Sword Art Online Anime Review

Sword Art Online
Sodo Ato Onrain
Aniplex
Complete Collection - 4 discs
625 mins. - 25 episodes
$74.98 (2015) Parts 1-4 Blu-Ray
$112.98 (2013) Parts 1-4 Blu-Ray Limited Edition
$49.98 (2013) Parts 1-4
ISBN 850527003325
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Tomohiko Ito
Studio - A-1 Pictures

Synopsis: In the year 2022 the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) genre has advanced into an amazingly realistic and immersive user experience using cutting edge virtual reality headgear.  Users are able to control their avatars with their minds and sensations are relayed directly to their brains.  Kazuto Kirigaya is your regular high school student who is an avid fan of MMORPGs and spends a lot of time online in his room alone.  His parents died when he was young and he escapes into virtual reality as a way of avoiding the real world.  He's pretty good too and was selected as a beta tester for the hottest new game - Sword Art Online!  There's a special new VR headset called Nerve Gear which is the only way to access the world of SAO.

Kirito meets Klein and shows him the ropes on the first day of SAO

On the official release day of Sword Art Online (SAO) ten thousand users login using the Nerve Gear headsets including Kazuto.  They explore the new world of Aincrad and the beta testers note new additions from the version they played.  Kazuto's username is Kirito in SAO and he spends the day helping a newbie named Klein learn the basics of the game.  At the end of the day a tragic event happens.  The sky goes red and a menacing, robed figure appears above the Town of Beginnings.  It announces itself as Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of SAO.  Kayaba tells all the players they are trapped in the game and cannot logout unless they defeat all 100 floors.  Further, the Nerve Gear headsets are wired so that when a player's health reaches zero in the game they die in real life as well.  Any attempts to remove the headsets in the real world will also cause the player to die (which is learned the hard way by a few hundred players).  SAO has become the ultimate game of death!

Kirito meets a hooded girl named Asuna before the first boss raid

The death toll begins to mount as weaker and inexperienced players fall prey to monsters or bosses.  Many players can't handle being trapped in a virtual reality world and commit suicide.  Other players form guilds to support each other as they continue trying to level up and beat the game.  Beta testers like Kirito are especially despised as they are considered cheaters with unfair secret knowledge.  Kirito decides on a strategy to level up as quickly as he can, but remain a loner without a guild.  He makes friends along the way and learns some difficult life lessons.

Kirito befriends a low-level guild called the Moonlit Black Cats

Some of the players Kirito befriends are:

• Klein - prefers to work together with people while Kirito remains a solo player.  Despite their different personalities the pair are friends
• Asuna - meets Kirito before the first floor boss fight and is a powerful warrior.  Kirito befriends her and gives her the advice to join a guild (i.e. not become a solo player like him)
• Egil - wields a powerful axe in battle, but is a better merchant and shopkeeper.  He and Kirito have a friendship based mostly on Kirito bringing rare items for Egil to buy/sell
• Lisbeth - Asuna's friend and swordsmith.  Kirito asks her to make him the most powerful sword she can from a rare element.  She develops a crush on him after their adventure
• The Moonlit Black Cats guild - meet Kirito on a mission and befriend him.  The group are friends from the real world and Kirito admires their camaraderie.  Will the diehard solo player give in and join a guild after all?  
• Silica - a beast tamer who is getting hassled by her former comrades.  She has a pet dragon that helps her on quests.  Kirito comes to her aid
• Yui - a lost child that Kirito and Asuna find in the woods.  She has amnesia and doesn't remember the real world.  What is her strange past?
• Leafa - of the Sylph race and able to fly with fairy wings.  She helps Kirito learn the ropes of flying and politics in Alfheim.  She's got a big secret and is closer to Kirito's offline life than either one of them could truly guess

Asuna is a skilled warrior and known as the Lightning Flash for her speed

Kayaba has developed an incredibly lifelike virtual world.  Some players are too afraid to fight and are able to take up different trades like fishing, gathering resources, cooking, and trading information.  It's even possible to kill another player in the game and an evil murder guild forms to steal the rare items from players.  The towns are neutral territories where players are safe from being killed.    The front line is where players continuously battle to advance the game forward and open up new levels.  Kirito becomes a rare solo player who fights on the front line.

