent people and they actually were in a pretty adorable, sometimes moving relationship. Can't have that. Let's lock her in a cage with a rapist and make her super tough god-like boyfriend rescue her.I don't know how anyone thought that was a good idea.
Final thoughts: They went from a world of possibilities and a wonderful relationship in anime to a very very very typical story beat of "rescuing the kidnapped and helpless woman." They went from an interesting world to one moving too fast for me to bother caring, especially since there was no reason for me to care. Dying in the game meant literally nothing, whereas before it held so much weight in the show. If the show had ended after they beat the game, I'd have been a little disappointed it didn't have more of what I loved so much, but it also wouldn't have rolled around in dog shit. I'd have given it an eight or nine simply because I enjoyed how refreshing it was. But then it well into old anime habits and I stopped caring.
My advice: Pretend the show ended when they "beat" the first game world. Ignore the rest of season one, and don't bother with season two.
