Sword Art Online Aincrad Manga Read Online Free
Synopsis
In the yr 2022, virtual reality has progressed past leaps and bounds, and a massive online office-playing game chosen Sword Fine art Online (SAO) is launched. With the aid of "NerveGear" technology, players can control their avatars within the game using nothing merely their own thoughts.
Kazuto Kirigaya, nicknamed "Kirito," is among the lucky few enthusiasts who get their hands on the outset shipment of the game. He logs in to find himself, with ten-thousand others, in the breathtaking and elaborate earth of Aincrad, ane full of fantastic medieval weapons and gruesome monsters. Still, in a brutal turn of events, the players soon realize they cannot log out; the game'due south creator has trapped them in his new world until they complete all one hundred levels of the game.
In order to escape Aincrad, Kirito will now have to interact and cooperate with his young man players. Some are allies, while others are foes, similar Asuna Yuuki, who commands the leading group attempting to escape from the ruthless game. To make matters worse, Sword Art Online is not all fun and games: if they die in Aincrad, they dice in real life. Kirito must accommodate to his new reality, fight for his survival, and hopefully interruption free from his virtual hell.
[Written past MAL Rewrite]
Background
Related Anime
Characters & Phonation Actors
Staff
Reviews
Apr vi, 2014
25 of 25 episodes seen
| Overall | 4 |
| Story | 4 |
| Animation | 8 |
| Sound | eight |
| Character | 1 |
| Enjoyment | 3 |
--The review contains small spoilers--
Since I've seen a plethora of scores of ten for this prove, I thought I'd write what I experience is a more realistic review for this show. Sword Art Online is more or less the equivalent of a fanfiction in it's writing and quality. Whether people desire to overlook it or not is upward to the individual, merely I believe information technology fails at the fundamentals for writing a good story. This review will go into details as to my opinions on why I feel this manner.
1) Story - This is first major problem is the prove. Let's start from the beginning shall nosotros. The first arc consists of 14 episodes. The outset 2 episodes are honestly pretty practiced and fix the plot of the show that should follow. Y'all're introduced to the principal characters and it shows mmo manner of play. I hateful with 2 episodes that are amazing, surely what follows will be more of the adventures of the main characters and these mmo boss fights...correct? Wrong. What follows are 5 completely irrelevant side character episodes and unnecessary terrible time skips that ruin any sense of a story the first 2 episodes ready upwardly. So due to some illogical reason, we're at present down to 7 episodes to tell the residuum of this story. Still achievable correct? Right? Wrong again. The series wastes another two i/2 episodes on pointless filler garbage. Then there you have it over half of first role of the story has null to do with the overall plot. Well what most the other episodes you ask? The remaining "plot" episodes are filled with deus ex machina in its purest class. Even the finale of the first season makes admittedly no sense. This isn't a fantasy world, it'south a freaking video game, y'all can't have miracles here. So that concludes my issues with season one, which the majority of SAO fans consider to be the best part....Yeh you heard me, the 2d part is fifty-fifty worse.
Without going into spoilers, the 2nd part of the series takes identify in a different setting, with a mostly new cast aside from our main hero. This part of the serial probably deserves the honor for most unnecessary story in the history of anime. This arc is pretty much a mario game. Our hero must save the princess in the castle. Not really much to say well-nigh information technology. Oh yeh deus ex machina finale here too...oh and at that place's an incest subplot...for some reason. This concludes the plot section. I call up I'm beingness pretty generous with a four here.
ii) Art - The art is fantastic. Colorful characters, bosses (the few we encounter), and settings are all hither. It's easily worth an 8.
3) Audio - Again fantastic. Zero wrong with information technology at all. 8.
iv)Characters - Hither we go...This is easily the worst part of the serial. I'll separate the primary characters and lump together the non and so main characters.
Kirito/Kazuto - The main character of this prove is the epitome of the current definition of a "Gary Stu". He has no personality whatever. He is good at everything he tries for no reason. He's an amazing player, an super sleuth, a ladies human, and a primary hacker. You lot name information technology, he can practice it. There's no reason given for this other than he'due south but that good. Girls all love him, guys want to exist him, and villains are jealous of him. He likewise solos MMO boss fights...yeh wrap your head effectually that one. Side note - I often encounter people merits they honey this show because they're hardcore gamers. I have to say as an avid gamer myself I detect this show to be insulting. Unless you've hacked or cheated , I don't understand why you're content with a character who does. Side note over.
Asuna - The main female lead/almost blatant waifu grapheme ever. Asuna is introduced as a strong thespian who can stand up on her own with Kirito, that is for the get-go couple episodes. Once she reappears she barely does anything other than cook for Kirito. That's right, her ass stays in the kitchen, while Kirito does all the important stuff. In part 2 she does admittedly nothing...seriously. She again has no original personality...textbook Tsundere.
