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I feel that SAO is a very difficult anime to review, simply due to its popularity and the argument over its “greatness” and eventual “destruction” I will only be reviewing SAO not SAO II.

Instead of scoring this like many other reviews with numbers for each category, I will just talk about the different aspects of the show and what I liked/disliked.

The Setting:
One of the most unique settings in anime. Ever since this anime came out, I have always gotten the impression that we are waiting for the next MOP anime to come out with as great of a setting. In the first half of ... the series we had your typical MOP game with swords, parties, and money. What made everything so interesting though was the fact that if you die, you die in real life. The second half of the series also did a nice job showing such an amazing and interesting world. Yet I think the creators’ eyes were bigger than their stomachs, particularly with SAO. There were so many interesting aspects to explore: The Bosses, Party relationships, Character Interactions, and I felt that the show simply didn’t explore enough of the world.

The Plot:
The Plot also has some pretty major positives and negatives. The negatives definitely came in the first half BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS RUSHED!!! Like the setting, the plot wasn’t developed enough. There were inconsistent time jumps and overall I never felt like I could connect with the characters. It was like reading a news article about a war and the nearby civilians. Sure, you understand why a character loves/hates another character but you don’t necessarily have emotions for them. When someone dies the emotions just aren’t there because you have only seen this character for one episode, yet Kirito might have been with this person for 3 months so of course he feels sad.
To make matters worse, there were a lot of filler episodes in the first half of the show. I felt like the show lost sense of where the final goal was. Yet, in the second half of the show with AOL everything gets fixed. The characters are consistently moving toward a goal. I can begin to feel for them. Also, there is an antagonist that truly feels like an antagonist. So through these points regard, the show improved heading into the second half of the season. This definitely gave me a more positive impression of the show.

Characters:
A weak part of the show. Kirito simply was so OP at times that it didn’t make sense. While his emotions make sense throughout, due to the plot issue mentioned previously, I never felt that I could connect with him. Asuna was sweet. Yet, ultimately she wasn’t anything special. Yui definitely kind of creeped me out with her personality switch between seeming like a child and an adult. I loved Suguha. She was well developed in the second half and her interactions with Kirito were fantastic. The side characters were simply kind of there. Overall, nothing truly special. Nothing was awful, but I definitely would call the characters sub-par.

Music:
It was pretty good. The First OP was great. The second one above average. The endings were so-so with the second one being better. The OST was also great, but I didn’t hear much variety. Not really much to say, the music is above average.

Sound:
I am giving this a different category from music. Here I am referring to the sounds of the show, particularly the sword battles. While I wouldn’t say that the sword sounds were 100% accurate, I will say that the timing and amount of sound was spectacular. I think this part of the anime goes underappreciated. The sword clings, during battle were spectacular and if you watch the show, please pay attention because it is fantastic!

Visuals:
Crisp, Clean, Bright, and Colorful…just the way I like it. The animation was stellar and fluid.

Overall:
This show is something of a mixed bag for me. On one hand, the show doesn’t develop its plot or characters well enough. Yet on the other hand, the setting and improvement over the second half make up for it. However, good or bad, this show was definitely fun and I really enjoyed it so give it a try even if you have heard bad things about the show.

P.S. There is a massive plot hole with Asuna at the end of the first arc. If anyone wants to discuss it or clarify the plot hole, please message me. Hope my review was helpful :D

When I started off watching the anime of Full Metal Panic, I didn’t know what to expect. But through the 3 seasons, I became immersed in the story to the point that I couldn’t stop watching. Heading into the final season, “Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid” I was surprised by 2 things, the character development and the strong emotions. That’s not to say that there wasn’t any comedy, there was! But the entire season felt stronger. This gave me the impression that the series could be not just good, but great! Yet what was the biggest flaw in the anime? It only covered ... the first 12 chapters of the manga. And with that said we can now move on to Full Metal Panic Sigma because it, unlike the anime, continues the story toward a conclusion

Story 9/10

The story picks up after the end of the original series. Basically for those of you who don’t know what is happening, there is a Mercenary organization called Mithril. Basically their goal is to stop war, and especially terrorism from happening by using the highest technology in the world. Higher than either the U.S. or the Soviet Union. Oh, did I forget to mention that the story takes place in an alternate timeline where the cold war is still happening? Well now you know. Back to the point. One of their up and coming members is sergeant Souske Sagara who is sent to protect Kaname Chidori. Chidori has a special ability and she is known as being a whispered. Other than that, we don’t know why she needs to be protected. Meanwhile chaos resumes around the world and Sagara has to work two jobs: protecting Chidori in a school environment, and fighting off enemies in a mech.

