Today's pick in the Daily Anime Pick-Series where I pick one anime each day that I think is worth watching is Sword Art Online!
When you ask someone whether he knows Sword Art Online even if this person doesn't usually watch anime chances are that he has at least heard of it. Sword Art Online exploded in popularity when it first came out and has also spread to the western world. It's currently the third most popular anime according to MAL popularity rankings.
Sword Art Online has brought attention to a futuristic technology that is the perfection of what we today call Virtual Reality. The name of this anime is the name of a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Play Game) inside the anime. It is the first of its kind and can be played with a new hardware device called Nerve Gear. Players would put on this Nerve Gear in form of a helmet and then launch the game via a voice command. Then this device cuts off your senses and replaces them with virtual ones so that you are perceiving a virtual world. This enables the players to be completely immersed in the game. They can move more freely than in the real world since the players are not tied to the strict rules of physics of reality. In the year 2022 Sword Art Online was released for 10,000 players. The game was sold out in a wink and players all over Japan rushed to play this game. Kirigaya Kazuto (Kirito), our main protagonist and beta tester of SAO, was one of them. But even though this game seemed like heaven has arrived on earth for many players there was a problem with its start. It wasn't exactly a problem that occurred but the game was set up this way. The creator of SAO, Kayaba Akihiko, manipulated the game and Nerve Gears in a way that would prevent players from leaving the game world. Forcefully removing a Nerve Gear would lead to death by sending a burst of microwaves into the player's brains and additionally any in-game death would result in the same. The only way to escape this game would be to beat the final boss on floor 100. This message was broadcasted to all players and the outside world after a few hours when the servers went online. This sets the frame for the story of Sword Art Online. Currently there are two seasons called Sword Art Online, Sword Art Online II and a movie called Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale that continue the main story line. In the following I'll cover briefly what awaits you in those three parts.
Sword Art Online consists out of two arcs the first one beginning like you've already heard above which is called the same as the series. The second part is ALfheim Online which is the title of the next VRMMORPG that came after SAO. The first part will cover what happens during the two years the players were trapped in SAO. After the introduction you've read above the anime makes a leap to Oktober 2024 when the core of the story starts. The remaining 6000 players have made it to floor 74 and Kirito managed to become one of the solo front runners making him the second strongest player in the game. From there on the main story begins.
Sword Art Online II also consists out of two arcs namely Gun Gale Online and Mother's Rosario. The first one deals with a new VRMMORPG that involves fighting with guns and the second one switches perspective to another character besides Kirito.
The story then continues with Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale that focuses on Augmented Reality games.
Overall I have to say that this anime is at the top of my list of animes that I enjoyed the most. This anime was just insanely exciting and atmospheric for me. It offers amazing soundtrack and visuals and a story that pulls you in. Now since this anime has achieved great popularity a group of people has risen that down talk this anime into oblivion for various or no reasons. Some say that they didn't like the time skips in the anime, that they didn't like the characters, villains or that it doesn't live up to the light novel. Personally I've read the light novel and I don't think the anime is bad in comparison. It all comes down to whether you can enjoy the anime or not. I suggest you watch the anime and decide for yourself what you think about it. Then be aware that is ok to have different opinions and don't fall into the peer pressure trap. In the end it's up to what you do with experience but generally I would say to focus on the things you like and not the things you dislike.
Below you'll find the usually stats for the first and the second season. Additionally there are six images for each of the first four arcs and the Sword Art Online and Gun Gale Online opening.
Sword Art Online
Sword Art Online
ALfheim Online
Description
In the year 2022, virtual reality has progressed by leaps and bounds, and a massive online role-playing game called Sword Art Online (SAO) is launched. With the aid of "NerveGear" technology, players can control their avatars within the game using nothing but their own thoughts.
Kazuto Kirigaya, nicknamed "Kirito," is among the lucky few enthusiasts who get their hands on the first shipment of the game. He logs in to find himself, with ten-thousand others, in the scenic and elaborate world of Aincrad, one full of fantastic medieval weapons and gruesome monsters. However, in a cruel turn of events, the players soon realize they cannot log out; the game's 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 fellow players. Some are allies, while others are foes, like 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 die in real life. Kirito must adapt to his new reality, fight for his survival, and hopefully break free from his virtual hell.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Studios
A-1 Pictures
Genres
Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Game, Romance
Season & Length & Source
- Summer 2012 (Jul 8, 2012 to Dec 23, 2012)
- 25 Episodes
- Light novel
Sword Art Online II
Gun Gale Online
Mother's Rosario
Description
A year after escaping Sword Art Online, Kazuto Kirigaya has been settling back into the real world. However, his peace is short-lived as a new incident occurs in a game called Gun Gale Online, where a player by the name of Death Gun appears to be killing people in the real world by shooting them in-game. Approached by officials to assist in investigating the murders, Kazuto assumes his persona of Kirito once again and logs into Gun Gale Online, intent on stopping the killer.
Once inside, Kirito meets Sinon, a highly skilled sniper afflicted by a traumatic past. She is soon dragged in his chase after Death Gun, and together they enter the Bullet of Bullets, a tournament where their target is sure to appear. Uncertain of Death Gun's real powers, Kirito and Sinon race to stop him before he has the chance to claim another life. Not everything goes smoothly, however, as scars from the past impede their progress. In a high-stakes game where the next victim could easily be one of them, Kirito puts his life on the line in the virtual world once more.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Studios
A-1 Pictures
Genres
Action, Game, Adventure, Romance, Fantasy
Season & Length & Source
- Summer 2014(Jul 5, 2014 to Dec 20, 2014)
- 24 Episodes
- Light novel
Franchise
- Sword Art Online
- Sword Art Online II (Sequel)
- Sword Art Online: Extra Edition (Special)
- Sword Art Online: Sword Art Offline (Special)
- Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale (Sequel)
- Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online (Alternative)
- Sword Art Online II: Debriefing (Summary)
- Sword Art Online II: Sword Art Offline II
