Review of Sword Art Online
Personally, I did enjoy Sword Art Online, but not with what the anime presented me, but rather what I could have done with inside the world it described. Raging fanboys, equivalent to the fangirls of Twilight, would most definitely disagree with me right after seeing the overall score I gave it, fine, but I wrote this review in the most objective manner I could ever possibly muster. Sword Art Online, set in the distant 202X year, has Virtual Mass Multi-Player Online Role Playing Games available (VMMPORG), where technically, the gamer can exist in a virtual reality, feeling pain, seeing digitally constructed rendering and touch them. It's every gamer'sdream, and I can see why it's hooked up so many interested viewers at the very first episode, but it quickly goes down from there.
Story: 6
Yeah, I give the setting and plot unique, but SAO could have brought it out better, no kidding.
The anime is seemingly divided into arcs. 6-7 arcs in a 25-episode anime?
Really?
Execution of the overall story was terrible, but what gave it such positive feedback is that every time. it's decorated with great graphics I won't deny, beautiful girls that fall in love with our beloved and oblivious Kirito, and some fighting scenes to please the gamers who watch this series.
This anime, which is clearly Shounen, had mini-arcs in the anime, which didn't really advance the story, except for introducing new characters, while the character development was terribly little.
It spent most of its time (no offense), catering to fetishes of guys, even though in the most subtle manner possible.
The action was bull, and I was very disappointed in the battle scenes, yes they managed to make me shudder in excitement sometimes (DUALL!!!), but it mostly lasted like 1-2 minutes, and appears every 2 or 3 episodes.
Art: 9
It's good, without a doubt, and the fighting scenes, although horribly/disappointingly short, are quite well animated in the sense that movements are not pixel by pixel, but rather smooth transitions and decent weapon effects.
The cast are also very well drawn, Kirito, Asuna, Silica, Klein, etc.
Sound: 9
The anime doesn't fail to impress you with background music that fits the scene you're watching. Be it battle, or simple tears on the characters, the accompanied music really emphasize and boost the emotions you as a viewer should be feeling.
The epic battle music, or the slow and harmonious romantic BGM.
Not to mention that the openings are great as well; Crossing Field and -I forgot the other one-.
Character: 2
As I've stated, the character development was trash, and the bane of this particular anime.
Characters introduced in their signature episodes, are immediately killed off and never appear again unless they are miraculously needed to spout 1 or 2 lines, or to even show one panel of their face.
Kirito, as we know as the dual-wielding badass, is cyber law-defying, and ferocious RPG sword master. But how did he get there?
Nope.avi, find out or fantasize yourself.
Romantic feelings between side-characters and Kirito?
Yep, 24 minutes for each side-heroine! That's all!
Enjoyment: 5
Blatantly put, I liked it at some parts, and I didn't at others.
It's a 50/50 mixed feeling for me, sometimes it makes me anticipate the next episode, while sometimes it's just so dull that I stop watching mid-way.
It hovers between a generic shounen, and a unique story, really wasting the plot that the penning author had thought up originally.
Overall: 6
It's not that bad like other people had claimed, but also not as good as the majority fanboys would shout in protest and justify -with nothing-.
It can be quite refreshing at the start, while it rockets downwards in a negative spiral as it gets more and more predictable.