Kirito and Lisbeth go on a quest to find a rare ore to create a powerful sword

His levels are high and he has rare equipment to help him in battle.  He'll need it because Kayaba's SAO world is a virtual prison and impossible to escape.  The greatest challenge lies beyond the virtual world - what has happened to the bodies of the comatose players?  Are virtual relationships as strong as real ones?  Who will survive to see the light of day and who will sacrifice themselves so that others might have a chance?

Kirito takes on a monster in a dungeon

Pros: Great animation - character designs/backgrounds/action, some memorable characters and situations, the love story between Kirito and Asuna is touching, nice soundtrack, first half had a serious feel to it as characters died causing their real world bodies to also die, second half was an adventure, some very mild fan-service

Kirito and Asuna start getting closer even though she's the 2nd in command
of the Knights of the Blood Oath guild and he's a solo player

Cons: First story arc is much more powerful and interesting, final story arc was too cliched with the whole damsel-in-distress thing, relationship between Kazuto and his sister Suguha was a bit questionable, ending seemed a bit too easy (although the series gets dark), as of this review there's no affordable complete collection available which makes this a ridiculously expensive series to own

Kirito takes on Heathcliff, leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath guild

Mike Tells It Straight: Sword Art Online is based on an ongoing series of light novels by Reki Kawahara.  I watched part of an episode of SAO on Cartoon Network's Toonami and it looked interesting.  I didn't know the story coming in, but knew it had something to do with MMORPGs and knew a little bit about those (a friend was heavily into EverQuest at one point).  I was hooked after watching the first episode!  The idea of players trapped in a virtual world where they die for real was awesome.  .hack//Sign had a similar story where the protagonist was unable to log out from a virtual world, but I liked the grand scale and adventure of SAO.  There was a clear and present danger as players were dying on missions, through treachery, and even committing suicide.  The story contains some heavy themes, but is mostly lighthearted in nature.

Kirito asks Asuna to cook a rare meat for him because she has
a high cooking skill level

The first half of the series was entirely dedicated to the 'death game' theme, but the focus slowly shifts to Kirito and Asuna.  They become allies and then something more.  I really liked how SAO explored the question of 'in-game' relationships.  The whole virtual reality thing gets more serious when you can really experience the sensations of your character (there's a pain setting which I have to assume also governs other sensory input like touch).

Asuna and Kirito take on a high level boss raid together

Kirito is a likable protagonist and you can't help rooting for him, but Asuna was pretty darn cool in her own right.  I really think Reki Kawahara missed it with how he handled her - she's strong, but then gets too sappy and sentimental with Kirito and later on Yui.  Her treatment in the second half of the series is totally weak.  Kirito is a lone wolf throughout the series and I liked that about his nature.  Sure, he gets a little help from other players, but at the end of the quest it's him vs. the boss!

Leafa is a Sylph who Kirito helps when she's getting hassled

I think the series would have been more powerful if it didn't veer off the 'death game' theme to focus on Kirito and Asuna (plus Leafa) as much.  It was still a great story and offered some really interesting views of virtual reality gaming.  The battles and action were really awesome in the boss fights and there was a desperate emotional undercurrent throughout.  Kazuto's sister Suguha was a surprisingly good character.  I read a lot of mixed reviews on this series, but suggest you find out for yourself.  It's worth it and there's even a sequel (Sword Art Online II).

Who is this girl being held prisoner?

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Fullmetal Alchemist Season One Anime Review

Fullmetal Alchemist Season One
Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (Alchemist of Steel)
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
600 mins. - 25 episodes
$49.98 (2010)
$69.98 (2009)
$49.98 (2007) Part 1-2/ea.
$19.98 (2007) Vol. 1-7/ea. Viridian
$29.98 (2005-2006) Vol. 1-7/ea.
$49.98 (2005) Vol. 1 Starter Set
ISBN 704400082696
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Seiji Mizushima
Studio - Bones

Synopsis: The first law of alchemy is "equivalent exchange" - in order to gain something one must give up something of equal value.  Young Edward and Alphonse ("Al") Elric believed this law to be the only truth of alchemy and paid a horrific price.  The two brothers learned alchemy in order to be like their absent father, a famous alchemist, and lived with their loving mother.  When she died of an illness they vowed to use alchemy to bring her back.  Assembling the ingredients for a human body the two attempted the process to recreate their mother.  Human transmutation is highly illegal and the brothers' attempt went terribly out of control.  Al lost his body and Edward lost a leg during the procedure.  Al would have died if not for Edward's quick thinking - he bonded Al's soul to a large suit of armor, but lost an arm in the process.  Worse yet, the creature the two put together was an abomination and failure.

