Why Do So Many People Love SAO? - The Art of Mass Appeal

I rail against Sword Art Online all the time. But there are plenty of people out there who love it - let's figure out why.
If YOU love Sword Art Online, get the light novels cheap from bookwalker with promo code "Basement" and enter to win Reki Kawahara's Autograph at global.bookwal...
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SAO fights without the great music: • Sword Art Online Best ...
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In the depths of his Mother's Basement, Geoff Thew creates videos analyzing the storytelling techniques of anime and video games. He has been named the number one Worst KZbin Anime Reviewer by The Top Tens.

[@mothersbasement]

Important information - my haiir in this video can be explained by the hat I wore in this one kzbin.info/www/bejne/gp61l6CApqpjoa8

[@sartigan943]

is this a trap to get views? dunno.......

[@EndingAbyss165]

Mother's Basement A video where you don't bash SAO. As an SAO fan I'd thought I'd never see day. Whether it's you giving credit where credit is due or a sign of the apocalypse I may not know.

[@oscarlee3742]

... You watch Shingeki no Kyogin for romance?? +Caleb Mack

[@illbill5904]

I don't think you understand how many people like rape an incest.

[@ltlux8152]

Mother's Basement hey do you think season 3 will be good? I've always enjoyed the anime so I'm looking for honest opinion. I completely respect your decision

[@Swagkage]

I imagine Geoff has a glass case labeled "break in case of emergency" on his wall, containing a stack of papers listing Sword Art Online video ideas

[@TheSilverDragonX]

Swagkage I'm pretty sure that's every anime youtuber at this point

[@AsterDXZ]

I imagine Swagkage has a glass case labeled "break in case of emergency" on his wall containing the script to the Kakashi Dissection video

[@SuperMerlin100]

Like he would waist so much glass.

[@R3IsL]

Plez review hentai

[@weacker21]

That explains how we got ordinal scale

[@kirikoza2488]

I liked Asuna for being a believable woman who can actually take care of herself while also having a flirty relationship with the main protagonist that isn't characterized by being over the top aggressive or passionate. It felt more realistic than most other popular anime. Then Fairy Dance happened.

[@kingramp7312]

Yeah she became a house wife

[@crotchet6439]

We don't talk about fairy dance

[@enrico1130]

@@crotchet6439 yeah I heard but things about it when I first watched sao so I skipped it.

[@requiemtheswordfighter991]

@@crotchet6439 no one wants to talk about the Fairy Incest Arc

[@everydaylupin2135]

We don’t speak of that thing

[@Spicy_Isaac]

Make sure you support your local Kirito is Always Right Foundation

[@Tinymaniac1]

No, you microcephalic addlepate

[@bionizard5480]

that or get your flesh dissolved by a Sheeptaur

[@Creppycookies]

Nomics YAS LOL

[@mcgoldenblade4765]

WE MUST SAVE MY FAMILY

[@plebasaurus5677]

THE BANDITS ARE COMING

[@tamashi4242]

"We all liked sao at some point. For some it was their first, for others it was a push deeper into anime."~Albert Einstein (probably)

[@andressuarez2942]

yeah maybe, most of the people here says that they love it because it was their first anime, but there are a lot of better animes.

[@tamashi4242]

@@andressuarez2942 there are definitely better anime,(:

[@andressuarez2942]

@@tamashi4242 :)

[@parkertown2229]

@@tamashi4242 *laughs in death note*

[@outtaideas849]

@@andressuarez2942 My first anime, besides pokemon, beyblade, and Yu-Gi-Oh, was Fairy Tail. It's special to me, but not the best, nor my fave. My fav is definitely the K Project

[@jebes909090]

To be honest, i really like the premise of the first half of season 1. The fact that they were trapped in a killer game and thier attempts to get out was compelling. I liked seeing them adjust to the new life, some being broken, others finding sometimes a better life. There was always an underlining feeling of doom, like eventually you're luck would run out. Then they shit on that and made wierd elf rape land.

[@yetiornot5726]

I was honestly glued to the premise through the murder mystery arc, then some of the topics fell flat to me. Then when the fishing arc came around, my eyes were rolling too fast for me to hit the "Next episode" button.

[@incenerated9385]

@@yetiornot5726 The murder mystery arc has so much potential, and it just fell.

[@achmodinivswe9500]

I liked the series until Kirito met up with asuna under the tree. But around when they retired to the house at the lake i had to take a break from watching

[@janinebelleestrada7096]

@@incenerated9385 its like a jaw breaker, sour and sweet and lil salty depending on the consumersa taste. Slowly melting away that cany exterior until you get to taste the ending/core but its just dogshit. I remember watching sao. I think it was decent but not great but hot damn how could it get any worse at the second half?

[@Alex-bw6yd]

First half of season one was god tier. If you liked that but didn’t like the rest of season 1 and all of 2 (rightfully so) you should give Alicization part 1 a try (I haven’t seen part 2 yet so I couldn’t tell you how it is) but Alicization actually felt like those first 12 of Season 1, and it got fucking brutal at times. It was extremely good and worth the watch.

[@patarkovax]

I wish the actual SAO death game was spread out into multiple seasons so we could explore the characters and their psychology more.

[@Alex-bw6yd]

Well you’re in luck! SAO Progressive is coming out this year I believe. It goes back and takes place during the original Eincrad arc and follows both Kirito and Asuna from floor 1 on and fills in a lot of the information we never saw. It supposedly isn’t going to skip floors like the original show did and it’s going to dive into their growth together and before they met.

[@N54-s7r]

@@Alex-bw6yd god I hope you’re right, SAO makes me so depressed because it could’ve been so amazing if they kept it in the game itself and took their time with relationships and the world building

[@robbieaulia6462]

@@N54-s7r Don't worry SAO Progressive is the SAO we all wanted and it totally delivered, also making Asuna the main character was a good idea.

[@Jc-go3mz]

@@Alex-bw6yd welp that didnt happen. Its in movie form, and they first 2 so far aren't very good.

[@panda_phat]

"Casual anime fan who has only seen a FEW DOZEN series" O_O

[@myself2noone]

pandafat I've seen maybe 2 and a half. But I mean that like 5 half's.

[@sunatic9066]

Ikr. I was scrolling down to see if anyone mentioned it lol

[@fries6670]

I've watched 10 animes

[@justcomments]

When you lose count, ...you're a very OLD casual.

[@StabYourBrain]

i probably watched more then just a few dozen animes and read about as many mangas and would still call myself an casual fan.

[@TStewart1973]

Honestly I just like imagining if I was in SAO

[@ominouscandle4169]

There's another reason I liked the show. It made me wonder what I'd do if put in the same situation (also given how vr has been getting better and better recently, the idea almost excited me)

[@keiibo5644]

@@ominouscandle4169 yeah, and what's even cooler is that we're in the same decade now as sao so that makes it even more believable!

[@ominouscandle4169]

@@keiibo5644 I'm excited too

[@AkiraNoir999]

Same lol

[@18Hongo]

So I just started watching it, and yeah, that's one of the big selling points. Not many shows can make me feel like a kid wishing he was part of that world, but SAO did. Maybe it's a testament to the worldbuilding, but it made me feel inspired in a way few things have. My god, I'm ready to be disappointed by bad character development and sub-standard writing!

[@cammo353]

Had a talk with a friend who's first anime was SAO the other day. he told me that one of the biggest upsides to having SAO be his first was that anime in general only got better from there on, so there's that.

[@CallMePuddlez]

cammo353 ouch

[@Yakasuki]

Nah man nothing is more downhill than gundam seed and gundam seed destiny... I've managed to convert someone to like mech because he had seen the lowest of the low which are these shows.

[@Gamesfan34260]

I mean...that's fair I suppose, for every SAO, there's an Erased, Unlimited Bladeworks, Your Name, A Silent Voice, Boku No Hero Academia, Monogatari, Re:Zero, The World God Only Knows, Katanagatari or Spice and Wolf....I think that's my good anime spam of the day.

[@LightswrathUltimatum]

Gamesfan34260 ... Erased is shit...

[@beastvicious8672]

Games34260. What's good about any of those shows?

[@qtacontessenu]

Kirito and asuna getting together early was THE ONLY THING that kept me watching 100% That and the fact that I love Asuna (*sigh* at how they broke her later on)

[@blazingexil4003]

Giovana Calamari and brought her back

[@BartSimpsonKB]

Really? As someone who just watched SAO again (Only SAO + stupid elf arch) I really disliked the Asuna Kirito relationship because I wanted to see more of the world that is SAO and it really sucked they skipped like 15 floors every episode.

