And boy, do I hate Sword Art Online by A1 Productions.
Sword Art Online is just absolutely horrible, and my biggest gripe with this show is how it handles characters and it's plot. The animation isn't horrible nor is it great, the soundtrack is pretty good but characters and plot - the two most important things in any anime - are just all over the place. Without further ado...a review of SAO.
It is the year 2022, and a new type of sub-genre had emerged in the RPG field, the Virtual Reality MMO. This is possible with the usage of the NerveGear headset, a device that stimulates all oof the boddies sense while actually leaving the body in a sort of sleeping function. 2022 marks the launch of the highly awaited VRMMORPG (boy, that's a mouthful) Sword Art Online, a game with an extremely diverse and highly fantastical world. Among 10,000 "lucky" players of the game is Kirygaya Kazuto, who names himself Kirito (a shorteneing of his real name) in SAO. As one of the 1,000 beta testers, Kirito knows how SAO works inside and out. However, something that concerns him and another player ( by the name of Klein) is the games lack of a Log Out function. They soon learn that SAO was designed without a Log Out button, and that they cannot leave the game. To make matters worse, if they die in the game, they die in real life. Also, if the NerveGear is disconnected by an outside source, the microwaves inside the machine will make the wearers brain explode (LOL). Kirito vows that he will defeat the game and earn the freedom of all 10,00 players and will stop at nothing to do so. On his journeys, he meets a Loli, a Funny Blacksmith, a cute sheltered girl, a Kawaii young girl and a bland fuckface Tsundere with whom he falls in love with. Together, they manage to defeat SAO but the Tsundere for some reason can't leave her NerveGear state, however she has been seen in another VRMMORPG called ALfhiem Online, and this is where the plot LITERALLY TURNS INTO SUPER MARIO BROS. Seriously, all it is is Kirito trying to save Asuna - who by the way is a PRINCESS - from the evil Fairy King Obereon. Sure, there's this wierd side plot involving his cousin falling in love with him but that's pretty much all there is to SAO. With the survival game aspect in the first half, the could've done something amazing! But after the first 4-5 episodes, the show really goes downhill especially in the ALfhiem arc. It's just a bunch of wasted potential.
I can count the amount of SAO characters I like on two fingers. This show is brought down so much by them it's unreal. As per usual, I'll give my run down of the two main characters.
Kirygaya Kazuto (AKA Kirito)
Kirito is what would happen if Squall Leonheart from Final Fantasy VIII and Chuck Norris had a baby (which since they are both male is impossible.). Kirito is an introverted loner who has no family and always prefers to be by himself and is not a fan of teamwork since something bad always happens yada yada yada. It is literally a 1:1 copy of Squall (although Kirito doesn't use a Gunblade, 'cause they don't exist apparently) even down to the design. Sure, the scar is gone and the coat is slightly different but the mental and physical build is the same (they're even the same age I think, maybe Squall is slightly older). He's like Chuck Norris since he's the most OP thing since Vanish/Doom. He can literally take on nearly everyone and win with more than 75% of his health remaining (ironically, he lost the most important fight of his life). His skill is only matched by the game's creator, Kayaba Akhikho (OH LOOK A GOOD CHARACTER) and he is always getting the ladies due to his well...I dunno looks I guess.
Kirygaya Suguha
What? You expected me to talk about Asuna Yuuki, the worst character in all of Anime? HELL NO I WOULD BE HERE FOR YEARS WRITING ABOUT HOW MUCH SHE SUCKS. So instead, let's go with the more interesting character, Kazuto's cousin, Suguha.
Suguha is a master at kendo (i.e fighting with wooden swords) and is quite popular at school. She is always being shunned by her cousin (who lives with her due to unfortunate circumstances) and feels left out all the time. During Kirito's time in SAO, Suguha began to develop feelings for him (Incest is the best type of love </sarcasm>) and decides to take up VR MMO'ing herself in ALfhiem Online, where she creates her character Leafa. Leafa meets Kirito in ALO and they begin their search for the princess together. Her skills as a healer are amazingly OP and her combat ability is just outrageous. While the incest thing is fucked up....she's honestly the best character in the show. She has good development and we see her change over the course of the series, unlike Asuna who is just wasted potential and becomes a bland fucking Tsundere.
Animation quality in SAO isn't great, but it's not bad either. Action scenes are well choreographed and executed and the backgrounds are nice, but sometimes faces and bodies lack detail and they move very strangely sometimes too. The animation isn't a big worry though, it's a pass.
The soundtrack is this show's Saving Grace. Yuki Kajura, the songs you compse are just fucking beautiful please take a bow for the masterpiece that is Swordland, the main theme of the game Sword Art Online. The openings, Crossing Field by LiSA and INNOCENCE by Aoi Eir are pretty good too, and the first opening really goes well with it's animation. All in all, it's pretty damn fine.
Overall well....this show is a mess. It's plot and characters, for the most part, don't capitalize on the potential they had, and that's the key thing here. It's all wasted potential. Unless you're a real sucker for Shounen and a plot set in a video game...do not under any circumstances watch Sword Art Online. It is just horrendous to sit through, at least, in my opinion.
Story: 4
Characters: 3.5
Animation: 7
Music: 8.2
Personal Enjoyment: 2
FINAL SCORE FOR SWORD ART ONLINE: 4/10
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