Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
_Bubassotto_
The first season of the grand Sword Art Online universe.
Rewatching Sword Art Online today, it is impossible not to notice how the series became a benchmark for many productions that followed. Many of the elements introduced here have become so commonplace that they might seem like clichés now, but it is important to remember that SAO was one of the works responsible for popularizing this formula and influencing countless other stories. Therefore, I consider it unfair to simply dismiss the anime for using concepts that, at the time, had a much greater impact on the audience. What feels familiar today possessed a freshness back then that helped define a generation of viewers.
Starting with the technical aspects, the animation is excellent, especially considering when the anime was release…
Read at the sourceKysGloria
Kay so I The Plot Idea Is there like Your stuck in a Video Game if you die in the game you die in Real Life and I mean SAO did a Pretty good job on it ..And then They Fck it up on the rest of the Series Listen This Anime Is Decent like U have the Characters U have The Action you have the Story Which is Decent and good but like I mean after the first Season you just Have To Stop The rest of the Seasons or Series after it is Lowk Ass🔥🔥 But I mean Some of the Postives is I Like the Chemistry between Kirito N Asuna Like there Cute Together I like the Freindship Between Kirito N Ryo it’s funny ..But the. Like after that the anime just Gets bad after Season 1 So just watch the first And Forget the rest of the Series even existed..But overall decent anime and I liked it
Read at the sourcePoizon-Kun
É SAO, não tem mt o que discutir.
Quer dizer, o myanimelist me obriga a discorrer sobre.
É simplesmente um clássico, um dos precursores do gênero isekai nas telinhas, é verdade que todo mundo queria saber mais como é aincrad, ver as aventuras e tals, mas ainda é bom, o Kirito é só brabo, é o nosso Donk, e ainda tem várias menininhas atrás dele, é o homi ntj.
Em Inglês
It's SAO, there's not much to discuss.
I mean, MyAnimeList forces me to elaborate, so here we go.
It's simply a classic, one of the pioneers of the isekai genre in anime. Sure, everyone wanted to see more of Aincrad and all the adventures that could've happened there, but it's still good. Kirito is just HIM, bro is literally Donk, and he still has a bunch of girls chasing after him. My man, YKWIM.
Read at the sourceMadAboutMisato
The only good things about this are the first three episodes and we got SAO Abridged out of this. Go and watch that instead, as this show is a bit of a lemon. A lemon someone else made lemonade out of, but a lemon nevertheless.
The first three episodes setup what could have been a fascinating and tense death game, but instead episode 4 shifts the tone and we got a generic isekai harem show. One that would go on to influence the next decade, but that doesn't make it good. The characters don't feel like characters, they feel like generic tropes who fawn over a cardboard cut out because he's so powerful in the game.
Is it outright bad? No. It was overhated back in the day, but there are good reasons it became so popular. The premise was good then and has aged rather well. If you die in the…
Read at the sourceassasinkiller
Welcome!! To my third review. It took me a amount of time to complete it but finally did.
So..let's review it.
Plot: The plot of sao is pretty outdated compare to modern shows in my opinion. It is considered as early stories of Isekai. Although it's a debate , that it's Isekai or not even heck of it's the first Isekai. But sthe story re- construct and bring the genre to alive. It's a simple plot our main character is trapped in vrmmo now he gave toclear the floors to came out. Very basic plot in my opinion.its also very slow paced plot for which it feels so boring that I took two months to complete it.
Overall: 4/10
Animation and artstyle: the animation is beautiful in sao.so, pretty and excellent to look at. Every shot is beautiful.but,it's too bright to look at.
On the other hand, the ar…
Read at the sourceoceandiscoverer
Season 1 of SAO is split into two parts. It starts amazing, but unfortunately, it gets questionable.
To cover the whole show first, the animation is stellar. That’s partly why SAO was such a big thing! So no surprise. It’s genuinely beautiful at times. When they don’t skip fights, they look really sick as well. The score is also so serene. Helps make some of the beautiful settings soar even more. Helps the fight scenes be even more kick ass. The characters are what makes the show. They are all done so well. They’re so lovable and you root for most of them really fast. They also all have such clear back stories and drives. Even characters that aren’t around for a long time. Similar goes for villain characters. Their drives are so clear and interesting.