[@blazingexil4003]

@@BartSimpsonKB progressive

[@bullymaguireneedsyourprimo6581]

Same here

[@deathkorpofkriegguardsmen6235]

same here man, same here

[@sorenkair]

6:15 "casual anime fan" "a few dozen series"

[@void4067]

"Casual" anime fan/Weeb in denial

[@gloriouscontent3538]

Depends on length.

[@plzletmebefrank]

I mean... If someone only watched a few dozen different TV shows in all their life, you'd think that's weird, right? So if someone who claimed to be more than just a casual anime fan only watched a few dozen different series, it's weird.

[@nilaso9523]

I watched like 15 anime. But all one piece episodes and all Naruto and Naruto shippuden episodes including filler. so I count that as a couple dozen

[@plzletmebefrank]

@@nilaso9523 I've tried at least... Idk, too many. TL;DR: I end up with at least 67 that I've gotten more than a few episodes in, maybe a little less, but quite likely a lot more. And the amount I've tried is at least double that. The ones I've actually gotten into a bit... at least a few dozen. Like... 8-10 isekais... Okay, maybe 12 if you count Log Horizon and SAO and maybe a couple others... Then a couple of random shows, several slice of life, at least 8, if not another dozen. Maybe even more than that. Some shonen stuff. Naruto, One Piece, Fairy Tail, Black Clover, My Hero, etc... Probably over a dozen there. Not sure where Seven Deadly Sins goes... Feels too complex and bloody to be a proper shonen, or at least the modern shonen anime are less bloody and complex. Then a couple dozen harem and ecchi anime. Then a couple of more physiological smarty party fight detective stuff. Death Note. Again, not sure where a couple of other shows fit. No Game No Life, for example. It's got harem, it's got a little(okay, more than a little) ecchi, it's got isekai, it's got mind games... Yeah, I don't know, mate. Then Re:Zero. Yeah. No clue where that fits either. I guess it's a... Isekai parody? Yeah... Let's go with that.

[@someguy401]

Kayaba: This is a death game Asuna: Ok lemme just max out my cooking skill...

[@hyperandfriends3039]

dont want to be stuck in a game for 2 years eating shit food amirite

[@jessehernandez8419]

@@hyperandfriends3039 playing the long game lmao

[@chocoblocko9]

@@jessehernandez8419 the 5Head really came out

[@darkreaper4990]

Lmao, that's hilarious. I am not smart so my survival rate would be 0.000... something. Before dying I would at least like to eat the food I love. When I caught covid, I couldn't taste anything except salt. I was like "man, I can't taste my fav foods. It is gonna suck real bad if I die like this"

[@jamesharding3459]

@@darkreaper4990 Covid is just wack. One of my friends ended up in the hospital, one said it was like a bad cold, my folks were pretty much debilitated, and if I hadn’t I tested positive twice in 3 days, I would never have known.

[@pcvsk8]

Sword Art Online is like your first girlfriend. Everything started out great, you fell in love and the first months were amazing. Halfway through the relationship, things start getting weird, both of you start having some fights but still manage to stay together. There are a few setbacks, but after talking about it things feel better. But suddenly, some unresolved issues come and you start fighting again. You both no longer feel in love, and end up breaking up. A couple of months pass and you never talked again, as it is probably the best thing to do. The following year, you get in another relationship. You check your facebook after a long time of not using it and see that she also now is in a new relationahip. You drift into a small nostalgia trip, and embrace the happy memories you both shared. And after all, you feel happy for her, because both of you managed to move forward, and you bear no resentment.

[@gabereynolds1299]

PeterC yes

[@limerslimer]

PeterC And just like my first girlfriend it makes some white dude thousands of dollars through videos on the Internet.

[@Zachxmpm10Henson]

PeterC facts

[@DuyNguyen-qt5xj]

PeterC more like a relationship that was going good until you realize she's into some freaky shit.

[@codyraugh6599]

trouble for me is that i'm a anime vet who was watching anime since the first ever came to American TV. Tthe stupid samurai one power rangers-esque one that started the whole thing off in america. And basically from there i watched a few of the not DBZ anime that would shortly air then be quickly removed by America's horrible censorship standards. "that's racist"...no it's who a Japanese author views something you don't even want to look past the shallow end of... (sorry rant) but because of that the idea of SAO was something i'd seen before and the show seemed a little shallow by the first few episodes compared to what i was watching online at the time.

[@ErikUden]

"Why is SAO so good?" "Because it helped funding Crunchyroll."

[@dafish1982]

Or is it funding Crunchyroll because it's so good?

[@ussinussinongawd516]

@@dafish1982 no

[@MGNew]

@@ussinussinongawd516 maybe

[@MGNew]

@Rnabee maybe L

[@CrossKiesha]

"Hence I'm a professional shi..." ad plays "...tbag"

[@ominouscandle4169]

Bruh this comment made me laugh so hard

[@PunkX2000]

I was listening to this at work and had an add for AFK Arena and a two hour concert video(which I skipped 20 mins in) play.

[@binkbonkbones3402]

I thought your icon was some gunk on my screen lol

[@CrossKiesha]

@@binkbonkbones3402 D:

[@-noplangaming-9268]

It happened lol

[@einerlindholdtmadsen5282]

When you haven't paid this months rent.

[@SpiralFlip]

Fuck Historie Timerne That's what I was thinking xD

[@moralesfox]

The video

[@milliebysh526]

Fuck Historie Timerne HAHAHA 😂

[@Ryan-ju3fl]

"Whats that? I don't have a lot of money? Better make an SAO video."

[@absolutezero8972]

Fuck Historie Timerne you make Sao is shit video

[@JakeMatthews-OnLo]

Yes please make a "Why we love FMA" video.

[@shonbera5246]

Jake Matthews Yes, FMA is amazing.

[@xvariable1521]

Shon Bera, FMA isn't amazing. It's Fucking Amazing. We can't go putting FMA in the same category as shows that are just amazing, we both know its in a different category.

[@shonbera5246]

X Variable Lol, I did I not see it? FMA is my #1 fav anime of all time along with Berserk, AoT, and others

[@scrungobeepis5443]

Jake Matthews I also want more of these with different anime.

[@Lem___________]

I smell a 2003 vs brotherhood storm a brewing

[@gktalberta4856]

Why I liked it: - One of my first animes - Likeable cast of characters - Visually pleasing art style on an action anime (which is oddly hard to find) - Okay storyline, was interesting and as someone who hadn’t watched much anything before, it was new to me.

[@zacharydye9613]

Same bro

[@galaxygkm4696]

GKT Alberta same

[@shawtylikeamelody4307]

Sorry likable characters? Who

[@NudelsTV]

Likable? Hm??

[@tupla1122]

@@NudelsTVwhy not?

[@bryn4962]

I’ve gone through kind of a weird relationship with SAO where I went from “HELL YEAH” to “this sucks actually let’s watch 10 billion KZbin videos about why it sucks” to “eh I don’t really care one way or another” to “watching people tear things apart is pretty fun but I do have some genuine nostalgia for this series simply because of how much I liked it when I first saw it”

[@ElPascal]

Same same same and I am reading the novels because I really need to read if the same shit or impress me

[@ptero93]

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up

[@gideon4942]

*"casual anime fan that's just watched a couple dozen shows"* I've watched about a dozen total and I'm considered by a lot around me to be an anime nerd.

[@randomname5686]

Ahem *puts on cowboy accent* You must be new around here...

[@fischlfanatic]

Yeah I felt like that

[@nykidd2347]

fucking casual......lmao

[@aakashsinghkharayat5025]

You ain't a casual when you are at a couple of hundreds :@

[@kakutasu8431]

@@aakashsinghkharayat5025 weird flex but ok

[@fruitwagon9275]

Just imagine how many people would die after asking their friends “Does this game have fall damage?”

[@robbieaulia6462]

I'd imagine hundreds did.

[@ElPascal]

I could swear I read this in the light novel actually XD

[@RGC_animation]

Who in their right mind would jump off a cliff in a VR game, death game or not?

[@thekicker2517]

@@RGC_animation I do. One of the first things i check in any game vr or not is the extent to which I can fall. Many times it lets you know a detail that may be of use later in boss fight strategies.

[@goranim5015]

Bold exclamation: check Sword art online: check Game theory green: check Giant letters: check All systems set, get ready for KZbin moneys

[@mistergremm735]

Goranim true

[@hithere5553]

Goranim longer than 10 minutes: check

[@RyuyaS17135]

Split into two parts: ...Revenue lost.

[@harveyebetts3736]

Goranim Where's the lamb sauce

[@TheDarkStigmataVA]

Goranim Bore people with a long video due to being a drooling witless hack: Check.

[@niallshea5627]

I've always thought it was strange that Asuna didn't look like Skeletor when she woke up. Kirito did, and it makes sense that after literally no exercise and living of an IV for two and a half years, someone would look a bit like Kirito after waking up. I guess they just didn't want pictures of slightly less attractive Asuna floating around.

