Sword Art Online is an anime about a virtual reality MMORPG in the year 2022

Story Summary: A boy named Kirito (not his real name but I can't for the life of me remember it) enters Sword Art Online using a gaming device know as a NerveGear. The developer of the game Kayaba designed it so that once a player went into the game they couldn't log out until they beat the game. If you tried to force the NerveGear off... It kills you. If you die even once in the game, it kills you. It kills you by sending microwaves into your brain.

Starting off.....I wondered how they didn't die. Turns out that all the players were moved into hospitals and put in life support so they wouldn't die while in-game.

Makes sense.

The shows quality... well it was good enough to make me want to finish it all in two days. The story is engaging and is filled with action, romance, comedy, and tragedy.

The fight scenes were typical of action animes and were a bit over the top.

The players were full of "life". They seemed like real people with real problems and real limitations...until the jump up twenty feet and dash forward at ludicrous speeds.

One problem... the main character is very OP. Being a beta tester for the game, he knew where everything was and how to instantly kick the games metaphorical ass.

But somehow that advantage works into the story really well and make him a solo player who becomes know as a game "Beater".

As for the romance, He falls in love with the vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath. Her name is Asuna.

This works out until the second season where she plays the defiant damsel in distress while being virtually raped. THAT is where the story goes south.

After Kirito beats the game and saves everyone, somehow a creepy business guy man takes over Kayaba's work and makes a game about elve/fairy/pixie things. ALFhiem Online.

2nd verse same as the first except there is a stereotypical damsel in distress story with OP main characters and a sex-deprived egomaniac. Rape-man goes to jail... I was happy about that.

Overall, I really liked the show. It had its share of flaws but it played an interesting card by making it about Virtual Reality gaming. Most gamers wonder what it would be like to be in the game, 100% immersed. That was fun by itself to watch and think about.

I give Sword Art Online a 8/10 and absolutely recommend it.