*WARNING: THIS REVIEW MAY OR MAY NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED*
Story 6/10
Sword Art Online is divided into two story arcs: Aincrad Arc and Alfheim Arc (also known as Fairy Dance).
Sword Art Online started off very strong with the Aincrad Arc. The main character, Kirito, and many other players log on to Swort Art Online, a virtual game. Everything goes well, until one day, a mysterious figure appears and tells them that they are trapped in the game and that in order to get out, they must beat the game. One catch, should they die in the game, they die in real life. So, the story is very nice and starts off very interesting so far. The only criticism I may have is that there are episodes, even though it's the Aincrad arc, they feel like filler and just a bit out of place at time. Like, after some episodes, I was wondering what it had to do with the actual current story that's going on, if you know what I'm saying. Overall, it's a very good arc and I like the interactions between Kirito and Asuna. I'll also admit that I do feel like the story was a bit rushed, like I wanted to see more episodes of how Kirito leveled up for example. But, it's still a interesting story.
The Alfheim Arc is a continuation of the Aincrad arc. It's been two months since the Sword Art Online incident. Kirito continues his normal life since the incident and visits Asuna who has yet to wake up from her coma (spoiler: Asuna sacrifices herself in order to protect Kirito.) One day, he discovers an avatar named "Asuna" in a game called Alfheim Online and goes in to investigate and rescue her. In my opinion, this story arc is weaker than Aincrad because it feels like a repetition of the first arc. Get in the game, beat it, and get out. I also had problems with some of the character development in the story, but I'll get to that when I talk about the characters.
Art 10/10
The art is one of Sword Art Online's strongest suits. I just really like the art. It's very colorful and pretty to look at. The character design and animation is just awesome! I really can't find anything wrong with the art.
Sound 9/10
The soundtrack is amazing. I love both the opening songs: Crossing Fields and Innocence. I'm giving a score of 9 out of 10 because I thought the endings songs were good, but not like awesome. The music for the fight scenes is nicely timed and a great fit for the fight that's happening.
Character 4/10
The main character of Sword Art Online is Kirito. Now, many people don't like Kirito because they say he is overpowered and in a way, that is true. But, when Kirito isn't in the game, he's pretty weak. And I think that's what makes him special in a way. He has all this power in the game, but yet, he himself feels powerless and really weak because of the effects the game had on him in the real world. And you can see that because Kirito feels guilt after coming out of Sword Art Online and I guess you can say, he does have some kind of PTSD 'cause he gets flashbacks of the horrible things he had to do in order to survive. I guess what I'm trying to say is what makes Kirito special is the emotions he feels.
A second main character of Sword Art Online is Asuna. At first, I really liked Asuna because she was this strong female character and I've always wanted to see more strong female characters in anime. But then, she turns into a weak character in Alfheim Online. And I know I'm not the only one who has this criticism.
Now, another character that isn't in Sword Art Online, but in Alfheim Online is Leafa also known as Suguha, Kirito's younger sister/cousin. Her interactions with Kirito start off good as they are pretty much siblings, but then it turns into this weird, creepy love story. Suguha admits to Kirito that she's fallen in love with him. I didn't like that. I found it weird and creepy and just not right.
Then you have other female characters which Kirito encounters in the game like Ayano Keiko and Shinozaki Rika. I was disappointed that I only got to see them once in the game and that they didn't have a bigger role.
Now, the reason I gave a 4 out of 10 is because you don't get much character development, but I didn't really find that to be a problem. In fact, I find it ok that there isn't much character development because Sword Art Online is well pretty much about the game and story. To me, the problem was that every single girl that Kirito encounters, they fall in love with him and then it turns into this harem. And I don't really have problems with harems except for a premise like Sword Art Online, it doesn't really work.
Enjoyment 7/10
Despite its flaws, I found Sword Art Online to be an enjoyable anime. It's a guilty pleasure. The animation and well it's not so perfect story still make me watch it.
Overall 7/10
Sword Art Online is not for everyone, that being said, I still recommend this anime to those who just started anime. Is it the greatest anime of all time? No. Is it the worst anime of all time? No. And for those of you who say it is the worst anime of all time, I got a little challenge for you, go watch Superkids and then come back to me and you can tell me if it's still the worst anime of all time or not. It's an average show. If you're just looking for a good watch, then give this a try. Sword Art Online is also one of those animes that you'll either love or hate. If you're going to watch Sword Art Online, don't have high expectations. It's just a show to watch when you're bored or just looking for a good watch.
Thanks for reading. Let me know your thoughts on this review and any feedback you may have for me. Until next time!
