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(Before reading please take into account that this is my first time writing a review and that i tried my hardest)
(There are some spoilers, sorry)
Sword Art Online...
I regret to inform you as awful..
STORY: 5
I LOVED the SAO until episode 12 or so. SAO had the potential to be one of the best animes i have ever seen though it fell very short of my expectations. The anime was already way to rushed to begin with and made me believe was only going to be a 12 episode anime, though it didn't do that at all, it ended up being a 25 ... episode anime that seemed extremely rushed because it was trying to put to many ideas into one season.
I must say that the concept of the Virtual Reality Game was amazing! It left me dreaming for days after watching the first few episodes. Who would not like to be in a VRMMORPG??? It looks amazing! (except for the dictatorship and the harsh rules of the game...) But that story line had awesome potential but was completely destroyed when episode 13 happened. The story became almost like those shouju animes, i love soujo animes i wont lie to you and say that i hate them, but in this story this is not what i was expecting or wanting to happen. The anime should have continued to be action packed and with a slight romance that would blossem, but instead it was quick action a lot of talk, and then even worse when his sister shows up after SAO. ALfhiem Online though was the part that really just ticked me off towards the entire next part of the anime, suddenly they could fly and where like magical fairies in a Disney movie. It could be considered amazing by some because suddenly there is a splash of fan service and huge boobs, more than before. ALfhiem Online was the failure part of the anime, if it hadn't been for that this anime could be considered very good and i would recommend it with the same enthusiasm as i was when it first began to air.
ART:9
One thing that i know that SAO did amazing though was art, it was beautiful landscapes, characters, and creatures. Everything was filled with vivid colors that brought out the Video Game from the anime. I loved looking at the background and the characters, because personally i highly prefer this type of anime style than others that seem to be quite popular. Though to me it did seem to have a bit of a childish, not the childish of "card capture sakura" but still had that less "Vampire knight" more sharp and pointed look.
SOUND: 7
The over all sound of the anime was good, I cant complain there are songs from this anime that i know by heart after listening to it so many times, but it still isn't the best anime sound i have ever heard. Though once again i must say that ALfhiem Online seemed to just pose a huge problem for me, i hated the music to the second part of the anime, if it could have stayed like the first i would have loved all the music of the anime.
CHARACTER: 4
This was another very large flaw in the anime SAO, besides the main characters the other ones just seemed to come and go, perhaps this is because they rushed the entire anime but they still could have kept the characters for longer periods of time instead of using them to help Kirito or Asuna complete a "mission" and then disappear fro most of the rest of the anime. The characters barely had any time to grow and Kirito and Asuna even though they had a lot of time to grow i dont really like how they grew... In ALfhiem Online Asuna just seemed stupid; (let me explain my thinking) Asuna instad of being the strong and independent leader she had been for 12 episodes was now as weak as a butterfly and needed someone to come save her, she had been as strong as Kirtio and that is what i think helped save the romance, the fact that both where strong enough to protect each other. But suddenly Asuna completely and feels the need to become that cute little girl that we all thought she wasn't just made her seem boring, as if she had lost her spice, her magic. And well Kirito... Was just kinda all around lucky. He was the only one to be able to unlock a special skill, the one to get the hot girl, and the one to win. It was obvious that he was going to be the winner of SAO that i knew from the begging but they still could have tried to make it a bit more of a chalenge for him. He ends up getting everything and is considered the strongest player in SAO, he just seemed a bit too perfect fo the game.
ENJOYMENT: 6
I gave enjoyment a 6 because if it wasn't for the second game ALfhiem Online this anime would be in my top 5. It is a light hearted anime that is fun to watch, but if you are expecting a hard-core video game battle or sexy hot moments this just isn't what SAO has. But it is fun to watch.
OVERALL: 6
SAO deserves at least a 6 for overall because it had the potential to be very good, it just seemed to have kind-of half-a**ed it. If they hadn't been in such a rush to finish the anime it could have been very good, and if they could have perhaps stuck to one type instead (i will explain what i mean, just wait). SAO has some parts that seem almost ecchi but still it isn't ecchi, and it could have been a full on action anime but it didn't reach that epicness that you try and find in an action anime. If they had stuck to one of those it could have been better because they seemed that they where just being like "Here a little bit for everyone!". They could have made the romance much more romantic too but the way the romance was staged it is kind of a stretch to say that this is a good romance anime.
I still really liked SAO i am not trying to discourage any one who is planing on watching it, but i am just saying it could have been better and i wish that they could have changed some of their mistakes.