Sword Art Online is such a controversial anime that it made me take my review virginity. I am a guy that would gladly participate in this madness of a conflict, mostly because of the thrill and the art of persuasion. As a newly recruited soldier, I will now even the negative reviews with a positive one. I will go into everything and follow the guidelines. Hopefully, make it as clean and spoiler-free as possible.
Concept (10)
The series which is often referred to as "SAO" has all the elements required for an ideal VMMORPG. Gamers that prefer this kind of genre would fall deeply in love with its mechanics and playstyles. I honestly got entranced myself. The virtual game concept is not only engulfing for gamers, but certainly for people that failed their progression in the real world as well. I would go as far as to say that this type of console could be an alternative to dangerous drugs. They could experience a new start with new possibilities in an etheric world. The show's concept could easily blind the viewers from all the other aspects needed for a good anime.
Story (5)
The first episodes had a solid foundation for the rest to be layed upon. The fantasy setting of Aincrad has been shown and captured by our eyes. An ideal protagonist that we all could understand why to follow. An antagonist who wanted the game to become more than just a game. And the atmosphere created from the shocking truth. Now that it's no fun and game, you could call it human survival. The prologue emphasizes the reason why we all sit behind a screen. Competence, relatedness, and autonomy are all big factors that state our enjoyment. Kirigaya Kazuto, the main character, gets this realization and runs off on his new beginning with adrenalin pumping inside him. Everything was, in other words, set to become very interesting. But it fails to take responsibility when we sink our teeth in. The magical, horror-filled air fades away and everything becomes plain. The story drops its essence as trash with unlogical fillers. It was like watching my car rolling down the hill into a tree. They time skipped away so much gold that king Midas himself would be suicidal.
The second arc disregards everything that has happened during the first arc. Instead of filling the first arc with all the missing pieces, the anime jumps into a new, unnecessary, bad continuation of the game trap. (Minor spoiler alert) The acts of authority aren't from healthy minds when the new game Alfheim is allowed to use the old Aincrad server. To be direct, the second story shits on the only, short lasted charm the first story had: survival. Unoriginality consumes it and the final product is the analogy: prince in shining armor saving the princess.
Characters (5)
Kirigaya Kazuto (Kirito) - the main protagonist in the series. In the beginning, he was an inspiring lead to follow. His actions are reasonable as he is kind, generous and understanding. Simultaneously acting upon his survival instincts in the game, he helps others who need it. Kirito also has flaws like every other person- afraid about acceptance for instance. The flaws are a bit few though, as it makes it less realistic. It becomes too good to be true. Along the way, you will know he doesn't spark anymore. If you are a gamer, you will notice things that are absolutely unacceptable.
The main antagonist. He takes virtual gaming to another level. He is the creator of SAO and programs the game so that nobody can log off until it's completed. His reason for this is to make the experience more meaningful. The antagonist is a composed guy who has the mentality of a gamer. He also seems to be power-hungry. But like everything else within the characters, it will turn out badly. You will begin to scratch your head when you go through his development.
The second main antagonist. In the second arc you will be met with this douchebag. He obviously does his role when you feel disgusted by just looking at him. He is a psychopath, pervert, abusive and a lying piece of shit. Lying to the degree of Sean Murray. He has a different goal than the other. The problem here is his ending. You won't feel like it was a satisfying execution. When presenting such a character you demand the equal amount of justice.
Yuuki Asuna (Asuna)- the female lead. She is a tough girl who is professional at the game. She can take good care of herself and known through Aincrad for being the top idol. But when she gets to know Kirito, everything evolves into sexism. Everything she represent withers and becomes uncharacteristic. Requests from fans make it fanfictional and ruins the little personality she has. She also has schizophrenia which is not explained.
Kirigaya Suguha - Kirito's sister. She seem more human-like than any of the others. She has good spirit and very conversive with others. Even though she can be aggressive toward people that annoy her, she can be gentle and delicate. The dumb thing is that there is another reason Kirito has her as family, which was pretty self-explanatory considering the interactions.
The support characters aren't very notable. It goes to show what most of these are for. I'm not really a fan of harem as the content of it is usually stereotypes with a slutty touch. There are frequent times where I facepalm by how they act around Kirito. This just contributes to my statement about the genre. It's superficial and defies logic. The characters are as disappointing as the story. Figure Yui out for yourself, since I would consider her a spoiler. I am actually happy that I can't describe her when she made me cringe several times throughout the anime. A character that shouldn't be there at all.
Art (9)
The art is astonishing. It lets you immerse in strong, beautiful colors as it portrays a perfect wonderland. Character design is top-notch as well. The bosses and minions are well-drawn and animated, but could maybe be a little more creative in my opinion. All in all extraordinary sight for the eyes.
Music (10)
The music was pretty fu*king fantastic. It couldn't be more on point! Yuki Kajiura is truly a genius composer. She expressed the scenes to the max extent with harmonious tones. Every soundtrack was medicine to my ears. You get the feeling of a true MMORPG about knights and dragons just by listening to it. The sound tells the setting and atmosphere as if it wouldn't need a script. There are few anime that can achieve it. Crossing Fields are one of my all-time favorite vocal themes because of the motivating melody.
Enjoyment (9)
Even though crucial aspects were mediocre, the consolation for not having the nervegear in real life was to display it in SAO. It gave me so much joy. So much that I almost ignored everything else. It felt like a visual simulator. It's purpose was to give me a taste of what's to come in the future.
Overall (8)
SAO is not for everyone, but I can't see why its either hated or loved. People coming solely for solid substance, bla bla bla, good character development, bla bla bla, don't belong here. You need to take everything into consideration. Overall 8 as the average score. Some scores compensates greatly for the others. The series could have been a shining gem, but the developers burrowed it in the mud. You need to look around and find things- which have greater value- for the anime to be satisfying. It saddens me even today that A-1 threw away so much potential. I recommend it to people who wants to have a visual and musical experience. If you discard your narrow mindedness you will probably see a bright side like I did. SAO is actually why I started to watch Japanese anime. Because of their unique concepts and depictions, it made me drop live-action. Technology is advancing so fast that hopefully one day I can join this ecstatic sensation. Anyways, thanks for the view!
