LogFAQs > #967880790

160. Sword Art Online
https://myanimelist.net/anime/11757/Sword_Art_Online
Summer 2012 (25 episodes), Summer 2014 (24 episodes), Fall 2018 (1/24 episodes, unfinished) Fall 2019 (0/12 episodes, unfinished) Summer 2020 (0/11 episodes, unfinished)
My Score: 5/10, MAL Score: 7.20/10 S1, 6.70/10 S2, 7.56/10 S3, 7.58/10 S4, 7.46/10 S5
Best Character: Konno Yuuki

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bqMDB10HNk

Premise: Thousands of players, including Kirigaya Kirito Kazuto, are trapped in Aincrad, a VR MMO. Beating the game is the only way to escape, but dying in it will also kill them in real life.

The Good: Sword Art Online is a polarizing anime. I have my problems with it, but I still like the premise. The players are trapped in a deadly game. They need to balance the risk of proceeding with the very real chance of death. Its interesting to see the society that forms in Aincrad under these conditions. I enjoyed SAOs first arc which isnt something I can say for all of them. GGO was at least fine, and Mothers Rosario was amazing (Ill cover that arc in my spoiler-filled Konno Yuuki write-up below). I still havent watched Alicization, so no idea how it turned out.

The Bad: The Fairy Dance arc is one of the worst things I have ever seen. While the other arcs vary from great to boring, Fairy Dance is terrible. Its filled with uncomfortable moments, ruins several old characters (Asuna in particular), and introduces new characters who suck. Suguha, for example, was a terrible addition. Kirito already has enough of a harem, he doesnt need his sister joining it! I do have one complaint about the original Aincrad arc, too. It had such an interesting setup and methodically progressed through it right up to point where it was like the story got bored with itself. Then it zoomed straight to a disappointing ending. I have no idea what they were in such a hurry to get to, the awful Fairy Dance arc came immediately after.

Overall: I wasnt watching anime when Sword Art Online originally aired, but I dont think Im wrong when I say that it changed the course of the entire medium. Now every season has a handful of video game isekai anime and half the main characters look and act like Kirito. Im generally not a fan of isekai, but I suppose it wouldnt be fair to blame SAO for animes slow descent into creative bankruptcy. SAO at least had a neat original idea, and for the most part it handled it well. The later arcs are hit-or-miss, but Id still say theyre worth watching if only to eventually reach Mothers Rosario and meet Konno Yuuki near the end of the second season.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/7/5/AABz_zAADpu_.jpg

CHARACTER: Konno Yuuki (Sword Art Online)
https://myanimelist.net/character/64523/Yuuki_Konno
Voiced by: Yuuki Aoi
TOP 100 RANK: 43rd

(No video, I couldnt find a good one featuring her that wasnt an English dub or crappy AMV)

SPOILERS FOR SWORD ART ONLINE

Im starting this character write-up with a brief tangent. Im rewatching lots of anime for this ranking. Some are ones I barely remembered, but most are old favorites so I can make sure they hold up. Sword Art Online didnt meet those criteria. I remembered both the good and the bad, and its nowhere near a favorite. Ill rewatch it someday before finally going into Alicization, but Im in no rush. However, I wanted to do a good job on this write-up, so I rewatched the seven episodes of Mothers Rosario. I knew what was coming, not that the story makes much effort to hide the inevitable end. Despite that, Konno Yuuki still made me cry.

Mothers Rosario is mostly Asunas story, and it redeemed her after Fairy Dance. Still, Yuuki is the catalyst for that growth. After two seasons of such high stakes, a character-focused arc was a welcome change of pace. Asuna learns of a powerful player dueling all challengers with their one-of-a-kind eleven-hit sword art, and she heads over to fight them herself. Yuuki, recognizing a kindred spirit during their duel, reveals that shes been looking for someone to help her guild, the Sleeping Knights, beat a floor boss and etch their names into the games history.

They succeed, of course, and Asuna hopes she can remain close with her new friends. Then the heartbreaking truth is revealed. The Sleeping Knights are all players who are hospitalized with terminal illnesses, and Yuukis condition is taking a rapid turn for the worse. Asuna refuses to back down and finds Yuuki in real life. Then, using a camera made by Kirito, she helps the dying girl experience as much as she can before the end. I loved their scenes together. Like everyone in the story, I cursed the uncaring universe for dooming Yuuki to die so young.

All of that is standard tearjerker stuff, however. Ill admit Im a sucker for that, but on its own it wouldnt elevate a character into my top fifty. What really makes Yuuki resonate with me is how her story compliments Asunas family subplot. Her mother is pushing her to quit gaming, catch up on her education, and basically to do something meaningful with her life. Yuukis influence gives Asuna the courage to convince her mother that money and power doesnt need to be what matters most in life. Its a nice little arc, and it beautifully ties right back into Yuukis story.

In the end, as shes dying, held by her dearest friend, Yuuki ponders the meaning of her life. Due to her illness, she always felt like she was born to die, doomed never to create anything or touch anyone in any meaningful way. A cynical person might argue she never did. Her influence never reached far beyond a mere video game. Personally, as someone who is on pace to write a hundred thousand words ranking anime for an audience of maybe two dozen people, something lots of people would call an absolute waste of time, Im a firm believer that anything can have meaning so long as it matters to you.

I think thats the conclusion Yuuki reached in her final moments. The legacy shes leaving in the game world, the experiences she had, and the friends she made, all of that was precious. All of it mattered. And Asuna will carry Yuukis influence with her for the rest of her life. Mothers Rosario was so beautiful, it almost made me forgive SAO for the Fairy Dance arc. Almost.