Sword Art Online takes place in the near future in which virtual reality technology has advanced far enough to create fully immersive experiences by essentially plugging people into the Matrix via hardware known as NerveGear. The analogy is apt because players of the newly released platform soon find themselves unable to logout, thus trapped in the virtual world and becoming pieces of amusement for Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of both NerveGear and the show's namesake video game, Sword Art Online. Kayaba reveals that the only way back to reality is by completing the game's 100 floors of increasing difficulty and also tags a side-note that should a player die in-game, they will die in the real world via NerveGear overload. You'd think that someone would eventually come into a person's room and remove the NerveGear, freeing them from the game, but the headset functions similarly to a Matrix jack-in: if the user isn't properly logged out, the severed connection kills the user (how such a product passed quality assurance, I have no idea). With all angles seemingly covered, Kayaba sits back as panic and fear initially sets in to the 10,000 players who managed to get their hands on a first release of SAO.
At the outset, an interesting piece of commentary from the SAO world manifested when Kayaba also stripped players of their customized avatars, replacing them with real world images scanned from NerveGear sensors. I got a good laugh when an attractive young woman was turned into a nerdy plump kid, but it also showcased how in a world where you can seemingly become anyone and anything, people are still tied to real world insecurities and fears when their in-game avatar acts as a reminder of the real world. This topic is never really developed further than the scene with the nerd transformations for laughs and that lack of development is what really began to influence my impression of Sword Art Online: simply put, mishandled potential. The series continually displays glimmers of potentially insightful explorations of the different facets within video game culture (both positively and negatively perceived), but very little, if any, are ever fully developed. What we're left with instead is a rather generic fantasy setting which fails to truly make use of its virtual MMORPG aspect.
i'll bet some of the vistas are infuriating to reach
The most powerful tool that Sword Art Online has at its disposal is its virtual setting on top of its fictitious reality. One might think that such a buffering would allow for a multitude of unique perspectives regarding characters and their experience with Sword Art Online to be explored but it soon becomes clear that the virtual MMORPG setting doesn't matter. It's easy to create the dichotomy between the real world and virtual world using a virtual reality setting, but it's another aspect altogether to really see purpose instilled into the themes created from the dichotomy. For example, in episode four, titled "The Black Swordsman," the protagonist Kirito confronts a member of a player-killing guild, Rosalia. While Kirito cannot fathom why anyone would want to kill another player in such dire straits, Rosalia states that there is no proof that death within the game kills the player in the real world. In the first episode, Kayaba present media articles and videos of player deaths in the real world as proof of the dangers of NerveGear, but it's clear that some players do not buy into his claims (perhaps thinking forgery is at play) and engage with the game as if it were any other game. Video games that incorporate permanent death to the point where players cannot return to a game exist; what is to say that Sword Art Online isn't one of those? Questions regarding the origins of belief, faith, motive, and how a game world shapes all three of those within our characters immediately come to mind. I thought Rosalia's statement brought forth an interesting topic but the entire ordeal is simply swept away and never revisited.
Another moment that could have really engaged the virtual setting can be seen in episode eleven, "The Girl of Morning Dew." This episode begins to showcase how players have built a functioning society after years have passed in both the virtual and real world. Kirito marries a girl named Asuna in-game (after the usual tsundere routine) and the two decide to take some time off from fighting at the front lines to focus on themselves. At this point in the story arc, Sword Art Online is expanded to show that the world isn't all about fighting for survival: a system of education for younger players is created, basic forms of governance are installed, and basic living continues. It goes on to show that some players have found contentedness inside the game and it isn't difficult to imagine that some do not wish to return to the real world despite knowing their real bodies are deteriorating. Real world parallels can be seen; I'm sure you've read articles or have heard stories about people who play video games for so long they've seemingly neglected everything else. What's the point of returning to the real world if every condition about the virtual world is better than its real world counterpart? What happens when a video game takes over life to such an extent? These questions and their exploration may have given a glimpse into the distinct video game and anime culture in Japan and how it affects its consumers but the show prefers to take the easy road again in this occasion by presenting the issue and then never really detailing anything about it.
they actually grind this mob for 2 months
Outside of those two burning issues that I had with the show, what's the net effect? Again, Sword Art Online is rather generic in its premise and it probably uses up a lot more deus ex machina (to the point of it becoming simply lazy writing) than should be allowed for a coherent cause-effect relationship between key plot points to take root and grow. The show doesn't utilize its video game setting to any real effect, which is a real damn shame, but I still enjoyed the retelling of a timeless story, no matter how cliched or overdone. Focus primarily sits on common fantasy elements and that's okay; there's plenty in the show that'll make you want to cheer Kirito and Asuna on and just as many moments that make you wonder how a stage in the story got a green light from production. Smart? Intellectual? Not so much. Predictable? Formulaic? Perhaps a tad bit, especially when it becomes difficult to imagine Kirito in any kind of danger as he always ends up blowing up any enemy in his path some way or another; the true tension comes when Kirito takes it upon himself to protect others. For me, Sword Art Online was fueled by its potential to pass generic boundaries with relevant and timely statements on video game culture.
'buying gf'
While far from satisfying, Sword Art Online is an interesting discussion starter, especially as virtual reality technology develops and online gaming experiences become increasingly popular. The show is everything and nothing in particular at the same time; a lack of focus predominates and leaves many logical gaps in its traditional style of storytelling. Still, Sword Art Online crafts a commendable level of romantic fantasy escapism that piques our curiosity and appeals to the senses with its Holland-like meadows, harrowing dungeons, and just about everything in between.
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There's a second arc to the first season that I've left out? What second arc?
not every mmo can be smart
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