heidewexellkate
I would give this selection a 9 out of 10 first the first arc, particularly the first fifteen episodes. The concept of the show was great, and although I am aware of the 'If you die in the video game, you die in real life' concept, it is a very fresh perspective on what this is like. It has a very interesting psychological side to it, showing the mental impacts that the game is taking on players and explaining just how everything came to be, even if something that occurs to the characters isn't necessarily mentioned before in the series. When characters commit suicide, it shows just how, and why, and why characters are murdering their own spouse. It shows how Kirito is afraid of being in another guild after he lost his own, and why he is hesitant to let Asuna partake in the big boss battles. The rules to the game and the player interaction with the system is interesting to watch, viewing how they eventually fall into a rhythm with their life inside of the game and how they choose to live out their lives. Not to mention, the story of Kirito and Asuna is one of the greatest love stories that I've ever seen, just because of the drama of all of it, and how they are able to overcome opposition to be together. As Yui said, they were different. It amazed me that through it all, the series was giving hints as to what was to come, and even though it showed this tough guy fighting bad guys and kicking butt, it had him emerge and the show emerge as something deeper. Just the surrealness of it all was breathtaking. They were meant to be from the start as partners in their first boss battle, and when he first laid eyes on her true form and called her by her name, it was destiny. I'm a sucker for romance, and although there were a few flaws with their relationship, such as the lack of kissing. I mean, they were married, and in the first fourteen episodes, they kissed all of one or two times. Still, the fact that they met again in that meadow, and it proceeded with them becoming friends, spending the night at each other's houses, risking their lives and positions for each other, to getting married, buying a house, sleeping together, murdering for each other, having a child (sort of), and committing suicide and dying for each other, that takes some real guts and a sort of love that I can't imagine. Plus, they were only sixteen and seventeen. I personally was very drawn to this show and the characters in it. For the most part, the characters were fairly developed. The only things that I didn't quite like about some of the characters were that Kirito and Asuna were liked by way too many people. Honestly, I don't know how Kirito was so popular with the ladies. He has more of this rough and tough prickly personality, and therefore the fact that every girl that met him had a crush on him (including his own sister/cousin) was kind of silly. Alfheim Online was okay, and it seemed to be an interesting video game, with Kirito falling into more of this dull trance, not really building onto his character very much. Still, it contributes to the love story of Kirito and Asuna (and yes, I know that his name is Kazuto, but I like his name of Kirito), which is what I was really looking for, to begin with. The graphics and soundtrack for the anime are lovely. I think that the landscapes and different floors in Aincrad were stunning, and their oil painting backgrounds were beautiful, especially during a sunset. The style of drawing used in the show is nice, and I like the clothing and figure of the characters. The characters don't all look the same, for one. The soundtrack, using a variety of woodwind and string instruments, particularly violin, piccolo, and piano, is lovely, and I always liked listening to the scenes where Kirito and Asuna were in their woodland house, because the music was great. It has a very soothing tone, and the music is always appropriate for their situation. I highly suggest listening to the soundtrack online. Overall, I loved Sword Art Online, and thanks to the length of the episodes, I was able to finish binge watching their time in Aincrad and Alfheim in about two days. It's a fascinating story with a cool concept and I couldn't bring myself away from the television.
