Review of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
First of all, am I the only one who thinks that this anime is the reason for the huge CS:GO update we got? It's been a while since this show aired and due to the large amount of anime that aired during the Spring of 2018, this show went under the radar for me and for a lot of people. I finally watched it and I'm writing this review because well.. more people need to know about this show. While I never hated the original SAO, I never liked it much either, it was alright. It had really good sound, art and animation (due to the amazingpeople at A-1) but it fell flat in story, reasoning and most of all character writing. This show is the total opposite of the original SAO. SAO Alternative aka GGO, has well written characters with clear and relatable motivations that carry the show. The story is not a deep, soul searching kind, the show isn't trying to be that though, it straight up makes fun of itself when the show tries to be serious. It's self aware, like really self aware. To the point that they even added the author of the light novel in the show and even some shots were fired to the original author of SAO. Having said that, in the department of art, sound and animation it is a bit lacking. Especially if you compare it to the original show.
Maybe not the deepest, not the prettiest or not the best sounding anime, but man is it fun. The cast is so quirky and loveable, and I can relate to most of them. The idea of escapism through videogames is expressed well, and anyone who is into the world of gaming can probably connect to this show. Heck I really want to play GGO after watching this. I won't go into detail about the videogame aspect but lets say it follows the rules of the gaming world well, and way better than the bullshit we got in SAO.
Having said all that, I still can't pinpoint the reason why I enjoyed this show so much. It ended up being the funnest show I have watched in a while. I don't think its for everyone but if you're looking for a simple fun ride, you should check it out, especially if you're into the world of gaming.
8/10