Review of Sword Art Online
*Disclaimer: I am reviewing the dubbed version of Sword Art Online. I'm going to go ahead and get this out there, I am a SAO fanboy, and a dubbed fanboy at that. (Not that I think dubs are superior, I just started with dubs and prefer dubs) So obviously this review is super subjective, but an opinion is still an opinion. With that said, I would like to see if I could let you in on why I love this anime so much and it became arguably my favorite anime of all time. I met SAO early in my anime life right around the end ofJuly 2014. Before then the only anime I watched (which I didn't even know was anime at the time) was Digimon, Pokemon, and Naruto in my childhood. So you can say SAO was my gateway anime, so maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. Regardless, now onto the review.
The Story
The story has two arcs, which I will not name to avoid spoilers. The first arc, in my opinion, is personally my favorite arc in any anime of all time. It's filled with tension, anxiety, depression, happiness, love, guilt, fear, courage, and valor in a thirteen episode span. The first arc (I believe) is what made the anime so popular. The second arc slightly suffers from some awkward tensions, but is still great overall. Overall, its a very solid story about the journey of Kirito in the virtual world.
The Art
I would not call myself an art critic to say the least, but personally I felt like they hit the nail on the head. When it wanted to fill scary it felt scary, when it wanted to be beautiful it was, when it wanted to be intense it didn't disappoint from a visual perspective.
The Sound
I consider sound two fold, the general sound of the anime and the voice cast. Without the preconception of watching a sub beforehand, I came into it with no preconceived notions, and I feel all the characters voices fit them very well. They are filled with emotions when they need to be (especially Asuna and Kirito) as well as sinister, in the cases of the villains. In terms of general audio my best uneducated opinion is that the sound effects were realistic and on point (ex. sword clanging, running, etc.)
Character
I love Kirito. That is such an established fact about me that my brother bought me a Kirito figurine when he was in Taiwan. (Which is actually beside me right now). He is caring and funny, but also is human, having to deal with fear and guilt. He also has a knack of building a harem.
If I had a waifu, it would be Asuna. She is sweet, kindhearted, gorgeous, and strong-willed. She balances the seemingly overpowered Kirito well, not to mention she doesn't get stepped all over as their relationship develops.
Shout out to Klein and Agil, there legit. The rest of the cast (the harem essentially) is nice and well balanced, but isn't revolutionary in any way shape or form.
Enjoyment
As it was my first true anime, my enjoyment was through the roof, I know I've re-watched it at least twice (the first arc at least) just to get the feel of nostalgia back. This was one of the most pleasurable experiences I have ever had consuming any form of media in my life. I am loving SAO II right now, but nothing will ever compare to the orignal SAO.
Overall
Sword Art Online has solid story, great art, good voice acting, fun characters, and is very enjoyable overall. If your still reading this super fanboy rant, congratulations! I hope you have as much fun watching this anime as I did.