Al and Edward learn alchemy - their lives would soon change forever

Emotionally devastated and left disfigured by their failed attempt at human transmutation, the brothers new mission is to restore their bodies.  Edward's missing two limbs are replaced with "automail" - advanced prosthetics, and Al's soul animates the empty suit of armor like a natural body.  Edward is racked with guilt over Al's condition - Al can no longer 'feel' and doesn't need food, water, or rest anymore.  Edward becomes a State Alchemist in order to gain more knowledge about human transmutation.  He is codenamed the "Fullmetal Alchemist" and is able to perform transmutations without requiring a circle.  Al remains by Edward's side on his assignments and the two prove to be a formidable team.

The Elric brothers after their failed attempt at recreating their mother

They learn of a miraculous object called a Philosopher's Stone which helps perform transmutations without paying the price of equivalent exchange.  Edward becomes obsessed with learning about the stone, but as the pair get closer to the genuine article they discover it harbors a dark secret.  Being a "dog of the State" grates on Edward and he rails against authority.  The State is guilty of some despicable acts, particularly the war on Ishbal where the State used alchemists to decimate the population.  A scarred man from Ishbal appears and exacts mortal revenge on State Alchemists.  Will Edward and Al become his next victims?

The mysterious scarred man from the East

The journey to finding the Philosopher's Stone is fraught with peril as many pretenders exist.  Can the brothers restore their bodies or will they be among the countless others who have died in frivolous pursuit of this dream?  They discover the State is filled with corruption and someone is manipulating events from behind the scenes.  Who or what are the homunculi?  What terrible choice will Edward be forced to make?

The Philospher's Stone can perform miraculous transmutations
without paying the price of equivalent exchange

Here are some of the characters Edward and Al will meet:

• Roy Mustang - superior officer to Edward and known as the "Flame Alchemist", a seasoned soldier who regrets his part in the war with Ishbal, wants to change the State from within
• Maes Hughes - works in military intelligence and is old friend's with Roy Mustang, often helps the Elric brothers with information and guidance, has an adorable little girl
• Winry Rockbell - childhood friend of Al and Edward, skilled automail technician and repairs Ed's limbs when they are broken during battles
• Louis Armstrong - the "Strong Arm Alchemist", built like a tank and often shows off his muscles by taking his shirt off, highly emotional and empathetic
• Scar - mysterious Ishbalan with a prominent scar on his face, possesses tremendous alchemical power in his right arm, his mission is to kill all State Alchemists as revenge for the slaughter in Ishbal
• Shou Tucker - the "Sewing-Life Alchemist", a researcher who created the first talking chimera (an animal with human-like intelligence), he lives with his daughter doing State-funded research

Maes Hughes says farewell to the brothers as they embark on a train

Pros: Great soundtrack particularly the opening/ending theme songs - "Ready Steady Go", "Melissa" and "Undo" are all enjoyable, character designs and character development are well done, excellent mix of comedy and serious themes, lots of interesting alchemists with different powers along with the mysterious Scar, alchemy is a cool concept

Roy Mustang shows why he's called the "Flame Alchemist"

Cons: Most of the comedy is slapstick and silly which contrasts with the serious elements, a few episodes were duds, simple animation and backgrounds

Edward and Al meet the other Elric brothers - huh!?

Mike Tells It Straight: Fullmetal Alchemist is a wildly popular anime series which manages to near-perfectly balance comedy, adventure, and serious subject matters.  I finally checked out the first season after seeing several episodes on Cartoon Network a few years ago and hearing a lot of praise for the series.  Well, it lived up to most of the hype.  The Elric brothers are likable protagonists and the circumstances of their disfigurement was truly grave.  Alchemy made a great backdrop for their story and we really get to see them develop over the first season.

