Review of Sword Art Online

I have to say that I was very enchanted by the idea of people being in a virtual world where they could do nearly anything they imagined within the scope of a game. Swordplay, magic spells, even cooking skills... this is a fantasy that a lot of people dream about. Of course, being stuck in it due to unforeseen circumstances is not entirely new. Nevertheless, it wasn't something I'd watched before, so it was exciting for me. And who doesn't enjoy good versus evil? Also, this series wasn't just about clearing the game. It was also about the use of mind-altering technology for entertainment, whatdrives people to develop it and why people use it. Where is the line between the virtual world and reality?

The first arc of the show was not very well executed. There is a plot, but it is rushed and there are time skips between the episodes. The first few seemed to be filler pieces. It was a little disorienting to me until I realized what was happening. At first I thought that I had skipped an episode by mistake, but I suppose that a little time skipping is necessary given the nature of the conflict. However, I would have very much enjoyed it if it were spread out a little more as it would have helped with character development and let the viewers see more of the online world. I still liked the story nonetheless.

I was deeply impressed with the animation, and even the characters remarked how beautiful Aincrad and Alfheim were in their eyes. I frequently stopped to take screenshots. Scenery and backgrounds are colored in lovely tones and have shadows which make them appear realistic. They honestly made me want to use NerveGear for a few moments. In addition, the characters were brightly colored and therefore uniquely distinguishable.

Before watching SAO, I knew I would love the soundtrack because I had heard some of it on Youtube. Yuki Kajiura is one of my favorite composers of all time and she never fails to amaze me. The music is extraordinary and captured the emotions of all scenes and characters perfectly. You could feel sadness, happiness, hope, and even the dread of battle. As good as the soundtrack was, though, I did find sometimes that it was too good, if that makes sense. For example, if she had composed a good sad piece for a particular moment, it was great, but that particular scene was not that sad, so it seemed to exaggerate feelings. Kajiura is a composer that really knows how feelings sound like, so some of it might have been off balance for me because the plot had fallen through, though that is my opinion.

Ah, the famed Kirito. I myself enjoyed his character, a shy young man who doesn't do much in the real world but has a strong presence in the virtual one. He comes off as calm, cool, and collected until he or someone he loves is in danger. I found when he had shocked expressions, they made a huge contrast with his usual nonchalant face. But otherwise, he is very powerful and I could see why people could hate that sort of strength. However, I feel that the way he is portrayed in the first episode explains his power well enough and he does experience character development in the series. He becomes aware of the similarities of his life online and in the real world, discovering his identity and the way the world works.

Although Asuna is also a strong fighter, pretty, looks delicate, and is fast with her sword, I didn't like her as much as I liked Kirito. Her first interactions with Kirito marks her as a bit of a tsundere, but as she gets to know him she becomes warmer, though the two do bicker every once in a while.

There are a few reoccurring characters, most of which I found likable. The others that appeared for only one episode, mainly the girls that fell in love with Kirito, were not so impressive to me because of that fact. A one episode love at first sight is really not my thing.

Now, a lot of people either think SAO is the greatest anime ever or is the worst, and I'm inclined to say that it is good, but not the best. I did enjoy the way the story went even though it was a little rough, and there were some particular elements that I did not like. (There is that lack of clear development for the relationship between Asuna and Kirito, for example. They suddenly came to like each other and I wasn't exactly sure why, at least on Kirito's part, since he seemed so solitary.) My like for the world of SAO made up for it, though, and that was enough. The animation and soundtrack are gorgeous, characters are fine, and sometimes I watched two episodes instead of one each night because I was eager to see the next part.

Final verdict: is this garbage? No. Is it super amazing? In some ways, yeah, but others, it isn't. Would I recommend it? To some people, I would. Would I watch it again? I have one or two favorite episodes of the lot, but otherwise I don't think I would watch the whole thing again. It wouldn't be torture to do so, though. So, 8/10.

Oh, yes, this is rated 13+ for a reason. Even if there isn't much bloodshed, virtual violence is still violence. Looks like it would hurt a lot. Plus there is a particular scene in the penultimate episode of the season that could be very inappropriate for children.