Review of Sword Art Online

This anime is a breath of fresh air! I love that the protagonists' relationship is absolute. Even though there are other girls around, I constantly felt comforted by the feeling that they will be together by the end. The romance developed quite fast, IMO, which bothered me for a while but I dig their ship so hard and seeing them like an old couple warmed my heart. I also love that both of them are very strong. They treat each other as equals and more so, they know each others' moves by heart and could support the other without so much a word. Also, didI mention the fight scenes? Yeah, I dig that too. Those scenes will push you to the edge of your seats and will leave you gasping for more. (But in all fairness, this is my common reaction to any fights with huge swords and epic fighting skills.)

The second arc was somewhat a downfall though. Asuna wasn't present in most episodes and only got short scenes in those she's in. Also, I didn't like the other girl so much. This particular arc is where we see Kirito in his down side. Always depressed and mourning for Asuna. Despite all that, I love seeing this side of him.

I can see why some people hate this anime. I'd probably dislike this too if I weren't into a heart-warming romance and epic fights and slow plot. But somehow, these three elements combined with the mangaka's writing totally worked out very well for me.