Odd Man Reviews: Sword Art Online

Jared Garthoff

A lot of people are skeptical about watching anime. There are numerous reasons, but for some, it’s just like any other show. “Sword Art Online” stands out as a well-developed anime due to its well-written story line and stunning art work. Originally, “SAO” was a Manga series, which are comics created in Japan, written by Reki Kawahara. It was then developed into a TV series in 2012.

In the series, the year is 2022 and many video game fans have gathered for the release of “Sword Art Online,” which is a highly-anticipated for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game.

The game allows players to connect to a massive virtual reality through the use of special helmets called Nerve Gear.

The Nerve Gear is very similar to the movie, “The Matrix” and how Neo is able to enter the interior of the Matrix. The hero of the story, Kirito, is a beta tester for the game prior to its release. Upon entering the game, Kirito befriends another player, Klein, and shows him the ropes of the game.

The fun doesn’t last long, because the 10,000+ players of SAO soon find out that they are unable to log out of the game. The only way they can return to the real world and their actual bodies is to beat the game. This includes ascending the 100 levels and defeating every boss they encounter.

The catch to this is that if a player dies in the game, they will die in real life. Kirito and other players must fight to survive the game or fail and die within the game they had all been long anticipating.

This show has similar aspects to other anime such as “Log Horizon” and “Hack.” The story line is very well-structured and it keeps the watcher entertained all the way ‘til the ending.

If you’re a fan of “The Matrix” or the old TV show “Code Lyoko” and would like to get into anime or have already been a fan, I would highly recommend this show.