For better or worse, Sword Art Online is one of the most well-known and successful anime franchises of the past decade. Though it theoretically isn't an isekai, it can definitely be seen as the source of that genre's current moment within anime as a whole. Despite this success, or perhaps because of it, SAO has quite a few critics and haters, most of whom aren't exactly unjustified in their derision.
Strangely enough, the original movie sequel Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale was far better received, both by fans and critics of the series. This is mainly due to it addressing many of the anime series' issues, fixing them despite the shorter runtime. Its status as an improvement over the source material was reflected in the quality of the show's next season, cementing the movie's superiority.
Why Is Sword Art Online So Hated By Anime Fans?
It's an old adage that anything popular enough will eventually be hated, and that's definitely the case with Sword Art Online. Ever since the anime sent the franchise into stardom, it's attracted a slew of haters. Much of the criticism is because, despite the show's popularity, its quality is severely lacking in certain areas. While more of an isekai-adjacent series than a true isekai, all the usual criticisms of that genre are still applicable. Protagonist Kirito is incredibly overpowered, with nothing really posing a challenge to him. This is only made worse by his rice-grain-thin personality, making the series almost impossible to emotionally invest in.
Even the fight scenes are brought down by this, as Kirito's power level removes any and all tension. Audiences should expect him to pull some completely random technique out of nowhere and win the day. The fight scenes aren't great due to inconsistent animation and even worse choreography, turning what could be saving spectacles into a chore to watch. This is made worse by the fact that none of the other characters are particularly well-developed, with most being either as flat as Kirito or simply there to bolster his ego. Given that very little is done well outside of being a power fantasy, it's no surprise that Sword Art Online is so disliked. What is surprising, however, is how the series' first movie does everything so much better.
Ordinal Scale Fixed Many of the Issues of the Initial Sword Art Online Series
Released in 2017, Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale was an SAO original film written by series creator Reki Kawahara. Though it wasn't based on any part of the original light novels, it is canon with the anime, taking place between the second and third seasons. While the show may be heavily criticized, the movie was rather well-received, namely for doing things the show never did. The relationship between Kirito and Asuna is developed and focused on further, with the villains also getting a surprising amount of characterization. This contrasts sharply with the show, where foes are many times simply minor obstacles for Kirito to overcome. The same goes for the side characters, who are generally far more fleshed out.
Most importantly, the fight scenes are actually intense and exciting, no doubt due to the characters being more vivid and alive. There's also the fact that the film uses augmented reality and not virtual reality, making the stakes higher by placing the action essentially in the "real world." The result is a film that's much more than the sum of its parts and much better overall than the preceding TV show. The third season of Sword Art Online reflects some of these changes, and it's generally considered better than its two predecessors. That uptick in quality all began with Ordinal Scale, which even most haters will admit was a huge step up in quality for the franchise.