Now to cover Aincrad. The story of t…
Read at the sourcechumchummaru
I've never been a fan of SAO and I never will be (only because of Kirito and the overall tragic plot that doesn't fit here since it's a game, even though it's deadly) but since I had the chance to read the original, I finally said I'd watch it, but it's nothing trivial. I've seen a lot of better anime on a game theme and in none of them have I seen the characters be even remotely dramatic, let alone tragic like it is here. Whether it's a novel or an anime, what bothers me the most is that it doesn't take place purely in one game (which personally would have potential) but that they change like socks.
The first SAO was pretty tragic so it wasn't for me, but ALO was more or less bearable even though it creaked in places. What bothered me about it was the irrelevant one-sided incest romance o…
Read at the sourceEsponjosin
To be honest, this is the fourth time I've watched it, and I always find new details in the episodes. To think that almost 14 years have passed since this masterpiece came out—every time I watch it, I feel the same way I did the first time: excitement, sadness, and joy. It's one of the few anime series that can evoke those emotions in a person. I wish today’s anime had a story this well-rounded and unpredictable, with such detailed character development. The characters’ reactions feel authentic and polished down to the last detail, just like the animation and the details within it.
Read at the sourceArdosia
If someone were to ask me what isekai slop is, I would probably recommend SAO. This anime left me with such mixed feelings that I decided to write a review.
Plot (9/10): I am going to use the word “plot” to refer more to the general premise of the series and the potential it had. SAO had a great concept to work with and a lot of potential to become a really good story. If the plot were generalized enough, the basic premise of SAO could easily be described as good.
Writing (2/10): This is what made me write the review in the first place. SAO had so much potential, but the actual writing and plot progression were absolutely atrocious. The pacing felt so rushed that the anime never really managed to pull me in. It sped through so much of the story that everything was left feeling incomplete…
Read at the sourceMindaroVallone
I write this review without any nostalgia glasses: SAO was released more than fourteen years ago as of writing this, and this was my first viewing of the anime. Shockingly I went into it with no spoilers, and was only vaguely aware of the character Asuna because a friend had mentioned her when he recommended the show to me.
To be blunt, I hated the show. The pacing was okay until the halfway point, and then it spiraled into back-to-back episodes of pointless plot devices and corny developments, and culminated in a finale that was equal parts dull, annoying, and downright weird. Even worse, however, was the writing and fan service, and despite all the impassioned articles, forums, and Reddit threads defending Asuna and other female characters as strong-willed and intelligently written, the…
Read at the sourceFL00DED
The aincrad arc was better than any other arcs in Sword Art Online. I like the idea of where players get stuck into a mmo game and not be able to logout and if dying in the game means they die in real life, so they have to play how to get out of the game to survive. The concept was good after all so that makes the first arc run very well.
The second arc, which is called Fairy Dance, that's the most boring and harmful arc. Just bland rescue and I don’t want to think about how this dirty rape. I wish that aincrad arc would be a longer story and could have explored more.
All the characters are quite bland with no character development, growth and depth. Especially Kirito. Kirito isn’t a very interesting character in the show. Although Kirito is pretty cool for having plot armor in many fig…
Read at the sourcegroggyyyy
SAO was very unique for its time it had an amazing story, plot and world feature of the VR plot, I heavily enjoyed it as it is an Isekai but also not at the same time which is why I think it started Isekai genre to become much more popular.I liked the art style and the animations I just think Kirito is to basic but other than that its very enjoyable.
Overall Sword Art Online season one is actually a really nice, and is a well thought out anime if ur also including the prog movie u get a whole lot of in depth looks into Aincrad. Asuna and Kirito evolving over the seasons is one of my favourite parts of SAO and I highly recommend it.Although the SA parts are not needed, but still an amazing and well thought out anime.
Read at the sourcejay_quelin
The first season is the only thing good about this anime. Sword Art Online Season 1 is one of those rare videogame sci-fi genres that isn't restricted to just isekai tropes, flashy fights, and cheap fan-service. It actually has a very good story, amazing worldbuilding, and a very interesting premise. Anyone whose ever played videogames or heard of the Oculus Rift would know how big this was in 2012. Unlike Solo Leveling where the MC just brandishes his schlong for 12 episodes, SAO fleshes out all of its characters in the most profound way. SAO's appeal mainly stems from people's desire for "escapism." In a world where people use videogames to escape reality, what would happen if you become permanently trapped inside your VR headset? SAO's story was deeply impactful because it was something…
Read at the sourceKXluck
I miss you when will you come back I always wait, I'm sure you will come back sword art online. Anime sword art online got a nice storyline and it matters to my life.
