Review of Sword Art Online

Yeah... About time I talk about this one isn't it? Okay, so first off, I know what you're thinking: *sarcastic voice*"Oh, Cludensyo, you're joining the bandwagon; reviewing Sword Art Online and giving it a low score. What a way to redirect your rage to an otherwise easy target." and... you're probably right. But you've gotta understand my situation. It's been 3 years already (1 or 2 since I've watched it) and inside my mind, my memories of this anime are not showing any signs of fading away into obscurity. So today, I'll try to make peace with this series─ shed every thought I have to this showin the hopes that I will achieve serenity. BUT, let's be diplomatic about this for a change; acknowledging the opinion of both sides (the fans and the haters) and try to come to an objective conclusion (something I thought this show was gonna do). Let's start!

So, as I've said before, it's been 3 years ever since the first season raided the airwaves of Japan (and the World Wide Web) and between that time and today, I've been graced with the luxury to have some "civilized" chat to the fans who like this show (and by civilized I mean we were at war like it was the feudal era. I almost resorted to insulting their mothers. Almost.) So with that in mind, were my thoughts about this show, at the very least, shaken? Have I come to understand the perspective of the fans that actually like this show? To that, I answer a resounding... no. Well, not really. I don't hate this show because of its story or its characters, and certainly not because of its animation quality or sound. No, I still hate this show because it's a FUCKING LIAR. Pay attention because this is important: In retrospect, I think I would've enjoyed the show as much the fans did. Yeah, I said it.

Basing from the talks I had with the SAO fans and what their feedback was on the series' second season (which I also made a review. And a very subjective one at that. Thought I should point that out), SAO's intentions and quite frankly, its best asset is the show just having fun with the idea of living in a virtual world. And honestly, I'm down with that. I can enjoy shows that are meant to be enjoyed for what it's worth from time to time. Whether it's an in-your-face comedy or a mind-shattering sci-fi drama, I'll take a gander. Which leads me to SAO's biggest mistake (and the reason I called this show a "fucking liar"); it's first 3 episodes.

In my aforementioned review about the 2nd season of this franchise, I've regarded these fabled first 3 episodes as "the best part of the 1st season" and its "saving grace" because it left a good impression on me on what kind of world am I going to traverse, what tone it’s gonna have, and what will be the characteristics of our heroes (and I think it's safe to say I'm not alone on this). But some 3 years (or some time lapse if that’s not exact) pass and we don’t even get to see what happened during that time (unless you’re the mega fan that you are and have read the light novels). Our scared and vulnerable main protagonist becomes an emotionless, brooding, black-cladded swordsman that’s way above everyone’s levels, the female lead that was introduced as a badass and an independent woman who don’t need no man to hold her hand becomes pussified and you have no idea how or why. And the story, the underlying themes of ontology and the commentary on human nature, what happened to them? Never mentioned again. Only when it’s convenient or when it helps raise the tension or the weight of importance of a scene, as if the creators are reminding you that they’re still trying to tell a profound story. Guys, even Heaven’s Lost Property had a better anime adaptation than this. Yes, they’ve toned down the original story’s grit and seriousness to ludicrous levels, but they’re consistent by it (Eternal My Master, we’ll see). And sure, they have some (and I use this term very loosely) serious moments but they’re shown at the latter part of the story, NOT THE FIRST EPISODES.

This makes me wonder if the second season showed little-to-no regard about the story as its first season and just had fun with this world, would I have allowed myself to be won over by the show and actually like it that way? Maybe. But as it stands, Sword Art Online has an array of adaptations that are, in terms of consistency, unpolished─ much like a lot of video games today ironically.

So, here comes the final question: Would I recommend you to watch this show? You know what, yeah. Why not? Just know what you’re getting into because Lord knows I didn’t.