Yui - This grapheme is terrible in all senses of the discussion. She'due south walking deus ex machina, zero more than. This character should be hated by whatever gamer, since she'due south a crook device, who adds cipher to the story.
Villains (small spoilers) - There are 2 major villains in this series and they're both terrible. The showtime one forgets his motives for doing everything in part ane and the role 2 i is and then comically evil he can't even be taken seriously.
Other Characters/ Who the hell cares - The female characters all want to have sex with Kirito and have no personality by this. The male characters don't get to do anything because Kirito hogs the show from everyone. That'southward really all there is to say about that.
Suguha - This is Kirito's sister. She honestly has layers and was a plus to the show in my opinion. I don't know why she's in this show, she doesn't belong in it...
So yeh, Gary Stu and Waifu - these characters are pathetic (1).
v) Enjoyment - Needless to say I didn't relish it. Poor testify (three)
6) Overall - This show has so many fans, and I really don't know why. Its plot is rushed and terrible. Its characters so flat, it'southward virtually funny...almost. Its romance is highly misogynistic and terribly developed. I felt insulted watching this, and don't understand how any could like this testify. Fifty-fifty Gamers.
read more thanFebruary 26, 2013
25 of 25 episodes seen
| Overall | 7 |
| Story | six |
| Animation | 8 |
| Sound | nine |
| Grapheme | 6 |
| Enjoyment | eight |
I don't really want to get into besides much depth, but I'd like to give an overview of the series and give my opinions it. If you oasis't noticed yet there are many negative reviews out there for this anime, and while many of them bring up some pretty fair points, I call up some people are beingness a bit too harsh on information technology. Let me explain.
Yes information technology's a popular anime, yep it has flaws, no it'southward not perfect, just at the very to the lowest degree in my opinion it is enjoyable. The pacing is off, the offset especially feels rushed, there were moments where I thought I skipped an episode considering of the time skips which made it difficult to really connect with whatsoever of the characters in the beginning, and there were some less than stellar instances where it felt similar the anime was trying to make me care but failing hard.
Some characters felt to exist completely forgotten throughout virtually of this series too. For example in the beginning nosotros are introduced to a character named Klein who is rapidly pushed bated after the first episode and barely seen again and doesn't really make much of an touch at all on the story later on on. This seems to happen a lot throughout this series where there might be some emotional moments where a character dies, or something dramatic happens just there is actually no emotional impact from information technology, and the main character seems to not really care that much about it or information technology doesn't really effect anything significantly.
I really felt this series shined from effectually episodes 4-xiii and I wish they would take kept with that pace instead of rushing an ending midway and throwing something new at united states of america. The 2nd half just felt completely unnecessary and forced.
Pushing the negative aside, I found the overall theme and atmosphere of the series to be slap-up, and beingness an gorging lover the MMORPG genre evidently a lot of things in this series appealed to me. I really enjoyed the idea of existence stuck in a game that was incommunicable to escape from without winning and having existent consequences, it really made everything much more dramatic and meaningful in the story. Sadly this speedily goes away midway through the plot.
If I had to choice two of the best things this anime did well for me it would probably be the animation and soundtrack. They both were really well washed, and honestly without them being as practiced equally they were this serial would take gotten a much lower score from me, and when I say I really enjoyed the soundtrack I mean that I loved it, it was superb.
I recollect what it really comes down was just the fact that I enjoyed watching it. I can await at the flaws and selection the anime apart pretty easily, but those flaws never really stopped me from enjoying this anime.I really do feel though that information technology had a lot of potential to be a top tier serial, it just fabricated far too many mistakes. Looking at it objectively I but cannot requite this anime college than a 7. Information technology was good because I establish it to exist enjoyable, merely information technology wasn't keen or astonishing.
At the finish of the day I scout anime because I want something that will entertain me and keep me interested, and I feel that Sword Art Online did a good job at accomplishing that.
read moreOct 12, 2014
25 of 25 episodes seen
| Overall | 2 |
| Story | 2 |
| Blitheness | 7 |
| Sound | 7 |
| Graphic symbol | 2 |
| Enjoyment | 5 |
One time upon a time, in a country far away, there lived a brave young boy. He was the best swordsman in the land and the manliest man of all. He overcame countless trials with little endeavor and won the hearts of many fair maidens.
Yep, it'southward fourth dimension for Sword Art Online, the origin of many angry rants.
The premise doesn't sound too bad. Ten thousand players of a virtual MMO are trapped in the game and forced to complete it to escape, except that death in the game leads to death in real life. But think nearly it: this could be a tragic story of struggle where death is behind every corner. A story of sacrifice and despair. A story of alliances and betrayal. A story of the struggle to retain humanity in front of impossible conditions.
...But why accept any of that when you can have romance and harem?
