Sword Art Online Review (S.A.O) -ItsComicKid

If you haven't heard Sword Art Online is the new love it or hate its show that ended 2012. with many who will rejoice to hear if it earns another season. And with many viewers crowing S.A.O  "-THE best anime I've seen in a couple of years" it most likely will, but like any thing popular there are just as many people who cant stand It claiming it to all be just hype. Is it just S.A.O just hype or is it well deserved. 

In S.A.O The players of a virtual reality MMORPG, Aincrad Online, are trapped and fighting for their very lives. After it is announced that the only way to leave the game is by beating it, Kirito—a very powerful swordsman—and his friends take on a quest to free all the minds trapped in Aincrad. -Anime News Network that's pretty much the base story to S.A.O with out spoilers or an essay. The story revolves around Kirito a mmo expert who was a beta tester for Aincrad Online be for it launched, and his struggles through out the cyber world. As he tries to beat the game to be set free.

Pacing a double edged sword for S.A.O. At the beginning of the show there is nearly no slow points at all. Your thrown right into the thick of this world and its characters problems. Some thing is always happening for the  first half of the show. For the sake of entertainment lets not spoiling things and just say there is literately a game changing plot twist. I would not go as far to say its unpredictable but what happens later really is and makes you think the show is finished. Right after the show seem to come to a complete halt  and moves along slowly for the next five or six episodes. which is not a bad thing it explains the story but for some one who really is not committed to the story it will leave them bored and may very well be a deal breaker.

That said if you can get past the slow streak then this is the show for you. The story is one of the most addictive i seen in along time. And by taking a different path than most action anime it focus on character and relationship building in stead of action. At some points it feels like fight scenes were scraped or shortened to leave more room for connections and story telling. Clearly my favorite anime of the year. Also Sword Art Online is now on hulu you could search for it or clicking here to bring you straight there.

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