Sword Art Online: Alicization was one of the most anticipated anime after Sword Art Online: Ordinal ScaleRight after the movie finished airing, it was announced the series would adapt a fan-favorite arc, Project Alicization. Through it, Kirito would meet new characters such as his in-game childhood friends Eugeo and Alice and the focus would be targeted on a new game.

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Despite the excitement, when it began to air some were split between how to feel. It'considered a step up from previous seasons, but that doesn't mean it's free of error. We're taking a look back at the entirety of this season to think of five reasons why Sword Art Online: Alicization is the best arc and five why it's the worst.

10 INFODUMPING - BAD

Sword Art Online: Aliciaztion adapts from the 15th volume to the 18th. And although its ambitions in its efforts to tell us all there is to know about the arc so we're not confused, it becomes a little too passionate about giving us so much information all at once.

After debuting with an hour-long episode about how Kirito came to be inside another game, the next episodes take a different approach: explaining things to us with terms no one truly understood. What exactly is a fluctlight? Unless you enjoyed science, you were lost on what Kikuouka was trying to explain.

9  ALICE AND EUGEO - GOOD

Who doesn't love another iteration of Saber and a cinnamon roll who looks like a blonde Kirito? In all seriousness, Alice and Eugeo were the perfect choices to be included in this arc. Alice Zuberg and Eugeo are both AIs born in the computerized Rulid Village. Despite being AIs, they both emote and act as humans would and make it difficult to believe they're consisted only of data.

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What makes them both so endearing to the fandom is their backstories -- although Eugeo's is more in-depth in the light novel -- and how refreshing they are compared to Kirito's harem or the shallow characters in the first season of Sword Art Online. Fans couldn't help but want to see a happy ending for them.

8 RUSHED PACING - BAD

Because Sword Art Online: Alicization spans 4 volumes, it's impossible to fit every single detail into two hours. While the episode count was thrown around while it was airing fans believed it to be 50 episodes. When it was revealed to be 24 episodes, fans were understandably upset.

It threw even more oil on the fire when episode 7 began with a 2-year time skip and blazed through the characters in Swordcraft Academy. It made a lot of characters into nothing but supporting faces and stunted their development as well as suddenly granting Kirito and Eugeo sword skills they didn't have before.

7  CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT - GOOD

Although certain characters' development was paper-thin like its predecessor, there were some who had the development to make fans care about the. Alice Zuberg was a child who was caught up in an unfortunate accident and had her childhood stripped away.

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Eugeo harbored a guilt complex for being unable to do nothing when his loved ones needed him the most. Cardinal hadn't experienced human contact in thousands of years because she was the only one strong enough to contain the antagonist. Since almost every character had a reason for the problem they had, it made you want to invest your time in seeing how they would grow.

6 CLICHÉD VILLIANS - BAD

Quinella, or otherwise called Administrator, was the antagonist for Alicization Rising through Alicization Uniting and the highest Minister of the Axiom Church. Because of this woman who lays around all-day naked a lot of people have died. Why? Because she has complete control of the game and its systems.

The story attempted to give Quinella a similar backstory to Alice but most weren't impressed. With a yandere attitude and tendencies to erase the memories of innocent people to force them to work for her benefit, Quinella climbed up the ranks to be one of the most hated Sword Art Online antagonists.

5 BETTER WRITING - GOOD

Reki Kawahara can write a story when push comes to shove, although he tends not to do it so often. For example, Mother's Rosario was arguably the best side story throughout the entirety of Sword Art Online up to that point and how well-written Sinon and Yuuki was as a character.

The thought put into each character and details encompassed in Alicization is commendable. It's also written in a way that anyone can begin watching without the need to read/watch the first seasons, at least until Asuna comes along in the latter half to become a key character once again.

4 STUPID PLOT DEVICES - BAD

...But of course, this is still Sword Art Online. No matter how good the writing became during Alicization, it was fated to fall into some of the old traps which made it so bashed on. During the final fight against Quinella, Kirito somehow was able to access his Black Swordsman attire as well as all of his skills he learned throughout Sword Art Online and Alicization. 

The problem with this is Kirito, who was barely able to do anything before, suddenly powered up to become the overpowered character well all know and hate. Up until this, no one was able to do anything and Quinella was unbeatable -- but once he regained his skills, the fight turned on its head.

3 BEAUTIFUL ANIMATION - GOOD

A-1 Pictures finally came around to putting a budget for a movie into its 1# cash cow. Sword Art Online: Alicization gained praised for being as fluid as Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, which is still one of the best-animated anime to this day, despite being released in Fall 2015.

Although it was less than half the number of episodes compared to Alicization, the series still contained the same consistency of animation throughout. A-1 Pictures ramped up the effort, hired many animators, and created one of the most beautiful anime in recent years. A-1 Pictures even joined the competition for the best animation studio.

2 FEMALE CHARACTER TREATMENT - BAD

How did Reki Kawahara manga to do it not once, not twice, but three times? Tiese Shtolienen and Ronye Arabel were probably given weird names no one would remember because they were only made to be almost assaulted. The scene was so bad the author had to apologize to the Japanese voice actors who played their part for the trauma they would have afterward.

It didn't help that it was animated so fluidly you couldn't tear your eyes away from the atrocities that happened on screen. Hopefully going forward, Reki Kawahara will realize female characters aren't created solely to be assaulted by men.

1 KIRITO ISN'T THE MAIN CHARACTER - GOOD

You know you messed up as an author when people are relieved the protagonist isn't the protagonist anymore. Instead of following Kirito, his harem, and his wife around all day we're instead brought into the lives of Alice and Eugeo and his quest to save her from the Axiom Church. Having him not be the focus after years of seeing him be a static character is exhilarating, to say the least, and makes Alicization a much more enjoyable watch.

The cast has more character development than the original and the animation is eye candy. Most of all, you don't have to wonder who Kirito will inevitably defeat by being so overpowered. This marks the best reason why Sword Art Online: Alicization is the best ar amongst all the rest.

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