Review of Sword Art Online
Minor spoilers in case you are one of the few who haven't seen this Despite a quality soundtrack and impressive visuals, Sword Art Online's sloppy writing, inconsistent story, and bland characters make this much talked about series average at best. Story (3/10): The premise of being stuck in a game is nothing new at all and has been done before (ex: Hack series). But I'll admit, SAO does a fairly decent job on addressing how a society would work in virtual reality as well as some psychological issues players could face in a world where ifyou die in a game you die in real life. Gaming terms are used which is a nice touch and doesn't get in the way for new viewers as well. The show starts off rather decently with a great feel of the world and a decent exposition on how the game works as well as the main conflict.
But all that engagement slowly dies down starting with the third episode where the show begins to take an episodic approach. This is where the show loses its momentum. Characters from the first two episodes are forgotten and only return for plot convenience. Basically it can be summed as Kirito (our supposedly socially awkward protaganist) picking up a random girl, showing off his overpowered stats, and saving the day. There's not much too it, the characters introduced are quickly forgotten and time skips make these filler episodes more infuriating and confusing. Overall, it comes across as pointless and even boring at times. The writing is also rather weak with quotes so cheesy it hits you in the spleen (ex: Two characters are skydiving and one of them blurts out "I think I'm falling in love with you!").
After about five episodes of filler, the show finally bounces back to the main plot, but is distracted by a forced romance plot. The show tries to establish Kirito and Asuna as a couple in three episodes but it comes of as rushed, devoid of chemistry, and typical tsundere stuff. After all that, there's only two episodes that bother to focus on the main plot. The plot twist towards the end is clever although its ruined by a lack of any justification. Kirito's overpowered persona is increased to insane heights where the only explanation is the power of love, ugh.
The second arc is where the show really falls apart. If the "stuck in a game" idea isn't original enough, how about a "save the princess" type of plot. All the tension from the Aincrad arc is gone and we are left with an extraneous plot and another messy love triangle, this time with incest. Other than the over-exaggerated villain, the story is forgettable and the game world doesn't feel as original or exciting as Aincrad. There are moments where the series takes itself way too seriously too the point its almost laughable. Its attempts at being edgy are countered by the silly saturday morning cartoon type villain. Deus ex machina is present at its worst and drags and already struggling series even farther in the abyss.
Characters (2/10): Kirito is a boring protaganist. His development is minimal and some of his actions don't match up with his supposed socially awkward personality (He seems to attract more girls than actual friends). There are also times where he is just unlikable out of nowhere (Tests a blacksmith's most prized sword by breaking it). His status as an overpowered lone wolf leaves no room for improvement with plot armor so high that any tension in fights is significantly decreased. Asuna is worse however. To be fair, she starts off interesting as a mysterious, yet powerful player who still has a lot to learn about the virtual world. This later turns out not to be the case as she's then established as a generic tsundere. It doesn't stop there as she is useless in the second arc and serves as a damsel in distress. Its sad to see a character with potential completely ruined. I can't say too much about Suguha as her only purpose is to be tortured by a doomed love triangle.
The villains are both insulting in their own way. The first villain, Kayaba, has probably the most laughable motive for trapping 10,000 people in a game (Spoilers, he forgot!). He barely shows up in the entire series and his lack of presence makes this "honorable" villain underwhelming. The second villain, I forget his name we'll just call him Fairy King, is a joke. The show tries to make him as crazy and disgusting as possible, but bad writing makes him unintentionally hilarious.
As for the rest of the cast, they are merely plot devices who are only there when the plot needs them and then disappear like nothing ever happened. This makes them pretty much forgettable. Sadly, I did not find any characters that stood out and the only reason this isn't a 1 is because of Sachi and her affect of Kirito.
Animation (6/10): The environment of Aincrad is gorgeous and filled with detail. MMO players will certainly be pleased. The fairy world is the second arc isn't as intriguing, but is nonetheless still visually impressive. The animation is mostly consistent throughout and especially shines in the fight scenes. The fight scenes are a marvel to look at. However, there are times where there looks like an awesome fight scene will erupt but is instead cut out abruptly. This acts as a major cop-out and could have served as further proof of the shows animation quality. The character designs are very appealing, and the fairy designs are quite suitable for the characters without making them look too different. I'm fine with a little fan-service as long as it doesn't get in the way, but SAO takes this way too far. The camera angles tend to angles themselves towards a female characters arse most of the time and it's very distracting and annoying.
Sound (7/10): OP 1 Crossing Fields is a very catchy song and the animation syncs quite well with the song. I would definitely put this OP in my top 10 though its probably because I can't get it out of my head. OP 2 Innocence is also fairly decent although it didn't catch my ear as Crossing Fields did. The endings aren't anything too special either. The soundtrack is a strong highlight for the show as each track syncs well with each scene. To be honest, its not anything to write home about, but it gets the job done. The soundtrack really shines especially in the fight scenes where the epic orchestra combined with the excellent animation makes for an incredible experience. As for Sub or Dub, either is fine. The dub isn't too bad as no one sounded too out of character, but its really nothing special. Also, the sub has its occasional unintentionally funny moments (KAYABA!). I tend to lean towards the dub occasionally so I can focus on the scene rather than reading a bunch of text on the screen.
Enjoyment (6/10): The animation is pure eye candy which is complemented by a good soundtrack which was the show's biggest highlight. My favorite moments were definitely in the fight scenes. The use of building a society and the few times where the show delved into the psychology of gamers were indeed interesting. But the wonky pacing as well as time skips took away some enjoyment and may turn some people off at certain points (especially the second half). The show got boring at times especially in the filler episodes and just could not stay focused. The endless amount of potential love interests made SAO a harem unintentionally as the show was clearly trying to pair Kirito with Asuna. The mediocre writing sucked out some enjoyment for me as well as there were multiple cringe worthy moments.
Conclusion: I don't think this is among the worst series ever made, in fact SAO is far from that. But with such lackluster characters and story, it makes me wonder why this show is so popular. Its simple average at best. But I guess due to its popularity and devisive nature, SAO is worth a watch just so you can have an opinion on this "controversial" series. Overall, I give Sword Art Online a 5/10.