Review of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online

Guns and cute girls. There's the summary. Not complaining though. Story: 5/10 The story is just a generic tournament arc with an added "twist" having to do with one character in the second half that doesn't really affect the plot at all. That being said, the story being told here is not offensively bad and was engaging enough for me to continue watching. Art: 7/10 One thing SAO (almost) never gets wrong is the art, and this series is no exception despite the change in studios from A-1 Pictures to Studio 3Hz. Everything looks lively and cozy, and action scenes are hype-worthy. Sound: 7/10 Another strong point of this series.Despite the somewhat forgettable OP (which is notably uncommon throughout the main series' 100+ episode run and 8 OPs), the ED is super catchy with beautiful visuals, more than making up for it. Voice acting in the original Japanese audio is all solid if not a bit over the top at times.

Character: 5/10
While not bad, none of the cast are standouts here. The protagonist, LLEN (or Karen), is tall in the real world and wishes she weren't. That's about as deep as her character goes. The rest of the cast are similarly forgettable.

Enjoyment: 7/10
I'm a big fan of some parts of the main series and found a lot to like here. The art and sound were good (as expected) and the series was short enough to not overstay its welcome.

Overall: 6/10
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online is fairly inoffensive. Sporting art with vibrant colors and cute character designs as well as a great ED, but a fairly average story with bland characters, it certainly isn't the worst piece of media to come from Sword Art Online. Recommended for both fans of the series and newcomers (as long as you keep your expectations in check).