Sword Art Online Season 1 (2012): An Ever-Recommended Anime for Gamers
Sword Art Online Season 1 is a Japanese animated television series that tells the story of an online game, which turns into a matter of life and death. Reki Kawahara is the person behind the creation of Sword Art Online (SAO) and wrote the first manga volume in 2001 for a competition by ASCII Media Work in 2002. Instead of submitting it for the competition, Kawahara self-published it in the form of a web novel. Since its release, SAO has gained the attention of anime fans worldwide. Despite having an enormous fan following, there were a few negative feedbacks regarding the harem elements and the overpowering main protagonist. Here’s the synopsis and brief review of Sword Art Online Season 1.
Synopsis
The year is 2012, and the story begins by introducing Kazuto Kirigaya, a shy teenager who has a passion for online games. Since childhood, Kazuto, also known as Kirito, loves playing games created by Akihiko Kayaba. So, he volunteers as a Beta Tester for Kayaba’s game and spends months exploring all the game’s floors. Despite being known as two different characters, Kazuto and Kirito are complete opposites. Kazuto is reserved and quiet in real life, but in the game, Kirito is smart and strong.
Kirito’s adventure began when the game officially launched, and he became one of the thousands of people interested in playing it. However, the game turns out to be a death trap, and once the player steps into the game, they are stuck inside it. There’s no logout option on the menu, players have to complete 100 floors, and if they die in the game, they die in real life. The NerveGear used to immerse players into the game automatically fries the wearer’s brain if they attempt to remove it forcibly.
The game’s creator reveals this horrifying news in the town hall meeting, shocking the players and leaving them hopeless. But Kirito takes charge and prepares to face the enemies and bosses on each floor. Kirito is a solo player, but one day, he’s forced to team up with a mysterious player later revealed to be Asuna Yuuki, a strong fighter in SAO. Together, they defeat the game’s enemies and bosses on the lower floors. Asuna ends up joining a guild called Blood Oath, but Kirito decides to continue playing solo, which changes when he loses to the leader of Blood Oath, Heathcliff.
Their partnership leads to a romantic relationship as their love for each other flourishes, and they eventually decide to marry and adopt Yui, an AI robot. However, their love is soon tested as they have to save Asuna from the evil character, who has trapped her in the game even after Kirito destroys Aincrad and returns to reality.
Review
Sword Art Online Season 1 is a captivating series and a must-watch anime for gamers. The story starts slow, but it picks up its pace in the later episodes with lots of intense action and emotional moments. The visuals, music, and voice acting are all fantastic, and it’s hard not to get invested in the characters’ journey, especially Kirito and Asuna’s. However, some viewers found the romance between Kirito and Asuna to be forced and unbelievable, and the lack of character development for some of the supporting characters was also a concern.
Conclusion
Sword Art Online Season 1 is an anime that combines gaming and action with emotions and romance, which makes it alluring for the viewers. The storyline’s complexity, fascinating characters, and life and death stakes, along with its remarkable themes of love and survival, make it an intriguing watch. The series received critical acclaim for its beautiful animation and compelling storyline, and it remains one of the most significant anime franchises worldwide.