The character kirito haven't got the story of his completed its still missing. So, Please continue this story until it's the end of its novel and until we're all happy.
And also pls pls plss continue the story cus I really love it my cousin's also loved it because it's an amazing story the characters are very cool.
The reason why I want you guys to continue it because we love it the genre fits me so much.
The characters are just so perfect that it fits me so much like there are no imperfect ones all of them are perfect.
So yeah just continue this story because I bet others are also waiting for you guys to continue and j…
Read at the sourcezhHighwayRacer03
I love Sword Art Online; it's the anime that got me into watching anime.
It presents a compelling scenario that immediately generates suspense: a virtual reality game from which there is no logout, where defeat has permanent consequences. It captivates with clear rules, a coherent world design, and a constant sense of danger. The early episodes convey isolation, fear, and conformity very effectively, while game mechanics and setting are meaningfully integrated into the plot.
Season 1 is particularly compelling thanks to its atmosphere and narrative pace. Action scenes are clearly staged and effective, supported by a soundtrack that enhances the drama and urgency. The soundtracks are really great. Relationships that develop under extreme conditions lend weight to the conflicts. There are j…
Read at the sourcecoldhurted
I feel like a 5/10 is really the highest I can give it because sword art online has one of the most pronounced splits in quality between the first and second half of the show of any anime I ever watched. I will god defend the first half of the show till the day I die, I love the music, the world, the aesthetic, sword art online as a game, maybe because it was one of the first anime I ever watched the first half just gives me a very nice feeling of I guess nostalgia. The character's are sort of shit and like to pretend they're the somethingwitty abridged series versions of themselves, but I don't care. The second half is terrible, don't watch it. This show would be a 8 or 9 our of ten if the second half of episode 25 was tacked onto the end of episode 14 and everything in between was cut ou…
Read at the sourceGhostDancer002
Im rating it off the first arc/14 eps. I know it's wrong but second arc was unnecessary and turned into a completely different story imo. last ep was good tho.
now talking about "my" SAO I really liked it and I think the idea was super unique and done well, it sets itself aside from other isekai/fantasy still today. I liked pretty much everything about it characters, music, world building ect. very good!
the only things I didn't like was that everyone treated Asuna like a object/objectified her and like forgot about her free will. bad bad >:v. we see this even more in the second arc and that weird creepy fucker who raped/ assaulted her like wtf not needed.
tbh I think lots of anime over use this trope to create a evil character but its just so yuck!
That's why I liked the 1st arc so m…
Read at the sourceStarbthe8th
It is 2025, and I have just now watched Sword Art Online for the first time. This is a review free of the discourse of circa 2013, and additionally informed by over a decade of trends in the isekai genre since, of which SAO is a prime progenitor. A post-isekai-boom review of SAO cannot be divorced from that context.
Trigger warnings for this show include: sexual assault of female characters.
Story: 6/10
As everyone else says, the first half is better than the second half. Despite the occasional (charming, imo) misunderstanding of how gaming and game development works, the story has consistent world building. It paints a picture of people of all walks of life who are now unwillingly trapped in this death game; not just the heroes at the front lines, but also ordinary people trying to cli…
Read at the sourceElainawitch
I started watching the whole anime thinking it wouldn’t be good, since a lot of people said it was bad, so I hesitated about whether I should even watch it all the way through. But then I started it, and considering that I didn’t even plan to finish it, in the end it turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me. I watched it without getting bored, and I actually enjoyed it.
SAO is one of those anime that some people will love, while others will hate, and it’ll always be like that. If we look past its flaws and watch it with the thought that we’ve seen worse anime before, then many people will feel that these 25 episodes are worth it and that we didn’t waste our time on it.
I think the first six episodes were really bad. The first two were still good, but then there were too many unnecessa…
Read at the sourceaalk
Just finished SAO Season 1, and I’ve got mixed feelings. It started off strong—the idea of being trapped in a VR game with real-life consequences was genuinely cool. The first few episodes had me interested, and I thought it was building toward something great.
But after episode 15, things started to fall apart. The pacing got weird, the tone shifted, and I found myself watching just to finish it. One thing that really threw me off throughout was Kirito’s character design. He looks way younger than he acts, and it made it hard to take some of the emotional scenes seriously. It’s like the visual didn’t match the weight the story was trying to give him.
There were still some good moments. The reunion between Kirito and Asuna near the end was genuinely nice. Asuna stood out as the most cons…
Read at the source