[@Tank82111]

Her family was rich and probably hired a caretaker

[@wilji1090]

@@Tank82111 would the caretaker be able to prevent muscle atrophy though?

[@ExplanationPointAnime]

You've got a damn good point about the direction here. I went into it a little bit on Twitter, but there are a few great cuts that the Abridged Series left out that detracted a bit from its quality. Like how, right after Kirito uses his dual wielding skill for the first time and goes unconscious, he initially sees Sachi for a second while he's waking up before he realizes it's Asuna. That was a seriously great cut, even if the whole story with Sachi fell a bit flat. Really upset it was left out of Abridged. I've also been trying to figure out why people think the fights in SAO are good, and you're right, the stellar backing track definitely makes a huge difference.

[@limerslimer]

Explanation Point Hey, this guy makes good videos ^^^^

[@caydesix1896]

Limerslimer yes he does, good shit

[@sceptile6375]

Explanation Point so weekly videos in August????

[@ExplanationPointAnime]

@Sceptile63 Not yet! PedRo has 37,056 subs as I'm typing this and I've got 35,455. Odds look good, though. Especially after two endorsements from the Anime Pope.

[@dapeach06]

It's a lot like Star Wars. Without the music, it would be terrible

[@Michirin9801]

The best thing SAO did is be the source material for one hell of an abridged parody

[@zayaannashrid1374]

The abridged series is by far one of the best tbh. The quality is through the roof all things considered

[@098anime]

That comment wont work on this video... but the abridged is amazing

[@logosloki]

The SAO abridged is one of the best abridged series to ever come out. It is better than the Hellsing abridged series.

[@JACKRAIDEN97]

last episode sucked tho.

[@ZayitsII]

Really? Why? All things considered, they tied together all the little details they left lying around and kept the comedy on the same level as before.

[@nhall129]

say what you will about this being another SAO video but, Geoff always brings something new to the convo, not just recycled arguments and nitpicks

[@dieblauebedrohung]

I actually was turned off by just looking at the thumbnail and thinking "oh great, another SAO video, get your views in an original way". Then I saw it was mothers basement and gave it a shot.

[@cooperwood4487]

SAO was the first anime I had ever seen and I frickin loved it. It appealed to everything I liked in a story, and I couldn’t get enough of it. Coming back to it I’m realizing it’s major character flaws, that it was poorly written, and that it’s disappointing that the potential the show had wasn’t fulfilled. But hell I’m rewatching that shit after seeing this video

[@yoshiwiiremotewithwiimotio2947]

This.

[@MsEpicdemon]

Regardless of how much I realize the flaws of this show, the nostalgia I have for it and just this weird, unexplainable enjoyment I have while watching it, it will always keep a soft spot for me.

[@jeffboy4231]

nostalgia is a hell of a drug

[@digimonlover1632]

@@jeffboy4231 Oh shut up.

[@Biologicalerror]

What the heck man this was my same story when I started watching anime back like 3-4 years ago lol.

[@Gracjanos1357]

one "Why we love JoJo" video please

[@Bryndleson]

Gracjanos1357 This.

[@EdgyPuer]

because it's trash and so are we.

[@Bryndleson]

PerkyObama JoJo ain't trash mah boi do not speak ill of JoJo, JoJo is best thing in existance.

[@dyldragon1]

Because it's Fucking Insane

[@lloydchristian936]

Gracjanos1357 because it's just pure stupid fun. Try watching it with out getting hype or a smile on your face. It's hard not to.

[@Blizzic]

Dude I'm down for any sort of video on FMA

[@dragoniraflameblade]

Blizzic Go check out Goat Jesus. He's started a series comparing the two animes AND manga. He also analyzed that horrible movie.

[@isaacargesmith8217]

AAAAND then he got distracted by making art videos again.

[@seg162]

"Why Shou Tucker did nothing wrong"

[@jellyfish0311]

seg162 heh

[@frydraws5619]

FMA:B is my favorite anime. So I agree.

[@FavChanger]

"There's value in being able to turn your brain off." Then the video buffers for me. Timing.

[@spacemonkey1386]

I like your assessment, to be honest the whole show should have ended on kirito waking up in the hospital, whenever I rewatch this show I stop there and move on.

[@diegoluna7775]

Or if it had stopped when they disappeared. Probably would’ve been one of the saddest anime

[@diakounknown1225]

You wouldn't get that cash though.

[@barryallen2240]

Because I saw videos like this I did, the first, and only, time I watched it

[@36inc]

this entire review was done at gunpoint

[@josephahner3031]

Nah the main issue of SAO was that A-1 didn't have much material to work with. Before Anime production SAO was just a rush written contest short story. That considered A-1 managed to do some damn good work with a shitty short story.

[@richardpham8932]

sir, i ask why could they have not done a more lengthy light novel or manga? I do not hate A-1, actually i quite like their diversity at time and they made the Shigatsu wa kimi no uso anime which i adore to death, but SAO was shitty not because the studio did no have enough material, it was shitty because the source material is a rushed mess of story that jumps from beginning to end in a flash: it was a jarring experience to read and if you tried to read volume 1 and 2 like i did you will see

[@HaganeNoGijutsushi]

A-1 does so much stuff all the time they are bound to make something good now and then if only by law of great numbers. Good A-1 shows I can think of off the top of my head: Silver Spoon, From The New World, Interviews with Monster Girls.

[@richardpham8932]

Hagane no Gijutsushi agreed, so what I'm saying is that detracting blame from an issue with a clear cause seems a bit too forgiving. SAO had a great premise but had an amateur writer at the time. Sorry if I wish to see blame and praise given where it is due. The light novel of SAO was well past the Phantom Bullet arc when the anime first began production of the Aincrad arc, so citing a lack of source material as to why the anime was subpar shifts blame away from the actual issue of SAO: the quality of the source material

[@josephahner3031]

Richard Pham The original light novel was started as a contest entry. I wish the author had done just that and make a longer story but he never expected the story to win the contest. Likely because it wasn't his usual forte. Reki Kowahara wanted to get back to his usual harem ecchi theme and only continued SAO at all because of fan and publisher demand. I have no complaints at all about A-1s handling of SAO and have not seen much of their other work. I applaud the work they did with SAO because they did the best with what they were given and it turned out well despite the flaws in the underlying story.

[@fangsabre]

SAO is a candy anime for me. I know it's not great, I know Kirito can be bland as hell at times. It's kinda like liking even the bad episodes in a show I love. It's dumb, but I like it. Also it's nice to see a guy surrounded by girls who want him but DOESN'T turn it into the whole "oh no who will I choose" thing. No, be goes 'that's my wife' and while the other girls are into him he's not a cheating cad. So ya know, there's that.

[@norastifler]

Fangsabre but then second season come and it's beyond disgusting with whoever fanservice and asuna becoming a damsel in distress

[@animesucksjapandoesnt1285]

For some reason in japan sao is really big. In some arcades there will be a whole row of sao claw machines

[@azuredragon4978]

I like your opinion. and 100th like!

[@aaronking5640]

Isn't kirito's sister in love with him during the alfheim arc but doesn't know it's him

[@azuredragon4978]

@@aaronking5640 at the end tho, he eventually does

[@aaronwe00]

Finally speaking the truth : "You don't have shit taste or stupid for liking SAO..." Hope those haters could realize this easy fact.

[@benawesomebw1197]

Am I the only one who rates things like this: I loved it I liked It It's fine It's bad Just wondering.

[@asiko6474]

Nope they have no life and makes other people feel like trash left in a active volcano

[@surveycorpsmember2234]

elementalgamer 20 go to hell

[@luiseatoll6368]

Hope you realize that when money talks, shows like these will pop more seasons than quality shows. Congratulations, we will now have streamlined shows geared for the easily impressed masses. It's totally worth the years struggling to showcase anime is more than just a kid show. @Benawesome BW I had SAO on the hated list but Knights and Magic took the top spot. That show is truly horrible and disgusting to even consider as an anime series. I never had a feeling of wanting the studio who made it be burned down for agreeing to make it and wish their product which, I hope isn't an actual product that what they want to sell, to blow all of their investment and financial state to dust.

[@benawesomebw1197]

Luise Atoll well that sounds like some good material for me to work with.

[@Tralfazz74]

I will always like SAO. Not because it's well made or original, but because it was a true gateway into anime for me. Thanks, in part, to it not being very unique, it was show that provided a very easy look at the tropes I could expect from anime, and a simplistic overview of Japanese culture that I otherwise didn't understand

[@RamRam.720]

Kirito has a fidget spinner on his chest. Time to kms

[@ottersaurus]

SAO is the physical form of the perfect meme

[@mariokarter13]

Sword Art Online started in 2009 and is set in the 2020's. Steins;Gate Confirmed?