That's right; the survival game is simply for show. Don't look deep interpersonal or political disharmonize. Don't expect psychology or moral dilemmas. Don't expect tactics or listen games. Actually, don't expect witty dialogue of any kind.
And that is the biggest problem with this show. It is bankrupt in substance. It's more often than not just uninspired romance and harem, with a bit of action here and at that place. There isn't much thinking involved. A few plot holes I could forgive, but if the show isn't about anything worthwhile, there isn't much to practise. What makes this trouble all the more apparent is that the premise promises something entirely unlike than what it delivers. The prove has thrown its hands up in the air and said, "We don't care." Then why should the viewer?
It doesn't help that the bear witness has grown infamous for glorifying its protagonist, who in the eyes of many has become the paradigm of a Gary Stu. He tin can defeat anything, he can solve whatever problem, and he gets all the girls. It's almost like this show was meant to be a propaganda piece in his favor.
Story: three
The commencement two episodes are decent, building up the premise. We are introduced to the protagonist Kirito and the concept of the death game. Shortly plenty, nosotros are told that a month has passed and 2 thousand players have died offscreen. ...Wait, not even a brusk montage or annihilation? Apparently not. Anyway, these two episodes are pretty much the only decent ones, and then savor them while y'all tin can.
The third episode begins to testify more serious problems. Nosotros are supposed to form an emotional bail to new characters in a few minutes, and we have to go through over-the-top angst over irrational actions. But there is also optimism in the air; of course we can revive someone whose brain has been fried, right?
What follows is an abrupt spring to harem and romance antics. The next few episodes are almost various girls of a sudden falling for Kirito, often the same twenty-four hour period they met him. This typically involves uncontrollable blushing, fanservice, and people acting Tsundere. You probably become the picture. It doesn't help that many of these episodes have a very filler-esque feel to them. The main plot ‒ if you can call it such at this signal ‒ takes a backseat in favor of these random new girls.
The girl chosen Asuna, who apace becomes the token dear interest for Kirito, has at to the lowest degree met him before, but there is still very little buildup to their human relationship. Unless it took place offscreen. Yous encounter, another thing that becomes very noticeable is the pacing. There accept been timeskips of months between episodes. This wouldn't be a problem if these snapshots contained all the events that were critical to the story, but it's obvious that the author has picked rather boring events out of all the possibilities. Why is information technology that thousands of people dying is covered in a few lines, while we have to sit through hours and hours of romance and harem? I hate to be chirapsia a dead equus caballus hither, but information technology's unavoidable because it comes up again in only about every episode.
By now, it has also become obvious to the viewer that Kirito is invincible to the signal of tedium. He has a level higher than anyone, the best equipment, and a seemingly endless pool of abilities, but about importantly he e'er wins. There is sometimes imitation tension, sure, but you know he will survive anyway. You can merely breadbasket and so many clutch survivals before you beginning rolling your eyes.
The balance of the story arc involves Kirito and Asuna hanging out in the countryside to spend their honeymoon. They even adopt a daughter to portray a typical happy family unit. The problem is that their relationship is actually not that interesting. But "dem feels"! Nah, lamentable. I have a heart of stone.
This is followed by a sudden confrontation with the main villain, which Kirito wins considering the power of love conquers all. And by that I mean the power of dear conquers the programming of the game. Well, okay, possibly there was some "ability of love" clause in the code somewhere. It wouldn't surprise me at this point.
Predictably plenty, melodrama ensues. Tears, promises of love, etc. You can probably imagine. At least now we're done with this show, right?
No, think over again, that was only the skilful part. In that location are actually 11 more episodes left, and the journey takes us further downhill. Nosotros enter another game, this time without the death attribute. Before we become to the plot itself, even at a glance this idea brings up a few problems.
The harsh reality hits you faster than you can say "cashcow." This second arc feels completely unnecessary. It has been tied into the original story with an overly convenient plot device for no credible purpose other than stretching it further. At least know to quit while you lot're ahead. Simply no, they just had to drag this show through the mud to rip apart whatever shred of dignity it had left.
Information technology doesn't help that there is no death anymore. While this makes the piece-of-life content more plumbing equipment, it also removes the established selling indicate of the evidence. The modify is likewise sharp, and the difference in tone is too jarring. If you lot want to make a slice-of-life of ordinary MMO players, exercise information technology from the start.
Now, for the plot itself, and it isn't pretty. We get straight to a Mario game, by which I mean saving a damsel in distress trapped in a muzzle. And that isn't a metaphor; she is quite literally trapped in a cage. Add tentacles and incest to the plot, and y'all take a winning combination. The incest aspect is provided past Kirito'due south sister Suguha, who too provides additional fanservice.
