Since I'm into MMORPGs...

Well, I am continuing to sample anime this Summer '12. One anime that really piqued my interest was the anime Sword Art Online.

Sword Art Online - Asuna and Kirito

In the year 2022, a new MMORPG (Mass Multi-player Online Role Playing Game) which utilizes a game system called Nerve Gear. This game system allows a person to fully immerse themselves in the game - enabling them to actually perceive the game as reality. The MMO game is called Sword Art Online.

Enter Kirito, an introverted teenager and Sword Art Online player. Kirito played Sword Art Online during its beta test and managed to get to the highest floor level out of all the beta testers. When an incident happens in the game, Kirito as well as the ten thousand other players find themselves unable to log out of the game. They are told that the only way to leave the game will be to conquer all 100 floor levels of the game. To make matters worse, any death in the game leads to death in the real world. Kirito takes it upon himself to see that the game is beaten while staying alive in the process.

Being a gamer (I have played Everquest, Ragnarok Online, FFXI, and am currently playing World of Warcraft), this series really interested me. The thought of being able to actually experience a game like this first hand is just so tantalizing. Anyway, the base of the story is reminiscent of the .hack series where players are trapped in a game where the stakes is your own life. However, in this case, the ending or goal is much clearer - you just have to beat the game. As for Kirito, his character is quite interesting too. While he tends to be a loner by nature, he does seem to want contact with others. He is a good person at heart, but has a hard time dealing with others.

All in all, this is a very intriguing series to watch. I have already added it to my list of must-watches. If you're going to check it out, Crunchyroll airs new episodes weekly on Saturdays at 12pm PST.