it's a 7.5 from me but i can't give it 0.5
it isn't as terrible as a 7... the reasons it doesn't make 8? :-
something about it was just difficult for me to absorb. not the concept, but the story itself was a bit difficult to follow because i just had a really hard time keeping up with the characters and who is what.
(and funnily enough, i KNOW i'm not alone, on of the reviews says that the lead used to play for one autumn leaf... but the name of the alliance was in fact excellent era.... and the ACCOUNT that the lead used, the username is one autumn leaf)
i had to watch this in conjunction with some webpages which i will put here in case anyone else needs them:-
https://the-kings-avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Characters
(has most of the characters that you see in the anime, there are alot, and as another reviewer said, you miss out if you can't keep up with the dialogue that is happening and therefore follow the story. it isn't about spoiling though be warned, if you read too much you will kind of get a taste of spoiling, but, it was still more helpful than those moments of hearing Yu Wenzhou bought a new BMW... and you're there wondering... who's that again? (noone bought any cars btw, that's just something i said in explaining my struggle)
so this page kind of helped me to keep up, because the other thing to keep in mind which is what i alluded to above, everyone comes with 3 names minimum
1) user name that they play the game with (madclown)
2) alliance to which i belong (MAL)
3) my actual government name that i was born with and use in real life.)
https://web.archive.org/web/20180423115649/http://gravitytales.com/page/the-kings-avatar/glossary
(has terms used in the anime such as aggro and PK... which may be important for persons who haven't played any games using these concepts.. i as a above average gamer (not skill but rather number of hours spent on pc games over the course of my life) had no real use for this page, and you can pick up the general intentions of the words used)
https://the-kings-avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Animation/Episode_1
(honestly, if i wasn't as stubborn as i am, this would be an excellent resource to review after each episode to kind of help in following along.. basically the both times i perused the episodes (#1 and 10) it helped to explain and fill some information gaps for me... but this is sort of why it lost the 1/2 point on the score, because why do i need an entire supplementary document)
overall, once you understood what was happening i could see the glory (pun intended) of the anime... but it takes a little extra effort to watch... and i'll probably need to rewatch from episode one to really grasp the whole of it.
the score including the ed and especially the op themes are great
animation quality as well.
would i rewatch? - yes probably. it wasn't boring, i should also mention that because log horizon had some truly dull elements to it.
would i recommend? - to a hardcore anime fan yes, to a casual one no. it needs dedication to keep up. as above, it's not an easy watch.
would i watch subsequent episodes movies or seasons? - yes
TL;DR:-
7.5*
