I watched Sword Art Online when it first came out and was blown away, not so much because of how great it is, but because of how well I thought it handled the original premise: thousands of gamers are stuck within a virtual world, will actually die if they're killed in said world, and can't escape until one of them completes the game. Before I go any further let me mention that i've never seen any entries in the .hack franchise, outside of a few episodes I viewed on Adult Swim as a kid for the original. So one of those series might handle the idea better, I really don't know. However, I think SAO does a good job of it.
In terms of anime I think there are a number of other entries in this genre that are better, but that doesn't reflect badly on this one. One of the best things about this series within the first 14 episodes is just watching how all these different characters are adapting to being stuck inside a video game. It's an interesting idea that many people might have imagined before or could easily imagine themselves being stuck in. I think this makes it easier for people to connect with this series, especially because so many common gaming tropes appear here. One of the most controversial decisions was to make the main character, Kirito, fairly OP. By the end of the first arc he is unquestionably the best player in the game, as evidenced by him gaining a unique special ability. This is justified within the story however as him having beta tested the game beforehand and generally being a hardcore gamer. This OP status decreases the sense of threat to his character, but also makes it so that the you enjoy the series not necessarily for his struggles against enemies, but for just getting to watch him take part in this new game and interacting with different people inside it.
I think that the creator did a great job fleshing everything out, both visually and in-terms of how the world of SAO works. By the end of the first arc a number of interesting characters have been introduced, including Asuna (Kirito's primary love interest/girlfriend) and Klein (Perhaps Kirito's best friend and the first side character he meets in the game) and I think one weakness of the series is that these characters are not developed more. I think most of the members of Kirito's circle could hold their own side stories. The series provides a harem aspect, with almost every female Kirito comes across falling in love with him. That, to me, is unnecessary. He has an official girlfriend in Asuna and there's zero chance they will ever break up. This makes it so that the harem thing just takes up time that could be spent further developing these other female characters. Kirito and Asuna's relationship is decently handled in my opinion, but also suffers from a lack of interaction between the two early on.
Overall, the series isn't groundbreaking, but it is a fun watch that i'd suggest, especially for someone who has never seen another anime before.
An Excellent Gateway Anime
I watched Sword Art Online when it first came out and was blown away, not so much because of how great it is, but because of how well I thought it handled the original premise: thousands of gamers are stuck within a virtual world, will actually die if they're killed in said world, and can't escape until one of them completes the game. Before I go any further let me mention that i've never seen any entries in the .hack franchise, outside of a few episodes I viewed on Adult Swim as a kid for the original. So one of those series might handle the idea better, I really don't know. However, I think SAO does a good job of it.
In terms of anime I think there are a number of other entries in this genre that are better, but that doesn't reflect badly on this one. One of the best things about this series within the first 14 episodes is just watching how all these different characters are adapting to being stuck inside a video game. It's an interesting idea that many people might have imagined before or could easily imagine themselves being stuck in. I think this makes it easier for people to connect with this series, especially because so many common gaming tropes appear here. One of the most controversial decisions was to make the main character, Kirito, fairly OP. By the end of the first arc he is unquestionably the best player in the game, as evidenced by him gaining a unique special ability. This is justified within the story however as him having beta tested the game beforehand and generally being a hardcore gamer. This OP status decreases the sense of threat to his character, but also makes it so that the you enjoy the series not necessarily for his struggles against enemies, but for just getting to watch him take part in this new game and interacting with different people inside it.
I think that the creator did a great job fleshing everything out, both visually and in-terms of how the world of SAO works. By the end of the first arc a number of interesting characters have been introduced, including Asuna (Kirito's primary love interest/girlfriend) and Klein (Perhaps Kirito's best friend and the first side character he meets in the game) and I think one weakness of the series is that these characters are not developed more. I think most of the members of Kirito's circle could hold their own side stories. The series provides a harem aspect, with almost every female Kirito comes across falling in love with him. That, to me, is unnecessary. He has an official girlfriend in Asuna and there's zero chance they will ever break up. This makes it so that the harem thing just takes up time that could be spent further developing these other female characters. Kirito and Asuna's relationship is decently handled in my opinion, but also suffers from a lack of interaction between the two early on.
Overall, the series isn't groundbreaking, but it is a fun watch that i'd suggest, especially for someone who has never seen another anime before.