[Better late than never, here’s our initial thoughts on the first episode. Then make sure you read Iro’s take on episode 2 over here.]

Novel Adaptation by A-1 Pictures
Simulcast on Crunchyroll

Premise
Gamers everywhere are lining up to get into the latest MMORPG but when they log in they find it’s not what they were expecting.

Jel’s Thoughts
It’s very pretty, it seems like the action will be cool and I think they even got me over my general dislike of game settings. But after the direction Accel World took I just can’t help but be wary of the message. Is this just going to be more nerd fantasy wish fulfillment? Play lots of video games and shut yourself off from the world and you too can get all the ladies? I guess we will have to see. At least this main character has some confidence, but the fact that I can’t assign him any other trait than “good at video games” does not bode well.

Verdict? Accel World 2.0
Yes, that is an incredibly lazy verdict but Sword Art seems to improve on its sister series in many ways while keeping a thematic similarity. I’ve got a lot of other things to watch but I may check back in on this later.

Lifesong’s Thoughts
I grew up on MMORPGs so this kind of setting is something I can get behind. Undoubtely there will be quite a few comparisons between this and .hack but let me say this straight up, .Hack was never this focused. This virtual world wastes no time showing how brutal it can be making everyone clear of the consequences of trying to log out. The anime really does a good job of feeling like an MMO without being too gamey. Now comparisons to Accel World also come to mind. Those are fair as it’s the same author. Reki Kawahara clearly likes his virtual reality a lot but I’m cool with that, I like his virtual reality as well.

Verdict? What If .Hack Didn’t Suck?
This is the show to watch this season and it’s got my attention. If you only test drive one anime from this seasons offering this should be the one.

Dragonzigg’s Thoughts
Sword Art Online is treading a little close to fan favourite Accel World in its premise, but I far prefer the execution here. The fantasy world is gorgeous to look at, the battle animation is great and it’s been a good while since we’ve had a properly decent swords ‘n’ sorcery epic so I have high hopes for this one. Little disappointed the ‘gamey’ elements keep intruding though, it somewhat ruins the flow.

Verdict? Connected Fantasy
It’s looking like a smart, conscious take on a time honoured genre, with some VR mindbending to spice it up. Hopefully it can balance the two aspects and turn out a great tale from them.

Irothtin’s Thoughts
Escapist gamer fantasy taken to its logical extreme.

Verdict? Let’s Play The Anime
I watch Let’s Plays pretty often, and the Skype Chat likes to tell me that it’s dumb to watch someone else playing a game – watching this show is basically the same thing, but in anime form. It has a solid concept, and I’ll probably keep watching, but it lacks a really strong plot that would otherwise make it stand out.

Marlin’s Thoughts
I’m enjoying Accel World to varying degrees so far, and I love the author’s world building concepts. When I heard SAO was by the same guy, it really showed, and I was equally impressed as to how he built a realistic mmo feel to the whole story. However, at the same time it falls into the heavy wish fulfillment themes that Accel World carries as well. While this can be a good thing in moderation, too much and sometimes it’s hard to suspend disbelief and it just becomes awkward in my opinion. The first episode did a good job of setting the dread of this do or die situation the players have been put into.

Verdict? Get your Cheetos and Dew
Seeing the second episode, it seems it is keeping close to its mmo roots down to making guilds to fight bosses. Overall it’s definitely worth a watch.

Timmy’s Thoughts Many a gamer have wished that games were real and this show lets us see what it might be like if it really happened. Sword Art Online is saying be careful what you wish for.

Verdict? Log Into This One
The virtual MMO idea could be fun by itself but when you turn it into a life and death struggle like this show has then you really got something. Just try not to think about the concept too much as there are a lot of issues with it that at this point lie unanwsered. You know, trival stuff. Things like not starving to death in the real world while you are locked in game for months. Otherwise it is a fun concept that makes a promising show.