What went wrong?
A problem with SAO is its pacing. After the first three episodes that are more or less within the same time frame, the show leaps several months between episodes that span two years. This is to skip any leveling up and grinding that the characters need to do to survive in the virtual world, understandably. However, because of the several time skips, viewers can become lost or confused on how characters went from point A to point B all the way to point Z. How characters end up in the situation that they are in is told in dialogue, but can be easily missed.
The time skips is related to another problem with the show, character development – particularly the relationship with Kirito and Asuna. Credit where credit is due, SAO deserves props for having characters in a relationship, which is a rarity in Anime. The problem? The relationship is forced. Imagine you’re a person with relative good looks, and you ask a really attractive guy/girl out on a date. And then you get to 3rd base on the first date. That’s pretty much Kirito and Asuna’s relationship in a nutshell. It’s easy to understand why Kirito is attracted to Asuna. He’s a teenager with hormones who is close to the attractive, ideal woman Asuna. However, the story doesn’t, at least in my eyes, show how Asuna fall for Kirito. (I didn’t get it. Maybe someone can explain to me). Because of the time skips, it is difficult to become invested with any of the characters. It’s even harder to be invested in a relationship with characters that there is little to no investment devoted to, which leads to the biggest problem of SAO: the entire Fairy Dance Arc.
Talk about taking a step forward, then doing a backflip on a trampoline and falling face first on the metal rim. If the Aincrad arc is a decent arc with hit or miss episodes, then the Fairy Dance arc is one gigantic botch. Even devoted SAO fans admit that this arc is bad, and pretty much everyone who has at least heard of the show knows why it’s bad. Unanimously, making Asuna the worst case of damsel in distress I ever seen in any show was a horrible idea.
Now, to be fair to this arc, the story concept of the Fairy Dance arc looks good on paper – a guy wants to save the girl he loves who is trapped in a MMO. Sounds pretty neat. The problem? Whereas the Aincrad arc is set in an epic ‘we gotta save world’ centered story, Fairy Dance arc is Kirito and Asuna’s personal story. Well, aside from the Big Bad wanting to brainwash people, because reasons. However, because there was little investment in their relationship, it’s very difficult to be invested with the story of Kirito wanting to save Asuna. People might find joy in this arc if they are already invested with their relationship back in the Aincrad arc.
What was awesome!
The boss battles!! They’re awesome! Especially the one where Kirito busted out his secret technique on that Minotaur jabronee!
Yuki Kajiura is one of the best composers in the industry, and she does another great job composing the score for SAO.
Asuna is a pretty cool heroine. If only Fairy Dance didn’t exist…
The first three episodes are some of the best opening episodes I’ve seen in any show. What a way to start! Honorable mentions go to the side quest with Elisabeth (possibly the most wasted character in the show), the two episodes where Kirito and Asuna explore the dungeon and the last few episodes.
Overall
SAO had a lot of potential, but never fully tapped into it. The Aincrad Arc is pretty decent. There are hit and miss episodes, but overall serviceable, and serves as a gateway for people who want to get into Anime. It’s by no means perfect, but it is enjoyable to watch. If only the show was not hyped up to be the Lord of the Rings of Anime, it would have taken away so much expectations for the show and would have been more enjoyable. It’s by no means a great show, but isn’t one of the worst.
If Fairy Dance still kept the same story, but followed different characters (and removed all the incest, cut out all the time wasted on not realizing your crush is your brother-cousin, incinerate any storyboard drawings of sexual molestation, and a better villain), then the arc would be at least decent on the level of the Aincrad Arc.
For real, screw Fairy Dance. It’s not worth watching. Not even for Leafa’s, y’know, personality…
