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| Author: Knowles |
Overall Verdict- 8.2 "Wonderful!"
Animation- 9.0
Emotional Appeal- 9.0
Character Development- 8.0
Story-Line Originality- 8.0
Re-watch Potential- 8.0
Voice Acting- 7.5
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| "The perfect blend of emotional appeal and captivating action." - Knowles, District Editor |
Sword Art Online takes place in the near future where virtual reality is a hot topic and a controversial trend alike. Nerve Gear technology allows the user to safely sync their nervous system with an online server, which will allow the user to control a "game body" inside of an MMORPG (Also named Sword Art Online), while their physical body lie dormant in a bed or comfortable place. The players can do almost anything they can do in a conventional MMORPG, including fight monsters and craft equipment. After only a few hours after the game launch, players begin to realize that the "log out" button is no longer being displayed, and they can't seem to leave the virtual world. In a panic, they search for answers and gather to the Town Beginning square, where they are greeted by the "Game Master"...who unfortunately has been plotting to trap the unsuspecting players in his game since the beginning development of SAO. Players are warned that if they die in the game, they will die in real life. With final regards, the Game Master mentions that after completing 100 floors of dungeons in Sword Art Online, the remaining alive players will awake in the real world, unharmed.
Kirito is the main protagonist, and what's known as a "beater" to the people he encounters. He receives this generally negative tag because he uses knowledge from the beta-test to outplay and outsmart the other players...after all, it's a harsh world and the strongest players survive. For the most part, Kirito is an excellent protagonist. While his character is rather cliche (young, smart, stronger than others), he does fit the role of a hero, and his voice acting is both passionate and fitting to his appearance. His character development is mostly internal, and this often interferes with the external conflicts surrounding him. What I love about Kirito is that he doesn't give up, and throws himself in front of monsters to save the people he loves. These suspenseful moments give a twist and turn every episode, and keep each viewing fresh.
Asuna is the second protagonist, a highly regarded swordswoman and Second in Command of the largest guild in Sword Art Online. Asuna is a rather sweet, calm girl but an effective leader when it comes to clearing the dungeons in Sword Art Online. What really shines about Asuna's character is how much compassion she gives Kirito. I've never watched an anime where I felt a closer bond than I did while watching Asuna care for Kirito over and over again.
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| Kirito and Asuna |
Good- The best anime series will have a balance between emotional attachment of the characters, story-line fluidity, and action instances...Sword Art Online blends these three things together in the best way possible.
Animation in Sword Art Online is superb and wonderful to watch. Fluid battle scenes, well modeled characters, and beautiful landscapes all show off the awesome animation put forth to make this anime.
Story-line originality is always important. Watching the same stories retold through different characters is boring and not unique. Sword Art Online delivers a well written story with a theme that has been overused in many anime. While the theme is rather used, the story itself is superb and captivating to watch.
Bad- Voice acting in Sword Art Online is rather typical for both the original and English dubbed version. Antagonist voices were met with stereotypical evil laughs, and sometimes just outright annoying catch phrases.
The second half of Sword Art Online, where we branch into Alfhiem Online, was rather weak in story. There were several good attempts to make a positive impact on the overall feel of the anime, but many episodes left me missing the first half of SAO.
District Verdict- "We may or may not have cried while watching this anime...It's a tear jerker and adrenaline ride!"
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