Sword Art Online - Episode 1

Such a sadist...

MMORPGs are, and will probably always be, a big part of the online gaming industry. With millions upon millions of users playing them each day—this number continues to grow—it's no surprise an anime with an interesting premise that combines elements of both the game and real worlds into a life-or-death MMORPG would instantly garner the praise of many game enthusiasts.

Having been an avid player of MMOs a few years ago before switching over to watching anime, the first episode of Sword Art Online really brought back some great memories. Although I was never too good at any of the MMORPGs I played—usually just a tad better than your average player—I can still relate to the hype and excitement that the players of SAO felt as the release date neared. But the horrific announcement from the creator shortly after the game went live not only made everything that much more interesting, but also served as a rhetorical question (Is this what you really want?) for those who desire for the "virtual" from "virtual reality" to be removed. It is no longer "just a game", but something so much more. In SAO, one's life is literally in their hands.

For Kirito, the protagonist of the story, this will most definitely be the adventure of a lifetime. From his reaction to being invited to meet Klein's friends, it seems like Kirito is the type who prefers to solo everything in games, instead of joining a party to enjoy each other's company while having fun in the game. However, the look of disappointment and loneliness in his eyes when Klein chose to part with him makes me doubt this is true. Judging by the ED (which is actually the OP), he does end up meeting and befriending another player though—a girl, no less (Hurray! There's potential for some romance.).

Talking numbers and time for a moment, if it took Kirito a good two months to reach the 8th floor in the beta release, assuming what he said about needing only half the time now is true and that the floors take longer and are harder to clear the higher they are, clearing all 100 might just end up taking years. Now, with the help of his future partner, I'd cut that time to maybe three years? With their bodies being stuck in the real world until the game is cleared, one glaring flaw is the healthy state of the physical body of the players being taken for granted. I do expect an explanation sometime soon though. Aside from that, this first episode really set the tone for the action and excitement that is to come in Kirito's adventure within the world of Sword Art Online.

Theme song analysis time!
OP (ED in this episode): With LiSa's powerful singing voice and an upbeat musical track, this song perfectly fits SAO's overall theme. Even the Engrish didn't sound all too bad and it actually made sense, unlike in many other songs.