Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-76.253.184.238-20200918114214

So I wanna start by saying I'm anime only, and I just finished alicization and am caught up to the war of the underworld.

So basically in my opinion I think that Sao is a great series with some flaws, but Alicization was a version of Sao that was far less flawed. I first watch Sao back in 2014/2015 I don't remember the year exactly, but it was one of the first animes I watched and I loved it. I recently also rewatched everything to get caught up for alicization, and when I was rewatching I noticed somethings that had me a little disappointed. So basically the first 3 parts of Sao are like Eincrad, the fairy place, and GGO. I liked Eincrad the best bc I thought it had a really good original idea, where I think it went wrong was when it focused too much on Kirito being op. I felt like for the first three parts it was the same plot with major setting differences. I felt like it was always Kirito and the gang going to a world, there's a bad guy, 10 episodes of planning/fighting, then they kill the bad guy. It got repetitive in my mind. BUt alicization had something different. Although it was a new plot of Kirito waking up in an unknown world, It felt very reminiscent of the original Eincrad arc, yet it also felt refreshingly different. The first part of Alicization was amazing, Kirito meets Eugeo, they chop down the cedar head into town, train, and kill the nobles. I loved all of it, there was an intriguing plot and the side stories, like Kiritos flowers, were entertaining and meaningful. There was also beautiful imagery to top it off and amazing openings and eds. The first op, Adamas by Lisa, was insane. It gives off mad adventurous vibes, IT feels like its Kirito exploring a new and fun world. and the Ed felt sad yet also calming, I think it represented Kirito being scared in the new world, but he also feels safe now that he had Eugeo by his side. When Eugeo was introduced I loved him, I think his character design is amazing, and his personality tops it off. I think a lot of Kirito other gang was kind of boring and lacked in personality, I'm referring to Asuna. Eugeo I think balanced Kirito in a good way, the fight scenes now weren't all about Kirito going sicko mode and killing the bad guy, they were about Kirito and Eugeo tag teaming and working together. It felt more balanced that way in my opinion.

So in the next part, the pontifex and Alice are introduced and I loved this part. To start the intro, and ed both have tons of beautiful imagery, and they feel sad at the same time which is foreshadowing for what's to come. I loved the fights in this part, they seemed calculated and it wasn't just Kirito owning, Eugeo backed him up a ton with his ice ability. The Eugeo vs Bercoulli fight was also really entertaining to watch, as Eugeo uses his ability smartly and uniquely. Then lastly there's the fight against a literal god, the pontifex. When Kirito goes god mode here, he doesn't even win, and I love it. The joker kills the pontifex, not Kirito. Although Eugeo dies in the end his efforts to make it through the fight and take off one of the pontifex's arms was noble and heroic. The end was heartbreaking. Eugeo dying in Kiritos arms while saying that he can't see him, and talking about being Kirito's best friend was horrible to watch. Eugeo seemed like the first character to balance Kirito, they were a team, they were best friends. It wasn't just Kirito being op anymore it was Kirito and Eugeo working through their struggles together. It was heartbreaking to see Eugeo die, but then to see Kirito broken afterward was really impactful. I think in the first part they tried to make Sachi's death impactful but from a viewer standpoint, it was sad, but not impactful. Eugeo's death was impactful, it broke Kirito, and it was horrible to see after watching Eugeo and Kirito train together for so long. War of the underworld was alr imo, but I miss Eugeo in it. 