Sword Art Online
In the distant year 2022, the future has arrived. Virtual reality technologies have advanced so far that people have been able to merge with games — both in mind and body. The best way to experience full immersion was the multiplayer role-playing game Sword Art Online. However, the impression of the first launch was spoiled by the creator of the full immersion technology, when he forbade users to exit the game.
Players must complete 100 levels of the Aincrad fortress and defeat the final boss to gain freedom. Death in the virtual world means death in reality. Procrastination is no less dangerous: due to prolonged inactivity, bodies in the real world turn into "vegetables." The best survivalist is the protagonist named Kirito, who gained an advantage by participating in the beta test of the game.
The first season of SAO was released in 2012 — by that time, anime had long and steadily gotten rid of its status as a reprehensible hobby and was turning into mass entertainment. Newcomers getting acquainted with the industry liked SAO for its elaboration of the world, the simplicity of the plot, and the clear presentation. The surge in popularity and accompanying sales ensured the further release of anime adaptations and video games.
Over time, it became fashionable to hate SAO. The anime was criticized for plot holes, pacing, the "plot armor" of the main characters, and the weak development of secondary characters. Kirito suffered the most, who was blamed for the boring image of the main protagonist, the presence of a "harem," excessive strength, and the ease with which he defeats enemies.
For the most part, the claims are justified. However, due to the wave of hatred, the positive aspects were also ignored. The anime perfectly conveys the state of players trapped in a virtual world. It raises serious topics — from using virtual reality to overcome phobias to striving to leave a mark on history.
Ironically, the criticized Kirito is noticeably different from the tired "ordinary Japanese schoolchildren." He doesn't get nosebleeds when communicating with girls. He immediately abandoned everyone except his beloved, knows how to relax, and found himself a wife and daughter in the game. And although he is accused of "cheating" abilities, Kirito has repeatedly lost in battles and duels.
Alas, those who wanted to capitalize on the success of SAO were not interested in its strengths. They lazily copied the formula to quickly churn out low-quality copies. Even worse, SAO became one of the reasons for the dominance of isekai in anime — a genre in which the protagonist is reborn and receives a mountain of "cheating" abilities in the next life.
Solo Leveling
The world of SL was no different from ours until gates to another world began to appear everywhere. Monsters poured out of the gates, invulnerable to ordinary weapons. Magic, which arose along with the gates, turned people into hunters capable of defeating monsters. Hunters unite in groups to clear dungeons and defeat bosses. I'm not simplifying anything — the creator of the universe simply has a bad imagination.
The main character is Sung Jin-Woo: a weak hunter who couldn't even handle the weakest monsters. One of the raids ends with his death and subsequent resurrection, after which Sung begins to see the leveling interface. The hero is chosen by the System, thanks to which he becomes the only hunter capable of raising his level. Sung begins to train and complete System tasks in order to grow in level and save his sick mother.
Sung started out as a naive and kind guy. After contact with the System, he turned into a cool man with the appearance of a member of a Korean boy band. He even changed the shape of his skull! Leveling allowed him to catch up with and overtake his comrades in arms. With each new level, Sung received abilities that allowed him to single-handedly perform the roles of all available classes. One of the skills was raising the dead in the form of shadows, which can also raise the level — in fact, he acquired a faceless and obedient army.
Further events developed according to one scenario. The viewer is introduced to another group of hunters who are humiliated in the dungeon. Then Sung Jin-Woo comes and single-handedly saves the situation. Having witnessed his exploits, those around him literally kiss the ground Sung Jin-Woo walks on. As a result, the world loses its independent value, and only the protagonist matters. Monsters cease to pose a threat, because Sung Jin-Woo lives in Korea, and they are not able to cope with him.
Despite all the shortcomings, SL has gained immense popularity. Fans were delighted with the expressive graphics, the luxuriously staged fights, and the stoic character of the main character. The simplicity of the world also played a role. Viewers do not need to delve into the plot twists — it is enough to watch the protagonist dashingly destroy another giant ant or snake. The result of this success was the awarding of SL the title of "Anime of the Year" at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2025.
Analysis
The phenomenon of SAO and SL is reminiscent of the situation with Barbie and Bratz. Concerned adults complained about the effect that "vulgar dolls" could have on children. At the same time, the appearance of the much more explicit Bratz never ended in a serious scandal. SL not only inherited all the shortcomings of SAO, but also acquired a whole set of its own. However, due to the lack of ambition, the Korean work is subject to noticeably fewer claims.
SAO has far fewer shortcomings than is commonly listed in discussions. At the same time, it was SAO that became one of the starting points from which the industry began to lose quality. SL became the next step in entertaining a new audience that does not want to watch the anime itself. But she wants to watch and discuss cool scenes in order to feel involved in the new fashion.
It is pointless to criticize such trends. If one in ten people who watched SL becomes interested in anime culture, this can already be considered a victory. Even better, if the shift in attention to the Korean market leads to the экранизации of such strong manhwa as "Dungeon Master" or "Delivery Knight".
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