The first thing you notice about Sword Art Online is that it is a gorgeous looking anime. The artwork, though it is of a standard variety, is well done with very nice backgrounds. It's not groundbreaking, but the attention to details is fantastic and I can only hope that it retains this level in the episodes to come.
The characters in this anime have been made in such a way that they are
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The first thing you notice about Sword Art Online is that it is a gorgeous looking anime. The artwork, though it is of a standard variety, is well done with very nice backgrounds. It's not groundbreaking, but the attention to details is fantastic and I can only hope that it retains this level in the episodes to come.
The characters in this anime have been made in such a way that they are pretty believable as just regular people caught in the situation that they have to deal with. I found this more than anything else has me glued to the episode wondering what their individual motivations are and SAO does a good job of hinting at the motivations of each player but not fully revealing them.
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One key note about this anime that I found refreshing is that the main character is good at the game for a reason that makes sense. Kirito was a beta tester and he obviously spent a lot of time on it. I am glad they didn't go with the traditional he is just a natural genius at it as that often ruins the believability factor.
As for pacing, I would have to say it is perfect for me. The slow parts are full of character development and interaction, while the action is fast without feeling frenetic. Even in describing how the game works to the audience is well done and you don't feel as if you just sat through a lecture, but rather you're immersed in the world the whole time. I think that is what excites me the most about this anime is that I felt that I was in the game with the characters not on the outside looking in.
Considering the content of the first two episodes SAO manages to not fall into the morose and depressing anime that it easily could. Instead it remains upbeat, but as most anime watchers know that could easily change at a moments notice. There are spats of doom and gloom, but honestly these parts were the weakest spots of the anime. If it goes in that direction it could easily lead this anime into the pits if not done more carefully. That being said a brief moment of creepiness was excellently done and I could see that coming more into play in the future. If done right it would add to the anime rather than take away from it.
Don't let the 4 stars fool you, I haven't been this excited about an anime in a long time and am glad that something popped up that gave me this hope again. Will it be able to live up to my expectations? Who knows; but if these first two episodes are any indication, it will be an entertaining journey finding out. If it does make my expectations then it will gain that last star for sure.
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