[@duckfilms5812]

MrRamram720 noose or weapon?

[@duckfilms5812]

mariokarter13 well to get technical SAO began back around 2001-2002 and a web novel by Reki Kawehara. It was gonna be in a writing competition but there were too many pages so instead he put it online but technically SAO did start in 2009

[@duckfilms5812]

Turtle Essence I disagree, Love Live is

[@Saint_JRome]

I wonder if they scrapped the fairy arc and made asuna stuck in the 100th floor or different floor of SAO would have been a better way to end it. That arc and lack of development and use of SAO killed it for me. Why make a new game when you have a great game already.

[@redoranmagic6806]

damn this would be a much better second half of the first season

[@drbugbait]

Or they could've ACTUALLY killed off Asuna at the end of the aincrad arc, make the Alfheim arc be about him escaping into VR and have the whole thing with his sister be him getting over his PTSD and his sister bringing him back into the real world. THAT would've been a show worth watching.

[@whimhammer242]

@@drbugbait Killing off Asuna would be a big step because the show developed Kirito and Asuna's relationship heavily. I felt that had they scrapped the extreme rape and sexual harassment and wrote Suguha to actually get over Kirito instead of harboring feelings, that would have made the Arc decent

[@imapopo2924]

@@drbugbait Ehhh... I feel like that's going a bit too far from what the show was aiming for but they definitely couldve scrapped a lot of what they did for some more logical progression. Honestly, the entire incest angle was a MASSIVE turn off for me, which has made me strongly dislike Suguha's character, despite liking her design and personality well enough. I wish she had played a role that was just more like an ally if they wanted to have her tease Kirito a bit like an actual sibling would, then sure Im cool with that. But instead, we got a character angle that makes me cringe at the very thought of it.

[@norastifler]

Arless Hill lol why not kill kirito and continue with asuna. That would have been better. Second season major turn off. Hate it. Just a bunch of fanservice, fucked up stuff, moe and rape wtfffffffff

[@jacobwondolowski4096]

9 minutes into the video: "F it! Time to watch SAO again!"

[@ominouscandle4169]

Oh good! I'm not the only one!

[@user-ww3ym7kr8q]

lol I'm ready to watch SAO for the 13th time (ik have a problem)

[@ominouscandle4169]

@@user-ww3ym7kr8q Mood though

[@pavelslama5543]

I really like the show, but for me its more than enought to see it twice in 3 years.

[@emberprime1015]

@@user-ww3ym7kr8q including the movie?

[@shachinchaya8189]

I love this show, I loved the first half of the 1st season. But I wasn’t very satisfied with the Alfheim arc either. In the second season, I loved the gun gale arc, but again, I hated the Alfheim arc. So far, I’m loving Alicization

[@Bamboozllerr]

I haven’t watched alicization yet, is it worth watching, I hear a lot of good things about it, I stopped after gun gale arc

[@artyomfarris7187]

@@Bamboozllerr Alicization is pretty fun, just finished watching war for underworld, its pretty good up to that point IMO as a pretty casual anime fan, but Jesus-kun in WfU is pretty ridiculous, bit of braindead action fun though

[@outtaideas849]

@@artyomfarris7187 Fun Fact: in the LN Alice loved Kirito like a brother

[@artyomfarris7187]

@@outtaideas849 I saw that, and while they started that in Alicization, by WfU, Alice has just been added to the harem and it felt reeeeaaaaaal cringe XD

[@outtaideas849]

@@artyomfarris7187 the anime thinks the harem is a good thing lol it takes away any individuality the girls could have and makes them identical sexy fish in a barrel labeled "choose your waifu" i like harems when they're barely there (Black Clover has harem girls, but the harem isn't their defining trait) or when the fanbase makes them

[@RandomPerson-gt1jt]

It's nice to have someone who is actually talking about the positives of a show instead of just yelling and complaining and listing everything that is wrong with a show.

[@Ticketman99]

Random Person It's nicer when said someone(Geoff in this case)is known more for his "yelling and complaining and listing everything that is wrong with a show".

[@SmallAlexMoney]

Ice Rautahi nice bait

[@SmallAlexMoney]

Ice Rautahi I’m certain somebody else will bite

[@miicro1]

Yeah i know right kinda annoying xd

[@dxshawn532]

@@miicro1 you have dog shit taste in anime that's why you think that way..

[@simplylinn]

I'm a hobby game designer. SAO (or more accurately, the nervegear) is the holy grail when it comes to gaming hardware. I agree with every single piece of criticism I've heard so far. The show is horrendously flawed, in so many aspects, but to me, the visuals and premise during the first arc (rapey fairytale arc, not so much) was enough for me to simply imagine gameplay and stuff that actually worked. I used the analytical aspects of game design to fix the flaws in that area during watching, which blinded me to the narrative flaws since I couldn't focus on that while doing game design thinking. Overall, it provided enough for me to have an enjoyable experience. After watching a bunch of reviews, I can't rewatch it. The flaws are spelled out, the game design aspect can't keep me distracted, I can't enjoy it. SAO abridged is amazing though, I've rewatched that several times, and it's pure genius.

[@danielblitzke3909]

sister incest was not so bad actually... hoped in something more

[@GoddoDoggo]

I don't design games, but I play them a lot, and frankly SAO looks really obnoxious to play. Like, parts of the world look neat, but the bosses and dungeons look boring af, and the menu system seems irritating. Also for a game called "Sword Art" there sure isn't much of a variety of swords. I don't see any giant swords, or scythe swords, or really any other swords aside from standard rapiers and claymores with color swaps. Breath of the Wild has a larger variety of swords.

[@SarzaelX]

Honestly I don't like the anime too much, but the idea of the nervegear and full dive VR (I didn't know about many of the other great series and movies with similar concepts at the time) was powerful enough that it encouraged me to start studying computerised neuroscience so I could work with BCI. It's a branch of technology that the more you know about, the more endless possibilities seem, and if you start talking about them it sounds like something coming out of Evangelion lol

[@DarthRadical]

SAO is fun in a popcorn action flick sort of way.

[@MarluART]

"All the key characters have plot armor" _cries in Sachi_

[@ussinussinongawd516]

She's not a key characters

[@TorrentialStardust]

@@ussinussinongawd516 no but her death is a key character

[@truthgategames6148]

Attack on Titan spoilers !!! 16:40 to 16:54. Thumbs up so people will see!

[@mortiphasm6816]

I'd argue that it isn't that much of a spoiler. There was always something between Eren and Mikasa, and a lot of the characters point out her preoccupation with him, so it's not very surprising that she'd say something like that when she thinks they're both about to die. The manga is also far ahead of this point, so while it's the most recent anime episode, it's fairly old news as far as the manga goes.

[@loading...9987]

and you could literally see it was a confession , she even tried to kiss him

[@cole9947]

Yes, but there are plenty of people who don't read the manga and would prefer to experience the stuff first hand without any prior knowledge of what's going to happen. I mean, yeah, it's pretty obvious that they are going to hook up, but this show also is notorious for having a high kill count. It's unlikely that they would kill off Mikasa or anything that extreme, but until someone knows what is going to happen there is still a chance that things might deviate from the norm.

[@Blewlongmun]

So much as seeing a character in AOT could be considered a spoiler since you know they aren't dead yet, so such a little spoiler really isn't important, don't over react.

[@cole9947]

Tate Amstutz Dude, don't get me wrong. I couldn't care less about AoT. However, dropping minor spoilers is something that Geoff does pretty frequently, so I appreciate our man's effort to try to give people a heads up.

[@AdequateProximityPH]

People need to understand that there is nothing wrong with enjoying something as shitty as SAO, I enjoy Adam Sandler movies, yes, I am well aware that they're pure trash, but that doesn't stop me from liking it

[@QianaKing]

Classroom Productions +

[@LeonValCh]

+Classroom Productions *"[...]yes, I am well aware that they're pure trash[...]"* This is what makes you different from other people and why I respect you. Yes, you're allowed to enjoy thrashy shows as long as you recognize they're thrash. Other thing is when you try to pass it as perfect and well written and that's when arguments arise. Heck, I recognize the first Watch Dogs game is BAD, but I liked it because I really like playing as a vigilante, and it has a lot of interesting lore that resonates with what's happening nowadays with technology. But I recognize the game is FAR from perfect and I could never argue with somebody that said the game is thrash.

[@CKainn]

Classroom Productions it's an opinion that sao is bad. I think it's great.

[@reubenmcculloch8556]

Muhammad Mbaye come on man it's not bad I enjoy all most every episode!