What makes this story so interesting and fun is the constant turmoil within Mithril. There are betrayals, there are love triangles, questions are everywhere about what is Mithril’s real purpose. Who are the whispered? Why is the enemy only now entering the picture? During Sigma. All of the questions that come up, or at least most of them are answered. This is what makes the manga great, it presents questions and then delays the answer until many chapters later. It allows the story to unfold slowly which makes the plot twist moments so spectacular. The other reason I loved this manga so much is because it reminded me of a Tom Clancy book but with more comedy and romance. In many of Tom Clancy’s stories, there is sense of mystery. This is because there are many questions that slowly get answered over time. Also Clancy’s books are kind of slow paced but with a sense of urgency to them. In other words, something needs to get accomplished quickly, but things are always accomplished in an orderly fashion that is never rushed. This is exactly how sigma was. Slowly taking its time but wanting to get things done quickly. Plus there is a lot more comedy and romance in Sigma. It adds a more interesting aspect that makes the characters more interesting. Also Sigma has its own version of the Red Octover, the Tuatha de Danaan.

That being said, for all the fun and interesting plotlines in this story, I can’t give it a 10 for two reasons. 1.) There are situations where the characters make it out alive when they shouldn’t. It just seems unrealistic and it takes away from the story. It also makes the manga lose its emotional value because you begin to expect everyone to survive 2.) There is a very unnecessary filler arc. It wasn’t bad by any means. But I felt that the manga was spinning its wheels. Leading up into it there was a lot of character development, a great story and then randomly in the middle of Sigma the plot is forgotten. Still, even with these flaws I was able to forgive the show. The storyline was simply too good, so for the most part I was able to ignore these two aspects of the manga.

Art (7/10)

I’m not going to say much here. It wasn’t bad, actually at times it was quite good! The main issue though was during the fight scenes. I remember during one fight scene there were a lot of twists and turns as the mechs flew down a corridor. I got very lost in terms of visualizing the scene and it made the scene a little less enjoyable. His happened multiple times throughout the manga. Still with that being said, I could just be bad at following those scenes. They were still beautifully illustrated. Up the ranking to 8 if you are better with fight scenes than I am.

Characters (10/10)

This easily is what made Sigma so much fun for me. Every character was interesting. From Souske (our main hero) to Mardukas (second in command of the Tuatha de Danaan.), each character brought their own flare to the story. What was great is that they all were pretty well rounded, even at the beginning. Each character had their own ambitions and goals, their own reason for doing something. It made me sympathize with some characters or understand where an antagonist was coming from. Characters didn’t make decisions randomly which enhanced the realism of the story, even when it clearly wasn’t.
In particular, the character’s development and relationships are what made the characters so enjoyable. For instance

There is Souske: Emotionless, military hero turned passionate friend, lover and protector

There is Chidori: Hot tempered, crazy chick turned calm and collected fighter

There is Tessa: Strong and amazing military commander turned caring and understanding friend

I don’t think I am even explaining how fantastic these changes were. They all felt natural. Through pain, struggle, and conflict each developed in their own way to become a better person. Even secondary characters developed over time, and truly, for a story with this much intensity, these changes came through in such a natural way that I felt like I was growing with them. This naturalism, as a stated earlier is what makes the show believable. Even if giant mechs are shooting beam guns at each other. It makes the reader connect with the characters and therefore connect with the story. This all enhances the ability for Sigma to be that much more enjoyable and I’m glad that everything felt quite natural.

The other thing that made this story great is the character relationships.
I won’t go into too many details here because I would probably spoil the story, but basically there are connections and developments that you would never expect. Some are purely for comical purposes, but most add to the story in a way that allow it to develop. Looking back at what I have already written. I need to say this again. The characters in this show are amazing! I don’t think I did them enough justice in this review by stating that they had strong relationships and development. Whether it was during happy, sad, or intense moments, it just was so much fun to watch them grow. Basically, all I can say is go read the manga and see for yourself how much you will enjoy every single character.

Enjoyment (10/10)
Overall (9/10)

While I am giving Sigma an overall of 9/10 I must emphasize how important enjoyment is and that I easily could have given this a 10/10. I loved this manga. From its story and art, to its characters. Sure it has a few flaws like any manga or anime, but while I was reading this, I forgot where I was. Because in my mind I was growing with the characters. I was fighting alongside them. The best way to tell if you like any work of art, whether it’s a movie, book, or show, is to see if you are transported away from where you are. I am happy to say that I was transported away into their world. A world similar, yet very different to ours. So while I gave this anime a 9/10 I want you to understand that it is basically a 10/10 with a few flaws. So go read it! Or go watch the anime and then read it! Whichever you decide, I love Sigma and the Full Metal Panic Franchise so hopefully you will too.