(Spoiler Alert?)
Story: 6/10
As I stated earlier, the storyline, I thought, was unique and interesting. However, the biggest problem with the storyline is probably to what extent the anime explained certain things. A majority of the first few episodes were either side stories or just references during the main storyline (which is why it was so inconsistent). Obviously, this made it difficult for the animators to create the story left out by Kawahara (but they did a decent job). Therefore, a majority of the stories felt irrelevant to the actual storyline, and this definitely made the anime feel like it was full of fillers. The fact that it kept jumping around made it seem disoriented, confusing, disorganized, and badly planned. It barely explained certain things, while it spent way too much time on other events. Still, when it finally went into the real storyline, the side stories started to connect (some of them) and the story became even more addicting.
With romance as a great influence, Kirito and Asuna overcome impossible odds in the death game, freeing most of the imprisoned players. Then, after they conquered Aincrad, Kirito is forced to overcome the trauma of the nervegear and conquer a new game, ALO, to find and free his true love. Overcoming not only obstacles in games but also in real life for the sake of love, Kirito manages to save the most important person in his life... Such a beautiful bow-tie ending.
Unfortunately, there are many holes that aren't filled at the end of the first season, ruining some of my expectations.
Art: 7/10
The graphics and animations were pretty good. However, my biggest complaint would be that nearly none of the fights are animated. They have some animations, but either develop too quickly (making the fight seemingly effortless) or filled with pictures not animations (weakening the hold on the audience). These mistakes weakens the effect animes are supposed to have, hurting the overall score of the anime.
Music: 8/10
Good music. Not much to say.
Characters: 7/10
Because a majority of the anime was from side stories or just references to the "past", a majority of the characters were not very well developed. Honestly, there are too many heroines (creating a harem?) that, within the short time given to the anime, the characters feel so flat. Also, the character "Kirito" is a little cliche, but it seems to be the best way to compliment the storyline, so not many complaints there.
Enjoyment: 9/10
Since I did read the novel, I understood every part of the anime and it was really enjoyable. I was impressed by how well some scenes were done, while irritated at how they skipped/ignored some other important information. Still, my friends and I eagerly awaited every saturday to watch the new episode, so my enjoyment was "Great".
Overall: 8/10
I believe that SAO is a great anime. It had much more potential than it lived up to, but it's still very good. I honestly recommend reading the novel for clarifications and more explanations. Then you can preview the next season(s), Phantom Bullet, Mother's Rosario, and Alicization. Reading the novel helped me enjoy SAO so much more, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as i did.
