Sword Art Online (SAO) was a rather enjoyable experience from start to finish, and the anime adaptation was, in many aspects, better than the manga. SAO does a great job of addressing concepts that cannot be addressed in other anime such as love in virtual reality (is it truly genuine?) and morality in virtual reality (should people do immoral things because it's not the real world?)
The series at first seems like a shounen, big fights and overpowered characters; but after a few episodes, SAO quickly shifts to a romance anime. At times, SAO can be excessively dramatic, which kills the moment. However, the story itself is good for the most part, but the first season ends awkwardly and the second season pales in comparison to the first. A lot of people complain that the love between Kazuto and Asuna ruin the series, but I think it was touching to see how far one would go to save the one they loved.
Character development in SAO is very limited and the only characters that are really of importance are Kazuto (Kirito) Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki. Other characters make short appearances and are usually only there as filler characters. In the second season, Suguha Kirigaya (Kazuto's sister/cousin), becomes another important character.
The sound was fair; the background music went well for most of the peaceful moments but when it came down to the fights, the BGM lacks. Since I think sound includes voice-acting, I'll also say that the voice actors did an impressive job. The opening and ending themes were enjoyable and I really enjoyed the opening by LiSA "crossing fields".
Sword Art Online's art is very well done. The world of Aincard (the virtual world in Sword Art Online) is well detailed and very colorful. The world of Alfheim in the second season lacks the impressive overworld detail that Aincard had in the first season.
Overall, I give Sword Art Online an 8/10. I enjoyed watching it and it is the first anime from this decade (2010-Present) to truly catch my attention. Many will say that Sword Art Online is a bust, but I believe this anime breaks away from the current trend of anime with excessive etchi/fanservice and violence. I won't consider SAO a masterpiece, but I will consider it as one in my long line of favorites.
