Sword Art Online the Review

I guess it's that time again, and just before it appears on Toonami. (Damn, I'm late on that too?)

Sword Art Online is one of the most visually pleasing anime of recent years. High production values and a rich world full of details pulls in viewers, but this doesn't compensate for the lack of character depth and a weak second half.  

A brand new virtual reality MMORPG has been released called Sword Art Online. The game is accessed through a virtual reality helmet called the NerveGear. Everything seems to be going fine until the creator of the game, Kayaba Akihiko, tells them that no one will be able to log out until they reach the 100th floor and defeat the final boss, but that's not all. If their in-game avatar dies, then that player will die in real life. Any attempt to remove the NerveGear will fry the wearers brain using the microwaves inside the helmet. Viewers follow a "beater" named Kirito who chooses the path of solitude to beat the game.  

Virtual reality is nothing new to anime, and Sword Art Online does nothing new for VR. It contains elements from .hack/Sign and Megazone 23. .hack/sign covers video games and Megazone 23 covers being trapped  and aware. The show borrows more from .hack/sign because the players are trapped in that game too. The blurring of lines between reality and game play raises some interesting questions. Would they try everything they can to get out, or would they just adapt to the virtual world? Both options are explored with players on the "front lines" fighting their way up to the final boss, and others deciding to live out their daily lives in the virtual world. Then there are players that are not fighting but help other players by making food, crafting weapons, making potions and casting spells. An approach like this draws parallels to real life. Those on the "front lines" keep pushing themselves towards success even if it kills them, and those who don't fight are just stagnant and don't progress at all.  

One of my favorite episodes and best example of what I'm talking about is a player who goes out of her way to protect the young children who entered the game and can't progress through. She's not fighting on the front lines but she is helping out players. There were times where I almost forgot it was a virtual reality game until they brought up the game menu. SAO world is rich enough to be its own fantasy realm, with shops, and creatures. Even how the characters act in this world make it seem more than a game.   

This show had high production values and it shows. The animation is exceptionally. It's crisp and smooth, even when there is a lot going on in the scene. The fight scenes in here are some of the best around, and they take no shortcuts and the style stays consistent throughout the fight. The choreographed fight sequences are done well, making some of the characters seeming to have a fighting style all their own. The art style suits the show well. Its neutral leaning towards cute. You won't see any details in the muscle like other shounen.  Since most of the plot takes place in a virtual world the style fits, and it works with the animation instead of against it.

 "Cool guys don't get cut by swords."

"This show sure had its characters!" "Not!" There aren't any memorable ones. No one is over exaggerated or stereotyped, which is good, but no one really sticks out except the villain of the second season. There isn't much to Kirito in the beginning, but he does have a nice character arc in the first season. He's been called a "Gary Stu.". I rather call him "Super Gamer Dude." Meaning he is always more powerful then his opponents when he needs to be and serves as a avatar for those who play video games. For example in one episode Kirito has constant health regeneration as long as his health doesn't drop below a certain point. This is never brought up again. He is a generic loner,outsider, or a geek that turns into a more sociable person later on. Asuna as an action heroine is fleshed out pretty well. She earned herself a nickname "lighting fast" and is shown to be comparable fighter. Character-wise, "meh." Her emotions show and is clearly defined by how she interacts with the other characters. Once again like the other characters she doesn't have much to stand out. It seems most of the characters here are just here to either: A) show how powerful Kirito is or B) build him up as a person.   

"If you don't like it, I'll cut you up like I did the rabbit."

To say this has a harem disguised as an action show is not fair but understandable. I can see it, but if it is, it takes the "tough guy" approach to it. Viewers will wonder what these girls see in Kirito besides the fact that he is mysterious and strong in the game. There's not much else to his character. Even when he becomes more sociable, there's not much to him besides some "generic" hero traits. These are the "Gary Stu" moments of Kirito. 

"It's ok he does this to all the girls."

Warning-Spoilers ahead

The first season is really good as mentioned before the details stand out to make the world stand all on its own. SAO's second season doesn't have those details present. Instead we get a run of the mill save the princess story with lower stakes,fan service and an awkward love triangle.  It takes place in Alfheim Online a new virtual reality MMORPG  taking place in the world of fairies. They're different races of fairies fighting to get to the top of the "World Tree," and meet with the Fairy King who will grant them a wish. There are high stakes present just not as bad as dying. Unless you consider mind control to be just as bad or worse than dying then the stakes are raised. The addition of a weird love triangle to the show seems generic but could have worked. The fact the triangle is with Kirito's cousin makes it awkward. "Why the cousin, seriously, why?" 

To be fair the players in Alfheim take their game just as serious because of the war, but this comes in very little. Thanks to the flying mechanics presented in Alfheim online, there are some really cool fight scenes just like in the first season. The villain is over exaggerated, and cliched but memorable. He's the "god I can't wait until you get what's coming to ya," type of villain  If you can get pass all of the plaguing problems of season two, then it can be an okay conclusion. If you can't then just stick with the ending in the first season. 

