Review of Sword Art Online

tl;dr Sure, you may have to suspend belief about or overlook an occasional plot hole or character annoyance, but in the end this is a highly entertaining anime with great art and sound, an enjoyable setting and characters, and a solid story. NOTE: Just because you don't agree with my score, don't vote "not helpful"! Please read the review first and judge the review for what it is, not if you agree with me. That's not the point of those buttons. Ah, Sword Art Online. An anime that has caused a massive division among anime fans - some hate it, others love it. Where do I stand?Somewhere towards the love side - I really enjoyed it, but there were still a few issues that bugged me at points.

Story: 8
The story is certainly an interesting one, one that grabbed my attention the moment I first heard someone talk about it - thousands of players logging into a new VRMMO (something I wish existed!) are suddenly trapped in the game, unable to log out; and if they die in game, they die in real life, as the VR headset the players wear in real life will fry their brains. From the first episode, I was hooked - I wanted to see more of the world, learn how this all managed to happen, and see what the cast of characters (further discussed below) got themselves up to.

I do agree with a common criticism in that the second half of the season wasn't quite as good as the first half (the concept of dying in game = dying in real life is removed!), though I will vouch that it still has the same feel as the first half - the same great components making up the show as well - and I was just as interested to see the progression of the Alfheim (ALO) arc as I was the Aincrad (SAO) arc. While some character changes seemed a bit large, they were required for the progression of the story and honestly it didn't seem too strange based on the context they happened in.

There were certainly some amazing build-ups throughout the anime, and the crescendos of these scenes were always a joy to see play out. However, I was a bit bugged by the way certain plot devices would be dropped or overlooked or seemingly forgotten so as to move the plot forwards. I was also oh so slightly disappointed by the last few minutes of the concluding episode, because while it was still strong and had a good message (for the characters and the viewer), I wish it had focused on a different character (you'll probably know what I mean when you see it). However, the last few seconds basically make up for that, so it's not a major negative in any way. There were also a few plot twists that I did not see coming, which I always enjoy. What's important in the end, though, is that I still found the story to pretty pretty damn enjoyable. So in summary, while there was a bit of a drop in quality in the second half, along with a few convenient plot devices left out, he story was pretty enjoyable and I was always interested to see what happened next to our cast of characters and in the worlds of Aincrad and Alfheim.

Art/Animation: 9
The art and animation in Sword Art Online really is quite impressive. The character designs were strong, as were the enemy designs. There were lots of bright colors that popped off the scream and darker colors that set a brooding or tense mood. The worlds of Aincrad and Alfheim were both a treat to look at, and my god the battle animations: those were amazing. I looked forwards to every battle despite the danger to the characters because of how wonderful they looked, they were a real treat. Emotions were well depicted - happiness, sadness, anger, fear, etc; for example, the fear a player would show when encountering the boss was really quite believable, as were the emotions conveyed throughout certain character's relationships. The only, very slight negative I have is that I wish one or two certain battles were animated rather than still images, but they were still great to watch so it's not a huge deal in the end.

Sound: 10
The sound was another really, really strong part of the SAO package. The OP and ED were both very good (though it changes at the beginning of the ALO arc to different songs, though I still enjoyed them). The soundtrack was wonderful; I'm actually listening to it now as I write the review. Some convey great emotions and struggles, others convey the feeling of epicness we get during battle sequences, and others are just played as the world is explored and characters converse - every track is strong and I'm actively searching for a way to (legally, of course) download the soundtrack (I already bought the OP on iTunes). Some favorite tracks of mine include Swordland, Luminous Sword, At Nightfall, A Tender Feeling, Aincrad, We Have To Defeat It, Fight!, Gracefully, With My Friend, Critical Phase, and Dance With Me. In addition to the score, the voice acting was also quite good, both in English and Japanese - the voice actors were very strong in their roles and you could hear and feel the emotions that characters were portraying. (Fun fact: in English, the voice actor who plays Kirito also plays Eren in Attack on Titan, which was kind of cool as they are similar-ish characters).

Characters: 7
Looking back on SAO subjectively, the characters are the one component that I felt was slightly lacking. I did really like certain characters, but with the "perma-death" effect, others were killed off before I really began to care about them. Other characters seemed interesting but weren't quite developed enough, or just as they began to be developed they would be killed off. Certain characters just aren't particularly strong overall; a bit underwhelming to be honest. There was even one main character who I was not particularly fond of when they were first introduced, but they later grew into a character I enjoyed. I loved some characters, I hated some characters (in a good way!), but there were some that just weren't developed enough for me to get an opinion on or disappointed me because of said lack of development. Keep in mind: it's not that the characters who are there are bad! I liked the vast majority of them. It's more of a lack of time with certain characters that I was a bit disappointed with.

The relationships portrayed throughout the course of the story are pretty good; Kirito does seem to have a harem of sorts, but it's not overbearing: the side ones come in and out very quickly, and it's quite obvious who Kirito actually cares for early on. Seeing their relationship develop was really entertaining and emotional; certain scenes made me smile and others made me share in their sadness. Some side characters are pretty strong as well - not all are underdeveloped! I enjoyed Klein, Sybil, Leafa, and Heathcliffe a lot.

Being an 18 year old male, I found it pretty easy to identify aspects of my own personality and beliefs in Kirito and sympathize with him and his plight, and I'm sure many others watching will be able to identify with other characters as well, as many have their own personalities and struggles to deal with that will resonate with many different types of viewers.

So, while it was slightly disappointing that certain characters were underdeveloped, I did still enjoy the main characters, as well as some of the primary side characters. I, for one, enjoyed how the relationships played out, and a certain relationship that develops in the second half leaves Kirito confused, but the way it is dealt with is also quite appropriate.

Enjoyment: 9
If you enjoy a show with extremely good art and animation, a beautiful and epic soundtrack, and an entertaining story with characters you may be able to see parts of yourself in, you'll certainly like this. If you don't particularly like romance or some comedy in what could otherwise be a very serious show, you probably won't like this. However, most people with an open mind who go into the series (and do not simply join the hate or hype train) will probably find themselves pleasantly surprised, much like myself.

Personally, I found the show extremely enjoyable. I was thoroughly entertained throughout and I'd happily recommend this to all my friends. The sound and art are phenomenal, the story is intriguing and has a few plot twists to keep you wondering, and a majority of the characters are pretty strong, and the relationships that develop between many of the characters (both romantic and friendship wise) are well done. There are epic moments, happy moments, sad moments, very emotional moments, hilarious moments, and intense moments. I watched the entire first season in just a few days, and I'd do it all over again. To be perfectly honest, I don't think I'd mind being trapped in the world of SAO. I can't wait to watch Season 2.

Overall, I'd give the show a 8.5/10 (rounded to 9/10), and will certainly be recommending it. To anyone reading the review, please give Sword Art Online a shot. Maybe watching it a second time (for those of you who were disappointed the first time) will give you a new perspective. And to the fresh, new viewers like myself, who simply knew it was a divisive anime about being trapped in a virtual reality MMO: Go in with an open mind (clear it of any negative connotation you heard going in), and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

To all the helpful/not helpful votes, feedback would be appreciated! This is only my third anime review.