Nina, the daughter of Shou Tucker, and her dog Alexander

The show started off a bit slowly, but gained good momentum right about the time Scar and the chimera were introduced.  I knew this anime was serious after those episodes and the rest of the series kept getting better.  I was a bit surprised at how lighthearted most of the series was - Edward's short-man complex, how childlike Al was in his massive armor, Maes Hughes comical gushing over his little daughter, Louis Armstrong's emotional outbursts, and more.  It helped make the characters more endearing (or more annoying, I'm not quite sure yet).

The mysterious homunculi Lust and Gluttony

This first season is half of the first full series (total of 51 episodes) and has been followed up by a quasi-sequel series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (a completely new version of the series, but with additional details and based completely on the manga).  The ending of the first season was really the beginning of the major storyline which plays out in the second season.  Despite its slow start I think FA is highly entertaining and has a lot of good subject matter.  The Elric brothers are damaged both on the outside (lost limbs, artificial body) and the inside (absent father, closeness issues).

Winry and her grandmother repair Ed's auto-mail

Those looking for a strictly serious plot may dislike the comedy aspects of the show.  If you can deal with the slapstick then you'll be rewarded down the line with more serious events.  I wouldn't recommend this show for young viewers due to the dismemberment and killing, but definitely teens and maybe pre-teens (borderline).  FA is a critical success and lives up to being one of the better shows of the past decade.  I recommend checking it out if you haven't already!

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Darker Than Black Season One Anime Review

Darker Than Black Season One
(Darker Than Black: The Black Contractor)
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
625 mins. - 26 episodes (25 + 1 OVA)
$49.98 (2011)
$69.98 (2010)
$29.98 (2008-2009) Vol. 1-6/ea.
$39.98 (2008) Vol. 1 Starter Set
ISBN 704400074592
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Tensai Okamura
Studio - Bones/Aniplex

Synopsis:  Ten years ago a section of Tokyo transformed into a horrifyingly unstable terrain where the laws of physics cannot be trusted and mysterious apparitions haunt the streets.  The site was dubbed Hell's Gate and a similar site manifested in South America was called Heaven's Gate.  When the Gates appeared the stars and moon were blocked out and replaced by a set of artificial stars.  These stars are linked to beings with strange powers called Contractors.  Each star represents one specific Contractor and glows brighter when their power is used.  In this way the activities of a Contractor can be monitored.  When the Contractor loses their life then the star falls from the sky.  A new star appears whenever another person gains powers.

Strange phenomena occur within the Gates

Contractors were once humans, but now follow a different set of rules.  They have incredible psychic powers including flight, power over the elements, body-switching, explosions and many more.  The power comes with a price as each 'contract' requires a 'payment' - something the Contractor is compelled to do after using their power.  The 'payments' are just as diverse as the powers of the Contractors.  They can include eating/drinking specific things, smoking, placing objects in a specific manner, self-inflicting pain on themselves/others, and many more.  A Contractor's 'payment' can be a curse or only a minor inconvenience, but the price must be paid or the Contractor will be adversely affected.

The mysterious Contractor assigned Messier Code BK-201
and codenamed 'The Black Reaper'

The governments of the world have kept the existence of Contractors a secret from the general public.  The Japanese government has surrounded Hell's Gate with a massive wall and a multi-national coalition called PANDORA (Physical Alteration Natural Deconstruction Organized Research Agency) studies the abnormal phenomena inside.  Contractors are completely rational beings and no longer capable of feeling regular human emotions.  They do not know loyalty or morals, but only a strong sense of self-preservation.  Many governments use Contractors as tools to perform espionage or assassinations.  Other groups calling themselves Syndicates also use Contractors, but operate secretly and often counter to government espionage agencies.

Unassuming foreign exchange student Li Shenshun arrives in Tokyo
around the same time BK-201 and the Black Reaper become active

In Tokyo the Public Security Bureau's Section 4 is charged with investigating crimes related to Contractors.  A mysterious, new Contractor nicknamed the Black Reaper has recently been sighted in Tokyo and seemingly involved in many covert ops.  Misaki Kirihara, the head of Section 4, has made it her personal mission to find the Reaper and bring him to justice.  An unassuming Chinese exchange student named Li rents a flat in Tokyo and works odd jobs to pay for school.  He is really the Contractor named Hei, 'The Black Reaper'.

