Review of Sword Art Online

I'll keep it Simple & Clean: This Anime was a wasted potential monster. (Synopsis) This Shounen started with a typical Fantasy-Adventure setup but lost itself somewhere along the line and became a Romance-Drama. That said, this Anime is distinctly divided into 2 completely different story arcs. The first arc focuses on surviving the *very real* death threat to all players trapped within the virtual reality game "Sword Art Online" whilst exploring the effects of that on the human psyches trapped within. The 2nd arc travels to a completely different game called "Aeroheim" with *no real* looming threat to anyone, insignificant new characters, and controversial themesof incest & sexual assault. I loath the 2nd arc; and I mean that in the WORST way possible. I don't understand how the writer's focus shifted so drastically.

There are some good things to be said about this show, but virtually all of them stem from the first arc. Personally, I would have just ignored SAO after episode 1 and labeled it a ".Hack" reiteration not worth my time... if episode 2 hadn't introduced a unique story telling element; time skips. The characters are forced to live in game on real world time but the story skips over their day to day "XP grinds" to focus on the story. While this hurried the story along, it also cut out all unimportant things and gave all characters a sense of mystery; a curiosity into what has been shaping the people they are growing into. Sadly, it's short-lived and only last until the show begins shifting to the Romance-Drama motif around episode 9. I also praise the shows attempt to investigate the frailties of the mind when dealing with what is essentially a virtual prison. This is a more mature theme that gave the show a range that let me get excited for future episodes. But sadly, it too was weeded out by the end of arc 1. So much wasted potential.

Next to the uneven story telling, the character development is this Anime's greatest downfall. Interesting characters are introduced and never given due time to shine while the 2 main characters either don't grow or grow in ways that hurt their character. The protagonist really doesn't evolve beyond the "Knight in Shining Armor" archetype and the love interest goes from being a timid mouse with potential, to a 2nd in command badass, and then devolves to a whiney, crying "Damsel in Distress."

Ultimately, I really liked this anime's first arc and it would get a much higher grade if it ended there. But the tragedy that is the 2nd arc just holds it back so much.