This is probably one of the best animes I have seen in a long, long while.
As an avid gamer, this anime resonated with something very deeply seated within me. Much like a bird is compelled to fly to warmer climates in winter, without having to be taught, I too was compelled to watch this anime without any basis at all, other than it had to do with games. I was not disappointed.
The story is ...
This is probably one of the best animes I have seen in a long, long while.
As an avid gamer, this anime resonated with something very deeply seated within me. Much like a bird is compelled to fly to warmer climates in winter, without having to be taught, I too was compelled to watch this anime without any basis at all, other than it had to do with games. I was not disappointed.
The story is about a young gamer. He, along with countless others, has purchased a new gaming console called Nerve Gear. Unlike an Xbox or PS3, the Nerve Gear is the first ever virtual reality device. It stimulates the brain directly, cutting off its signals to the body at where the neck connects to the head. This allows the user to delve into an alternate world, so to speak. Needless to say this development is revolutionary, but no one has done anything particularly amazing with it. That is until the release of the new MMORPG(Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game), Sword Art Online. The game is only released to a small number of people, ten thousand, and the protagonist is one of the few to get it. He slips on his Nerve Gear, lays on his bed, and utters the phrase that will forever change his life: "Link start." After he enters the game he plays for a while, helping out a newbie in the process. When said newbie attempts to log out, however, he is greeted with an odd sight. The log out button has disappeared from his menu. The protagonist finds that his is gone too. Soon after they see this they are teleported to the center of the starting town, along with everyone else. There the game's creator tells everyone that they have been trapped inside the game, and they won't be able to leave until they beat the game. Not only that, if they die in the game, or their Nerve Gear is removed from the outside, they die in real life. Naturally this causes panic among the players. Before the creator leaves he returns everyone to their original forms, i.e., their real faces and bodies. This is the back story that Sword Art Online builds itself upon, and it is splendid.
The over arching story is very good too. The development of the main characters has a very good pace, and the characters themselves are three dimensional and believable. The protagonist's fears are understandable, and have a basis rooted in events that transpired previously in the story. The main heroine also softens and warms up to the protagonist at a good pace and also as a result of his actions. She's a classic tsundere, so her character isn't that original, but she is done very well, none the less.
As for the art and animation I was very well impressed with it. The visuals are vivid, clear, and smooth. This very well done animation adds greatly to the fight scenes that are inevitable from this anime. The fights are brutal and gritty, as you would expect from people fighting for their lives. The addition of health bars to the characters stays within lore, but also adds a form of suspense in many scenes that is extremely effective.
The music is great, and I often found myself wanting the original soundtrack for the show. I particularly liked the opening theme for the first season. The voice actors were also fantastic and really helped to bring their characters to life.
This anime has become an instant classic for me, and easily lives up to the light novels that it was based off of. Five bedridden Nerve Gear patients out of five.
Read more
