SAO series Review

*Warning: This post contains SPOILERS. If you do not want to be spoiled, DO NOT READ THIS POST

....I warned you... O.O*

Hello! Now, I'll be comparing my opinion on SAO to gigguk's opinion. ^.^

So watch the video if you haven't already! >.< (watch it until the very end!)

Well, first let me say that overall, I'd give Sword Art Online a 8 out of 10.
Wait, wait, wait!!!! >.< Let me explain!

Firstly, I have previously played MMO games. Although I did not seriously play a lot of them, I have played them before. Also, I read the Sword Art Online light novel. So, I know a bit more than those who just watch the anime. And lastly, I am a bit of a SAO fangirl :3

I definitely agree with gigguk that the art, action, and music, is absolutely SPECTACULAR in SAO. I mean, even someone like me, who doesn't review animes a lot can tell that the action was done really well unlike the end of the movie, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Although it was acted out by real actors and actresses, when Percy and Annabeth were sparring at the end, it looked completely unreal. Even nigahiga, D-trix, and Arden Cho (Youtubers ftw!!!! ^w^) in "Agents of Secret Stuff" did better than them! But then again, acting and animation are two very different things :\ . You can just tell.
However, there are things that I disagree with, though mainly because of me reading the light novel, being an MMO gamer, and not really evaluating and thinking about the anime while watching it (like what gigguk said).
Because of being a gamer, I feel like I am already satisfied with seeing Sword Art Online as an anime. It's pretty cool to see a "real" gaming environment, with all the floating windows and health bars and stuff. -.- The anime's art also great, making people, like me, want to be inside and play the game.

See!!??? Floating interactive windows!!!! How cool is that!!!!???? XD

About the characters: I feel like gigguk is right to say that the characters aren't fully developed...that is, the characters in the anime. As a reader of the light novels, I would say that my understanding of the characters is deeper than someone who just watches the anime. In the light novels, although the point of view is in the first person narrated by Kirito/Kazuto, sometimes, it will change to the limited point of view, allowing the readers to understand what another major character, for example Asuna or Suguha, is thinking. The light novel also has more arcs and events than the anime does. (For example, the Mother's Rosario Arc is mainly focused on Asuna as the protagonist/main character.) How a character reacts to specific events tell us, the readers, their traits. So, different point of views tell us different characters' thoughts and events reveal more characters as well as their traits, leading us to a better understanding of the characters of Sword Art Online.

This is the cover of Volume 7 of the SAO light novel. It's for the Mother's Rosario Arc

(Yuuukkkiiii!!!!!! NOOOOO!!!!!!! I'll love you forevah!!!!!!! D':)

About the seriousness: I feel like some of the characters were over-serious for really no reason, but others were seriously serious (what a confusing sentence T^T). In SAO, the serious ones would be the players at the front-lines. The others, who chose not to fight and to live their lives in SAO (kind of like the fisherman guy in Episode 13, remember him?) are the ones who are more laid-back. In ALO, pretty much everyone who is aiming to complete the Grand Quest and reach the top of the World Tree can be labeled as "serious", but there are exceptions. For example, that one Salamander that Kirito and Leafa spared in Episode 19 could be considered as non-serious because he accepted Kirito's bribe. The seriously serious people would probably be Kirito/Kazuto or Oberon/Sugou Nobuyuki. For Kirito, he's being serious because he wants to escape from SAO and save Asuna from ALO. For Oberon....he's just a horrible, disgusting, selfish fictional human being -_-.

:D

Again, the light novel explains a lot more than the anime does. For example, we learn more about Heathcliff/Kayaba Akihiko and why Kirito is so overpowered (it has to do with how the NerveGear and Amusphere (and later, the MediCuboid and Soul Translator) work, which the light novels go more in depth in).
Gigguk talked about how the creators disregarded in-game rules to advance the plot or make Kirito look badass (while showing the scene when Kirito used Kayaba's username, Heathcliff, so I am only assume that that's what he's talking about). But, I think that the only reason Kirito could do that is because of his willpower, a theme. Thus, this theme would be that human will can overcome the program.

And now, I would talk about the plot, but honestly, I don't really have much to talk about. :| I was one of the people who just enjoyed the Sword Art Online anime without thinking much....
So yeah, I'm skipping this section :P


That's all I have :)
I know that's it's not much because I started working on the first half of this and wasn't able to finish it until much, much later. (My train of thought was just cut in half, you know -__-)
I'm thinking of adding some posts about my other thoughts about SAO or to share stuff with you guys, but I can't promise anything yet!
Also, I may have only shown gigguk's review of SAO on this post, but don't forget that there are a lot of other anime reviewers out there! (Maybe I'll do other short posts using their videos too next time)

Bye! :D