Sword Art Online (For the Anime Fans)

Not sure about alot of you anime fans out there. But it has been some time since an anime has pulled me in, and totally engrossed me within its world. Such anime as Elfen Lied, for instance was one of those such animes. Now I am not saying that SOA (Sword Art Online) is on par with Elfen Lied, no. They are totally different in their type, styles, and artwork. But that aside, I have become a true fan of the series thus far. It is an ongoing anime series, and it is only up to Episode 22 of 25. There is already plans of a second season in production, and the first one is not even finished yet.

Why have I become totally engrossed by SOA, is a difficult question for me to answer. The fact that I am writing up a review of it, says wonders in of its own. Because I have NEVER done this and write a review here before, for anything. But I am doing it for this.... so something struck a cord with me.

But If I had to narrow it down, SOA has amazing voice overs. Typically alot of anime voice overs feature annoying sounding women and men. Childish antics, and overall stupid plot / animation at times. SOA features non of that. The music is AMAZING, and one of the first animes besides like "Princess Monanoke" for instance, which I have enjoyed listening too. The composer for SOA is Yuki Kajiura, composer for such anime as Noir, .hack, Puella Magi Madoka Magica and most recently Fate/Zero.

The anime also hit home with how much of a nerd I am, (please read plot summary below for better understanding). But basically the anime is about a virtual reality game, which when people put on their glasses, they get totally 100% immersed within the game. The game becomes real life, so to speak. But with the option of never ACTUALLY dieing. Well the game developer throws in a curve ball, and upon release of the game, and having thousands, and thousands of players logged in. The GM takes away the ability to log out of SOA. Also instructs the players that if they die, or are forcefully logged out, they will die in the real world. So basically you have people being forced to LIVE a video game which I found just simply awesome.

So when you add in the Plot, the great soundtrack, amazing voice overs, and clean style animation. I could not help but become an instant fan of Sword Art Online. The series, I would say is for the PG13 rating. It features some language, blood, and of course violence, but there but it isnt TOO much to the point you feel overwhelmed and not to LITTLE to the point where you keep wanting more all the time. Its a clean mixture between comedy, violence, a little fan service, and great drama.

Overall I would give Sword Art Online a 9/10

Read the plot summary below, and check out a few of the trailers I have found and enjoyed. Make sure to check out the official Japanese Trailer first before any others. There is not much dialogue so no need for subtitles which is nice.
(its always hard finding good trailers specially when there are no subtitles)

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Here is a summary of the plot behind SoA taken from wikipedia.

In the year 2022, the Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG), Sword Art Online (SAO), is released. With the Nerve Gear, a virtual reality helmet that stimulates the user's five senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds.

On November 6, 2022, all the players log in for the first time, and subsequently discover that they are unable to log out. They are then informed by Kayaba Akihiko, the creator of SAO, that if they wish to be free, they must reach the 100th floor of the game's tower and defeat the final boss. However, if their avatars die in-game, their bodies will also die in the real world. The story follows Kirito, a skilled player who is determined to beat the game. As the game progresses, Kirito eventually befriends a female player named Asuna who becomes his partner and lover. After the duo discover the identity of Kayaba's avatar in SAO, they confront and defeat him, freeing themselves and the other players from the game.

Upon returning to the real world, Kirito learns that Asuna and a small group of SAO players are trapped in another VRMMORPG called Alfheim Online (ALO). Their imprisonment in ALO is part of a plan devised by Nobuyuki Sugō to subdue Asuna and marry her, in an attempt to take over her family's company. Helped by old friends from SAO along with new allies, Kirito thwarts Nobuyuki's plans and finally reunites with Asuna in the real world.

Soon after, Kirito plays another VRMMORPG called Gun Gale Online (GGO) to investigate the mysterious connection between the game and deaths occurring in the real world. He eventually discovers that the culprits are former members of a murderous guild he had previously encountered in SAO.

After solving the murders in GGO, Kirito is recruited to assist in the development of a state-of-the-art game, UnderWorld (UW), which has an interface that is far more realistic and complex than that of the previous games he had played. In UW, the flow of time proceeds thousands of times faster than in the real world. However, Kirito ends up falling for a trap and wakes up inside the game, unable to log out and he starts looking for a way back to reality.

Official Japanese Release Trailer Below



Fan Made Trailers Below

 

Yeah, SOA is now my 3rd all time favourite anime, only bested by One Piece and Gungrave.
Being in Virtual Reality is probably one of my biggest dreams =] guess thats why i like SOA so much.

 

Ditto. Being gamers its like a calling to us.

 

Such a good show.

 

http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Sword_Art_Online - read the books! WARNING if you go there you are going to find out what happens. But even though i have read them all i still watch the show and still enjoy it because i love this series so much. I think its fun to see how the artist recreates the scenes in ways that I thought differently. Like the world tree for example

Kyoji from the books they have stuck to it really well, SAO was kinda short even in the book but they did release another one about the side stories. Not to mention it still has plenty of story to go in the books that are already released and they are still releasing more.

 

you sir are now on my awesome list.

Yep SAO is an awesome show, the creators of SAO also made another MMO based anime called Accel World. Its pretty neat check it out. I also found another Anime that is FPS based called TBoom, I am unsure what to say of it because I am only 1 episode into it, but I thought I should mention it.

 

http://www.oculusvr.com/

http://www.neurosky.com/Products/MindWaveMobile.aspx

I say hurry the fuck up and perfect it!


Oh btw those who enjoyed the Anime. They made an extension of the story via a PS Vita game.
SAO: Infinity Moment