Review of Sword Art Online

The numerical scores are not including the Alfeim arc in this review. This review will mainly cover episodes 1-14. SAO is a show that is considered cool to hate on. I'm here to tell you the unadulterated truth. Does does it really warrant all the hate you see on the net, is it actually one of the best stories out there, or is it just mid? (This review may contain minor spoilers) Story - 7: SAO presents a very interesting setting and concept. Though isekai is not very unique, the idea of several people from the real world participating in a virtual reality MMO with the risk of deathwas new to anime at the time, and the beginning episodes did a pretty good job of establishing that early on.

I found the first arc to be the strongest in the series, as this is the point where the stakes are still fresh and the early characters introduced are victims to the dangers established. However, these stakes become more artificial as the story continues, and the plot begins to lack consistency due to deus-ex machina-like twists.

Art - 9:

From a production perspective. Sao looks absolutely gorgeous. The lighting and angles really bring out the atmosphere in some scenes (even if I found some of those scenes to be shallow).

Sound - 8:
The sound design is crisp and satisfying and adds to the interesting world setup. The subtle sounds made when a person scrolls through their UI, presses a button, or summons and item goes a long way in making the world of Aincrad feel authentic. Other sounds regarding the action and combat scenes are serviceable.

Characters - 4:
This is the weakest aspect of Sword Art Online. A few episodes into the show and a seasoned anime veteran will be able to recognize the usual tropes that are common within light novel adaptations. Kirito is the ultimate wish fulfillment protagonist, and also a Gary Stu. He is strong enough to brute force most conflicts and triumph with Deus-ex machina styled twists in others. He does not have any notable character flaws or traits that allow his overall character arc to be interesting. Most of the other characters introduced are female characters with short character arcs in which all of them end up falling in love with our dense protagonist by the end, and it was these arcs which the stakes introduced in the early arcs of the show began to fade to the back.

Summary:

Sword Art Online is no where near as bad as many make it seem. It has a lot of elements that are stronger than the most acclaimed anime, including an interesting story setup, fantastic sound and world design, and well choreographed fight scenes. The problems that bog it down have more to do with the strength and originality of the characters themselves, or lack thereof.