Review of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
WhenI first saw and heard of SAO Alternative, I didn't expect much. The premise I saw at face value seemed entertaining to say the least, but something that I'd only find minimal enjoyment out of. A pink loli running around in a game like Gun Gale Online seemed like it was just going to be heavy handed comedy on the main character's cuteness that juxtaposed to the serious vibe of the game. I got something entirely different though. I'll be quick about what I like and dislike about the anime PROS: -BETTER THAN SAO. For those of you who've seen it, yes that's a very (very very very)low bar, but it's better nonetheless.
-You don't need to know about or watch the cannon SAO. This anime, despite being seen as a spinoff, has almost nothing to do with SAO besides being based in the same world and having a few one off references to the old protagonists.
-The characters are relatable. In this spinoff we follow a college student named Karen who has a height complex and plays as a cute small character in GGO to help alleviate it. As somewhat boring it may sound at face value, it's very down to earth as to why people play video games in the first place. This theme follows through with every other character in one way or another. They're in this game to express themselves in ways they just couldn't do in the real world one way or another.
-The action. I was genuinely surprised how flawless some actions scenes were played out. I even had those moments where I'd rewatch them right after they just happened to get another look at it. Unlike cannon SAO, most fights in this series have some sort of methodical, analytic approach to them. There's usually a plan, and when there's no plan there's still a sense of choreography that makes the fights interesting.
-The art. I can't say too much for the environment. It's good but not anything extremely stunning. The terrain and how it's used is the interesting, but the characters themselves just look great.
-The Game. In cannon SAO the world of Gun Gale Online was visited but didn't feel like its own game to me. In Alternative, you actually feel like this is a game that can or could exist and you end up wanting to play it. Certain small mechanical aspects are added or expanded upon (while others that were stupid or made no sense were done away with) and it makes you actually interested in the game as a whole.
-Funny. It's no comedy but I got a good amount of laughs from this anime. What else to expect from a cute, gun toting, pink bunny loli running around killing people.
-No OP characters. This may be a bit bias towards my dislike for SAO's Kirito, but everyone in this anime seems beatable, even the antagonists who are shown to be super strong. All it takes is the right approach.
CONS:
-Game mechanics. I mentioned this game feels like an actual game but there are certain things that happen in it that seem kind of dumb and unexplained in the anime like a scene where Karen's character LLEN is in shallow water thats like 2 inches yet loses health due to drowning damage. It doesn't tank your overall enjoyment but it's something that'll no doubt irk you if you pay attention to them.
-The same arc is repeated twice. Again not a game changer but some might find it annoying that the anime does the same thing two times but in different ways. This game that was meant to be fun suddenly gets a life or death plot aspect to it and now the characters must accomplish something in the game to save a friend's life, instead it's just another friend the second time with even bigger stakes with no potential cop out if the protagonist fails. They don't feel that much the same but the mere presence of such a similarity might throw off some people.
-The conclusion. Some might find the ending to be underwhelming, but keep in mind this is as much a slice of life anime than it is a shone anime. It's a story about friends helping friends and people developing new relationships that in the end help them become better people. I personally felt by the end of the anime everything was wrapped up smoothly and doesn't leave you wanting more, but in a good way wherein it leaves you satisfied at how everything played out for the characters involved in the end.
-Karen, the main character, is by no means a gamer. She never played VR games until GGO and yet still managed to be a very skilled player. This is probably the only genuine problem I had with the anime that wasn't a nitpick. Yes she had an extremely smart companion by her side half the anime but I mean. Come on. We've all played games we're good at with less experienced/skilled friends. When was the last time anyone's been able to put their friend up to par with actual pros at such a game by just teaching them for such a short amount of time.
Overall this anime "spinoff" is a drastic improvement of cannon SAO and even holds it's own as a standalone anime. I'd only not recommend it to someone who's into romance since it's pretty much nonexistent in this anime. If not, you'll fine enjoyment out of it