Review of Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online This anime is a really big topic of conversation, either accompanied by enthusiasm or immense dislike. Sword Art Online is an anime that suffers massively from its success and that's only because many people expect too much. Sword Art Online is far from good, but what many misses is that just because something is overrated doesn't mean it's automatically bad. I approached the anime with a relatively negative attitude after hearing for years how "Good" and how "Disastrous" it is. And honestly, I can't relate to any of them. Sword Art Online is simply average. This anime has a healthy balance of good andbad scenes, some decent ideas, and a relatively balanced execution.
After seeing HOW many seasons Sword Art Online has, I was almost panicking, thinking "How am I going to watch all this?" I'm pleasantly surprised to find that the anime meets all average standards, thank God, in addition to having good music and animation.

Of course, this anime also has plenty of flaws and problems, which is why I can't recommend it unless someone is a tryhard fan of VR games. One of the biggest flaws in this series is the plot coincidences that were poorly explained. Especially the existence of the character "Yui" is still a headache for me. Yui is nothing more than a plot device to answer all the interesting questions and open doors that shouldn't exist. Likewise, her relationship with Kirito and Asuna gives me massive Twilight vibes. On top of that, a lot of the relationships in the first arc were pretty much built off-screen, though the characters aren't even as bad as you'd think. SAO characters are much more realistic than I'm used to seeing in anime, unfortunately, the relationships suffer a lot because you couldn't witness their build-up. Unlike the GGO arc, Shinon and Kirito, had a very decent relationship build.

Anyway, if you still dislike the series, I recommend watching Sword Art Online Abridged, this was a much better experience than watching this anime.

[Story 4]

The basic idea is good, I like the concept of being trapped in a virtual world. The basic idea of dying in the game and also being killed in real life is terrifying. And here I also have to say, they did a good job of going into the essential aspects of the plot instead of looking at the overall progression. I would have preferred the first arc to be longer and I could do without the Yui arc. But to watch how constantly any bosses are defeated is also boring in the long run.

I also like the fact that you are more attuned to the perspectives of different characters, including their fears and adaptation. Even some became relatively indifferent to the return to the real world after they had already become used to the current situation in 2 years. To many people, life was more important than the return, by these bad chances only the tunnel vision remained to many.

This arc lasted about until episode 14, at which point the second story arc began, which had practically nothing to do with the actual name of the anime. Also, this second arc was weaker than the first. Aside from the fact that the characters' personalities were fleshed out a bit better here.

[Characters 5]

This is definitely a point that many would dislike, but Sword Art Online actually has relatively subtle characters, especially from the second season onwards this comes into play more.

Kirito is a protagonist you've heard of, mostly in the negative. He is a super strong gamer who can do anything and is practically a VR Jesus. And that's not far from the truth either. But he is also a much deeper character than expected. He reveals an immense amount of human problems. He is naturally afraid and constantly tries to hide his fear through his imposed personality. At some point, he gets to the point where he just needs to be lent a shoulder to cry on. Someone his age just can't overcome everything. Likewise, his inner conflicts between saving people and staying with those he loves are quite interesting. Although he always thought that his life didn't have that much weight and he would rather save others for it. So in the end he even considered escaping from reality just to keep what he has.

Not to mention that his relationship with Asuna is one of the most realistic anime relationships I've ever seen. It's not cliché Disney dating, but how you would imagine a real relationship to be. No constant blush moments, but two people talking about the world with each other, occasionally cuddling and speculating about their own goals and futures with each other. Nothing majorly forced, but a normal relationship.

Asuna is a relatively average protagonist with no awards to speak of. She's okay as far as average goes, otherwise, she's just a good match for Kirito.

Most of the other supporting characters look mostly like Stereo Types but differ slightly. Especially since they have been given more rational thinking and personality.

Was expecting to see an army of empty shells at the beginning, but was mistaken. In particular, it's interesting to see Kirito's development throughout the second season.

[Music 7 / Animations 8]

Sword Art Online has two relatively decent intros that I don't particularly like, but both have slight recognizability.
The osts are good and are showcased well enough.

The animations and backgrounds are impressive. Such beautiful backgrounds as here, you see truly rarely. Especially the fight choreography, fluid dynamics, and explosive action. This is how you expect an action-based anime to be.

These great animations helped me get over the traumatic experience of SD7.

[Score 4]

Average, no more, no less. Sword Art Online is a show that disappointed and impressed me several times throughout 25 episodes. I can understand that with all the hype one expected much more, but destroyed expectations are no excuse. Despite everything, I can't say that I regret watching this anime. And I hope that the seasons will keep about the same quality. I rather doubt that Sword Art Online has an above-average season. If so I'm glad, otherwise, this scale is more than enough to entertain the viewer.

After finishing watching the other seasons, I'm afraid I have to retract my claim. This season is definitely the weakest of Sword Art Online, so I'm going to take it down a notch to rank the others at 5.

[Enjyoment 6]