[@muhammadmbaye6629]

Reuben McCulloch your right it's not bad that you like every episode but the fact is the show is pure horse shit 💩you can't debate that it's not but you can realize that it's garage and feel the way classroom production is saying

[@eonnexus]

I will fully admit to SAO being a completely horrible anime in most aspects, to the point where I couldn't try to defend it even if I wanted to, but I'm just the type of guy that likes to turn his brain off and watch an overpowered character get himself a harem

[@InternetMonster1]

Eon Nexus I can respect you.

[@Nikanaiko]

Valid.

[@tsunderella5826]

Eon Nexus I cannot respect your taste, you have shit tastes and should be ashamed of yourself.

[@ade8296]

Can't argue with that

[@hybridxg2204]

just like dbz except, that show has almost nowhere to go anymore...

[@KalafinaBTS]

Seeing Yuki Kajiura being praised here gives me so much joy omg 😭

[@thoschgold6436]

You can tell Geoff is really trying to say good things about SAO. This is a knew kind of torture for him

[@ShouVertica]

Geoff apologizes for all sorts of series. Erased, MHA, you name it. If it's obviously bad, you can always just find something redeeming if you selectively ignore 90% of the show.

[@Spika94]

He's low on money! SAO VIDEO!!! HYPE!!!

[@CaiHy-Bri]

HYYYYYYYYYYPPPPE!!!

[@TheUltimateRiku]

But he's praising all the shit he used to hate it for, fug.

[@dxshawn532]

@@TheUltimateRiku you have urinal...

[@SuicideBunny6]

"And with the Hunger Games phenomenon just starting to catch fire" puns ... puns everywhere!

[@gaticaeitan]

I really liked SAO when I was watching it as it first came out and I had already seen lots of anime by that point yet it still seemed like a novelty to me for whatever reason. That said, after rewatching it by binge-watching it, it definitely isn't as good or as thrilling as I remember. However, I will always love the cute love story between Kirito and Asuna, I just wish they didn't cheapen it by throwing girls at Kirito all the time ^^;

[@fangsabre]

Yesi-chan(a.k.a. gaticaeitan) they do throw girls at him a lot, but I'm glad that Kirito doesn't really act like a harem protagonist. He loves his wife.

[@Focafoxxi]

Yesi-chan(a.k.a. gaticaeitan) agreed

[@chicDIRECTIONER]

Took the words right out of mouth. I 100% agree

[@naheemquattlebaum2267]

That's what ruin it for me. I love Kirito/Asuna but I feel throwing other girls into the mix is forcing something into the show that didn't need to be there

[@shadowshot4725]

*Clears throat* "COFFEE, SODA, COFFEE PASTA, COFFEE SODA, GIVE ME COFFEE!"

[@pierrebarroux4273]

Smash Bros music : wright that down! Wright that down!!!

[@EliasSpacer]

@@pierrebarroux4273 Phoenix Wright that down

[@kingbranden1369]

1. great soundtrack 2. it came out at the perfect time 3. action scenes

[@arzynovak]

You're missing things

[@sophialillian8508]

I really don't give a crap about how good a story is, just as long as it's enjoyable.

[@TheRedHaze3]

You missed the great directing, and Asuna and Kirito's relationship.

[@AngelMageKnight]

one thing people don't realize is that sword art online was originally a one shot story and that half the episodes are side stories from volume 2 . this is why the stories pacing is the way it is and why the plot is the way it is. I encourage people to read volume 1 and decide for themselves. However anything after season 1 is fair game to gripe about.

[@ethanhudson2009]

Actually the whole show can be griped about because they were still pretty terribly written characters in general plus this is the anime not the novel

[@sancheetb]

Read the light novel, it had terrible writing, felt like some freelance high school dropout has written it

[@LymusIll]

The day youtubers stop milking SAO is the day eternal world peace is achieved.

[@Hhhh22222-w]

Lymus That's when SAO ends

[@BillErak]

aka the day the world gets boring

[@kokichiouma297]

ikr thats when sao loses all relevance and dies off

[@-datrandomdude-6979]

Thats never going to happen

[@sokumotanaka9271]

Lymus I thought that was wne people stop being racist

[@ashkerr8418]

19:53 I totally agree with you as I was one of those people. SAO was one of the first anime I ever watched and I thought it was great. I recently watched its latest season and I despised it. It is a great introductory anime but if you’re more experienced in the world of anime then it will just annoy you.

[@b0i-xyz]

My thoughts aswell

[@tubetorius]

I think another aspect of SAO is it's a great anime for couples who play video games together. My wife and I have been playing games together since we met 14 years ago and we've watched a few anime shows as well but nothing really grabbed us as hard as SAO because we finally saw a couple that reflected us. 2 people who met through a game and found that gaming strengthened their bonds to each other by building a mutual culture that worked as a foundation for the entire identity of their relationship.

[@lesterramos6468]

I must agree. I do not like SAO, but I will give it credit where it's due. It's got one of the best romances I've seen in any shounen anime bar none.

[@blankfaceasmr6558]

Lester Ramos agreed

[@chaosking2661]

The only reason why I like SAO is that it gave us the far superior abridged series

[@Creppycookies]

Chaos King26 True 👌👌

[@mimituxe]

The abridged version is perfect

[@bavarianbanshee]

Fucking yes.

[@raulrojas9253]

better than Yugioh or dragon ball Z jerks series? Man goku can PHOTOSHOP himself out and in of Existence and Perfect cell is.....welll PERFECT SUPER GAY AND MANLY, i cant believe you.

[@chaosking2661]

While yes both DBZA/YA and don't forget Hellsing Abridged are technically better, you have to keep in mind that SWE had to basically rewrite the story to SAO. and TBH I like them all.

[@PowahSlapEntertainmint]

Most people I talk to liked the first season but fell off once everyone turned to elves.

[@SnipingIsFun]

PowahSlap Entertainmint That started with season 1

[@Hyavobi]

PowahSlap Entertainmint eh not even the 1st season for me. After the first 3 episode it got rly meh.

[@samiai8905]

12:51 God I remember the Abridged version of that scene and nearly spat out my drink.

[@NevahLose]

Christmas!

[@bluefiregamingandcards]

@@NevahLose "nobody kills themselves on Christmas!"

[@Admiral_Crunch]

How many SAO videos can you make in the frozen time, Geoff?

[@theatlasinformer6268]

Admiral Crunch How many breads have you eaten in your life?

[@orangegouice]

How many breads can you eat in stopped time?

[@arandombard1197]

SAO vids bring in the views.

[@ForestGuardian777]

"13, I prefer Japanese food"....(hope I got that right)

[@scarydeery]

[ *J O J O R E F E R E N C E M A Y B E ?* ]

[@pastel-sunrise]

You pretty much nailed why I loved the SAO arc. I despize the aflheim arc with the power of a thousand suns but if I let a horrible sequel/arc/episode/plot twist fully ruin a story I loved for me, I'd prety much be out of most of my favs. So I instead reject canon past a certain point and keep what works. Headcanons are my jam. :3

[@ominouscandle4169]

Fairy Dance? What's that? Pssssh, never heard of it!

[@squidge4728]

Late but it’s not just a single arc...after episode 12 it just goes sooo bad

[@pastel-sunrise]

@@squidge4728 True, but I was just talking season 1. Yeah everything else is just awful to varying degrees, and yet the Alice arc had me atually hopeful, the first episode was so good, but eventually the worst tropes reared their ugly heads again. *sigh*

[@outtaideas849]

I feel like most of the Star Wars community agrees with the headcanon sentiment. Hell, Legends is essentially a big bag of canon fanfiction which lost canonicity when Disney did what it does best. Headcanon is a luxury to have sometimes

[@slothfulboi6558]

Videos I want out of this new format: Why do we love FMA Why do we love JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Why do we love Mob Psycho 100 Why do we love Berserk (The manga)

[@Salokin92]

Punished Yoko Taro I think you would love Super Eypatch Wolf Channel and his series "Why you should Watch X"

[@OrderRed]

what are the obvious reasons you talk about? I never saw anyone talking about it. Everytime I see someone explaining why FMA:B would be better is because it´s the original from the manga.

[@Rynjinivar]

I think the most obvious reason is how bad Dante is as a villain. She does a lot of things in the backstory, but is way more interesting and menacing in concept than execution, so the last arc's threat falls kinda flat (since she's less menacing than ANY of the individual homunculi). Other than that, the original FMA series is fantastic though.

[@SpencerCJ]

Id love to see him explain the appeal of JoJo to those who arnt familiar with it

[@Bluecho4]

One of the reasons I love Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is how creator Hirohiko Araki seemed determined to never do the same fight twice. As if repetition is anathema to him, and he avoids it as much as possible. If he can think of three different ways to use a particular character's abilities, for instance, they will be involved in up to three fights, and not a single one more. We don't get any stock moves in this series, is what I'm saying. This dedication to creativity means that characters can wield powers that seem lame, but turn out to be terrifying in practice.

