[size=medium]Anime Review: Sword Art Online(SAO and SAO II)[/size]
[size=small]This is probably pointless, because apparently, everyone in the world except me has watched SAO at this point, and I'm the only one who missed the hype. [/size]
[size=small]This Review Contains Spoilers. If you haven't watched the anime, don't read it. [/size]
[size=small]TL;DR watch the first 14 episodes of Season 1 and skip the rest.[/size]
[size=small]I have divided the series in terms of seasons, and arcs in each season.[/size]
[size=medium]Season 1[/size][size=small]:[/size]
[size=small]Number of episodes: 25[/size]
[size=small]Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Game, Romance[/size]
[size=small]Plot:[/size]
[size=small]The players of a virtual reality MMORPG, Sword Art Online, are trapped and fighting for their very lives. After it is announced that the only way to leave the game is by beating it, Kirito—a very powerful swordsman—and his friends take on a quest to free all the minds trapped in Aincrad.[/size]
[size=small]Review:[/size]
[size=small]Aincrad Arc:[/size]
[size=small]The strongest aspect of the anime is obviously the premise. It hasn't really been done in that way before as much. And, yes, the first two episodes were good, in setting up a sense of danger and dread. It also looks sleek, and the character designs are amazing. I did enjoy many action sequences in this arc, and they were fun. It is entertaining to watch, I can't deny that. [/size]
[size=small]However, it disregards the plot and goes into a set of random pointless side quests that don't matter in the first few episodes, instead of concentrating on the main story. Another problem is that in the first few episodes, there's a lot of time-skips. In one episode, he's in level 48, in another episode, he's in level 78. There's no sense of progression. Just things happening randomly, and it's jarring and takes me out of the experience. It's apparently revealed in a sentence that's immediately glossed over that Kirito is fighting in the front lines of the 'clearing group', but we don't ever get a sense of what they do. And then, in the middle of the series, Kirito and Asuna fall in love and go on a honeymoon, Wow. And of course, adopt a daughter. While their romance itself was good, I couldn't help but think the entire time that they are trapped inside a world, and may die any moment. And then, suddenly they get called back and they start fighting in each level. Boom, the leader of the group is revealed to be the creator of the game and the villain. Kirito is forced to fight him, and he literally cheats, against the creator of the game itself, and comes back to life, to defeat him. Oh, and Asuna sacrifices herself, so that Kirito can live, but that dumbass almost dies anyway.[/size]
[size=small]Characters have to be talked about in this series. Kirito can do absolutely everything. He's the best player in the game and no one can defeat him. And, of course, every girl he meets will be a part of his harem. Asuna is the only girl who has any sort of character. She's badass, and wants to get out, actually falls in love with a person, and is not a token harem girl. Another character I thought had some sort of a character was Klein, but he was constantly brushed aside. None of the characters other than Kirito were given any sort of importance.[/size]
[size=small]Fairy Dance arc:[/size]
[size=small]Aincrad arc was my favourite part of Sword Art Online, and in my opinion, it should have ended there. My problems with SAO started the moment they switched to another game. In this arc, it's revealed that everyone who were a part of SAO had awakened except 300. Asuna is a part of it and hasn't awakened yet. It's also revealed that they are present in another game called ALfhiem Online. You know what happens. Asuna gets caged, and is essentially a damsel in distress and Kirito has to save her. We get into incest and rape in this arc. So hurray I guess. Didn't like the incest relationship at all. Plus, the sister doesn't contribute anything other than providing expository dialogue about the game. Stuff happens, Kirito saves Asuna and it's over. I don't have much to say about this arc except that it's not very good.[/size]
[size=small]Score: 6/10[/size]
[size=medium]Season 2[/size][size=small]:[/size]
[size=small]Gun Gale Online arc:[/size]
[size=small]This arc deals with a consequence from the Aincrad arc, a traumatic event. Something that should have been done in the first season. Also, it focuses on something that wasn't even shown originally. Anyway, in another game called Gun Gale Online, which focuses on guns, obviously, there exists a guy who can kill someone for real when he shoots from the game. A Government agent, responsible for SAO survivors, enlists Kirito's help and asks him to go there. We are introduced to a new character, called Sinon, who's the best sniper in the game and has a trauma of her own, and the series tries to connect these two. Good, idea, only that she also eventually falls into Kirito's harem, and is there for fan-service. Coming to Kirito himself, I'm not a fan of 'trap' characters. I hate the lot. And, everytime he acted like a woman, it wasn't funny. It was cringe-worthy. And, the series immediately makes Kirito get over his trauma, by having a long conversation with this nurse, and the rest is focused on Sinon trying to get over her trauma. And, all the other characters are basically brushed aside. The other problem with this series is that it's really dragged, and half the time, it's just characters sitting around and talking plot points. Again, as always, the action was entertaining. But, this whole arc was stupid. And of course, there was anothe rape scene.[/size]
[size=small]Calibur arc:[/size]
[size=small]Didn't give a shit. It was really boring. I was doing something else, and it was mostly background noise. Whenever I watched it, it was bad.[/size]
[size=small]Mother's Rosario arc:[/size]
[size=small]By this point, I was whatsapping with people so I didn't really care, but this was better than the previous two arcs, in that it didn't focus on Kirito, and it was kinda emotional. The best arc since Aincrad.[/size]