Spoliers end

Sword Art Online is one of the biggest anime series we've had to date. Considering how quickly it got an airing in the U.S. there has to something really special. It could have been truly special if there were better characters, and a better second season. For what it is, its quite enjoyable. High production values make this a marvel to look at, with very nice action scenes to accompany. SAO won't "wow" you but it can grab your attention if you let it. 

                                              3 3/4 out of 5 cups of Ramen.

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Oh, that new-anime smell: Gatchaman Crowds

It seems like centuries since I've watched a decent current anime. Almost everything is jumping on the technological bandwagon of our generation, and almost every action packed anime or cartoon seems to have at least some sort of mecha, excessive chrome, or at least a smart phone in it. For a while I couldn't really get into it. I can barely stomach the overly rebooted Transformers cartoons and remakes. I, and apparently some of my peers, tend to stick to some of the oldies.

I discovered Gatchaman Crowds by complete and utter accident. My friend from out of state was insisting that I watch Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (SNTG), talking about how she planned on making her own costume. I must admit, the costumes were kind of snazzy, with a kind of class that is missing in today's culture.

Oh yes, look at those thigh rise boots!

So, I do my search online only to find god-awful dubs, and ended up finding Gatchaman Crowds. My first instinct was as follows:

Oh, boy...I think this is a remake of Gatchaman G-Force. Lemme think....should I watch G-Force first?

*Pondered for a bit*

Lemme watch Gatchaman Crowds first so that I can have a fresh unbiased opinion of the anime.

And alas, I decided to watch the first two episodes of this brand spanking new anime that came out just a week ago. I am truly giving you a fresh perspective, and for now I am trading cloth for chrome and cellphones. Was this a bad choice?

I will say that so far this anime has definitely exceeded my expectations. Also keep in mind, I am watching the subbed version.

First off, the artwork reminds me a lot of  that present in Noien, the primary difference being that the colors are a bit more saturated, and the forms are not as abstract. When I first encountered the anime, I thought I was, perhaps watching the original Gatchaman, and the only two things that proved otherwise was the presence of a smart phone and the manner in which the characters were drawn- skinny, wimpy, and with little adherence to anatomy. However, this odd echo of some of the artwork created in Science Ninja Team Gatchaman can probably be explained by the fact that the Crowds and SNTG were made by the same studio.

My second impression was how much I truly disliked the voice of one of the lead characters, Hajime. Actually, I hated her character period. However, even though I disliked the character, my subtle sense of the plot possibilities for the anime was thrown off. Typically, you can pretty much guess the general plot of the show within the first episode or so. In this case, I find myself constantly surprised as the plot progresses, and now the girl is- so far- my favorite character in the anime. Typically, you expect the foil of the first introduced main character to be the villian, and yet, Hajime is clearly the polar opposite of Sugane, but they are both on the same "team"; This tells me that the villains are not who the viewer expects. I feel as though the theme of the show is community and networking oriented, but my only concern is that, from what I have read, there are only supposed to be about 12 episodes, so I am curious as to how the plot will develop and resolve itself in such a short amount of time. So far, there are two episodes that have been aired, and you can watch it on Crunchyroll.

I am definitely going to continue watching this anime, and so far, it was definitely worth my time. I'll do another more in-depth review of the anime when it is finished.

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Afro Samurai Review

This might be an oldie but its a good one....

Made by Takashi Okazaki the series follows a Black Samurai in a futuristic feudal Japan who wants to kill a gunslinger by the name of Justice and take the number one headband that offers godlike powers. It is a *seinen **dojinshi anime birth out of Takashi's love for soul, hip-hop, and American media.

It's the basic revenge story following as fights through various opponents. It's a cliche story with some cliche characters. He wears the number two headband makes him a constant target because anyone can challenge him but he is the only person who can challenge the number one. There's not information give on Afro himself since he's not the talkative type but you learn about his past through flashbacks. These flashbacks give you the flashcard version of his past but it's enough insight into his character and how he wound up with the number two headband. They also don't serve as filler because they actually have a purpose in the overall story( even if there is much to begin with). His sidekick Ninja-Ninja however is the opposite, you won't learn about his past but he is the most talkative of the two they even have moment later on in the series.

The main focus in this series is the action scenes and there are plenty of them. The set pieces are nice, the fighting is never boring and that's mostly because of the amount of blood that is spilled (trust me on this, blood is spilled) but it never get's too much where it just get's numbing. The animation is really good and fluid and there's not many cheap shots (that's what I call them) where someone gets sliced and all that is shown is a black screen and a bright line. Even when there is no action going on in the scene you can still tell the care that went behind the animation.

If you were wondering if there were any underlying themes in this show, well, there aren't any really. Possibly one or two but none that stick out. Revenge begot's more revenge is probably the theme and it makes since if you ever get the chance to watch it.

Overall: If your looking for a series that's short and sweet with some nice action scenes look no further.

End it with the Teddy Bear with swords

 Four and half bowls of ramen out of five.

*Seinen- Is anime/manga usually for young adult males

**Dojinshi- Is the term for self-published or underground. This is usually done by amateurs, but many industry professionals take this route fore of their manga's.

All photos are from the Afro Samurai DVD's/Streaming and are the property of Gonzo and SpikeTV 

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