Sword Art Online : Is It Worth Your Watch?

Sword Art Online
Image Credits: Aniplex of America

Sword Art Online! You might’ve heard about this anime more times than many popular anime shows. That’s because it is a popular one too. Most people have mixed feelings about this show. That includes a good share of opinions and also a few bad reviews. Probably a word might’ve caught your ear that the Sword art online is a harem, fanservice anime with a little plot and character development or consistency. Well, I can’t agree with that.

Despite a few flaws, this show has some fantastic aspects as well. These aspects aren’t just good enough to make it fanservice anime but also made many fans all over the world. You’re probably wondering whether to watch the anime or thinking to have a definite opinion before you start watching it. Well, you’re in the right place, let’s begin the review.

Also read: Violet Evergarden: 5 Reasons Why You Should Watch this Emotional Roller Coaster!

Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series which was written by Reki Kawahara. Kawahara originally wrote the series as a web novel on his website from 2002-2008. And the television anime series was produced by A-1 pictures, which aired in Japan between July and December 2012. In 2014, Sword Art Online II began airing from July to December. And the third season, titled Sword Art Online: Alicization premiered in 2018. The fourth season of the anime is halfway to the end, and part 2 is yet to release.

Synopsis

The series spans many virtual worlds, beginning with the game Sword Art Online, which sets in a virtual world named Aincrad. Each world built depends on the game engine known as “World Seed,” which was specially developed for the game Sword Art Online by Akihiko Kayaba. And later, it gets duplicated for Alfheim Online (ALO), and then Kirito leaks it online with the successful intention of reviving the virtual reality industry.

Story

The show might not have the best plot, but the way it presented doesn’t disappoint the audience. The story takes place in the year 2022, it sets in a world of gamers experiencing virtual gaming, And soon, players find themselves unable to logout from the game. Then the creator of the game appears and tells the players that they have to beat all levels to get into the real world, and if they die in the game, they die in real life. I mean just how exciting is this plot.

Characters

Most of the character development involves Kirito and Asuna in it. It’s not bad though, I mean even though other characters didn’t have enough character development, It feels good to see the improvement of both the main characters in the series. The love story between Kirito and Asuna is too good, and almost everyone ships them. And the main Protagonist, Kirito’s character is the best aspect of Sword Art Online. In every season, his role gets more lovable and likeable.

Music

This show has beautiful soundtracks and great music. And the artist for most of the soundtracks is Lisa. We know, when Lisa gets hands on a song, it won’t be less than a masterpiece. Some of the best soundtracks this show has are Crossing Field, Adamas, and Unlasting. Especially, Unlasting is such a song that never leaves your mind once you hear it.

Honestly, I’ve never seen an anime with so many good soundtracks, and the way they chose singers for each song is brilliant. If not for other aspects, this series has one of the best soundtracks of all time.

Animation

When it comes to animation, there isn’t a single flaw you can find in Sword Art Online. It’s merely a combination of stunning visuals. The characters are wonderful, and the art is nonetheless fantastic. The openings and endings of the anime show you the quality of animation and the way of visuals. If I had to rank the anime series in terms of animation, Sword Art Online would hold one of the top five spots. Besides music, the animation is yet another best aspect this show can have.

Action

Since the anime’s central theme is about the RPG game in a virtual reality world, it includes a lot of action scenes. These action sequences are epic and strategical at the same time. And since most of the action scenes take place in the virtual reality world, there is no sign of violence in it. With the duels that take place in the virtual reality world, the action scenes seem even more fun and exciting.

As per the critics’ reviews, this anime does have a few flaws. For instance, the first season seems too good at the beginning, and before we excite more, it splits into two parts.

The second part is not so exciting as the first one, but it is a good watch. It applies to the second season as well. I guess that’s what we should call as story deviation. You might not like it the way it is, but if you drop off the show for this minor reason, you’re going to miss a fantastic third season of anime known as Sword Art Online: Alicization. Unlike the two seasons, the third season focusses on a single part; as a result, it brought SAO back life.

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Posted by
Hanumanth Reddy

Hanumanth is an enthusiastic author who enjoys writing about anime, movies, and TV shows and aims to share his optimistic views with his readers. His favorite franchise is Star Wars, and he aspires to be a Jedi in the future, but he vows not to fall on the dark side.