Review of Sword Art Online
The anime of virtual controversy, gamer paradise, and uncertain emotional investment - Sword Art Online. Helplessly overused comes the sudden thought, "The premise of SAO is amazing, but the execution..." from the vast horde of anime veterans, and a rebuke is rarely summoned as response. But SAO doesn't deserve the rage-filled abandonment of a supposedly betrayed and disappointed community; Sword Art Online, Season 1, deserves a Fair evaluation. -Story- Again, the premise issue arises, and a grudging admiration for the initial complexity and significance to the death game of SAO must be given. The world of Aincard is no pushover in the demands and sacrifices necessary forstory progression, and sacrifices are indeed the driving force behind the story development. However, the pacing of romantic, technical, and flag elements is barely decent; granted, the story is spatially patterned, but non-sequitur abruptness can only go so far. Many say that SAO's story cohesiveness falls apart after the first major arc, and I am in unfortunate agreement.
-Art-
The artistic element of SAO is its selling point. Characters are detailed and distinctive, and the backgrounds are pleasantly impressive, as if it were a subtle hint towards the genuine artistic and technical ingenuity of the world creator. The animations are consistent in quality and raw fluidity, lending well to whatever respective mood determined by the animators. There are little complaints towards the art of SAO.
-Sound-
It would appear that the sound for SAO is Fair enough. The OP/ED songs for SAO Season 1 is deliberate, and all other OST are understandable as to why they are inserted within the relative positions within the anime. Aesthetic interests in sound are relatively euphonious, and serves well as a casement for emotional juxtaposition with auditory senses.
-Character-
The portrayal and development of SAO's character cast are the issue and cause for the alleged betrayal of SAO enthusiasts. When there is little development to be seen (in the case of personality and mentality) for the protagonist, Kirito, throughout the entire season, it does not bode well for the rest of the minor characters. Some may argue that Kirito is even more standardized and static than his fellow gamers, and I remain undecided to that point. While not all are flat characters, SAO's players are, for the lack of a better description, simple and horrifyingly expressive.
-Enjoyment-
SAO lifted off of the mediocre levels of anime, but it just wasn't enough to hit the big names. It had an explosively fascinating premise and world (yes, a entirely new virtual world), and it is probably one of the best anime out of there that replicated a thin resemble to the unobtainable gamer paradise - all this is true. The thing that betrayed the expectant audience was not SAO itself.
No, the problem lies within the gamers that never really lived in the world they inhabited, in more ways than one.