Anime Reviews

Sword Art Online

Title: Sword Art Online

Owner: Reki Kawahara

Genre: Adventure, action, fantasy, romance

Rating: 6/10

Summary:

In 2022, there is no more Xbox or PlayStation, now there is an interactive console called NerveGear. NerveGear is a VR Helmet that stimulates the user's brain, creating a virtual MMORPG world with thousands of other online players.

For Kazuto Kirigaya, aka Kirito, that world is the famous Sword Art Online. For months it has been tested by the few people who got their hands on an exclusive copy of SAO, so they could test it before being put on the shelves. Kirito is one of those beta testers. Now that the beta testing period is over, people have awaited days and even camped outside of supplying stores to get their hands on one of the ten thousand copies.

As soon as players begin logging into the game, they soon discover that there is no logout button. They are convinced that it is a bug until the creator of Sword Art Online, Akihiko Kayaba, appears before the players and states that the logout button has been removed on purpose. He then goes to say that from that point on, if you die in the game, if someone tampers with your helmet from the outside, or forcibly tries to remove it, the NerveGear will launch microwaves into your brain and fundamentally kill you.

In short, if you die in the game, you die in reality. The only way to defeat the game is to traverse through all one hundred floors and defeat the final boss, and complete SAO. Only then will every person be let go.

Kirito is dead set on defeating this game for everyone's sake, and with his new friend Asuna by his side, vows he'll defeat all one hundred floors.

Opinion:

Okay, anyone who read the above information may be wondering what I mean. Most people think SAO is over. Wrong! There's a scheduled second season coming out this year, 2014, Sword Art Online II for anyone who cares.

The first twelve episodes were amazing, but the rest was absolute shit. It was okay, but it made me think, "Well shit, someday that could actually happen."

I mean, with our ever-advancing technology, someday that might become possible! And while I am a bit of a gamer, I don't think I'll purchase something like that out of fear that this show will repeat itself.

Some parts of this anime definitely were hilarious (like when Kirito accidentally groped Asuna's rack), and it made for a good show. It definitely lightened the ominous, "we could all die here" factor. I can't even count how many times I burst out laughing. But the major twist? Well, I can't say it, but it'll take every one of you by surprise, I guarantee!

Was it just me that thought that Kirito's sister Suguha was pretty annoying? Sorry, but it needed to be said.

The one thing that I thought during the whole series was, "Damn, Kirito's a ladykiller." I mean seriously! Everywhere the guy goes he helps women with their petty issues, and then they fall in love with him. All I can say is that if I was there, I would've punched those girls in the nose and yelled, "If you're gonna fall for a guy that easily, no wonder you get your hearts broken!"

How many girls even liked him? Four or five I think. Then Asuna's all like, "Don't give me that look Kirito, because all the guys who have given me that look before ended up proposing to me."

And then what happens? ASUNA FALLS FOR HIM. Don't be warning him, stay wary yourself! But, they were super cute together and I exploded into a fangasm when they got together. Oh, yeah, spoiler alert! But that was obvious and didn't need any explanation.

Some warnings for this? Well... Very minimal blood, I think, because it's a virtual world but there are some scenes in reality. Some language. As for sexual content... Not much, but there's a little. Implied almost-molestation near the end of the series, and one scene where Asuna strips because she thinks that for some reason Kirito wanted to...you know, with her; for some strange reason. Getting a little bit presumptuous, are we? Anyways, I think there's a little more, but there isn't much. Oh yeah, Asuna gets booby-groped! If you haven't seen this, watch it! This anime is amazing and has an unexpected twist for a plot.

Vote if you think Kirito made his original SAO avatar ridiculously dreamy. Kirito, you perv.