At to the lowest degree now the pacing is less erratic and at that place is seemingly less development taking place offscreen. It's just as well bad that there is also very little meaningful taking place onscreen. In that location are some new characters and even an ingame war going on, simply it'due south all and then irrelevant to the master story that it'due south hard to maintain involvement.
Long story short, Kirito beats the 2nd villain with the assistance of more deus ex machinas. There are also more tears, promises of dearest, etc.
Then now we're done, right? For now, yeah, merely there's still flavor two to look forward to.
Setting:
This is technically part of the story category, but I actually think it deserves its own section here. You see, the very foundations of the setting make no sense. People in Sword Art Online are too often acting similar they are in a normal game, not in a life-and-expiry scenario.
For instance, why is there so much resentment towards beta testers who have greater knowledge of the game? This isn't a contest; the faster someone beats the game, the faster everyone gets out. And, similarly, why are beta testers reluctant to share information? Are they then worried about other people using their newfound abilities to kill them for no reason? Look, y'all can't take both a casual slice-of-life of MMO players and a grim death game at the same time. Pick one.
This casual attitude becomes more pronounced afterward on when it becomes obvious people are wasting tons of time with unproductive quests, romance, and just hanging effectually. Kirito himself spends time on seemingly useless sidequests, and Asuna spends time cooking for him. Come to call up of it, why has Asuna wasted points on a useless skill similar cooking in the first place? Are these people even trying?
And why are and so many players dying when towns are safe zones? Are they stupidly rushing into loftier-level dungeons? I suppose so. You lot encounter, for a grim death game it sure is hard to die in SAO. Bosses won't respawn, so everyone can accelerate forward, even weak players. Going from town to town is also easy enough with teleport crystals. Well, okay, in that location is that problem of challenging people to a duel while comatose, but that tin't take out then many.
There is no lack of critical resources because you tin can hang out in the safety of towns indefinitely. Certain, exp and money are limited because the regeneration of monsters is limited, which is strange game design itself, only they aren't necessary if yous stay in boondocks. At to the lowest degree, the evidence never implies that they are necessary. Oh, and for the record, I'm treating the show as self-contained and ignoring the source fabric.
So why practice they die? I'd put my money on rushing stupidly into dungeons considering nosotros get to see one notable example.
Let'southward imagine you found yourself in the following state of affairs. Before you and your club are near to enter a high-level dungeon, you lot acquire that one of them lied virtually his level. Knowing this, you lot realize y'all are underleveled and likely to end upwards dead, while avoiding decease and warning the others would be as unproblematic every bit staying in boondocks.
What would you lot do? Would yous
a) Tape a bulletin in accelerate, knowing that you wouldn't last long, or
b) Stay in boondocks so that you wouldn't get killed in the first identify?
A tricky one, I admit.
We are also introduced to groups of player killers. Sounds good until you realize this isn't a normal game. At least, I idea it wasn't, simply information technology looks like some people didn't get the memo. In a situation like SAO, in that location should be no reason for these killings. This isn't Danganronpa, where the principal point of the premise is that you can but escape by killing someone. This is a game where information technology makes the most sense to team upward and crush the game. In that location is no prisoner's dilemma; cooperation is the best program and any sensible person would get for it.
If y'all kill someone here, yous only get some money and equipment. While it may help you shell the game a lilliputian faster, odds are that it will merely hurt your chances of survival overall. Just off the top of my head, a few reasons:
1) If people start killing each other, it manifestly increases the risk of dying yourself, both in retaliation and spontaneously.
2) Killing people reduces manpower needed for beating the game, and the distrust that follows will get in even slower. You could simply kill useless low-level players, only they probably don't have much money or expert equipment to begin with.
3) In that location is the hazard that yous will land murder charges if you lot escape from the game and officials find out.
Really, does the equipment even help that much? Kirito seemingly uses the same equipment for long periods of time, nevertheless he is practically invincible. On the other mitt, he does say that equipment tin be worth many levels, and so did he get the best stuff for himself so fast? Is it strange game blueprint or cheat codes? It's anyone'south guess.
Of course, if you accept piffling interest in beating the game, killing other players makes more than sense, if only a little. I suppose getting more than money tin can help you obtain some luxury items, but is it worth the chance? The implied reason is that they are killing people for laughs, but why did so many murderous psychopaths decide to log into this MMO on its opening solar day? Is this some kind of stab at gamers, saying that they are unable to distinguish betwixt existent violence and fake violence? Maybe, or the writer forgot that this isn't a normal MMO. Over again.
And so is it a legit plan to stay in the virtual world for the rest of your life and give up on getting back to the real globe? If and then, it would explain a lot. While the range of pastimes in there is smaller than in the real earth, maybe there is plenty for some people.
