Completely agree with this review. But I have to mention that the fighting animation degrades in quality later on in the first arc (and probably the second and Gun Gale soon too) and just uses a bunch of still shots later on.
I noticed it, too. Around episode 10, there is a clear shift in focus from action to romance, and it stays that way from that point on. The story is no longer about fighting, it is about the people Kirito meets, which is why there is so much damn dialogue, especially in GGO.
I did it for the art.
And the dialogue isn't even good..it's GODAWFUL. The creator clearly doesn't know how to make some semblance of real, meaningful conversations that people would have with each other.
I think you're forgetting Ryochi that, in-universe, two full years have passed since Kirito and Asuna met. All of the friend-building and trust and such was built before any of the romance happened; they didn't need meaningful or 'real' conversations as a result. And full YMMV on it being awful, or a bad thing even
Anyway, this review... no agreement whatsoever, and that is all.
Omegafire17:
1. No comment.
2. It's ok. You like what you like right?
Yeah, of course I do
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Kirito should not have a girlfriend
A big mistake of mine was assuming that Sword Art Online is an action/adventure series. IT IS NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE TREATED AS ONE. It is a harem romance placed in the setting of an action series. That's an awkward choice, but normally wouldn't be a problem except that Kirito got a girlfriend in the first arc.
While the fighting is gorgeous, the main focus of the story is Kirito meeting a girl, bettering her life, and having her fall in love with him, but why should I care about any of that WHEN HE IS ALREADY PRACTICALLY MARRIED? That girl is definitely not getting with Kirito because he's madly devoted to Asuna! And any "development" the girl has because of Kirito doesn't even matter because as soon as their episode/arc is over, she's promptly pushed into the background to make way for the next girl. I have to question why I should care about anyone Kirito meets because they are all so quickly ditched. Even Asuna winds up relegated to peanut gallery.
Also, Kirito is just plain boring. I don't care a bit about whatever latest internal turmoil he's going through, because by the next episode he'll surely be over it and ready to fight again. Kirito is played up as a deeply jaded person, but all it takes is a hug or word of encouragement and he's back to normal. No struggle. No internal conflict ever threatens him, and any physical obstacle (like Kayaba or Sugou) is easily Deus Ex Machina'd away when they have Kirito on the ropes. It's just cheap drama that's tossed aside when it's time to advance. It also grossed me out how touchy Kirito got with Sinon despite being in a committed relationship with Asuna. Again, non-relevant characters are non-relevant.
There is no commitment. As soon as a character finishes their tale, they're shoved away and Kirito moves on, unchanged, but that's not a problem since he's already perfect. It's wasted potential. If Kirito could maintain a consistent party, that could lead to deeper character development, actual romantic tension, and would make everything Kirito goes through actually have meaning. But the worst mistake was making Asuna an official couple with Kirito so early. I think, ideally, the series should have ended after SAO. Everything after just feels fabricated, like filler — like none of it actually matters, and that's not how a series should be.