Gaminez: Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online

Friday 5 April 2013 22:07 Posted by desmondykw

It took me just 2 days to finish the show, definitely one of the best animes for me! The start of the anime already got me hooked in, some awesome unique storyline that never once surfaced on anime history. It kept me watching episode after episode continuously without fail, always keeps me wondering whats next. Action scenes are sufficient, perhaps abit short in duration but its all well since most of which are flashy and are worth watching more than once! Besides all that, the anime also fits in some of mmorpg main features like recreational skills (fishing/cooking), blacksmith crafting, party/guild and PK etc. This show is just fantasy to me, enough said.

My rating: 9.0/10

In 2022, humanity has created a complete virtual environment as a mmorpg where humans could log in and play as characters themselves. This game is called Sword Art Online (SAO). Gamers around the world bought the game on launch date, log into the virtual world only to realise that there is no button to log out. The truth appears to be that they are trapped in the world of SAO and the only way to escape is to defeat the final boss and clear the game. It is a game of death, dead in game = dead in real life. Now players will have to fight for their lives, may the strongest survive!

The anime was really good in showcasing the assets of a mmorpg as well as how life is like in a game. Different assets of a mmorpg are spread out into episodes. For example, recreational skills like fishing and cooking are displayed. Quests, besides monster hunting but also people's requests like uncovering a mystery or capturing a wanted criminal for bounty etc. Boss fights are epic, short in duration but worth watching more than once. If you enjoy some anime heroic romance as well, this show is definitely a recommendation!

There are also some factors that hold the show back a little. The imbalanced timeframe. In the world of SAO, simply 9 episodes would already be like 2 years. While in the faerie world, 10 episodes is like only a week long. Some mysteries were also left untold, for example the 'walking coffin' guild. A bunch of suspicious PKers, little was told about them.

Any gamer would definitely love this anime, as well as the characters. Unique storyline, epic boss fights, incredible romance/affection, a must-watch!

Have a nice day!