So, if I had to give a reason for SAO to be in my top 10, it'd primarily be because of season two. It's still DEFINITELY a guilty pleasure, but this season wasn't AS bad.
Story: 7
Actual narrative! There are three arcs this time around: Gun Gale Online (GGO), Calibur, and Mother's Rosario.
GGO is actually quite well done. Death Gun is actually an intimidating villain, killing people because he can. His motivations are weak, which hurts the story category a bit, but hey, we're comparing Kayaba and the Fairy King, so I'll live.
Anyway, it's up to Kirito, super spy, in his new androgynous avatar (hi-jinks ensue) to hunt down Death Gun and bring him to justice! Along the way, he meets Sinon, a sniper who don't need no man to be a BAMF. Heck, Kirito even gets.. *gasp* character development. For two episodes. Why do you do this to me, SAO? Unfortunately, they set up an interesting foil to Kirito, and waste the potential. Again, it keeps the story at a seven, instead of an eight.
Calibur is filler. It's canon filler. Skip if you like. You're only missing explanation for a weapon reskin, and it's not like it matters. Kirito could kill a man with a plastic spoon if he wanted.
Mother's Rosario is a primarily character driven arc, and it finally gives Asuna the character growth she deserved since episode two of season one. It's quite good at making you love these arc-specific characters, and I'll admit, I did cry a little at the end. It has its issues *cough* Asuna's mother *cough*, but it was still wonderful. Heck, Kirito does something besides be the guy who always wins. Oh, Mother's Rosario, I love you.
Art: 8
Second verse, same as the first. It's very pretty. Moving on!
Sound: 7
The music, especially the openings, was great this time around, though it didn't stand out quite as well to me, so I've dropped from an 8 to a 7. The voice acting is the same as well, though the English dub seems a little better this time around. Still better in Japanese, but at least my ears aren't committing seppuku.
Character: 5
Kirito is still awful. Asuna is still non-existent. Suguha is practically non-existent as well. Yui is a plot device.
What pushes this up this time around are three major characters introduced this season.
Sinon is brilliant. I'll say it now. She suffers from what appears to be severe PTSD, and she's using a VRMMORPG to act as therapy. Since I've done research on VR anxiety therapy (fear specifically, but PTSD was in my team's research), this is a plot point I can legitimately enjoy. Plus, she grows so much in the GGO arc. Too bad she just becomes harem fodder come Calibur. Also, and here's the part where we should be upset guys, she's disrespected with some of the worst fanservice I've seen in a while. Like, her first episode: cameltoe. Don't do this to me SAO. I'm trying to like you, but you keep pushing me away.
Death Gun was also great. As mentioned previously, he's intimidating, but not well thought out.
Yuuki is our last character of note. She's only in Mother's Rosario, but she's so good in that short time. She's an adventurous, bubbly young girl who only wants to beat one boss alone with her friends before she must leave the RPG. I won't spoil too much, but bring tissues.
Enjoyment: 5
I had more issues with this one this time around. The villain disappointed me, the art wasn't quite as entrancing, and there was FAR too much fanservice. Still, it was alright, and I did have a few moments that I laughed, or cried, or just grunted out of a sense of awesome.
Overall: 6
Should you watch it? Well, moreso than the first season. This one did more for the series, and I hope that any future installments follow this trend of writing improvement. I look forward to the day when I can give an SAO season a 7
