Story 6/10
I'm sure we all know the story to Sword Art Online at this point, you die in game, you die in real life, and the only way out is to clear all 100 floors of the game. Kirito decides to take this challenge and ends up meeting multiple people along the way, forming friendships, and even falling in love with Asuna, another player. The whole death aspect of SAO is where a lot of the drama is, the constant struggle to survive keeps the players going. The show likes to jump ahead in time a lot, I suppose if we followed the characters day by day, the show would be longer than Naruto. This becomes a problem at the end of the Aincrad arc though, i'll explain later on. Another problem that arises is, quite simply, Kirito is too overpowered. Seriously Kirito soloed a floor boss ato one point! I understand the character can't be a wimp, but he doesn't even have his struggles. The only battle he looses, is because someone cheated (I won't say who for the sake of spoilers). These problems aren't major, and the Aincrad arc is very enjoyable, it never lost my attention. I know what you're thinking, why are you giving it a 6? Well, I said Aincrad ARC! That's right, the climactic duel between Kirito and the final boss, is in episode 14. This show has 25 episodes total, so whats going on? The Fairy Dance arc begins with Asuna not waking up after everyone was logged out of SAO. After that, Kirito meets Sughou, who says he is the reason she is alive. Well, it turns out she is trapped inside of a game known as Elfheim Online by Sughou himself. Now Kirito must come to the rescue and along with Leafa, and journey through this new land. Understand, going into SAO, did you expect this to happen? I understand surprises are good, but this just completely changed the entire course of the anime! Elfheim isn't horrible beyond belief, but it's not Sword Art Online, there is no risk to dying now. Not to mention that everything is rushed in this arc, and as a result, Kirito ends up, what I like calling, "Jesus-kuning" his way through the arc. The only thing that held my interest was the constant drive to get Asuna back. I'll move on so we can avoid spoilers, i'll just conclude by saying that if Elfheim did one thing right, it made me hate Sughou with a passion.
Art 9/10
Ok, let's talk about something positive, the art of SAO is fantastic! The worlds of Aincrad and Elfheim are animated beautifully, and the animation can thankfully keep up with the rather fast action of the characters during fight sequences. The only minor complaint is some of the bosses. Floor 75 especially was animated completely different from the characters, and as a result, stuck out like a sore thumb. Otherwise, it feels like you are actually in an online game world, and the interfaces that the characters get are the coolest things.
Sound 8/10
SAO also has a really nice soundtrack as well. Done by Yuki Kaijura, the music felt like a nice blend of a track you would hear in an anime, and one you would hear in a video game. Crossing Field, the first opening, may be the most recognizable anime opening ever. The other opening and ending themes, Yumi Sekai, Innocence, and Overfly, are also very good. The sound effects of the battle sequences are also very well done, even down to the slightest detail of swords making contact sounds high quality.
Characters 4/10
Tell me something, how much do you remember off the top of your head about Silica? Well.....she's a girl....and she plays SAO. What about Lizbeth? Well......she's a blacksmith in SAO......she's a girl. Do you see what i'm implying, every character except Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha have literally 1-2 episodes of air time. As a result, nothing is learned about them and they are quickly thrown into the back of the harem. A lot of the characters in SAO are just one episode, empty, filler characters that are basically just around long enough for you to remember their names. I already did most of my complaining about Kirito in the Story section, just to recap, Jesus-kun, it's that simple. One character that thankfully didn't get thrown under the harem bus was Asuna. She actually has some independence from Kirito, she can hold her own, even being the second in command for the Knights of the Blood Oath guild at one point. Too bad she got downgraded to damsel in distress for the Elfheim arc. Suguha is Kirito's cousin and, well, she kind of has a crush on him.............................Even his own cousin is in his harem now! Not even Agil and Klein have any memorable traits about them. I can't even remember anyone besides Suguha from Elfheim, it feels like a rush just to have some filler episodes more than anything. These characters could have been so much cooler, and played even bigger roles in SAO, but they literally have one adventure with Kirito than are never heard of again.
Enjoyment 8/10
When you look past all the problems, Sword Art Online is obviously very enjoyable. The battle sequences are awesome, and even if Jesus-kun is overpowered, he still looks badass doing so. Elfheim was the only point that I could feel my attention waning.
Overall 6/10
While Sword Art Online is not the masterpiece I remember it being, it's still not a bad anime. It's plagued with many issues, mainly caused from the characters, but it's something that everyone can enjoy.
Let's recap
Likes:
Beautiful Animation
Great Music
Aincrad Arc
Dislikes:
Kirito is overpowered
Fairy Dance Arc
Characters are bland and forgetful
If you like this anime, check out Accel World, it's by the same author and I preferred it to SAO
