[FUNiOP]

Opening theme by LiSA, music by Yuki Kajiura, animation production by A-1 Pictures (which obviously means it's Aniplex)... even with its similarities to Accel World, it's no wonder I'd like it more. But as it turns out... the source material is clearly far stronger for this one. Accel World always has me rolling my eyes at how melodramatic they get over a game that doesn't really matter, and while I feel like I should be having a similar reaction to how over-the-top the stakes are in this game, it totally works for me, because I really felt the pressure that the characters felt when they realized that they had to be the best around if they want any chance of survival in any world. Plus, I love RPGs, a lot more than fighting games. I don't play MMOs (mostly because real ones don't have nice endings like this one, thus my life would be destroyed by them in a different way), but this is a really well-realized RPG world that manages to feel like a game I'd like to play and also a world I'm happy to watch this story unfold in. Kirito is a very likeable lead so far, and for being in a game, I feel his emotion very strongly.

Easily my favorite show of the season based on first episodes.