Well, to each their own - however, you're hardly the first to say such things
There's a reason the fanbase on SAO is split between love it and hate it. Either they don't mind and/or actually like the elements mentioned, or they don't; there's no real middle ground
You hate it for said reasons, others like it for the same reasons (yes really), and that's just how it is.
Omega, you seriously write the SAME comment on every review here. We've heard your "everyone has different opinions" routine enough times. We get it. That's how the world works after all. These reviews are not addressed to you specifically, so there's no need to write comments like you need to justify you liking SAO.
I agree with all of Dark's points, but if you disagree, to each their own as they say.
I did it for the art.
I don't recall it being 'every' review - and besides, I have a weakness to people dissing what I like, especially ones I really connect with. I know it's their opinion, and all that, but it's still deeply instinctive; working to state the obvious is as much to remind myself as anyone else
I could be much more argumentative if I don't, and that wouldn't go over well
Sugou actually fits nicely with the story in some ways, and after readng the English localization of the light novel, I've gained some appreciation for him as a character, even if he's a despicable human being. Perhaps the main theme of the Alfheim arc is who people are online compared to who they are in real life. In the game, Sugou is all-powerful, but it's a result of cheating with his administrator privileges. In real life, Sugou's plan hinges on him arranging a marriage to Asuna by fooling her father and hiding his true nature. Just as his ALO avatar has all his power come from his admin privileges, all of his real power flows from Shouzou's misplaced trust.
By contrast, Kirito has realized, from all his time in SAO, that there's no "real" self out there, and people's online selves reflect their real selves. The belief that he couldn't truly "know" even those closest to him was what drove him online, until that aforementioned realization, in which he knows that his aunt, uncle and cousin love him like they would if they were his mother, father and sister (of course, there's Suguha's crush on Kazuto, but the point in that case is that she's trying to get over it, but ends up falling in love with Kazuto's alter ego, possibly because he's the same as Kirito). In this sense, by being truer to himself, Kirito is a significantly stronger individual than Sugou in most regards.
Of course, the real world works with fundamentally different rules than SAO, and while Kirito's able to disarm Sugou before putting him at his mercy, he also realizes that he's no longer a swordsman, so he decides to leave Sugou for the police rather than have him killed.
To sum it up, Sugou, while not being all that impressive of a threat, nicely fits into the Alfheim arc's theme of identity. As such, it makes sense for the "king of thieves" to be defeated by the "so-called hero" that he looked down upon once he's lost his stolen power.
It's a minor nitpick, but near the end, the OP says that Kirito is the only one who thought to max out his speed...
Problem is, the one who was best with conventional speed stats in SAO was Asuna. And if he meant reflexes by that, how exactly would the average person grind up their reflexes anyway, especially since it's not a game stat in the technical sense?
I agree.
<DIE THE DEATH> <SENTENCE TO DEATH> <GREAT EQUALIZER IS THE DEATH>
Either way, I'm sure the OP should read the light novels (which the anime is adapted from); they explain a lot more of SAO's journey, be it the main characters' romance, details behind the deus ex machinas, and everything else more-or-less
Though, that might only change his opinion to 'this anime is a terrible adaptation'
omegafire,
I agree that the light novels explain more, and that they address some of the viewers' complaints. Then again, one thing I liked more about the anime was that it didn't skip from Floor 1 to Floor 74 (which, I should point out, is the second-to-last floor that was cleared) with only a little bit of narration after Kayaba reveals that SAO is a death game.
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My thoughts on Sword Art Online
Oooh boy, where to begin? I'll start with my overall impression on the series; It's terrible. They had a promising setup, and wasted it.
Kirito is just the absolute WORST Gary Stu, Black Hole Sue, Marty Stu, and God-Mode Sue that I've had the misfortune to see in an Anime. His personality is bland and predictable, and nothing about him stood out. And no, that's NOT a good thing. I felt no concern for him, nor cared about his struggles because he was THAT bland and forgettable.
People claim that the romance is well done in the show, BUT IT'S NOT. Kirito and Asuna talked to each other a few times, and suddenly they're in love. That's stupid. They share no chemistry together, and their romance feels forced. Romance MUST have some substance to make it work, and it's severely lacking here. Without it, it's just forced, boring, and an Ass Pull to make two characters a couple.
The harem aspect is incredibly dumb and should never have been added in. The main character has a girlfriend who he's faithful to, so why add a harem? It's unnecessary, unneeded, and contributes nothing to the show. It's not even played humorously, and I hated every bit of it.
The villains are laughably pathetic at best, and downright forgettable at worst. Akihiko was a pointless villain, despite him being the reason the whole series began. His lack of motivation for his actions just makes him Evil For the Evulz, and that's just stupid.
Sugou is just an asshole, plain and simple, and even worse than Akihiko, as while Akihiko had some form of standards, this jackass doesn't. He's thrown in only for viewers to hate him, and to force another Arc to come along, that's it. He is worse than being evil for the sake of being evil. He is pointless.
The amount of ass pulling in this show is astounding. Oh look, Kirito's a hacker! Oh look, he's the ONLY player in the WHOLE ENTIRE GAME who thought to max his speed out. Oh look, he died, yet came back just long enough to kill the big bad! Oh look, the Deus ex Machina from the first Arc is still around to give him an automatic boost for the new game! Oh look, the dead big bad SOMEHOW came to life to help him out, without explanation. Relying on ass pulls and Deus Ex Machinas to solve a situation, or end the arc, is NOT GOOD. It is lazy, it is boring, and it breaks viewers' suspension of disbelief.
No. Just...No.