The option between staying in relative happiness in a virtual world and risking your life returning to the existent world could have been an interesting one. Unfortunately, their bodies are deteriorating in real life, which makes the choice very ane-sided. For some reason, Asuna has to indicate this out to Kirito because apparently the state of his real-world body had never occurred to him over the course of two years. Yes, good job, Kirito, you sure were fast on the uptake. Lying down on the grass and having a carefree nap doesn't sound so smart anymore, eh?
Finally, why are virtual MMOs still legal after the SAO incident? Certain, the new hardware is supposedly safer, but the previous death trap must have equally passed through "strict" regime exam, and then who in their right mind would trust them? And even if we presume it is rubber, since when has people'southward hysteria hinged on facts? People fear new technology even when it'southward harmless, let alone when a massive incident like this happens. There would exist mass protests in the streets in favor of banning them.
Characters: 2
Y'all may have noticed that I have only mentioned three characters past name so far. For some other bear witness, this might be considering the bandage is so vast that there is no time to go through them all, just here information technology'southward rather that there are very few characters worth mentioning. Kirito, and by extension Asuna and Suguha who are defined by Kirito's character, hog practically all of the screentime.
Anybody else gets thrown under the bus. Girls only exist to fall in love with Kirito, and males simply be to be junior to him. The villains in detail simply exist as fodder to the guy.
Kirito:
I have barely touched on Kirito's personality. Well, blame the prove, not me; it should at least be willing to meet me halfway. We know very trivial nearly him, other than being invincible and inexplicably good with the ladies. Substantially, he is the manliest man on the planet.
That'due south pretty much all he is. Fifty-fifty his dialogue ends up pretty bland. At that place are no witty insights, no clever jokes, no practiced word games. Much of his dialogue consists of saying that the world is a virtual one, explaining game mechanics, wishing to salvage everyone, or loving someone forever. The sort of stuff you'd expect from a cardboard cutout hero in a state of affairs like this.
It can exist a facepalm-worthy feel to witness girl subsequently girl falling for Kirito like zip, oft the same day they met him. The show endlessly drills into the viewer that he is the sexiest human live... for some reason. I go that rescuing people tin can give you points in their eyes, only come on now. I can just assume there is a hidden manliness stat and his black jacket comes with a +999 heave.
Equally far as his invincibility goes, the win streak by itself isn't the biggest problem. The problem is that he ever wins through brute strength. That is to say, his grapheme skills and stats. In that location are no tactics worth mentioning, no psychology, no politics, no thinking whatsoever. He will just exit there and pull off his generic action hero stunts. Sure, developing those skills and stats may take required some tactical thinking. Maybe he has optimized his skill tree or has astonishing grinding strats. In theory. Nosotros see no hints of it. Information technology all happened offscreen and offscreen doesn't count. I'1000 sorry, information technology just doesn't.
To add together insult to injury, some of Kirito's abilities are completely forgotten afterward on. I'one thousand sure that health recovery thing would have come in handy any number of times. And when even his skills and stats aren't enough, he is saved past plot armor at the concluding second.
It'southward also a mockery of MMOs in the sense that Kirito is able to solo raid bosses. And he is able to attain a level higher than anyone despite playing solo, supposedly considering he doesn't take to split the exp. His almost unique ability is revealed to be... *drumroll* dual-wielding, which nobody else is allowed to practise in this game. This doesn't sound like any MMO I know of, or was the idea to portray a player with god-mode cheats on?
I'yard seriously thinking that the evidence would have been a lot more tolerable if Kirito alone had been replaced by one of the side characters. It all the same wouldn't have been a masterpiece or anything, but at least the Gary Stu accusations could take been avoided.
Asuna:
She is about every bit bland in personality as Kirito. She is also portrayed as adequately powerful for no substantial reason but of course nada compared to him. As fourth dimension passes, her virtually notable trait becomes being a textbook Tsundere.
...Well, that was fast. Moving on.
Suguha:
As mentioned before, her primary role is providing fanservice and a tacked-on incest subplot. It's simply another element thrown into the plot for cheap shock value, if anyone is notwithstanding shocked past incest in anime nowadays.
Villain #1:
The first villain barely appears, and his motivation for trapping the players is vague, to say the least. He basically did it out of personal interest. He wanted to create a virtual world where expiry has meaning similar in the existent one, but equally for why he was interested in the thought, he forgot. Err, alright then. Moving on.
Villain #ii:
The 2d villain is pathetic and a disgrace to antagonists everywhere, coming beyond as a cartoon villain who does evil things for the sake of being evil. The conflict here is portrayed as completely black-and-white, merely in case someone had sympathy for the guy, as unlikely every bit that is.
His master focus is essentially raping a asleep girl. And that is over obtaining tons of cash, presumably in the millions. If he had left the girl alone, he probably would have got abroad with it, so for all intents and purposes, he chose raping a girl over millions in cash. Talk about priorities.
