Review of Sword Art Online

Well, this going to be my first review, and what better first anime to review than SAO, which most people consider to be the most controversial anime of all time. Intro: For those of you that don't know, SAO is basically about a virtual reality mass-multiplayer online role playing game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online, where players wear virtual reality helmets that take them to a large, beautiful fantasy world where they play the game. The virtual reality helmet allows players to feel like they are actually in another world, in which they can interact with all five of their senses. Themain objective game is to climb to the very top of a pyramid-like dungeon called Aincrad and defeat the final boss that resides there. However there is a twist: players that logged in to the game for the first time are unable to log out, and once they die in the game, they also die in real life. This creates a tense "fight or die" atmosphere, which is what got me to watch the anime in the first place.

Story (6/10):

At the beginning, the anime does an excellent job of introducing the world of SAO. Features such as monster hunting, leveling up, and item collecting are introduced through various "characters of the day". As the anime went on, however, I thought the plot starting rushing itself. There were several unnecessary timeskips that left me wondering what could have happened in those periods of time, effectively creating plot holes. The story also had a lack of focus, and always randomly jumped from place to place. One episode the main character is fighting a gigantic, horned beast, and the next he is relaxing in a cabin by a lake. This inconsistency takes away much of the initial intense atmosphere that the beginning established, and also butchers the flow of the anime. Lastly, though not a huge detriment to the plot (just something that made me mad), was that several previously established rules of the game were broken to ensure that the main character wins. I know that the main character is supposed to always win, but I think he could've done so without causing more plot holes. Overall, the plot is very inconsistent and has many holes, which took away much of the potential SAO had.

Art (10/10):

Personally, I think that this is the best looking anime of 2012. The character designs, including facial features and clothing, are beautifully designed (I especially liked Kirito's black coat). The facial expressions, especially expressions of anger or determination, are intense enough to change the mood of the anime in an instant. The world of Aincrad, and later Alfheim, are beautifully drawn. Natural settings, such as lakes, forests, and mountains, are rich in detail and give an atmosphere of calm and peacefulness. The fight scenes are very well animated; the movements of the protagonists and enemies are well synchronized to keep the fights close (for the most part) and intense. Overall, the show is beautifully drawn and animated.

Sound (10/10):

I wasn't very taken by the first OP (Crossing Field by LiSA), but this is a matter of personal opinion. The other OPs and EDs, however, were great enough to make me listen to them over and over again and even download them, especially the second OP (Innocence by Aoi Eir). The OST is very well composed; each soundtrack does a great job of enhancing the mood of a particular scene. Overall, the music of SAO is a huge plus.

Character (6/10):

Another downside of SAO. The characters for the most part were quite shallow, and didn't really enhance the plot.

Kirito:
The main character. Kirito is the typical perfect guy. He has a calm, collected personality, possesses seemingly endless knowledge of the game, and is arguably the most skilled player of SAO. From this, there is no surprise that he gathers a crowd of female friends. His initial determination to beat the game is quite impressive, however any character development from him is non-existent. The appearance of Asuna in his life gives him something to protect, and adds to his determination and character, but other than that, Kirito is a very bland and generic character that goes through no major change throughout the story.

Asuna:
One of the friends Kirito makes in SAO. Asuna is initially introduced as an independent, strong, yet lonely player that is also determined to beat the game on the front lines. Asuna eventually befriends Kirito and falls in love with him, which in my opinion put a damper on her character. After she and Kirito become a couple, she basically hides behind him and lets him do the fighting, taking away her independence and any notion that she can fight as well. In the second arc, she is literally just someone who has to be saved by Kirito, effectively becoming a damsel in distress. She is basically like a beautiful flower that quickly withers.

Yui:
A fairy that Kirito and Asuna find in the forest, and is treated like their daughter. In the first arc, she is basically just someone else that Kirito has to protect. In the second arc, she appears in Alfheim Online as a navigation pixie that guides Kirito on his journey. Not much else to say, Yui is just someone who tells Kirito where to go.

Leafa (Suguha Kirigaya):
Kirito's younger cousin. In ALO (second arc), she plays as a Sylph warrior (a character type in the game) named Leafa. At the beginning of the second arc, she befriends Kirito and accompanies him on his journey to save Asuna, not knowing that he is her cousin. As one would expect, she starts falling for him just as hard as any of the other girls Kirito meets. After Leafa finds out Kirito is her cousin, her quickness to recover from this heartbreak and resolve to keep fighting shows her inner strength and character development, and in my opinion makes her one of the only good characters in the anime.

Villains:
In the first arc, the main villain is Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of SAO, and the person who traps the players in the game. In the end, after the clearing of the game, he disappears without a trace and only serves to fill the already shaky plot with more holes. In the second arc, the main villain is Sugou Nobuyuki, who is a businessman planning to marry Asuna to take control of her parents' company. He is a very one-dimensional character and stereotypical villain who only cares about making Kirito suffer as much as possible. He is a character that advances the plot, but again, he is nothing that we haven't seen before.

Enjoyment (8/10):

Despite the plot and character flaws, I actually enjoyed the anime from start to finish. The art and soundtrack never ceases to amaze me, and the fight scenes were very crisp and entertaining to watch. At the end of the day, anime is meant to entertain, and no matter how many technical flaws it has, if it delivers, then its job is done.

Overall (8/10):
If you haven't already, give SAO a try! Though you may be disappointed by the story/characters, its still worth watching to find out what all the hype/hate is about.