Sword Art Online is set in the near future where the first ever VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) named 'Sword Art Online' has been released. Through a device called 'Nerve Gear', people can control their avatars with their minds. Lead character Kirito is a hardcore gamer and beta tester for the game 'Sword Art Online'. After buying the game, he starts it up and is transported into the game fantasy world. Moments after starting, the creator of the game announces to all the players that the log out button has been disabled and they are trapped in that world. The only way to get out is to beat the game.
However, there is a catch. If you die in the game, you die in real life. This catch adds a sense of danger which I welcomed at first. However, while it is emphasised a lot in the first few episodes, it soon fades into the background along with many other interesting ideas as the story twists and turns. Many of these twists and turns are what drags the show down. The story makes pretty much all the wrong choices when it comes to plot twists. Some of them I actually enjoyed like the romance element. But even they ended up becoming stale after just a few episodes. There's also a heavy use of other plot devices most notably being the use of deus ex machina. The lead characters are rarely in any real danger but pretty much every time they are, the battle almost always ends with some nonsensical plot device that turns the tables and gives them the victory. In the end, there wasn't much I liked about the story. While it had potential, it was ruined by the writers' insistence on on plot devices and big twists in an attempt to spice up the story even when it's completely unnecessary.
However, not everything in the show is sub-par. A1 Pictures still brought their A-Game even when the source material wasn't so crash hot. Make no mistake, this is one very pretty show. From the imaginative fantasy themed backdrop to the highly detailed character designs to the proportions of a certain female character. The art never misses a beat. The animation is also very notable. One thing about this show I cannot fault is the amazing fight scenes. While quite rare, A1 proves that they can handle themselves even when tackling large scale fight scenes. They do a surprisingly good job given the small amount of action centric anime they make. But of course the animation is not without its faults. There are a few corners cut here and there and some weird facial expressions. But despite that, the visuals are solid. Probably much better than a show of this quality should have deserved.
As for the sound, Sword Art Online's score is handled by none other than Yuki Kajiura of Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero fame. While it's still a great score that definitely deserves a mention, it's not particularly memorable. I wouldn't listen to the OST on its own like with Madoka Magica. That being said, it still works very well in the context of the show. There were times where the score was so emotional that I was almost tricked into believing something amazing was going on screen and not some cheesy Twilight esque romance. With my extremely limited knowledge of the Japanese language I'd say that the voice work is solid. Although sometimes the characters overract to the point where their forced emotion transcends language barriers. But all in all, I'd say the voice acting is very much above the norm. Same with the amazing music. Especially 'Crossing Field'.
Although wish I could say the same for the characters. While I found the lead character Kirito interesting at first, I soon started to realise a pattern. Pretty much every time he was in a fight, he won. It's rare to find overpowered characters outside of shonen action. Especially in the modern age. It's even more out of place in a show like this which is meant to be aimed at a much older audience. But at the start of the show, Kirito is already an experienced player who can take on pretty much everyone without breaking a sweat. If his high skill level benefited the story, I would forgive it. However, it only works to hinder the sense of danger which originally drew me into this show.
Female lead Asuna is also a victim of bad storytelling going from mysterious badass to bland love interest to damsel in distress and back to bland love interest in the end. The villains don't fair very well either. Kayaba Akihiko's intentions are or his reasoning behind his actions are never explained. Even worse is Sugou Noboyuki. The show tries way too hard to drive in just how evil the guy is. He's so evil that the other villain seems like a nice guy in comparison. At least, that's the reaction they wanted you to have. But he's so over the top and ridiculous looking that I ended up liking him more than the main cast for all the wrong reasons. Overall, the characters had a lot of potential but the poor storytelling let them down and turned even the most likeable characters into walking stereotypes.
While this show had a lot of flaws, I will once again say something nice about the show. It was a fun ride and I don't regret it one bit. Watching the show every week, seeing people complaining about the latest asspull, reading stupid Internet articles praising the show at the halfway point, seeing another article from the same guy about how bland the show was in retrospect, the Internet memes, the forum threads (Suguha's boobies), the Twilight comparisons, the new fans who praised the show, the new fans who jumped on the hate bandwagon, the Naruto comparisons and the glopping noises. Even though I never truly picked a side, it was very entertaining watching both sides fighting it out. Thank you anime community. You made this otherwise disappointing show fun for all of us.
Unrelated extreme subjectivity aside, the show wasn't a total disaster. But it wasn't very good either. It had it's moments but they were all balanced out by the flaws. I sat on the fence the entire time and stayed there no matter how tempting both sides were. There were things I liked about the show which made me want to be part of the fanbase, but there were things so bad that I wanted to hop on the hate bandwagon. Overall, the show is extremely mediocre. If this is the future of anime, I don't want to watch anime any more. It was a fun ride but not a very good show. You can count me in for Season 2 but I'm still sceptical about the show's future.