[@amadeux5471]

If only SAO centered its plot more on Aincrad, the struggles of Kirito, Asuna and everyone else as they try to climb every floor all while coping with the fact that they're in a virtual world.

[@albertozalon8477]

Yep season 1 should have been about 3 times as long.

[@RGC_animation]

That is called Sword Art Online progressive. It legit fixes some pretty big issues in the original shows.

[@EmeeStacy]

I agree with your assessment. I watched SAO in 2014 when I was first getting into Anime because I liked the idea and started watching it just for entertainment at like 3 AM. I genuinely enjoyed every season, every episode, everything because I was invested in the characters and didn’t know better. And I liked Kirito and Asuna’s relationship and I liked her independence. I didn’t complain about most of the ALO arc because I felt Asuna was still TRYING to be independent and defiant in the ways she could while trapped. I was FURIOUS at the rape scene, but I thought that was it’s point, to make us mad so we understood why Kirito did what he did. Looking back now I know better, but that’s why I liked it. And sometimes I’ll still go back and watch GGO because I like the world and I liked Sinon. Also the animation was beautiful to me and I felt the stakes were pretty high. I plan to check out Ordinal Scale when I have the time, but I do recognize that SAO is fundamentally flawed and kinda sucks most of the time. I’m just still invested in the characters and premise somehow.

[@ashleyplayz7474]

Emee Stacy agreed!

[@kyotheman69]

i bet you hate yourself now, could of been watching better series out there

[@dewannaeem7283]

could *have been

[@Q1_Enjoyer]

It's honestly a pretty good show for people who have just begun watching anime But it's still shit.

[@JellicleCatz]

Emee Stacy Same thing, Sao was my first anime too

[@K0HAKU_97]

I super duper loved SAO when it came out! Then people started calling this anime I loved sh!t........and it hurt. Because I still loved it. I understood why people hated it(and honestly I don't like what they did in the Alfheim ark I'll admit that needed fixing) but I still loved it. I watched every season and movie. And I still Fking love it.

[@imapopo2924]

If it had ended after Aincrad, SAO wouldve been better for it. Hell, they couldve lengthened the Aincrad arc and took them up to floor 100 and at that point, I don't think they could've done too much to ruin the show. But Alfheim.... Alfheim was the proverbial bullet to the kneecap. It magnified what was already not particularly good or even just outright bad about the show (especially the harem.... Harem works when the protag doesnt already have a specific love interest that he has pursued and has shown the same interest in him. When you add to teh harem after he has already chosen someone, it just takes away from that relationship and makes him seem a bit unfaithful) and put off the emotional payoff that we had been looking forward to of Asuna and Kirito meeting in the real world face to face. I admit that I still like SAO even with its flaws, but thats mostly down to Kirito and Asuna specifically. I care very little for anyone else in the series and the story only interests me where it concerns the main two.

[@martahoremska3729]

me too

[@Slippypippy270]

Kiwi Nevrean me to

[@DarthKilliverse]

Ik im have a year late but i have to say i agree with you on every level here, exactly how i feel

[@whizxcoffee]

That rape scene though it was fucked up i almost fucking died

[@laurenlerm1936]

Loved the first twelve episodes. Than it got slow and tedious and then the rape thing made me quit the show. I'd love to see an FMA analysis

[@nowherewoman2714]

lauren lerm exactly my thoughts. also the incest

[@ethanclark100]

lauren lerm it was shit long before then

[@laurenlerm1936]

ethanclark100 yeah but I was holding out hope that it would get better. That was the scene where I quit flat out.

[@TheGameCreator13]

Feels kinda dumb asking but what exactly happened in that scene? I can basically guess what happened but was wondering if their is more to note about it (Out of place, Insulting, etc) wondering what particularly has got people so pissed (Keep seeing it being mentioned and all) Haven't watched SAO much myself

[@AragorN88]

The rape only made it better ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@ndro_gyny]

Imagine a world in which SAO was actually like GoT and Kirito getting killed shortly after his commitment to Asuna. That could have been one of the most critically acclaimed Anime of all time.

[@ileanabriannemari]

Ah, if only ;-;

[@asandax6]

No it wouldn't

[@theisjepsen22]

People keep saying that GoT is great for killing main characters, but it is not completly true. GoT made sure that killing those characters had consecuences. Spoilers: Robert Baratheon's death caused conflict of who should inherit the throne. Ned stark's death started the war. Rob Stark's death ended the war. Jeofrey's dead destroyed house lannister. If Kirito died, nothing would have changed, he would just be like Sachi, sad but unimportant to the world.

[@soundfxmaster]

this is exactly why i dont rewatch certain anime, some of them are just a thing to fill time as you shut your brain off and go through some fun bad-ass action thats why i like SAO

[@calvinishere3813]

Thats how I kinda feel about One Punch Man

[@NihongoWakannai]

I rewatched it recently (hence how i found my way here) and I can definitely see it's flaws much more clearly now than when it came out, I could still enjoy the nostalgia trip.

[@agiar2000]

I really enjoyed both SAO and this video. I especially liked the intro! Thank you for pointing that out, as obvious as it should be, that people who like different things are not bad for liking different things! When you mentioned, "but if you're just watching to be entertained" or "just watching to enjoy", my internal reaction was: "What other reason _is_ there?" I guess that is the big difference between viewers like me and the critics who are, well, _critical_. Viewers like me *look* for the *best* possible aspects of every fiction we consume. We *actively try* to enjoy it as much as possible. We make a *conscious effort* to overlook any possible flaws or to invent head-canons to cover up plot-holes, and I think that we often have a more _enjoyable_ time as a result! Thus, when critics point out flaws, even when- no, ESPECIALLY when those points are VALID, WELL-CONSTRUCTED, and based on objective, observable issues, that can feel hurtful! I am not _actually_ complaining, far from it. Criticism provides a valuable service to the overall medium, and it should continue, even though I don't _personally_ enjoy it very much. I am just attempting to explain why people who love something will get so angry when someone points out what is wrong with it! Though others may not be as self-aware of it as I am, I think that for many of us, it is something like: "You BASTARD! NOW I can't UNSEE these flaws! I had to work so HARD to enjoy this series, and you're making it HARDER!!" Anyway, I LOVE positivity, and I would love nothing more than to see more videos touting what something did WELL!

[@Syrahl696]

I appreciate your comment; I feel the same way.

[@Lyendith]

Yeah, I kinda get where you're coming from… I often feel like I'm the only one finding qualities in a particular work or scene where everyone else only sees mediocrity. Which is why I very rarely find something outright "bad". Our natural instinct is to find reasons to justify our enjoyment of a show or film or book, so it's never pleasant to have someone give reasons to dislike it. (I haven't watched SAO, by the way. >.>)

[@micaandrews5568]

I feel somewhat differently about some of your points, but I also generally try to extract maximum enjoyment from the media I consume, and I think your comment shows a valuable point of view.

[@Dragynn5]

I know exactly what you mean; well said!

[@syawlevin7540]

Gotta admit, that's how I feel too overall. Though as someone who read the SAO light novels, I can tell the author won't ever try to change up or improve upon whatever criticism the story had however :x. Still, this won't stop people who enjoys it regardless of its flaws though.

[@vgamer4993]

I would like to see a Why We Like on FMA. Sounds fun.

[@emeraldfinder5]

As someone who didn’t care for FMA, I’d love to hear why I’m wrong. Has he done it yet?

[@lukedavies3654]

The romance part and appreciating what you have was the only thing that stuck with me. When Kirito is relaxing despite his situation and saying “it’s a beautiful day in Eincrad” whatever life any of you are living in, try to appreciate the small things you have and the people around you. There will always be beautiful days to experience

[@nabidiboyjones6567]

"There are a lot of reasons why SAO is so popular, but let me talk about the history of Crunchyroll first"

[@TheNerdSmash]

nabidiboy jones it was clearly tied to the narrative he was making for his video.

[@Skallva]

Why Does Geoff Love Crunchyroll? - The Art of Money-Making

[@Deltachief118]

You need to get past the 10 minute mark

[@crammaster88]

People can enjoy Sao all they want. We all have different tastes. And I'm glad their are some people out there who can enjoy something I can't. For me personally the whole Kirito thing broke me. He doesn't need all those girls that worship him. For me its kind of overplayed at this point.

[@marcelobriones9521]

just so people know, i read the gun gale online ova, the thing is, i never thought of it as ''oh another girl for his harem'', yeah i think the light novels still have certain flaws but are just better than the anime in total just in case anyone wants to try them

[@CallieBlader]

he has one girl he's loyal to, if he were an anime protag, he wouldn't have gotten with anyone and they'd constantly be fighting for his dick. can't a guy have friends that are mostly made of girls?

