[Possible Spoilers]
First I'll start with the story. The story was very intriguing. Set in the future, a normal boy has just started playing a newly released game. After a few minutes, he makes his first friend. He, however, received the game early during a beta test so already knew what to do. He taught his new friend everything. This boy was named Kirito. When Kirito's friend had to log off, they discovered the log out button was missing. This started a huge fight of survival to beat the game so that they could be freed. When they eventually get out, Kirito's lover, Asuna, is still trapped inside. This launches another plot of finding Asuna and returning her to the real world from an entirely new game with a new villain. With the help of his friends and Leafa who turns out to be his sister, they find Asuna and rescue her. This plot was incredible. They effectivly tell a story of love and also a fight for survival. Even though it's somehow the classic boy saves girl, it's still so much more and the end of every episode leaves you wanting more. The plot is effective in the sense that the writers have based this of a novel/manga and still made it so unique in so many ways.
The art was great! For the era the anime was produced the art is top notch although if you have a good eye you could spot some little flaws in some scenes. Each character and their actions are drawn with perfection and even though sometimes they move at very fast speeds, the quality doesn't suffer and maintains a careful balance of skill and detail in each drawing.
The sounds were outstanding. They had no cliché, overused sounds at all. All of it, for me, was crystal clear and original. Each character sounded different so even when you're only listening to them you know exactly who is talking. The intro and outro songs were super. I don't know if they were made specially for SAO but the lyrics really helped describe the character's feelings and their surroundings.
The characters were very good. Their personalities were all different yet somehow I found that they were familiar (like they were from a different anime I watched) which is why I ranked Character with an 8. Each character has their own emotions and a high level of originality which clearly shows and anyone who has seen SAO, I'm sure they would agree with me on that one.
The enjoyment I got from watching SAO was outstanding. I only wish they had made more. They managed to fit in two plots in one series and still made it feel like it wasn't rushed to be completed. It was also a very clean anime too. They didn't use huge boobs and fan service in every episode to keep viewers. The enjoyment that someone gets from this is pure and really makes them want to keep watching to find out what happens next.
Overall I give SAO a 9. It was exhilarating every step of the way and I would give anything for a 1 or 2 more seasons. I would absolutely recommend this anime to all anime fans out there who haven't seen SAO and need something to watch.