[size=small]Score: 5/10[/size]
[size=small]This is probably pointless, because apparently, everyone in the world except me has watched SAO at this point, and I'm the only one who missed the hype. [/size]
[size=small]This Review Contains Spoilers. If you haven't watched the anime, don't read it. [/size]
[size=small]TL;DR watch the first 14 episodes of Season 1 and skip the rest.[/size]
[size=small]I have divided the series in terms of seasons, and arcs in each season.[/size]
[size=medium]Season 1[/size][size=small]:[/size]
[size=small]Number of episodes: 25[/size]
[size=small]Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Game, Romance[/size]
[size=small]Plot:[/size]
[size=small]The players of a virtual reality MMORPG, Sword Art Online, are trapped and fighting for their very lives. After it is announced that the only way to leave the game is by beating it, Kirito—a very powerful swordsman—and his friends take on a quest to free all the minds trapped in Aincrad.[/size]
[size=small]Review:[/size]
[size=small]Aincrad Arc:[/size]
[size=small]The strongest aspect of the anime is obviously the premise. It hasn't really been done in that way before as much. And, yes, the first two episodes were good, in setting up a sense of danger and dread. It also looks sleek, and the character designs are amazing. I did enjoy many action sequences in this arc, and they were fun. It is entertaining to watch, I can't deny that. [/size]
[size=small]However, it disregards the plot and goes into a set of random pointless side quests that don't matter in the first few episodes, instead of concentrating on the main story. Another problem is that in the first few episodes, there's a lot of time-skips. In one episode, he's in level 48, in another episode, he's in level 78. There's no sense of progression. Just things happening randomly, and it's jarring and takes me out of the experience. It's apparently revealed in a sentence that's immediately glossed over that Kirito is fighting in the front lines of the 'clearing group', but we don't ever get a sense of what they do. And then, in the middle of the series, Kirito and Asuna fall in love and go on a honeymoon, Wow. And of course, adopt a daughter. While their romance itself was good, I couldn't help but think the entire time that they are trapped inside a world, and may die any moment. And then, suddenly they get called back and they start fighting in each level. Boom, the leader of the group is revealed to be the creator of the game and the villain. Kirito is forced to fight him, and he literally cheats, against the creator of the game itself, and comes back to life, to defeat him. Oh, and Asuna sacrifices herself, so that Kirito can live, but that dumbass almost dies anyway.[/size]
[size=small]Characters have to be talked about in this series. Kirito can do absolutely everything. He's the best player in the game and no one can defeat him. And, of course, every girl he meets will be a part of his harem. Asuna is the only girl who has any sort of character. She's badass, and wants to get out, actually falls in love with a person, and is not a token harem girl. Another character I thought had some sort of a character was Klein, but he was constantly brushed aside. None of the characters other than Kirito were given any sort of importance.[/size]
[size=small]Fairy Dance arc:[/size]
[size=small]Aincrad arc was my favourite part of Sword Art Online, and in my opinion, it should have ended there. My problems with SAO started the moment they switched to another game. In this arc, it's revealed that everyone who were a part of SAO had awakened except 300. Asuna is a part of it and hasn't awakened yet. It's also revealed that they are present in another game called ALfhiem Online. You know what happens. Asuna gets caged, and is essentially a damsel in distress and Kirito has to save her. We get into incest and rape in this arc. So hurray I guess. Didn't like the incest relationship at all. Plus, the sister doesn't contribute anything other than providing expository dialogue about the game. Stuff happens, Kirito saves Asuna and it's over. I don't have much to say about this arc except that it's not very good.[/size]
[size=small]Score: 6/10[/size]
[size=medium]Season 2[/size][size=small]:[/size]
[size=small]Gun Gale Online arc:[/size]
[size=small]This arc deals with a consequence from the Aincrad arc, a traumatic event. Something that should have been done in the first season. Also, it focuses on something that wasn't even shown originally. Anyway, in another game called Gun Gale Online, which focuses on guns, obviously, there exists a guy who can kill someone for real when he shoots from the game. A Government agent, responsible for SAO survivors, enlists Kirito's help and asks him to go there. We are introduced to a new character, called Sinon, who's the best sniper in the game and has a trauma of her own, and the series tries to connect these two. Good, idea, only that she also eventually falls into Kirito's harem, and is there for fan-service. Coming to Kirito himself, I'm not a fan of 'trap' characters. I hate the lot. And, everytime he acted like a woman, it wasn't funny. It was cringe-worthy. And, the series immediately makes Kirito get over his trauma, by having a long conversation with this nurse, and the rest is focused on Sinon trying to get over her trauma. And, all the other characters are basically brushed aside. The other problem with this series is that it's really dragged, and half the time, it's just characters sitting around and talking plot points. Again, as always, the action was entertaining. But, this whole arc was stupid. And of course, there was anothe rape scene.[/size]
[size=small]Calibur arc:[/size]
[size=small]Didn't give a shit. It was really boring. I was doing something else, and it was mostly background noise. Whenever I watched it, it was bad.[/size]
[size=small]Mother's Rosario arc:[/size]
[size=small]By this point, I was whatsapping with people so I didn't really care, but this was better than the previous two arcs, in that it didn't focus on Kirito, and it was kinda emotional. The best arc since Aincrad.[/size]
[size=small]Score: 5/10[/size]
