Here's a spoiler free tldr:
The story is boring and full of holes, the characters are cardboard cutouts with a very clear line between who is a bad guy and who is a good guy. I didn't enjoy this very much and I doubt many people will unless either they enjoy watching generic isekai with dialogue about the power of love and friendship, or they liked the original SAO series. The only redeeming feature of this anime, in my opinion, is its good animation and decent soundtrack.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
Story-4
As is the tradition with the SAO franchise, the story itself is eh. Kirito is transported to another
...
artificial world with "fluctlights" or rather the "souls" of the AI humans that inhabit this world. There really isn't a conflict, at least, not that Kirito knows of. It's a classic isekai adventure where the hero goes to defeat the villain at the top of the tower to rescue a fair maiden, although here the maiden (who actually had potential as a character) is his childhood friend, and he's accompanied by his other childhood friend Eugeo (who also actually had potential as a character).
Then, there's the plot holes. Dear god the plot holes. From small ones like where Eugeo seems to suffer selective amnesia, remembering and agonizing over when Kirito and Alice (the damsel in distress) were alone in a forest together, but forgetting that they were there to make Eugeo a wooden sword for his birthday, to larger ones like where the main villain swears by her soul to do something but then doesn't do it, without any repercussions.
Also, Kirito keeps defeating the villains with the power of love, friendship, and willpower, as usual, which makes for some disappointing fight endings.
Overall, meh.
Art-8
One thing SAO is consistently good at is its art, and that's no exception with this installation of the franchise. The fights are well-rendered and everything is pretty smooth. There's a few blips throughout, however, like where Eugeo is cut in half and we see his blood start to leak out in one scene, then sometime later he is no longer lying in a pool of blood, but then in the next scene the blood starts to leak out for the second time.
Sound-7
Again, SAO's music isn't actually bad. It's not stunning, or particularly memorable, but there's a few scenes where the music does enhance the story a bit. Overall, not great, not terrible.
Character-4
Most of the characters here are two-dimensional garbage, aside from Kirito the doorknob and Asuna the doormat (who thankfully didn't get much screentime throughout), we are introduced to a variety of dumbed-down characters, including almost all of the villains. The main villain is a generic cross between Pol Pot and Josef Mengele, aka a tyrannical, evil despot who wants to rule the world and doesn't give a shit about her citizens. Her only character trait is that she walks around naked and honestly looks pretty sexy. There's also two nobles, with no redeeming traits whatsoever, who delight in taunting Kirito and Eugeo, and serve the role of kickstarting Kirito and Eugeo's adventure by attempting to rape two other cardboard cutouts of characters, one of whom apparently has a side story with Eugeo that goes absolutely nowhere. The few characters who were decently entertaining to watch, like Bercouli or Deusolbert, were used in one or two episodes and immediately thrown aside. Chudelkin serves as comedic relief and is another rapey character who is revealed to have an overpowered final move that baffles the main cast for a moment, but then Kirito takes his sword and one-shots Chudelkin and that's that. A few other characters, like Eugeo and Alice, who was arguably the best heroine of the SAO series, were alright, and held decent potential to become compelling, interesting characters, but, Eugeo died (knowing SAO not sure if he'll somehow come back) and Alice didn't really even participate in any of the important battles.
Enjoyment-4
There were a few episodes where I actually liked it and wanted to keep watching, and then there's other episodes where we have chad Kirito clapping villains one by one, or various characters being sexually assaulted (it wouldn't be SAO without at least one rape scene), or a long rant about the power of love. The last few episodes I really struggled through because of the obvious plot holes and crap dialogue.
Overall I rate this a 5/10, which is supposed to be average. Usually I would rate this mostly taking into account my enjoyment, which is even lower than a 5, but the art and sound effects are admittedly pretty good. I can't say I recommend this anime unless you're just looking for another generic isekai or you liked the other SAO series.
Apr 25, 2020
Sword Art Online: Alicization
(Anime)
add
Here's a spoiler free tldr:
The story is boring and full of holes, the characters are cardboard cutouts with a very clear line between who is a bad guy and who is a good guy. I didn't enjoy this very much and I doubt many people will unless either they enjoy watching generic isekai with dialogue about the power of love and friendship, or they liked the original SAO series. The only redeeming feature of this anime, in my opinion, is its good animation and decent soundtrack. SPOILERS FOLLOW Story-4 As is the tradition with the SAO franchise, the story itself is eh. Kirito is transported to another ... 
Dec 31, 2019
Giji Harem
(Manga)
add
Wholesomeness 10/10
Kawaii 10/10 Story 7/10 Manga, as with other forms of literature or artistic expression, doesn't always have to be exciting or particularly meaningful. This is a short (each chapter is only 4 pages long), fluffy, and wholesome read that can cheer you up if you're sad and make you want to fall in love with an adorable kouhai. If you're looking for romantic development or plot you won't find it here. It is very enjoyable to read though, and heartwarming. Aside from the simple plot, the manga scores very high for me. Art is objectively decent, but the facial expressions are masterful and Rin's eyes are drawn ... 
Dec 30, 2019
Story: 9/10 The premise was quite interesting if unrealistic, and I found the story to be moving and deep despite there not really being much of a plot. I suppose you could call it heartbreaking.
Art: 7/10. Honestly, this is probably the only reason why the overall rating isn't a 10/10. The art is mediocre, and not particularly memorable. Character: 10/10. Kusunoki and Himeno were intriguing characters, and their interactions were enjoyable. The philosophical questions they ask themselves are the defining factor of this manga, and despite their story, which can only be called a tragedy, they find happiness in each other. Enjoyment: 10/10. Very enjoyable and ... 
Dec 30, 2019
I finished this manga several months ago, but I can still recall it vividly and remember how I was elated whenever a new chapter was translated.
I found it on a random reddit thread and binged some 60 chapters in a day, since the plot simply hooked me. Story: 9/10, the premise was interesting, and the plot never really got old. [SPOILER] I was wishing that Chihiro would get together with Yugami the entire time but still felt great even after they friendzoned each other. Art: 9/10, in the earlier chapters it was simple, but I found it charming and it didn't really negatively affect my view of ... 
Dec 30, 2019
Byousoku 5 Centimeter
(Anime)
add
Story: Excellent, I liked the premise of two friends moving away, and it hit me hard when they realized they would probably never see each other again. The plot moved at a good pace but in some places were lacking, which, I suppose, is a trademark of Shinkai films.
Art: Very good art overall. Sound: The background music was quite appropriate for the mood, and the ending song was a great expression of how the protagonists felt. However, I felt that the overall impression that the music left on me, as a musician, was not very great. As I write this review, a day after watching it, ... |
