Sword Art Online Anime Review
Sword Art Online is, like many other franchises, a story written and established across many forms of multimedia. It was originally a light novel, then a manga, and finally, an anime. The series overall was created by fledgling writer Reki Kawahara, famous for creating the series Accel World as well. The anime was drawn by A-1 Pictures and received enough attention in the western front to land it a timeslot on Adult Swim/Toonami.
Sword Art Online tells the story of Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya, an average high school student who decides to buy and play the namesake cutting edge MMORPG. It was deemed noteworthy by many gamers for using a full VR-environment, which the player enters by wearing a special helmet called a Nerve Gear, which receives input directly from the brain. Sword Art Online's gameplay is therefore skill-based, relying much on the player's ability outside of the game to gauge their performance in-game. A skilled gamer, Kirito finds no problem adapting and handling the challenges of Sword Art Online.
Right off the bat, though, the game takes a sudden turn for the worse when all players are stuck inside due to a challenge issued by the creator of the game. Players who disconnect do not respawn, and instead, die out of game due to the nerve gear being programmed to kill the player. The challenge is that players must reach Floor 100 and defeat the final boss in order to return to the outside world normally. Along the way, Kirito encounters many other characters including Asuna Yuuki, who just goes by Asuna, and together they bravely progress through the game in a conjoined effort to free the trapped players of Sword Art Online.
There are a few themes that Sword Art Online touches upon, and a few messages, subtle or not, that the story conveys. First is the issue of video game addiction and immersion. Kirito knew about video games, so he adapted rather easily, but not so much for Asuna. As the story develops, he is challenged greatly outside the game. Another theme is a subtle one: doing the right thing, despite what people say it is. Kirito is labelled a "beater" early on, a portmanteau of beta and cheater, as he played in the beta and thus uses this advantage in his favor. Many players, guilds, and organizations deem him as chaotic and untrustworthy, when in reality, he decided to use this advantage to complete the challenge of the game -- after some pursuits of leisure, of course.
Other than that, the plot goes in a typical good-vs-evil approach featuring a brave, charismatic, and flawed "antihero" type main character. The high concept is somewhat unique, in showing the adverse affects and life-consuming/replacing traits of many MMOs in a direct way. But the characters are relatable, the plot is driven, it doesn't bog you down with filler, and many minor elements keep it plenty interesting.
I give Sword Art Online an 8/10. Not the best, not the worst, but a cool idea to make a story of overall.
8/10
