Story: 2/10
I don't know what the writers were thinking by having pointless filler episodes, followed by massive time-skips. To me, this just made the entire thing sloppy and somewhat confusing at times. On top of that, the story itself was very melodramatic with several plot holes. It began well, as I said, but it really just turned into shipping, shipping, creepy suitors, and more shipping. The incest was really not necessary. Over time, it just turned into a harem.
Art: 10/10
The art is simply gorgeous. I love the style, especially considering how well it fits to the futuristic setting. No complaints here.
Sound: 5/10
Neither opening songs nor closing songs were memorable. It got the job done, and that's about it.
Character: 1/10
If the ball wasn't sufficiently dropped by the story, it was definitely shattered to bits and pieces by the character "development." Kirito was absolutely terrible as a main. He was, in all definitions of the term, a Gary Stu. Whenever there was some major problem, he would become the big hero and deus ex machina everyone out of harm's way. He also had one of the nastiest cases of Kirk Syndrome I've seen in awhile (meaning he got the undying affection of pretty much most of the females whom he encountered). Asuna started off as a strong character, but she quickly turned into a damsel-in-distress that can cook: the essential love interest for a well-rounded Gary Stu. Finally, we have Sugu, whose love interest with Kirito/Kirigaya became borderline creepy, confusing, and completely unjustified.
Enjoyment: 3/10
The 2 points keeping this score from a 1 stem from my enjoyment of writing this review, and the first two or three episodes.
Overall: 3/10
It's saving grace is the art and the enjoyment gained from criticism. I would really not recommend this to anyone, except someone who really enjoys harems. Even then, Eiken is at least funnier.
