Review of Sword Art Online

I've been thinking about how I am going to be writing these comments since last night. I want to give this show my best writing ability, because I think it deserves it. I see a lot of negativity around this show within certain Anime circles. However, I believe the key ingredient in those discussions is that this is Anime when compared to the level of others, struggles. For me, I haven't been watching Anime very long, so my level of expectation isn't as high as those who have watched hundreds of Anime's. With that in mind, this has been one of my most absolute enjoyableshows that I have watched in recent memory. I genuinely experienced withdrawals when I wasn't watching the show, and I was constantly craving more. This could be a confluence of multiple factors. I have been a long time MMO'er, and gamer for close to 20 years. This show really struck a nostalgic chord in terms of MMO's and the social aspect of them for me. I felt myself craving a game like SAO or just an MMO in general that I could dive into on the level that the show portrays. The entire premise of this show is absolutely addicting to me, I would never logoff if this kind of technology was real.

I don't have a lot of basis to compare from other Anime's, e.g. what defines "good" Characters, Story, Narrative, etc. However, I absolutely adore the characters from this show, and find myself very invested in them, and their futures. Especially the main overarching love story, I absolutely fell in love with Kirito(Kazuto) and Asuna. I could not stop watching until I found out what happened with them. This show brought tears to my eyes multiple times, and I just cannot give it enough praise. On the flip side of that, there IS a lot of untapped potential in this show. I think there is just too much potential for it to be squeezed into 25 episodes. The amount of original ideas this show could spawn, could easily make a show like this run hundreds of episodes. Which I think, is one of the main complaints folks have. A LOT happens over the course of these 25 episodes, probably too much. However, I am ok with that, because I believe what this show was truly meant to be about was handled well enough to leave me satisfied. It's possible for others to say that the show should have been handled differently because of this, however from someone who has played dozens of MMO's, I have seen stories like this happen(obviously not in such extreme circumstances), and I think the world is simply a setting for the story that is being told.

The world, or the game(s), that the majority of this show(season) takes place in, is so wonderful. I am so into the world, and would love to find out more about these worlds. I want to dive into them, and really find out more and explore, just like a real MMO. It was just so easy for me to get lost in the show, there was just so much I enjoyed. As mentioned above, there wasn't AS MUCH detail about the world that there could have been, but from what I saw, it was enough for me(obviously I want more, who doesn't want more of an Anime they love(d)?

Every show has it's flaws, the show isn't as much about the actual game SAO as it could be, and there's some pacing issues, a lot of the side points of the stories just happen in between episodes(the characters stay developing but there is a lot going on behind the scenes). I think this show was really meant more as a love story with some brutal villians than a show that revolves around an MMO. Everyone can find things to complain about, and this show is by no means perfect. However, at face value, it is a great show for what it is.

At the end of the day, for someone who is freshly coming into Anime, I think this would be a great place to start. If you have any love for MMO's, or RPG-esque love stories, or shows which just flat out make you want more. Keep an open mind, and give this show a shot. I cannot recommend it enough, and I have no doubt that some people out there will absolutely adore and enjoy this show like me. On the flip side, I am sure there are folks who will not enjoy this.

One thought I always try to take when I look for a new Anime to watch is that if I am even remotely interested in a show, why not give it a go? Sure I may end up not enjoying it, but I also may completely love it to death and it could become my favorite Anime of all time. Watching as much Anime as possible gives you so many opportunities to refine your tastes, and helps you discover what you truly like and don't like.

Disclaimer; these are just my opinions. In no way do I expect everyone to love this show, I am just giving my opinion and hoping to help more folks out there discover that they can truly enjoy this show.

Also, if you happen to be watching or considering letting your kids watch this show, there is some pretty gnarly stuff that goes on in the last couple of episodes that I would highly recommend you not let anyone under the age of 18 watch. There's no nudity or anything like that, but the implications and visuals shown I would never let my kids watch(10 and 13). It just flat out isn't appropriate for that age range.