Review of Sword Art Online
"Trapped in a video game" has been a great subgenre for me and I've yet to see one that I haven't quite liked, so I figured it'd be a safe bet I'd enjoy Sword Art Online, the most popular anime in the genre and one of the overall most popular anime period. I DID like it, and it IS good, but I also think it has some clear flaws and is overrated in its current position (by consensus anyway...) of "best in the genre". Some of the things it does well include great voice acting in the English dub, a standout (as always) Yuki Kajiura soundtrack,developing relationships between characters and a good job explaining in-game mechanics and incorporating real world MMO features.
However, for as well as it handles many of the events that occur within the game it does a far worse job handling events in the real world. Many of the actions, or lack thereof, that people take in the real world while the main story is taking place are not believable.
Likewise, the notion that after being trapped in a video game where you've witnessed countless people actually die and being bound in the real world to a hospital bed for over two years you'd be able to, within one month of waking up from your coma, walk around and do all the same physical activities that you could do before and you'd have no hesitation, nor would others who experienced the same thing, about jumping right back into another extremely similar game, is ridiculous. Anyone bound to a hospital bed for two years would invariably need physical therapy as their muscles would have atrophied long ago. Likewise, professional psychological therapy would absolutely be mandatory after this kind of experience. It would be extremely traumatic to anyone. Well, anyone except the characters in this anime, that is...
There are also a plethora of conveniences, tropes and cliches. Many things happen only because the plot needs them to. Sword Art Online is the only MMO I've ever heard of in which a player's level is not openly displayed or at very least super easily accessible by simply clicking their profile. But that isn't a thing here, because otherwise a key plot event couldn't happen. Likewise, the ending to the first arc is unbelievably abrupt, convenient and non-believable. The villain in the second arc is also a walking trope- 100% pure evil and unlikable, is going/has gone mad in his unquenchable lust for power, wants to become a god, blah blah. Also, the main character can break a number of game rules that no one else can break when the plot needs him to do so because, well, main character.
Also, the first and second arc, which are all considered "Season 1", might as well be two separate seasons. They feel very disjointed and they have completely different tones and settings.
The overall pacing was solid, there was plenty of action, the characters are mostly likable and there are a couple of emotional ish moments, but nothing requiring an emergency lunge for the tissue box.
Overall, it's an entertaining shounen that does a lot of things right and is worth a watch for fans of the genre, but if we're being honest I don't know that I found this wildly better (or wildly worse, mind you) than comparable anime such as Log Horizon or Grimgar or Hack. It's just another solid "trapped in a video game" entry, but I'm not prepared by any means to crown it the "king of the genre". Liked it, would recommend it and would watch it again but I'm not prepared to go further than that.
OBJECTIVE RATING- 8.25
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING- 7.75-8.25