Come to think of information technology, information technology's already ridiculous that the family of the asleep girl is planning to have her marry the guy. I mean, she is in a coma. As in unconscious, unable to state her own intentions, etc. Where are child protective services when y'all demand them? Thankfully, the law disagrees, and then they tin can't utilize for an official marriage. Instead, he'll be adopted past her family as their son in spirit... Expect, what?
Furthermore, his sheer incompetence is mindboggling. He openly explains his evil plans and his security is practically at Dr. Evil level, upwards to entering a surreptitious keycode in obviously sight and then that the prisoner can see. Thankfully the authorities and his company are every bit incompetent and are non monitoring his inquiry group closely despite its reliance on infamous technology used in SAO. Are these the same people who deemed the new tech safe? If so, I'd like a second opinion. I wouldn't trust these people to operate Angry Birds, let lonely a virtual MMO with potential health risks.
Art: seven
Then this is where the coin went. The backgrounds look nice but cheap fanservice scenes non so much.
Audio: vii
Not too bad either. The soundtrack and opening and ending songs work pretty decently, and the voices are too alright.
Enjoyment: 5
Funnier than I was expecting simply for the wrong reasons. There is something earnest about how the prove is trying to portray escapism and man relationships, but it falls simply short plenty to create a dissonance.
Overall: 3
Watch it to witness the writing yourself. But more importantly, by watching the show yous can better understand the reviews or, better all the same, write one yourself.
read moreDec 31, 2012
25 of 25 episodes seen
| Overall | 3 |
| Story | iii |
| Blitheness | 8 |
| Audio | half dozen |
| Character | 3 |
| Enjoyment | 6 |
Once in a while, there comes along a title (be it movie, book or anime) that takes the audience by storm, sweeping numerous off their feat, leaving several with a bad aftertaste in their oral cavity and making a few pass the work off every bit 'average' or 'mediocre'. Online communities, forums, chat rooms and every other nook and corner of the internet known to man turn into arenas of debates, discussions, fanboyism/fangirlism and flaming. It's apparent that when something is pop, information technology doesn't always get to bath in praises. With the acclamation, comes a sheer amount of criticisms. Also, it goes without saying that popularity doesn't necessarily equate to quality.
Sword Art Online, abbreviated equally SAO from this point on, is no exception.
SAO, the anime adaptation of a series of light novels of the same name by Kawahara Reki, has been the much talked nearly testify of the Summer and Fall 2012 seasons, and taking into consideration the incredible hype surrounding information technology with reviews of mixed sorts, it's likely to stay that mode for quite some time. Keeping in mind the vogue of MMORPGs and the demand for something 'captivating', the team behind SAO attempts to bring an enticing work to the table by executing the intriguing premise of 'players trapped in a VRMMORPG where death equates to death in real life and the only way out is to articulate the game'. Unfortunately, SAO fails at many levels which is a shame because when the anime kicked off with the highly anticipated beginning episode, all seemed well and information technology gave the vibes of something truly worth spending your fourth dimension on but and so it does a flip and from this point, things go awry. And here we have it— one of the well-nigh controversial anime of the recent years.
Earlier proceeding with the review, permit's become one thing directly. I have not read the original source material— the light novels, that is. Hence, I'chiliad non going to draw whatsoever comparison between that and the anime. With that out of the way, let's keep the ball rolling.
SAO on the surface has a fairly interesting premise, no dubiety, and it'due south executed well to some extent or and then did it initially seem. The very idea of a big number of people logged into a VRMMORPG with the intention of embarking on a virtual reality risk but only to exist struck with utter horror equally they're faced with the shocking truth of the game has been put into event quite satisfactorily in the beginning episode. It'due south pretty much what I'd call an excellent start. However, SAO effortlessly manages to ship all my expectations and enthusiasm down the drain for it takes the evidence but an episode or ii to reveal its true colours followed past the disappointment information technology has in shop.
So, what goes wrong? Well, many things.
Post-obit the Great Start, the first arc decides to take a detour and invests on a few episodes dealing with side stories in which our protagonist Kirito gets acquainted with i daughter per episode and ends up rescuing her from a jam. This is precisely why I similar referring to this bunch of side stories equally 'episodic harem' wherein the primary heroine of the story and Kirito'southward love interest Asuna is causeless to be constant and the other girls are variables. At present this isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, these side stories have very little to naught to contribute to the series as a whole. Admittedly, they equip the viewers with some clever, little details here and at that place regarding how the game earth works but they hardly have any bearing to the overall plot. The primary goal of these filler-like episodes appears to be that of giving our hero clad in black an opportunity to flaunt how much of a chick magnet he is and how he has it all that takes to be the coolest dude in this world fabricated up of zillions of pixels. To kicking, the characters (read: cute chicks) that appear in these episodes take absolutely no substantial role to play in the story afterward. 'Side' characters indeed. And SAO knows how to effectively sideline them.
