Sword Art Online, 25
I have to tell you all, that without a doubt, Sword Art Online is my favorite anime ever. It is absolutely the best piece of animated fiction I have ever seen. Allow me, if you will, to detail to you all exactly why this touching story of love, adventure, and heroism should be the first anime each and every one of you watches.
The Animation is top notch. Truly, a dazzling display of colors and fluid motion which requires a better term than mere sakuga. Each and every motion properly emulates the human form, and is not just easy for the eye to follow, but pleasing to it as well. The monsters are brought to life in a way previously impossible to anime through the latest, state of the art computer animation, and the action sequences are so heart-poundingly well choreographed they'll have you on the edge of your seat for the entire series, begging for more. It can be subtle, too, though! From the way Asuna gently strokes Kirito's cheek to the way this is meticulously subverted with the villainous character of Sugou, you're in for quite a ride.
The Music is truly the best thing ever composed for an anime. Just when you thought that the OP and ED could not possibly better evoke the sense of wonder and adventure this show so truly captures, the second half of it kicks in, and the new OP and new ED, as the forum vernacular says, truly deliver. The duel themes are enough to make anyone giddy, and Kirito and Asuna's own personal themes being woven into various parts of episodes as musical leitmotifs was a stroke of utter genius never before seen in the realm of Japanese Animation. The soundtrack alone will make you cry.
The Premise is undoubtedly the single most unique thing anime has ever blessed the world with. It is an astounding, scathing, yet just look at the world of MMOs, video games, and dare I say the world at large? The manner in which the taking of life in and out of a virtual reality is discussed with such maturity and thoughtfulness that it can only be compared to the greatest treatises on the subjects of murder and war I have ever studied. Kirito struggling to handle a world in which he is neither powerful nor known in the second half, after his meteoric rise to prominence in the first act, is a brilliant examination of the male power fantasy and its stark contrast with the world in which we truly live.
The Villains are the most terrifying forces you will ever behold in your life. Their motivations are clear and well defined, and the sympathetic air that surrounds them makes one ponder the true nature of evil while simultaneously feeling for these tragic characters. Their every move is serious, well performed, and the absolute strength of the performances in the show. By the end they are the most misunderstood characters, and any viewer with a heart is sure to feel the same! Kayaba's scheme is daring, well organized, well thought out, and performed with such competence that even brilliant master tacticians like Lelouch Britannia, Alexander the Great, and Napoleon Bonaparte are put to shame. And Sugou's machinations are of such a moving, charismatic, carnal, seductive nature that villains like the Phantom of the Opera and the Grendel could never hope to measure up.
The Cast is the most diverse, loveable sort that you will ever meet. With the exception of Klein and Egil, who are admittedly the weak links meant to pander to lesser sorts, there isn't a blemish among them. We have deep characters like Alicia and Recon, whose importance to the plot is in no way diminished by their being side members. Indeed, their contributions to the show's comedy and poignance cannot be measured in one viewing, yet their true strength lies in these same features being readily appreciable from the get-go. No cast has ever interacted so well, been so well developed, nor so utterly human as the likes of them.
The Romance is more relevant than anything in any novel or life experience I have ever had. I'm going to level and tell you now that Suguha should have won. Her deep love for Kirito was touching and handled in a way that pandering bullshit like Koi Kaze could never expect to understand. Suguha's love for Kirito made me cry. I cried so much because she loved him but the bindings of this corrupt society prevented her pure, immaculate love from being righteously expressed. Asuna shouldn't have won, but even so her romance with Kirito was expounded upon in a terrific manner. Seeing Kirito struggle with her sudden loss and the loss of his daughter and home as well was an emotional moment the likes of which I have never, ever experienced before. If only Kirito had opened his heart and let Suguha heal his wounds! Even the undoubted Worst Girl Lizbeth had a surprisingly real and understandable romantic interaction with the Lonely Beater.
Ultimately Sword Art Online is simply the most superlative, sublime, endearing animated masterpiece which I have ever had the inestimable pleasure of experiencing. Nothing will ever come close to being as special, as wondrously captivating as this show. I pray every night to God that there will be a second season so that I can continue to journey with Kirito, Suguha, and Asuna in the world they loved. The ending to this show had me crying into my pillow, so awe-struck was I by its simplistic, intrinsic, masterful beauty.
There will never, ever be a show quite like Sword Art Online again.
