Ill admit, the pacing of the story initially shocked me. The sense of time passing through this story seems rapid and jumps without warning at the beginning of each episode. However this can be forgiven as the first few episodes of every anime is set mainly to develop a stable environment in order for the main story to begin. Although half of the episodes so far are used to develop a "harem", none of the characters stick to him like glue and each of their relationships reflect a key problem in this virtual world.
Because of the rushed story, the character development is equally afflicted. The build up of power and sense of progression that we see in mainstream anime titles such as Naruto and One Piece are skipped, leaving a sense of disappointment. This is partly due to the original author of the light novel series in which this anime is adapted from which skips to stage 74/100 of the game. To be honest, from a more personal view I am quite content at this kind of structure, with the side stories creating the setting, followed up by diving into the romantic aspect of the anime. The characters themselves are likable and they creators try to avoid the obvious stereotypes by adding slight complexities to their characters.
The animation and musical choice were appropriate to say the least. They did not stand out too much but the artwork style fitted in with the context of the story although some of the animations could have been a lot smoother. The music however was executed perfectly. I could have sworn I had heard a few melodies from the long lost games in the past because they just seemed so generic. This of course is a positive factor and helps make the world of Aincrad more realistic as a game.
The beauty of this story is not drawn from the characters, story, art or sound but it is the clear presentation of a fantastic virtual world. The onset of nostalgia which many will experience is an alluring factor, but the introduction to this new world and it's system is so clearly explained, one does not have to have experienced previous MMORPG to fully enjoy this series. SAO plays on our dreams and fantasies while at the same time question the obsessive nature of games and whether our actions in games reflect upon real world situations as well. Truly a unique mix of sci-fi and fantasy with an overwhelming romantic theme.
*Just because I am not experienced with reviews nor have I watched too many anime titles I am not afraid to give this anime a 9 which I believe it deserves