[@tubetorius]

I kind of wrote off the harem aspect of this show because he has 2 guy friends in his group as well and he's the most powerful character in a game where you could die IRL so hanging around him was comforting because he's the one most likely to keep them alive. Not saying it's not a harem, just that it didn't bother me so much because at least I could put some reasoning behind it.

[@fangsabre]

I never really thought of it as a harem till the internet told me to. Mostly because he doesn't act like a harem protagonist. He loves his wife, none of that "but who's the best waifu??" Noncommittal bullshit. Yeah, not every girl he meets should be into him, and that's a little annoying, but it's not as if that's the whole point of the show or he takes advantage of these girl's feelings

[@KormitTheFrag]

Yh true, but as somebody who loves this show to bits, i get by by almost ignoring the harem. The idea of the eps with asuna and kiritos relationship are there is draw the line between all of the other characters. Simply view silica and liz as just friends that happen to be girls. Sounds odd but works. In the end, harem or no harem idgaf.

[@SlingingHashSlasher]

time for some more... *Ｅ　Ａ　Ｓ　Ｙ　Ｍ　Ｏ　Ｎ　Ｅ　Ｙ*

[@danaavila1702]

I love SAO, it was my first anime. I like the graphics, the fight scenes, and some of the characters (Leafa can go step on a lego), but I gotta admit, Kirito can be seriously over powdered at times. Like in War of Underworld, where he deflects a dagger with his "will power" while being in a comatose state. Tbh, I think it was pure bs, but I keep watching it because I wanna see more of Alice being a badass, and I also wanna see Asuna and Sinon join in on the action.

[@Pand0rasAct0r_]

He didnt stop it with his willpower though. He stopped it with his sword. He's not unable to move his sword. He can do that just fine. His reaction times have always been fast.

[@frederickgrandison3609]

I like Leafa on her own, but as her cousin, hell no

[@tlozfreak888]

Why would you say that? That poor lego... it did nothing wrong.

[@stolen_stardust]

Good things about SAO- 1. Music is pretty great?? It's actually stuck in my head a lot. 2. Uhh... animation is pretty? that's it bye

[@slifer875]

asuna has a great designs............eermmmmmmm.... thats it....

[@iriya5598]

Don't forget Sao Progressive and the first half of alicization arc.

[@xrrgr]

Rangerborn 128 First episode was epic. Second & Third episode were pretty good, but the 4th episode is where it pretty much goes downhill tbh.

[@shikitohnoreal7199]

Pikagal 31 You forgot about the amount of Rule 34 it's created.(insert lenny face)

[@TheNerdSmash]

The Cringe Lord of Time and Space it would have taken you five seconds to Google "Lenny face" and copy and paste it. Truly, your name lives up to your words.

[@GooseMcBruce]

Oi whats this guy's email? I wanna send him death threats for calling me stupid for sending him death threats

[@kinozen_]

What about a good health threat?

[@madisonxyz9887]

Kino _ I'm gonna find you and I'm going to do everything I can to make you healthy.

[@PomiDarQu]

*B a l l s D e e p 6 9*

[@Creppycookies]

darkster2000 😂😂👌

[@moocowbees]

darkster2000 *I was gonna change it later*

[@coralreeves4276]

WE MUST SAVE MY FAMILY!!!! LULZ

[@rainyfroggy_3729]

Eren Jaeger *aha, no. Its not*

[@Kaaruma]

I liked SAO, it was easy to feel that the characters there goals and personality’s where real and just enjoy them.

[@chocolatman4767]

Man I wasn´t expecting a Attack on Titan spoiler, THANKS GREAT VIDEO

[@sterlingmuse5808]

morning morality The spoiler is that she _CONFESSED_. After all, romance usually doesn't take center stage in shonen anime. And a spoiler is anything that ruins a moment because you know about it ahead of time. Even the Voldemort v Harry thing can be a spoiler for someone; even though it is basically a foregone conclusion, that doesn't excuse it from being a spoiler.

[@QuakeGamerROTMG]

Oh please, not like they were hinting at it from the first episode or anything.

[@tanmang42]

+Sterling Muse You literally just gave the exact same example as +morning morality but with romance instead of action. If someone says "Ron will confess to Hermione" it's not a spoiler since it's hinted at throughout the series. Same goes for any other series, if something is obviously hinted at and it's revealed later then it's not a spoiler, Jesus Christ.

[@sterlingmuse5808]

Tanmang42 No, its still a spoiler because the author could pull some bullshit and kill off Hermione before that. You don't know anything for certain until the end of the story. In addition, I consider a spoiler something that dilutes the experience, which isn't only about not knowing what happens.

[@tanmang42]

+Sterling Muse But you aren't told when it would happen, so you never know, Hermione could get confessed to then immediately die. It's not like you're told when it happens, just that it happens.

[@deenuk125]

This channel has an SAO fetish

[@Ms10000123]

This channel has a cruncyroll fetish.

[@DylanJo123]

abdullah hussian more like a money fetish

[@archgan12]

This channel actually has a money fetish and makes a lot of SAO content because it will draw a whole lot of views from both people who hate SAO and people who love it.

[@blank003]

still sao is trash

[@gellybean3885]

Just wondering, who doesn't like money?

[@tagair211]

It is a harem anime. Mostly. In the novels, Alicization is awesome all while it avoids that BS for a good while.

[@juanmanikings]

Alicization is still trash

[@Zarastro54]

Too bad in the anime Alice seems to be falling for Kirito anyway.

[@Zarastro54]

@@Aprianex To my understanding, in the LN she loves him like a brother or close comrade, but I haven't read it. In the anime it's clearly implied to be a romantic attraction though.

[@kaguyahioguu12]

@@Zarastro54 i read the novels and Alice is definitely *not* attracted to Kirito romantically. the anime definitely pushed it a lot, even to the point of removing important scenes of Kirito and Asuna

[@Zarastro54]

@@kaguyahioguu12 Well, too bad that sentiment couldn't be carried into the anime, but the show writers seem bent on adding every woman Kirito meets into his Spurned Women's Club.

[@Charziken]

"And you can freeze on almost any frame and use it as a pretty decent wallpaper" *Proceeds to show a scene of a girl covering herself from an up-skirt view*

[@yuri8631]

"It's not a wrong thing for you to like SAO, you are not stupid or have a shit taste." Thanks to that statement you have changed my point of view about you, because you are not like other haters who forced other people to hate SAO.

[@justinward3679]

You do realize he only said that because he's a shill.

[@ararmer19117]

Harutora Kun you do realize he doesn't actually believe that? He has many a time bashed the fuck out of people just for being fans of the show. Hes a hypocritical douchnugget

[@Abyss3223]

How do you force that?

[@dante429]

SAO suck

[@garbanzobeans6228]

Sovereign Sorry Sir, but he was acting for the lols.

[@invisibleracoon]

I actually like SaO. But then again, I'm not an elitist toxic weeaboo like many who absolutely feels the need to attack people on a personal level. I just enjoy anime very casually.

[@haminatorainz7227]

Invisible Racoon I'm the same way

[@archivedaccount5990]

Same here, dude. I enjoy anime just to enjoy anime, regardless on popularity.

[@angelinacamacho8575]

I'm a simple girl....I see anime I like....I watch

[@dxshawn532]

You have dog shit taste

[@darkrising8280]

SAO ends at episode 15 PERIOD.

[@Label07]

I actually subscribe to both crowds. I love SAO and hate SAO, now how is that paradox possible? First: love SAO because of the premise and 1 to 12-14 episodes encompassing the love story between Asuna and Kirito, the struggles and revelations that came from those episodes to the finality when they get out of the game and in a weakened state Kirito searches out Asuna IRL, so touching. The series could have ended there with Kirito and Asuna being reunited IRL and it would have been perfect! Second: hate SAO due to all the other BS content that came after the last episode I mentioned above, no fear of death in the following MMOs, somehow a playable character (Asuna) is kidnapped and Kirito must save her, cliche AF. Kirito is emotionally cheating with every woman he comes into contact with. Lost respect and stopped caring for his character as the series went on.

[@CallieBlader]

alfheim: the disney arc.

[@haminatorainz7227]

Label07 I'm the same

[@GenericNameeee]

Label07 saaaaaaaame

[@ritiaggarwal995]

Same

[@fangsabre]

The Alfheim arc is terrible. Although idk about him emotionally cheating on Asuna. During that whole arc the only times he doesn't seem emotionally disinterested in his surroundings is when he's fighting or at the mention of Asuna. I mean there was like one moment where he seemed a bit embarrassed by the flirting of the two race leaders but like, for the most part Kirito is static to the point of indifference. (I could be wrong, it's been a while since I watched that arc since the only parts I like are Kirito's manic rage at trying to get to the top of the tree and the main villain getting stabbed in the face after being cut in half)

[@kevinmullin294]

Why we love FMA would be great!!!!

