"Sword Art Online" Makes Ultimate Gamer Fantasies Deathly Real

*This relatively spoiler-free review covers the first 14 episodes of SAO*

Sword Art Online (SAO) is an anime based on Japanese light novels of the same name written by Kawahara Reki. Due to the success of the light novels, SAO was adapted into three mangas and eventually scheduled to arrive to TV and computer screens everywhere as a new anime, generating a massive amount of hype and excitement. Forums all over the anime realms of the Internet have been equally praising and criticizing the newcomer since its premiere in July. Here is why it is a must-watch for anime-fans.

Plot: Just as Engrossing as Video Games, Sans ‘Grinding’

Photo from myanimelist.net

It is the year 2022. A lucky 10,000 players log in to a limited-release of Virtual Mass-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (VMMORPG) “Sword Art Online.” All is well until they realize there is no option to log out. Panic ensues, the players are informed by the game creator that they are trapped, unable to leave until all 100 floors of the game are defeated. That’s not all; dying in-game or tampering with the NerveGear headsets that connect players to the game will also fry the brains of players’ real-world bodies. Thus starts the epic journey of beta tester Kirito, SAO’s protagonist. The plotline may sound similar to fans of .hack//sign, an anime with a similar “trapped in a video game” premise. However, SAO takes this premise and runs with it.

Many shows tend to take on a nonchronological “problem of the week” feeling, where one week could be any other week. What makes SAO different from so many other animes, and in fact, many tv shows, is that it is well-paced in that time actually passes. Any gamer will know the frustration of “grinding,” or having to spend hours doing minute tasks over and over just to level up. With SAO, this problem is removed. Weeks to months separate episodes and characters are shown getting more and more experienced with each time skip. While there are action-heavy battles in SAO, it is the side quests and the very real digital society that push the plot to show the reality of virtual reality. Add a dynamic, heartstring-pulling love story into the mix and SAO’s plot is one that skillfully traps viewers into a virtual world that is as real as our own.

Characters: Lovable, though Flawed

Our heroes, Kirito and Asuna, in a poignant moment. Image via metanorn.net

The protagonist, Kirito, is a loner who levels up on his own, instead of teaming up with others, and is the only solo players who helps clear the dungeons on the front-lines. However, Kirito suffers from “Gary Stu” Syndrome; he is too perfect, so perfect that he is an “everyman.” He is the only player to have certain special skills, he levels up faster, all the ladies love him. Anyone could project themselves onto him. Kirito is a surprisingly average character, but his fierce dedication to loved ones, juxtaposed with his unbelievable sword skills gives Kirito an awesomeness level I can’t help but admire.

Asuna, his romantic interest, is a beautiful, skilled girl who earns the title “The Flash” for being faster than any other player in SAO. She is one of few characters to bring out traits of substance in Kirito. She is aggressively independent, and I love her for it. However, her writing is extremely spotty. In some scenes she is a fearless warrior, but in others she plays the helpless damsel-in-distress. Instead of seeming multi-faceted, Asuna is simply flawed, due to there being no tangible connection between why she is so helpless in certain scenes except for her being a girl, a tried-and-true but flawed trope. However, her love for Kirito, her self-sufficiency, and her insistence on fighting on the front lines makes her a beloved character.

Other characters are dynamic, though easily forgettable, with a veritable harem of girls who end up loving Kirito in a non-sisterly way. However flawed these characters  may be, they are still quite endearing.

Issues: All the Deep “What If”s

SAO is an anime that asks the question, “So,we’re stuck. Now what?” What do you do if your friends die in the game? Do you just give up? Do hardcore gamers have an obligation to fight on the front lines for all the casual gamers who can’t? What do those players do then? Would you just accept your fate and try to make a good life for yourself in the game world? What if the creator is lying? Does that make it moral to kill people in the game? Does the real world exist at all? Are relationships made in the game still real? These deep questions and more are issues that SAO is not afraid to address, and address them SAO does.

Art and Sound: Gorgeous Animation, Soundtrack, Voices Brought Me to Tears

A scene from the “Sword Art Online” opening title. Image via bluegartr.com

I will admit that beautiful animation is to me is what pizza is to most college students: salvation. If SAO were a pizza, it would be only the finest, with handmade sauce, homegrown organic vegetables and a well baked, poofy crust. The animation is still of course done in the anime style, but done with a certain realism that makes me occasionally question whether I’m still watching an anime. Characters rarely emulate goofy reactions, and if so, they are done very realistically instead of in “chibi” form. The soundtrack, especially the opening theme “Crossing Field” by Lisa and the themes played during battle scenes, is energetic yet poignant in conveying the desperation, but also a limitless imagination of living in a virtual reality. Japanese voice acting is a highly competitive profession, and as someone who watches a goodly amount of both subbed and dubbed anime, I think the voice actors or seiyu’s in SAO are some of the best I’ve ever heard. The voice acting, animation and soundtrack alone in one of the final scenes of SAO’s first season made me bawl like a baby they were so incredible.

Through graphics and sound, SAO presents itself as a very serious anime, dedicated to making their game world as real as possible.

Overall: If You Like Anime At ALL, SAO is Must-Watch

Gamers and otakus (anime/Japanese-culture fans) will take especial delight in SAO, which for gamers, is an anime that speaks to them on their level and for otakus, follows a unique, engaging plot. Richard Eisenbeis with Kotaku called SAO “the smartest anime I’ve seen in years.” I agree wholeheartedly. If you are at all interested in anime, Sword Art Online should be on your list.

SAO is a currently running anime that plays airs every Sunday at midnight in Japan. It is available subtitled in English on Crunchyroll.