I'll admit to being wary of the show when I began watching. I typically find it hard to get into the mentality of shows focusing on virtual reality or other mediums of escapism, as they sound trite and deluded for the most part. "Sword Art Online," however, interested me right off the bat. The synopsis sums up the story, but only on a surface level. In the first four episodes alone, the main character adapted to the situation presented to him, experienced emotional trauma, and grew substantially in order to survive.
This brings me to a hiccup in the experience: the pacing. "Sword Art Online" is based on a rather lengthy light novel series, so the producers had quite a bit of material on their hands. Since the story is centered around an MMO, the characters have to increase their level to survive. Now, "Sword Art Online" is a twenty-five episode series from what I have gleaned. Given the length of the series, a lot of content needs to be cut in order to fit the bill.
This, as you might have guessed, creates an issue with the pacing. The format of the series skips all of the level "grinding," focusing instead on larger plot points and side stories crucial for character development. In effect, this gives the series a bit of an episodic feel, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. In this case, the episodic approach eliminates a lot of the filler that would otherwise inhabit the episodes. That might attract a certain demographic (fans of Bleach, Gintama, and Naruto come to mind), but it also repels several others.
Stepping back from demographics, I'd like to input my opinions about the story itself. At this point, the story looks promising. There looks to be considerable build-up for some antagonists to pop in, along with the possibility for outside interference and a sudden game-change executed by the game master. I cannot say much at this point, however, since the ending does seem rather predictable. Even so, the potential is outstanding.
Aesthetically, "Sword Art Online" is top notch. The animation is fluid and the characters cleanly drawn. The background visuals are stunning at times, even when they adopt a medieval theme. The combat is also quite well done. The movements are fairly realistic, rarely deviating from the norm insofar as gravity and movement speed. Combat itself is handled nicely as well. At first, the characters' ignorance in combat shows in their awkward positioning and reliance on simple techniques. As they grow, however, the focus shifts to precise slashes and a conservation of energy, which is consistent with realistic fighting.
The sound was not as tantalizing as the art, but the background tracks suited the moment, and there was rarely, if ever, a disjunct between the sound and the atmosphere being conveyed. The opening and ending songs are nice, but not extraordinary. They sounded fairly stereotypical.
Overall, "Sword Art Online" appears to have potential. I am eager to see where this series goes, and whether or not it can continue on at its current level of excellence. As I mentioned earlier, this review is subject to alteration as the show progresses. I'll try to be prompt about it so that my review reflects my current opinions on the series.
