Jan 15, 2019
I watched the first season of SAO 6 years ago. It was one of the anime that got me into anime, so it holds a very special place in my heart, and I have been an SAO fan ever since then. After 6 years and lots of anime watching my love for the series has not waned much(though I have learned to accept much of the criticism it has received from the community). That being said, the second season, GGO, was an enjoyable watch for me, but I did not fall in love with it the same way I did when watching the first season.
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Mother's Rosario was my favorite ark in the second season, but overall the series seemed to lack the same flavor of the first season. The motivations behind the plot and the world building were too distinct from the first season. I think the 3rd season, when compared to season 2, is a lot more similar to the first season. The plot and world building is a lot closer to what SAO 1 was: being stuck in a virtual world, trying to save a loved one who is trapped by the villain, etc. One thing that separates the third season from the first is the relationship between Kirito and Eugeo. This time around, Kirito is less of a main character, and more of an accomplice to the main character. Whereas the first season focused on Kirito and his "solo" nature, and later shifted to his and Asuna's growing romance, the third season so far focuses on Kirito and Eugeo's relationship as best friends and nakama. As a result the distinctly harem vibes that this series had before seems to have been replaced by a fujoshi nakama vibe. An interesting change of pace that seems to have brought in more female fans to the series(a female friend of mine who was not blown away by the first or second season is absolutely in love with this current season). That is the most distinct and unique part of SAO 3 when compared to the previous seasons. Other than that, like I said before, it makes an effort to retain and replicate many of the things that made SAO 1 popular. While watching there were several moments when I thought to myself how similar it seemed to the first season, which is not a bad thing at all. Overall, I think any fan of the SAO series will enjoy this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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