Sword Art Online 

In the year 2022, thousands of people get trapped in a new virtual MMORPG and the lone wolf player, Kirito, works to escape.

Stars:

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Bryce Papenbrook, Haruka Tomatsu

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Yoshitsugu Matsuoka	...	Kirito / ... 66 episodes, 2012-2019
Bryce Papenbrook	...	Kirito 43 episodes, 2012-2014
Haruka Tomatsu	...	Asuna / ... 41 episodes, 2012-2019
Cherami Leigh	...	Asuna 38 episodes, 2012-2014

Storyline

The year is 2022, and gamers have lined up on launch day for Sword Art Online, a hotly-anticipated MMORPG that lets players connect to an immersive virtual reality world with special helmets called Nerve Gear. Kirito is one such gamer who's eager to jump back into action, having spent a great deal of time as a beta tester, and quickly becomes friends with newbie warrior Klein. But soon, Sword Art Online's 10,000 players discover that not only are they unable to log out, the only way they can return to their physical bodies is by beating the 100-level tower's final boss - death in the game means death in the real world. Now, with no one else to turn to, Kirito and the other participants must survive the game as best they can.

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Plot Keywords:

sword | science fantasy | sword and fantasy | sword fight | hero | 

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

7 July 2012 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Sao

Company Credits

Production Co:

A-1 Pictures, ASCII Mediaworks, Aniplex

Technical Specs

Runtime:

24 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the English Dub of Season 2 Ep. 19, Asuna, while Glaring at someone, actually says the word "Staaaare." This was improved by her voice actress, Cherami Leigh, who didn't even know it was left in until it aired.

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Connections

Referenced in Anime-Gataris: Minoa, Anime Rookie! (2017)

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Soundtracks

Courage
Performed by Haruka Tomatsu
Written by Nori
Arranged by Furukawa Takahiro
(Music Rayn)

User Reviews

A Series That Keeps You Guessing To A Point

After watching the final episode of SAO my reaction was of randomized and mixed feelings just like the show itself. This anime which was completely out of my territory found its way to become one of the best I've seen in a long time.

Pros: The story-line is very good, while randomized at times it stays on course on whatever story it tells and it builds up the suspense with battles, realizations, romance, and almost everything an action anime has to offered. A little bit of humor doesn't hurt either, for the show was serious most of the time but still offered a little bit of comic relief that was well needed but not overused like many anime today. The romance within the story was a nice touch as well as the thoughts concerning life and personal strength.

Cons: As said above the story is randomized at times, in fact during the first few episodes I was confused due to the many 'jumps' in the story. Like one moment the main characters here doing this, and the next doing that. Which was very different and I will admit confusing at first but as the story picked up it all began to make more sense despite my disappointment in the random jumps and what I like to call 'filler' episodes. However I CAN say that it was all worth it in the end.

All in all, it was a very good series and I really enjoyed watching it. It held many characteristics that make for a good adventure and story, it told good lessons within it, and best of all, it keeps you entertained despite the randomness starting in episode one. If you aren't a big fan of 'jumps' or filler episodes maybe this isn't for you, but I highly recommend that you give this series a shot and see for yourself what a wonderful piece of artwork this series has to offer.