When the arc finally gets itself back on track, it'due south only natural to hope that the show will now have something worthwhile to deliver. However, that isn't the case. If anything, some severe cracks begin to announced as very soon the focus of SAO is the romance between the ii leads which is, in one word, cheesy. At this point, opinions are divided. The romance aspect, for some, can be appealing while for others, it tin can be a major turn off especially if they don't like the characters involved. Information technology all comes downward to personal preference. Nevertheless, personal preferences aren't a disarming excuse by whatsoever means to overlook the fact that the story, earth building and everything else take a backseat for the sake of assuasive the ii leads to exist lovey-dovey in the backdrop of gorgeous sceneries. When the arc does manage to divert its focus on to some 'serious business', things wait expert for a while but with a rather unimpressive catastrophe, the first arc concludes on a pretty bad note in my volume.
And and then begins the 2d arc which, to be blunt, is a letdown again.
The second arc or the ALO arc is gear up within ALfheim Online, a VRMMORPG successor to SAO. Kirito logs in with a mission to rescue his wife (Asuna, duh) from the clutches of an archetypical antagonist who is a disgrace to all the villains in fiction we have come across and so far. This arc showcases some actually centre processed visuals simply that's pretty much its only redeeming point. It doesn't have annihilation much going on except for a few climactic action sequences now and then with intense battle music playing in the groundwork that final just for a while. Not to mention, there's another daughter added to Kirito's harem.
And then the hilarity ensues.
The way in which ALO is brought to a close is appalling to say the least and at the same laughable because it doesn't hesitate to employ the much notorious plot device dues ex machina, ruining whatever hopes there were for the last confrontation with the villain. The poor conclusion could be excused if it was handled more cleverly and assuredly merely a blatant ass pull is past no means satisfactory. If anything, it only proves that the author faced a dead end and was unable to call up of annihilation better and creative, and expected the audience to swallow down whatever he could come with, no matter how downright stupid it is.
Among all the other things, the near easily noticeable flaw without a incertitude is the execution of the plot itself which is all over the place. Information technology doesn't take a genius to effigy out after a couple of episodes that SAO suffers from poor pacing and inconsistency. It appears to exist highly indecisive as to what exactly it wants to do and how to get it done. This is mostly evident in the first arc which is incredibly rushed at many parts. There're timeskips and the side by side thing you realize is that the characters have already cleared quite a lot of floors while keeping us, the viewers, in the dark. This makes the plot disjointed, prevents any sort of correlation to the win-or-dice situation that the characters take been put into and gives everything the feel of information technology being nil more than a piece of block. The struggle for survival and a sense of urgency are inappreciably felt fifty-fifty though the lives of the characters accept been said to be literally at stake. The episodes dealing exclusively with the lead couple taking some time off for a 'holiday' and afterwards ending upward edifice a virtual family unit tin can further brand one wonder: Why are they so carefree when they're supposed to chalk out plans to beat the game and brand a quick escape? To put it in other words, the arc has a tendency to go off rail. It lays downwardly for itself one thing merely ends upward doing something else altogether. Information technology's uncertain as to whether to make itself come across every bit a story of survival set within a VRMMORPG or as a fluffy love story. In due course, information technology decides to juggle with both but doesn't get either of them rightly washed. Not to mention, when the situation demands it and the writer goes out of whatever creative ideas to move the story frontwards, the characters' actions are made to contradict the established game mechanics and the only reasoning that'south provided for such miracles is 'where at that place's a volition, in that location's a manner, and at that place're times when true love and determination can overcome any obstacle in the game'.
Now, for those who wait for substance in any given story, it'south almost a fact that no amount of fanservice, center candies, self-insertion or guilty pleasure factors can possibly compensate for a substandard storytelling. Nonetheless that's what SAO tries to do. It brings in all the aforementioned elements to sugarcoat its sloppy writing. On the whole, in that location're no sincere efforts made to incorporate details that would contribute in some fashion or the other to world edifice or characterization whatsoever.
While the poor quality of the writing is the fundamental factor, the other aspect that contributes considerably to the mediocrity of the show is the characterization. Simply put, SAO's characters are bland. Essentially, the bear witness has its focus on only ii characters: Kirito and Asuna. The others are just there; mere devices to movement the story forward. And a few have nothing to contribute to the plot at all. For instance, the ones featuring in the side stories.
Let's talk about the protagonist Kirito first.
An unsocial, reserved yet headstrong player who knows how to get things washed his way and is determined to beat the game. That'southward basically how Kirito is portrayed in the outset. At this signal, he seems like a expert riddance from the generic wimpy male leads that accept become so much of a commonplace in anime. A skilful chief character who knows how to deal with things is something refreshing to witness in one case in a while. Unfortunately, the impressions didn't last for long. In desperate attempts to make his character more 'appealing', Kirito is depicted every bit a 'perfect' being which leaves his character with little plausibility and much insipidity.
