Review of Sword Art Online
[THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN PLOT SPOILERS, THOUGH I DO REFERENCE EPISODE NUMBERS TO STATE WHICH AREAS I LIKE AND DISLIKE] Sword Art Online I would regard as one of the main series’ in anime that most people have seen, or if not at least heard of. Off the bat, I really like this series, and in a way want to give it more than a 7, simply because it offers a great level of entertainment, which is what it’s all about right? It gets so many things right, but sometimes you just can’t escape its shortcomings. Now, the plot: I have been told "not to writeany spoilers" so I will try to give detail without giving too much away. Episodes 1-13 - great (unless you are one of those people who find stuff to hate for the sake of it). Episodes 15-25 - not as good; partially because if the first half seemed unrealistic (not that the situation in Sword Art Online is at all realistic, but for the sake of argument, hypothetically), then you can forget about the possibility of anything in these episodes ever happening in our reality. As a result, the series can seem a little split, and for me, tarnishes the flow significantly; which is a real shame because separately (excluding episode 14), the two halves flow quite well. Another thing that damages the flow is episode 14 (as you may well have guessed). This episode is a void when it comes to pacing, the ending too, while very atmospheric, seems out of place when you still have 11 episodes to go; it doesn't quite kill the rhythm but it certainly doesn't feel right, and for me, this fluctuation is felt throughout much of the rest of the series, splitting it further - annoyingly. And so this is the annoying problem: I genuinely believe the story is pretty good in itself - if you gave me the synopsis on paper that is. But the way they executed it on screen could have been a lot better - especially bloody episode 14. I could go into the fine details of the problems I have with this episode, but then I would be spoiling it, wouldn't I?
As for the rest, what can I say? It’s pretty good. Art is solid, perhaps a little basic sometimes, but then that makes sense for the series is mostly set in a virtual world, so I would say it gets away with it well. I must say I liked the character design in particular. Sound suits the atmosphere very well and is a key factor in maintaining atmosphere when pacing becomes questionable. It sounds like something straight out of a game (surprisingly), which helps differentiate this series from others and give it that extra level of interest. Opening and ending themes too seem very fitting. Characters are varied and are presented in a way which actually makes you give one what happens to them.
I’m sure you have noticed at this point that the execution of the plot is my only significant problem, and the rest is executed very well.
The final question – will you enjoy it? I must say it is completely down to you; will you let yourself? If you are one of those people who watches stuff just so you can find everything wrong with it, don’t bother watching this series, you will probably hate it. Though, if you are willing to put aside, OK, the rather significant shortcomings, then this series is a very good watch. It still had me on edge at the end of each episode and left me thinking way after watching. The characters still seem relevant and I am sure intrigued to see what happens to them next.
Am I going to watch it again? You bet!