Story:
Even though many other animes have used the trope of people being trapped inside of a video game, I feel like SAO put its own creative twist on it. The events that unravel while Kirito and his party try to escape add a unique set of challenges. In addition, the way the relationship between Kirito and Asuna unfolds was just so realistic its hard not to not hate it. Even for a trope of a plot, SAO manages to make a few good stops along the way.
Art:
The over art to Sword Art Online was more or less average. Theres nothing particularly incredible about the art that really stood out, both in the art style and animation. Even the designs of characters, monsters, and locations just seemed like your average fantasy RPG setting and whatnot. That could have been what they were going for; like a 'This is familiar because Ive played Final Fantasy sort of way' which is understandable. It would have been nice to see a city or a boss monster that really caught my attention.
Sound:
Well being of a better quality than the art, the sound in SAO wasnt anything near amazing, but I did have a great OST, a lot of which managed to get me nostalgic, reminding me of my old school RPG days. The english voice cast fit the characters rather well, and included some of my favorite voice actors.
Character:
Im a bit torn about the characters in SAO, mostly because Kirito isnt an amazing main character, but on the other half of the spectrum, Asuna manages to become a greater character as the series goes on. Kiritos worst problem manages to be his straight up OPness. Theres almost nothing in the world of SAO he cannot do. He is also under the firm belief that he overcome any obstacle (which he can) but his cockiness gets old fast. However, he does put the breaks on sometimes, especially when it comes to Asuna. For anime heroines, Asuna stands among the best, she manages to be so realistic and believable, but has a firm stance on what she believes in. The greatest reason for her standing out so strong lies in her character design however. She is such a beautiful character, but lacks an hourglass figure and a skimpy outfit, which every anime feels like it needs. The side characters make up for most everything. Even though they were all enjoyable I felt that none of them really seemed to stand out too much, but a few strong characters are better many plain ones.
Enjoyment:
Sword Art Online is easy to watch, easy to get into, and has a smooth flow all the way through it. Fun characters and a looming threat make it easy to keep interest and transitions from episode to episode are smooth, with little in the way of content being missed.
Overall:
Raking in a solid 7/10 Sword Art Online, doesnt manage to stand out in any particular field, but it does hold strong in all areas and not make any mistakes along the way. If your looking for a solid story with a fun cast of characters and some epic fight scenes, definitely check out SAO.
*Favorite Character:
This one goes to Lizabeth the blacksmith for several reasons. She is voiced by Sarah Anne Williams, one of my voice talents. I tend to not be big on the abrasive tsundere type, but she just did it for me. Blacksmithing is also something Im fond of in fantasy settings, so her being of the best just gave her more points. Her few episodes that she spends with Kirito also manage to be some of the best in the show.