He's a guy with a heart of gold.
He has an 'ideal' girlfriend/wife.
He's admired by those effectually him.
He tin 'unintentionally' brand every other woman admire him, romantically or otherwise.
Thus, he serves as a mere self-insert character for wish-fulfilment and at the end of the mean solar day, there'south null 'individualistic' well-nigh him. Gary stu is probably what describes his grapheme the best, and if paired with the Mary sue of the show, we get a pb couple that seems to have been cut out directly from a tacky romance fanfiction.
Yep, when I mentioned 'Mary sue', I was referring to Asuna.
Asuna as the female lead is as stereotyped as they come up. Much like Kirito, her character is heavily idealized. She's pretty, popular, kind, caring and every other homo wants to have a piece of her. Oh, and did I mention her cooking skills that level up with each passing day? Afterwards all, her foremost duty is to cook for Kirito and show how much she cares for him. While initially she's portrayed as a stiff, independent female player with a tsundere-ish attitude, it doesn't take her long to make a transition from that to a lamentable dryad in distress, requiring her knight in black robe to come up to her rescue whenever she's in a demark. Kirito fighting her gild leader to earn her some fourth dimension for honeymooning is laughable to say the least. It before long becomes apparent that she doesn't have much of a office other than serving as the honey interest of the protagonist and being the object of fanservice now and then which might be successful in pleasing the male audience somehow but that alone tin't make upwards for her desperately written character. In fact, the other female person grapheme the testify cares to put the spotlight on also ends up becoming the target of fanservice but doesn't have anything else going on for herself.
If you lot haven't guessed information technology already, I'm talking about Kirito's dear imouto.
Throughout the commencement arc, the writer must have had been itching to include a dear triangle in the story just couldn't find a potential candidate to get the job done. Every bit the commencement arc comes to a closure and the 2d arc begins, he grabs the opportunity, puts Asuna behind the bars (so that she'south not an interference in what he'southward attempting to do) and introduces Suguha, Kirito's cousin sister. The sole purpose of creating her character, it appears, is to brand way for a generic love triangle and melodrama. Suguha loves her cousin just can't do anything about it because he loves Asuna. That's the bitter truth. Hence, she looks upwards to a certain someone she happens to befriend within ALO and hopes that he'd exist able to sooth her aching centre. Still, she gets trolled… desperately. This, in turn, leads to more drama that'south somehow supposed to be heart wrenching but information technology isn't.
The remaining cast consists of ii antagonists, both failing to make any sort of impression though the ane making his debut in the 2nd arc can be a good comic relief at times, and a bunch of side characters that wouldn't have had fabricated any difference even if they hadn't existed. The bottom line is, the characters of SAO are a one-half-baked lot devoid of whatever depth or development. They could've peradventure turned out to exist interesting if they were more fleshed out but who cares about that as long as they appeal to the intended target audience?
Onto the technical aspects now.
In the section of visuals, A-one Pictures does a pretty good job. Within the game, the vast tracts of greenery, the beautiful cities during the night, the castles… they're all a pleasure to behold. The animation is also well-handled for the nigh part. Initially I wasn't much pleased with the grapheme designs but they gradually grew on me, and I personally find a few characters similar Asuna, Heathcliff and Lisbeth to be very well designed.
The music is composed by 1 of the almost renowned composers in the anime industry, Yuki Kajiura. While the soundtracks aren't bad by whatever means, none of them stand out much except the ane that plays during combat/intense scenes. In fact, that's the only rails that tin can exist heard playing most of the time in the entire show. A few other tracks, though they aptly fit the scenes they're played in, are easily forgettable. The same applies to the opening and ending themes. Nada groundbreaking in that location. I'm a fan of almost all of Kajiura's works and if compared to her previous works, SAO's music is lacklustre to say the least and and then much so that it's hard to believe Kajiura is the composer to begin with.
To wrap up the review, SAO had the potential to be something good just that potential goes down the drain due to poorly executed plot and bland label. Information technology starts off in a satisfactory manner but goes downhill thereafter. Nevertheless, it can be an entertaining ride if one keeps their expectations low and swallows down whatever it has to offer without questioning anything. One of the reasons why SAO has been a letdown is the anticipation the majority had for it prior to its airing just that's justified since the calorie-free novel series from which the anime is adapted is i of the most pop ones out in that location.
[Edited on March 20, 2017]
read moreRecommendations
Recent News
Recent Forum Discussion
Recent Featured Articles
Source: https://myanimelist.net/anime/11757/Sword_Art_Online
0 Response to "Sword Art Online Aincrad Manga Read Online Free"
Post a Comment