Review of Sword Art Online
As well as for most of this community, Sword Art Online (which I’ll be referring to as SAO for the rest of this review) was the anime that got me into anime. Despite its enormous popularity and fanbase, SAO is by far one of the most harshly criticized shows of recent years, which is an injustice in my opinion. I’ll be explaining my reasoning behind my liking of the show throughout this review to try and explain what makes SAO so popular among casuals. The main reason me and many others have enjoyed this show is because of the appeal. The idea of the VRMMOs arenothing but genius since it mixes real life interactions with RPG mechanics and enhances the sociability of gaming, which is still a lacking point in games today. The mechanics of SAO (game), although not as flashed out as I would like it to be, are very plausible for an MMO and also very entertaining in their own rights.
Character-wise SAO has a very diverse cast of unrealistic cute girls with stereotypical behavior and a OP main character which the girls depend on for the entirety of the show. Although this may sound bad, which it is, it also makes it so the show has more time to explore the vast virtual world instead of wasting time developing a cast that, honestly, only needs their physical traits to shine. Also, it is important to remind that developing a character also makes them dislikeable and is a risk that the author chose not to take. Kirito is the dream figure of every male teenager and, as such, contributes greatly to the narrative and appeal.
The SAO production is nothing to make fun of. The animation is top notch and every action scene is well directed and memorable. The soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura, although not closely as good as her past works with the Type Moon series such as Fate and Kara no Kyoukai, still is an amazing atmosferic masterpiece and translates perfectly the vastness of the world and epicness of the story.
SAO is far from being the best thing ever made but even further from the worst. It is a cheap and safe attempt at making a fun and entertain show, and it succeeds in that aspect. Enjoyment is still a key factor to whether or not a show is worth watching and, taking that into consideration, SAO definitely is.