Review of Sword Art Online

I understand why this series gets so much hate, but it isn't as bad as most people say. Sure, the characters are bland and Kirito is annoyingly unrealistic--like, imagine a shut-in like me becoming a grand hero and getting an absolutely perfect girl for a wife; no matter how chiseled my jaw is or now thick my hair was as a teenager, social interaction TERRIFIED me and still does today!--but it's a mostly harmless distraction that doesn't require a whole lot of effort to enjoy. There are plenty of great comedy moments and the first few episodes are superb before the characters become hollow self-inserts--butlikeable self-inserts, at least. Chances are, this was your very first anime, especially if you're a gamer, which is why it was THE anime to make the genre popular in the West. And yeah, the second arc of this first season is pretty bad. Most people can admit that off the bat. The weird cousin crush relationship is more of a cultural dissonance than anything else, and it is annoying that Asuna was reduced to a mere damsel in distress, though that part did add quite a bit of tension and stakes. Plus, let's all admit that Asuna became one of the most legendary waifus as soon as we saw her in her fairy form. Daaaaang, gorgeous! I'm coming to rescue you post haste, Milady! Please don't let your captor do anythi--Oh crap, this is so cliche and I don't know whether I should be more emotionally invested now or skip this scene. But it's important! I need to--AHHHHH!!! Don't lick her! Ew! What?! This is TV-14! Don't tear off her--O_O . . . I love you, Asuna.
*AHEM* So, yeah, the second arc utterly breaks Kirito's power levels to a ridiculous degree and they really raise the levels of fan service--even to the point of getting kind of fetishy. (Though it isn't as bad as some of the worst offenders in which it is front-and-center.) And so while I don't think the show is awful, it may only be worth a watch if you want to see a cornerstone in the anime catalog and what the fuss is all about, and maybe just enjoy a fascinating sci-fi concept that could soon become reality mixed with an easily digestible Isekai story. Season 2 is WAY better, though, so this can be used as a springboard to get the context of some actually good couple of arcs.
In closing, I do feel the need to ask one of the most pressing questions mankind has been pondering for the last decade:
Who's your type? Asuna or Suguha?