Review of Sword Art Online
I want to start off by saying, even if you have read some bad reviews and are turned off, I strongly encourage you to at least give Sword Art Online a try. It does have its flaws but just because those imperfections are there doesn't mean you can't sit back and enjoy it, which many end up doing and which you might. Many enjoy it for the entertainment rather than for a strong message or strong plot. So I say at least watch the first three episodes before deciding whether to drop or not. Okay going into the review. Story: The concept is cool. Trapped ina game with the possibility of death. Who wouldn't be anxious, worried and completely terrified? It's fun to think about and is what immediately grabs much of the audience. We do end up drifting away from this and getting lost in a romance, which I do have a problem with and will talk more about in the character portion. 8/10.
Art: The art is crisp and modern, the scenery is beautiful and the fight scenes are superb. 10/10
Sound: Kirito's voice actor is probably one of the top two best voice actors I have ever heard. The sounds he makes when he fights and the noises he makes when he cries... just... wow A+. Also, the OSTs are beautiful and heartfelt and the opening and end songs are very enjoyable. 10/10
Character: Here is where I find the majority of the problem in my opinion (although, the plot straying into a romance is part of the problem as well). There are three episodes where Kirito has a story with three different girls. Episode 3 with Sachi, Episode 4 with Silica and Episode 7 with Liz. Episode 3, contrary to what other reviewers say, is my favorite episode and I think it truly stresses the situation of being trapped in a death game. These three girls I feel like are 100% more realistic than Asuna is and Asuna is the main female protagonist who appears in MANY of the episodes while the other girls only get ONE episode. Asuna to me is an extremely flat character. She is perfect in every way. She is your strong female character who is incredibly fast with her sword. She's beautiful and her character development is one minute she's sharp but she immediately softens in like one episode. The problem I have is that Asuna is not real. She has absolutely no flaws. Kirito and her fall in love almost instantly, literally in one episode they go from partners to lovers. And she actually becomes a damsel in distress. There is no smooth transition of her changing, she just automatically loves Kirito and is automatically this perfect girl for him. All she is is fanservice and her and Kirito's love seems very artificial and spontaneous. I much rather have had Sachi, Silica and Liz alongside Kirito than Asuna. I even love Suguha (Kirito's "sister") more than Asuna because she is realistic, she goes through things that many of us have, she is pained, she is troubled, she feels real and she feels sincere while Asuna is an unrelatable blank slate. Because I enjoyed all the characters except Asuna 7/10
Enjoyment: I enjoyed this so much. I was hype every week to watch a new episode, I was cheering, I was crying, I was happy and I was angry. The drama is great and the fights get you pumped. Even the flaws made it enjoyable because overall I had a great time yelling at my computer screen. 10/10
Overall: 8/10
*~ I have read some chapters of the light novel and I can already say that the light novel discusses the features of the game more in-depth than the anime does. The anime tried to fit two volumes of the light novels into one season, so this is probably why the romance is highlighted more because they just couldn't fit everything in. I suggest reading the light novels if you are more interested in the gaming aspect.