Sword Art Online Review
Introduction
Sword Art Online was aired starting July 2012 till December of 2012 and it had a huge buzz around it.
There are two sides when it comes to the anime of Sword Art Online. One side loves it and is always waiting for more. Last year there was a rumor about a game in a few gaming sites that consisted on the rickrolled trolling! Everyone was insanely mad! On the other side, there's a ton of hate towards the anime.
This review is solely my opinion, and you're free to agree or disagree with everything! If you're thinking of watching the anime or just discuss your opinion about it, hopefully, this review will be of help.
There will be a few spoilers along the way but nothing that will ruin your enjoyment of the series!
A great start in the plot
Sword Art Online happens in 2022, where gaming technology has evolved till the point of a virtual system.
Sword Art Online is the first game with a VRMMORPG (virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game). In this game everything is possible. The technology used is the Nervegear, which connects your brain to the virtual world. Since the gear connects your brain and all of the senses, it feels like you're really living the game.
With this premise, the anime looks awesome right from the start, and different from everything we had seen thus far.
The protagonist nickname inside the game, Sword Art Online, is Kirito. He was one of the beta testers, which explains why he's so good at it.
The first episode is calm and smooth until the end, where they find out they can't log out of the game. This is when the story begins. The creator of the game announces that they're stuck in the game and must defeat all 100 bosses to be able to get out of the game. If someone tries to remove the NerveGear or if they die inside of the game, they die in real life.
Wow. Off to a great start and it hooks you from episode 1.
Pacing
Sword Art Online pacing is fast and full of action. Really looking like an awesome series, until episode 4 or 5, where it takes a hit.
The pacing got out of hand. They started to skip a lot of things leaving some gaps to be filled. This is where you start to realize, Kirito is a true solo player. He only cares about himself, and wants to play alone. That would be ok if it was a game... Since people were getting killed it, he shouldn't have been so selfish and use his skills to help out!
Downhill
After the great taste of the first few episodes, the show goes downhill and it starts to turn into some sort of harem for a main character that isn't so lovable! Doesn't much make sense, but he's cute and all, so we can let it pass!
The sting is the climax, which isn't done very properly. The show turns into a romance between both of the protagonists. The female protagonist starts out as a strong independent woman, that in the span of a few episodes turns into a cute and helpless character...
Kirito special ability isn't all that great and the climax doesn't feel like one. And i guess that was on purpose? Because another arc follows. After they beat Sword Art Online, a new saga begins.
What happens next?
In the end, you don't know much of the reasons why everything went as it did. But there's another Arc, Alfheim Online Arc. And now it's airing the second season of the show, called the Gun Gale Online Arc. I won't get into detail, otherwise i'd be spoiling the series for you!
Animation and Sound
One of the best things about Sword Art Online is the animation. Unlike many series, that are pretty good but we can't stand watching due to the shabby animation, here everything is well done and so beautiful that it draws a person into it. The animation moves are fluid and the action scenes exciting.
The sound themes are also beautiful and hooking. The background music sets up a great mood, or an intense aura. You won't find anything out of place when it comes to the sound.
Main theme!
What could have been...
The most off putting fact is the potential this anime had. It could have been something so so good and perfect, but it felt so rushed and sometimes so infuriating that it was a let down in some aspects.
The worst part of an anime show is when you know the potential it had and it was wasted.
The Final Verdict
I enjoyed the anime a lot. Even though my Sword Art Online review was kind of negative, it's still a great anime to watch. It's different and pretty. Anime based on virtual words are now increasing, but this one was the first to put it out well enough to become a trend.
Despite the wasted potential, it still has many things going for it. Even if you feel like me with the development of the plot, you'll still feel hooked to it. It's really different and enjoyable.
A must watch, in my view!
Cons
-Wasted Potential
- Action scenes turned into Harem scenes
- A ton of girls.
- Kirito, kind of average as a protagonist.
- Asuna development.
- Next arc was a lot worse.
- Many gaps to be filled.
Pros
- Different
- Enjoyable
- Beautiful
- Great music and themes
- Virtual Worlds!
- Unique premise