Section-Chief Misaki Kirihara and Detective Yuusuke Saito

Hei works for a Syndicate in a small group with three other individuals:

• Huang - a gruff older man who receives orders (i.e. missions) from the Syndicate and organizes the team's work.  He dislikes Contractors and considers them to be less than human
• Mao - a black cat who can talk and is really a body-switching Contractor only able to possess animals.  His original, human body has been lost
• Yin - an emotionless girl who is another Gate-related entity called a Doll.  She is a medium and can use water to send a spirit form for observational purposes.  Dolls are even less human than Contractors (although no 'payment' is required), essentially having no independent will and only acting on specific instructions

Huang, Yin, Hei, and Mao

Five years ago Heaven's Gate was the site of a massive conflict between Contractors and various governments before completely disappearing.  Hei's sister Pai disappeared in the conflict and he has made it his mission to find her.  He believes investigating Hell's Gate will give him clues to finding her, but dark secrets from his past and the Heaven's Gate conflict are slowly bubbling to the surface.  Why does he keep exhibiting remotely human emotions like compassion and sorrow when they should be beyond his caring?  Various espionage agencies like MI6, the CIA, and Public Security's Section 4 are increasingly present around the Gate.  What is the secret of the meteor fragments?  How does the infamous detective Gai Kurosawa fit into the picture?  Will Hei find his lost sister or will Misaki finally catch the deadly Black Reaper? 

Mao gets hassled by Li's landlady who hates cats

Pros: Great animation quality, nice action scenes, solid characters - especially Hei and Mao, the Contractors' powers and 'payments' are neat, awesome music put together by Yoko Kanno - the first opening theme (Howling by Abingdon Boys School) is now one of my all-time favorites  from an anime, story is perfect blend of suspense/action/comedy, very good dub, I liked how each mission/storyline lasted two episodes, high death count, some romance, this DVD set includes the OVA episode Beneath the Fully Bloomed Cherry Blossoms as the 26th episode (for you obsessive completists out there!)

Hei triggers his power during a fight

Cons: Plot was a bit confusing, certain characters are never fully explained, episodic nature can slow down overall story progression, no primary antagonist or foil, they switched the opening theme song from Howling to a different song halfway through the series

Yin tries on a smile

Mike Tells It Straight:  I kept thinking to myself as I watched Darker Than Black (aka DTB) - 'Why can't X-Men be this cool?  Mutants have superpowers, but it feels like the same stories are recycled over and over again.  Someone needs to break the status quo and bring something unexpected.'  DTB was a breath of fresh air among a cacophony of stale pop culture works.  It has a perfect mix of action, intrigue, comedy, and gravity like many other great, memorable shows.  I found myself looking forward to each new episode, but mostly it was the awesome opening theme song - Howling.  Seriously epic tune and put me in the ideal mood to enjoy DTB every time!

While being held by the Evening Primrose group, Mao worries
they've noticed he's not just a regular cat

The soundtrack was excellent thanks to Yoko Kanno - prolific anime soundtrack composer who worked on Macross Plus, Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, and many more.  Visuals were top notch with two well-known studios working together - Bones (Wolf's Rain, Fullmetal Alchemist) and Aniplex (Fullmetal Alchemist, Blood+, Durarara!!).  Character designs were good and characterization definitely shined.  Hei was a cool customer, but he actually had a heart (contrary to how normal Contractors are supposed to behave).  I liked seeing the characters grow as the series progressed.

Hei takes a walk to get some ramen

I found the two-episode story arcs to be a nice change from other full-length series (i.e. 26-episodes) which tend to become episodic in the middle until the buildup to the series finale.  In DTB the first episode set up the story and players with resolution in the second episode.  Rinse and repeat for most of the series.  The only drawback - if you didn't like an arc then you were stuck with two episodes to trudge through.  Overall DTB was a great show and I recommend it highly.  It was serious, but had lots of humorous and touching moments to make you feel for the characters.  I'm looking forward to checking out the sequel.

"Just howling in the shadows!"

TO BUY and Recommendations: