Review of Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online, an adventure, fantasy, and romance (with hints of action) anime about what it is like to live in a virtual world. Think of combining Oculus Rift with Skyrim, and you get the idea. Main Hero Kirito, a beta tester in the game, is caught along with a couple thousand other players when the game creator disables the logout feature, and tells them that "It’s not all fun and games" If you die here, you die in real life. Story: 2/10 This is my biggest gripe with the anime. The anime starts off well, with the consequences of people dealing with the realistic consequencesof death, but being forced to live in a virtual game. How they band together and/or betray another is one theme that dominates. However, it changes flavor one episode after another. There are themes of identity as well as morality crises, and how one deals with real values in a fake world. The anime switches its genre quickly between action, slice of life, and romance by the mid-season. I do not mind that the writers and producers sought to include so much in this anime, after all, the basic setup of the story leads to a colossal amount of possibilities. The problem comes in that the writers and producers decided that instead of focusing on a few of them, to just try to include them all. And in the end, Sword Art Online becomes just too confusing. No possibility is explored to its fullest, and the story changes from one setting and theme to another with neither rhyme nor reason.
Art: 8/10
The art overall was beautiful, and the characters themselves very distinct and recognizable. The settings and background was one part of the anime that the company truly ‘spared no expense’. Each floor of the dungeon had its own art and color theme, and convinced me firmly that I was no longer on Earth. For the entire show, I was quite tempted to actually try SAO, should it be created one day for us. The overall setting evokes the grandiosity of Middle Earth, with hints of the mysteriousness and magic of Harry Potter and Narnia. The only reason I do not give it a 9 or a 10 is because the art and style does not leave a permanent impression on you, the same way the art in Madoka Magica or Kimi No Wa does.
Sound: 9/10
By the time I finally got around to watching this anime, I had already heard of so many renditions of its OST. The opening and endings fit the anime perfectly, and each soundtrack combined with the art flawlessly to create the world of Sword Art Online (alright guys, seriously, step 1: Oculus Rift, step 2: Skyrim, step 3:???, step 4: Profit).
Character (WARNING, SPOILERS): 5/10
The main male character is clearly introduced as a bad-ass, having previously been a beta tester, but he is also introduced with clear character flaws that he must deal with in, order to band together and survive with the other players. The same can be said of the main female character. The reason my rating is so low is because the anime forced my hand. It literally develops the two characters equally well, but then episode 14/15 happens. The main heroine is just dropped by the show entirely, and a new one occurs. And of course, it’s one of the most cliché one’s ever. Get this people, he has a sister that joins him in the game. Cue: Incestuous and Harem Subplot. I would have been totally fine if Asuna was developed as well, and the anime just switched between their simultaneous timelines (like the way Game of Thrones was done), but nope, our favorite heroine suddenly becomes that Medieval Damsel in Distress, and her development just stops. Disappointed.
Enjoyment: 4/10
Overall, the anime itself is mainly enjoyable, as we watch people of all ages and genders deal with their Brave New World, with all its darkness and hilarity. The pacing of the story is horrible, but the story itself is not fundamentally flawed, if a bit disjointed. I enjoyed watching the main romance blossom, as well the occasional fight scenes. The art and sound sort-a balanced out the bad story and character development, second thought, maybe NOT.
Overall/Conclusions: 2/10
Sword Art Online is an ambitious project that unfortunately does not live up to the hype. If you watched Erased, Guilty Crown, or Elfen Lied, and felt that they were incomplete, you will know what I mean. SAO starts off well, but whether it’s the budget or the deadlines, deals the viewer a fatal blow, leaving him/her unsatisfied by the end of the season. The art and music cannot and should not be the saving grace of any anime, and this is especially true of SAO, where they fail to prop up the fiasco that is the story and character development.