Review of Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online. This show had the potential to become the best anime I've ever seen. It's a shame then that it didn't act out it's full potential. 1. Content Sword Art Online takes place in the near future, where us humans can access vast virtual reality environments in which one can feel even more alive than in the real world. The virtual reality environment in which this anime takes place is a online multiplayer game called Sword Art Online. Without spoiling anything it suffices to say that it quickly becomes apparent that Sword Art Online is not what it first seems, and that the stakesare much, much higher than anyone could've ever possibly imagined.
Sword Art Online is an action-packed anime which quickly becomes centered around a lovely romance-plot. In my opinion the biggest flaw of this anime is the way this story is build up. The story takes a rampaging pace in the first few episodes, not taking enough time to build up. Huge time-skips between those first few episodes will leave you wondering if you missed anything. After the premise has been build up, however, you're left with a few of the most wonderful anime episodes I've ever laid eyes upon.
Regretfully, halfway through the episodes the story quickly changes completely, which completely destroys all the build up. Allthough you'll probably keep watching because of your emotional investment in the story, it suddenly changes from a 9 to barely a 6. A new main character is introduced, and you're supposed to feel emotions for her which go against the emotions which the series has made you feel in the first half of the series. This makes it hard to relate to her and you'll just want to see the conclusion of the original story. Still, this second half does have it's great moments.
The magic of the main plot lies in two of the main characters. The main character is very powerful. You can't say that he is overpowered though, since his abilities are explained. This character is well developed and he changes throughout the series through the things that happen to him. His motives are pretty deep, which is great for the depth of this show.
The second main character is a girl which is also given a great amount of screen time. She is pretty well developed, allthough I would've loved to see more of her developement at the start of this series (which, again, felt rushed).
The story quickly starts centering around a romance between them. This romance is obscured but also strengthened by the dire circumstances they find themselves in. This allows for a lot of touching moments and if you're into this kinda thing you'll soon find yourself very attached to both of the characters. This attachement will probably be the reason you'll keep watching the second half of this anime. I personally found the mix between romance and action to be great.
Regretfully, a lot of other characters are neglected. Most of them aren't given enough screentime to really get attached to them. I would've especially loved to have seen more of the main villains. They seem really well thought out, with a lot of background story. Unfortunately we only see a small portion of that background story. Still, in the screentime they have they are executed pretty well. At times you can really feel the hate for them burn up in your veins.
Allthough this anime has a reasonably cheery mood, I think it would've been great to have the story be more dark and deep, with more care and developement to the side characters and without the big change in the middle. If I were the maker, I would've neglected the later episodes and made the buildup in the beginning slower.
2. Style
The artstyle of this anime is fantastic. The fights are wonderfully executed. They will pump your adrenaline and have you sitting on the edge of your seat. The characters all have their own twist in the way they look. However, in my opinion the thing best executed is the subtle contrast between the gray reality of the real world and the amazingness of the virtual reality worlds. The designs of the virtual reality worlds are epic, creative and still well thought out. Because this anime takes place in the very near future, it's possible to imagine yourself getting a virtual reality headset too. That gives this anime an extra layer of relatability. You, the viewer, could've been the main character, had you been born a few years later.
The soundtrack is also great and fits well in the scenes. It is used in exacly the right moments and it really deepens the scenes out. At time it'll surely send shivers down your spine. I've only given this a 9 because I thought that the soundtrack of Attack On Titan was even better and even more epic, which means that the soundtrack of Sword Art Online could've also been even better than it already is.
3. Personal Enjoyment
All in all this anime has the most enjoyable romance plot I've ever seen. This is probably due to my personal preference of having romance mixed with action. To me, the first half of this anime is extremely enjoyable, while the second half is merely bearable. The flaws in the build-up and the lack of character developement completely ruïned this show from reaching it's full potential. Still, the great music, artwork and touching moments made this anime good enough to deserve an 8.