Review of Sword Art Online

I see a lot of hate for this anime, and to be honest I see why. The story is rushed and the characters aren't developed that well. But, overall, I still give this anime a high score. Why? I'm not entirely sure myself, but I think it's because the first time I watched it, I couldn't stop. Like half the characters in the anime itself, I fell in love with Kirito almost immediately and I always wanted to see what kind of epic move he'd pull next - from taking down super powerful enemies by himself to solving completely unnecessary mysteries. Kirito was the kind ofguy I want to be. He was powerful, smart, and easygoing. Yes, I understand that the actual content was rubbish, but I think that most of the actual episodes and characters were fine but just needed a bit more to them, or a bit more in between.

I didn't like Asuna as a person much, but her relationship with Kirito made my heart soften. They would do anything for each other by the end, but how they got to that point definitely could have been developed more. Also, Yui was absolutely adorable and I loved her to bits but her character had obvious holes that, again, could have been developed better.

The plot itself started well, but the unnecessary time skips made it hard for me to watch the second time around. In fact, although I could barely put my laptop down the first time I watched SAO, I only got to episode 8 the second time before I had to quit and reevaluate my life. What was in the anime was good, almost great, even - there just wasn't enough to justify half of what happened later on.

The animation was amazing, I will admit. As SAO was one of the first anime series I ever watched (like, two or three years ago) I think it was the animation and art style that got me completely hooked on anime. The soundtrack I loved as well, because it simply added to the dramatic nature of the series that I already adored.

Possibly the only reason I have such fond memories of this anime is because it was one of the first ones I watched. When I started, I wasn't looking for brilliant character development or fantastic plot lines, just something I could quickly watch, fall in love with, and take from it a reason to continue watching anime. I give this anime a score of 7 overall because of this; my little heart skipped a beat every time I got a chance to watch another episode when I first watched it, and I'm glad for that because without it, I wouldn't have had to inspiration and motivation to watch all the wonderful anime I've seen in the fast couple of years.

So yes, I do agree, there are many major flaws in this anime. It isn't something that an anime veteran will enjoy. It is, on the other hand, great for beginners. Because of that, I will always hold a special place in my heart for this series even though I have recently come to realise it isn't quite as awesome as I once thought.