[@barley2469]

yep

[@doorcurtain8523]

I second this, FMA is what got me into anime and I love both anime series!

[@jeffreycool7617]

CAN I HAVE A SPOILER WARNING BEFORE YOU JUST BELT OUT THEN END OF A BUNCH OF SERIES PLEASE?! Much love, thanks.

[@TheProstum]

Who hasnt seem Sao? plus its almost all about the 1st season.

[@black_wink1649]

TheProstum he's talking about the AoT spoiler

[@Gamesfan34260]

Yeah, the AOT thing only failed to bother me cus...I don't care about AOT. It lost me after the first episode.

[@YumLemmingKebabs]

I haven't seen SAO, nor do I want to. However I'm pretty sure this was about AOT, which I also don't care about after watching the entire first season in hopes that it would eventually get better than "oh look how smooth the animation is and how edgy the premise is!

[@TheProstum]

Oh didnt even notice that spoiler my bad

[@spacesapphic637]

Yeah, this anime was one of my firsts and I used to really like it. I didn't enjoy Fairy Dance because I thought it was too cloying. I kept watching because they hit me with the emotional investment, but the point where I quit was the end of the first half of season one. One of the things that kept me watching was wanting to know why the villain did what he did. I wanted to know what kind of person would trap thousands of total strangers in a death world and watch the population slowly dwindle from within the said world. When I heard him say that he didn't even remember why he did that I almost screamed. I tried to watch the next episode but didn't get far into the rest of the season because I couldn't enjoy the story anymore. Not only did I feel betrayed, but a lot of the problems with the show became more apparent after that massive disappointment. I will say I'm still grateful for the joy it sparked back then, but I do mourn the lost potential of a truly fantastic story.

[@chiaracoetzee]

What I wanted him to say - the obvious thing for him to say - is that he was a creator who cared about making gaming experiences that were as emotionally compelling as real life, but he realized without the real-life stakes of life or death, nothing can ever have the same emotional impact. It was in the pursuit of the highest form of art that he created the death game. I've adopted this as my personal headcanon.

[@XBorlaugX]

Personally SAO was one of the first anime i watched and its the anime that got me invested in the media, but at the time i watched it i simply loved it because of the fun and decisive romance and Kirito kicking ass.

[@dddmemaybe]

This guy knows what's up. The rule of cool is never perfect but it's always worth it.

[@LeonValCh]

For many of us was FAR from the first. And if you ask any .Hack or 1/2 Prince fans, it's not even the first story that takes place in a VRMMORPG.

[@spiderlover678]

Right?! Idk why people can't see that...

[@tomasaguirre6607]

I actually like SAO, I know it's trash, but so am I.

[@mauvedragontiddies9244]

At least you acknowledge it. We're all trash for something.

[@brodiecrain13]

Der Slendy I like watching the Transformers movies even though they are all complete dogshit.

[@mauvedragontiddies9244]

*+Brodie Crain* See! I like Adam Sandler movies ... not all of them though, I'm not that much trash.

[@billcipher147]

*cough* Gigguk *cough*

[@uAlienatedIllusion]

I like Kite and Black Rose. They were never an item... and that actually made more sense than Kirito and Asuna's characters getting together. Yet .Hack//Sign didn't displease with Tsukasa and Subaru getting together.... Tsukasa was a boy character after all... right? (sarcasm)

[@SonnyFRST]

SAO's effect on people is a nasty loop: Fans of SAO take jab at the haters because most of them can't seem to let go of hating on things. However... These same haters are often unable to escape SAO without escaping anime altogether precisely because of its Fans, who are many and they don't seem to stop. From a perspective that the problem must be ended, neither sides is right, because, for the better or worse, nobody shuts up about SAO.

[@Hyavobi]

Sonny FIRESTORM well it's hard for people to let go of something they like.

[@justcallmpeter]

I liked it because I didnt know any better. I was just getting into anime at the time and hadn't seen very many series. I think SAO appeals to people who dont really watch anime or like you said "because it's fun." I went back and tried to rewatch SAO after a year or so and it was absolutely awful. Just awful.

[@gameanator1286]

Yeah that happend to one of my friends

[@void4067]

Same

[@maxlantern100]

Yeah same

[@jss185]

samee

[@user-ww3ym7kr8q]

plz don't say it is awful that kinda makes me mad but I have watched like 80 anime and SAO has been my fav so yea

[@jembaucan9042]

as for me i love if for GAME genre, VRMMORPG, game focused in the early episodes then i got hit in knee because of romance and harem

[@jembaucan9042]

it also started me to start reading LitRPG LN, WebNovels like Legendary Moonlight Sculptor, Ark and others

[@koloth5139]

You should read the Awaken Online series. Only 2 books last I checked but quite a good start.

[@langletprolet8378]

Overlord. Haha.

[@rizzcs6018]

Thats why Overlord and Log Horizon are much better choices ^^. Log Horizon is probably the best imo, but i know thats a very unpopular opinion because people love Overlord.

[@Kryto_Gaming]

Dang, this is really spot on! A very good analysis that covers all the bases. All of the SAO criticism, as good as they were, were getting kinda stale. I was just thinking how odd it was that no one tried to analyze why despite all the correct criticism pointing out how bad SAO is, it still sells like crazy and is super popular. I think this video more or less answers that question. It pretty much hits all the points that hooked me onto SAO exactly right. Everything from it coming at the exact right time, to Asuna and Kirito's relationship. When I first read a translation of the SAO novel, it was EXACTLY when I was looking for entertainment dealing with those subjects. I also didn't have much exposure to anime. Also I was EXACTLY super getting tired of all the non-committal romance BS. Seeing a shounen protag just straight up go for the main heroine and continue telling the story from there. Of course after awhile I did realize how bad SAO is, and seeing the criticism online further opened my eyes. However by then it was just way too late. It already latched onto my brain x.x; It's too bad SAO has some seriously fucking stupid moments too. Argh the 2nd season... well everyone's already touched on SAO's bad parts. But I gotta say one more time how much I dislike the whole harem aspect. It's so stupid and superfluous I don't even.. I mean having more female characters is perfectly fine. But to have them all keep on pinning for Kirito despite him being clearly commited to Asuna? Ugh. I hate it all the more because Asuna and Kirito's relationship is in my opinion the best and most interesting part of the show. The SAO movie for example really capitalized on this and was all the better for it. I wish they either made it a clearly platonic relationship, or just added another male main character to deflect all the harem bait to *sigh*

[@estherguo452]

I completely agree, I was extremely drawn to SAO when I first watched it, but when Kirito started getting a harem and all that nonsense, I started wondering where the show was going.

[@kindredspirit9703]

I was also really happy when Kirito and Asuna became an actual couple in season 1, but that's only half of why the harem aspect of season 2 annoyed me. One of the main reasons the audience is given to hate the fairy arc antagonist is because he arranged to marry someone who was already happily married to the protagonist, but then Kirito wastes his time with a bunch of other women who are enamored with him, making Kirito an unfaithful noncommittal jerk. I considered watching the season after that, but I guessed this problem would be unfixed (please let me know if I was wrong).

[@shadowslam947]

What about Kleiiinnnnn... oh yeah. He shows up about once every 5 episodes.

[@michaelhoogendoorn3179]

That was one of my major bones to pick with SAO is that Asuna is fully comitted to Kirito and will do anything for him, but half the time, Kirito is messing around with other girls. Drove me nuts. It's fine for him to attract all these girls, but he needs to at least tell them to back off and not lead them on. Obviously his sister has mental problems too. Ordinal scale kind of fixed Kirito not going off with other girls, but it's still in your head once you get upset.

[@dapeach06]

Kindred Spirit it is kind of unfixed in the first half of season 2, but Asuna does get a really good storyline in the second half of season 2. Just like season 1, it's split into two halves that have nothing to do with each other, and are functionally different seasons.

[@bayoo3]

"Hunger games phenomenon just starting to catch fire" I see what you did there

[@spectrelex3051]

bayoo3 ikr

[@spectrelex3051]

crazystairs712 the stupidest part is that is the one movie that seems like it would make the most sense to be a one parter.

[@GhostStealth590]

SAO hit a sweet spot for me in 2016, when I was going through the worst period of my life, I wanted this. I wanted to be in this world. I wanted to be someone that could do all these amazing things I can't do in the real world. So I suppose I grasped onto the premise more than the actual story/writing due to my fixation to be in this world.