"Regarding the topic, I can understand why many people hate the show but some or most of them are just doing it for the laugh, honestly it is still above most of the anime series that are produced to this date and that means a lot."
Saw this statement and I just wanted to throw in my two cents real quick.
I can agree that SAO is certainly a lot more memorable than the majority of anime produced in today's environment, I think the fact that a 2012 series is still being talked about today and is receiving sequels and spinoffs speaks volumes to that fact. But I wouldn't say its quality is what makes it more memorable and important in the anime culture, rather, it's the myriad of ways it can appeal to vastly different groups of people.
Both anime fans and gamers can enjoy SAO on its own merits, so there's huge crossover between different fanbases there. And SAO's many, many flaws make it very entertaining to watch and think about, which is the conclusion Arkada came to in his video and is also the conclusion the entire youtube criticism/blogging sphere/anime community at large has come to. Breakdowns of SAO along the lines of Digibro's or Mother's Basement's videos are videos that practically defined the careers of those two content creators and likely many more. It's many flaws make it an excellent way for critics and fans to approach it from whatever direction they like.
From that perspective one could even argue that SAO is more important and more/equally as interesting than not only the vast majority of mediocre anime, but also a lot of good anime as well. It's kind of entered the same space as classics such as Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop, as a culture defining show where everybody knows what they are and everybody talks about them years later. Even though taken its own merits, SAO is nowhere near as high quality as those shows.
I'd argue that it's many flaws make it a far bellow mediocre if you're only considering the show's quality in terms of its artistic merit, but it's brought a lot of entertainment and joy to hundreds of thousands of people and I think that's incredible. And now shows like SAO Alternative can take the concepts and worldbuilding of SAO and make actually good stories from it, as well as brand new characters like LLEN who are both entertaining and have some degree of artistic merit to them. I think that's an incredible achievement on SAO's part.
All this is a long-winded way of saying that I heavily disagree with your statement- In my opinion SAO is one of the worst anime's I've willingly watched to completion, even though I can't say the experience was tedious or painful, (mostly because I drop anything that's too tedious etc). But I can totally understand where that sentiment may or may not be coming from despite that disagreement.
Well that's ok, everyone has their own way of assessing thing s anyway. I also drop shows that became a chore for me because I would rather leave and miss out on the series rather than finish it just to tell the world how much I despise that particular show. That's kind of an unhealthy habit in my opinion.
I didn't mean to put SAO on a high pedestal, I am just saying that there are a lot of other shows worse than this one yet people chose this particular series to sht-on, I mean at this point SAO became a show that every anime fan must watch so that they could tell the world how much they hate it or how shtty of a show it is. It became a trope, like when someone asks what is a good anime to watch people would jokingly refer Boku no Pico and in this case when someone asks what is the worst anime ever made they would most likely say SAO, like what? Have you guys only seen one show or are you guys just trying to ride on bandwagon of SAO haters?
That's just how it is for me, but I appreciate that someone could share their thoughts and disagree with me on this one because I think healthy exchanges of opinions like this shows that anime is not a medium that solely exist for kids (although they are mainly targeted towards that demographic) because we can actually hold proper discussions like this. Just hope that every one would use the kind of approach you did here, rather than saying degrading words that adds no value whatsoever to the conversation.
PS. I also like your articles, keep up the good work :)
I agree, yeah, there's definitely a culture of jumping on the bandwagon, where people just make fun of SAO without really thinking for themselves. Perhaps because they see it's the cool thing to do, or because it makes you popular on sites such as youtube.
I think it's just a combination of many different elements that made SAO the perfect kind of cultural storm that will probably never be replicated, certainly not intentionally.
And thanks for the kind words!
That is the sad truth about fans nowadays, anime should be enjoyed and not be a cause of dispute among fans, I hope that those who hate watch realize it sooner than later because it is not only a reflection of their behavior they are basically showing that the community is an intoxicating place where everyone would make fun of your preferences just because everyone else is doing it.
Your work is truly admirable, no need to thank me for stating the obvious. I can see your passion for anime, and as someone who shares the same sentiment it is only natural that I commend you for your efforts. With people like you, the community may become better than it is now, and who knows maybe someday everyone may learn to respect other people's choices or they may disagree but they can do without the harsh words. Anyway, that's just my take on the matter, but hope you continue to promote the culture for years to come. Cheers and good luck!