Review of Sword Art Online

The foundation of this anime is the concept that is behind the new technology, VRMMORPG. And the best part, these people gets trapped in a VR game where if you die, you die in real life too. Interesting concept, right? Well that's not even close to what this anime is about. When one watches this anime with questions in mind like: "What can I take away from this anime", or "What is the meaning of this story", they can't help but to be disappointed because these questions are hardly ever answered throughout the anime. Yet this anime was timeless to many people. I watched thisanime two years after started airing, in 2014, and I did so again in late 2022, the time of me writing this review. This anime is fast-pace yet at the same time a compelling, emotional, and timeless work of art.

- Story (Arc 1): Arc 1 covers episode 1-15. The concept of this anime was something entirely new to people back in 2012. The idea that you could die in a Virtual Reality MMORPG and in real life simultaneously was very intriguing. There is so much that the writer can do with this concept, when this VR/deep drive technology can take one person to an entirely new world and experience it as if they are in real life. And so embarks the adventure of our male MC, Kirito, he gets doesn't get much character introduction and backstory and we just jump into the world of SAO, and he just starts slaying shit, the further you go with this anime, the more you realize that Kirito is the anime protagonist we all wanted to be when we were 12-year-olds. I do not wish to spoil the story so this is as far as I will go with it. The only dissatisfaction I have for the story is that it moves too fast, I would have enjoyed it more if it had more in-depth character developments.

- Story (Arc 2): Arc 2 is the rest of the season. I do not have anything positive to say for this Arc, it had minor character developments and mostly stuff that all viewers will expect to happen. The content is built on a new game and concept that makes it fly as well as some romance that happens between some relatives. All because a villain wanted to marry a 17-year old. The only thing to look forward to in this arc was the ending of it, which was very satisfying.
-- First Arc had good story but second was a little worse in comparison. I would give them a combined 7/10.

- Characters: For the purpose of this review I will just talk about the male and female MC and a little bit about the sides.
- Kirito: The backstory of this character was not displayed in the beginning of this anime, instead all the viewer sees is how this homie gets all the girls in this anime. And he is also very OP. This character alone would make this anime similar to other boring Isekai animes that come out every year. But God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone..."

- Asuna is the female MC, if one is to carefully evaluate this character, they will find that she holds virtues that are unique from all the other females that fell for Kirito. Asuna x Kirito is probably the most attention and tear drawing part of this anime, and it is a huge carry for the story being rushed because it doesn't matter. All the viewers care about at that point is to see Kirito and Asuna being happy together.

- Side Characters: They are responsible for some goofy side stories and also quite significant MC character developments. Their backstories were not very well unfolded because of how fast-pace the story went but they are still some cool mfs.
-- With all of them combined, I would rate character design 7/10.

- Art: The art was excellent for 2012 and still quite respectable after a decade. It had some pretty nice illustrations and effects that made it look futuristic and corresponding to the story. 8/10

- Music: This is one of the most influencing factors that make this anime emotional ride. Just go watch the anime yourself and find out for yourself. 10/10.

- Conclusion: With the rushed plot, interesting character interactions, decent art, and wonderful music, it becomes a very well produced shitpost that is simply difficult to enjoy if you are looking an anime that is deep or intelligent. But it didn't stop it from being extremely compelling. That's what this anime is about, not how crazy the concept of VRMMORPG evolves into or what true meaning this anime carries, but the relationships, adventures, and romance that forms with these characters trapped in this world that is now their reality. Their new home, Sword Art Online.