Take a photo of a barcode or cover
electricemicupcake 's review for:
Sword Art Online 1: Aincrad
by Reki Kawahara
Thrillingly better than I expected!
I read (of course) the English translation of this, and, like most people, I have already seen the anime. I'd heard this particular volume was created for a contest and completed in a short time, so my assumption was that it would read like a half-baked story, be sparse in the way of any real detail (or possibly in the way of any real skill) and that the translation might also be weak. None of my assumptions proved true in the end, and I'm glad!
If you've seen the anime and then begun to read this series, you'll recognize immediately how incredibly faithful the first arc of the anime series is to this first novel. Some parts are missing that are present in the show (Google says that's because the anime was created with bits of story borrowed from the Progressive light novels as well), but over all, this light novel unfolds in your mind's eye with an illustrated scene from the anime in every chapter. Some short exchanges which answered minor questions I had about the anime were also included, which was exciting for me at a very nerdy level.
If you loved the anime, I don't see how you could dislike the novel. If you hated the anime, there's very little chance the novel will dispell your frustrations and grievances. I actually wonder if giving someone the light novel and letting them read it might be a good way to get them into anime later. It's well written enough that I feel that could be reasonable.
Also, if you're interested in the audiobook version whatsoever, it's worth noting that Bryce Papenbrook (the English voice actor of Kirito in the anime) reads this one. He does a stellar job.
I read (of course) the English translation of this, and, like most people, I have already seen the anime. I'd heard this particular volume was created for a contest and completed in a short time, so my assumption was that it would read like a half-baked story, be sparse in the way of any real detail (or possibly in the way of any real skill) and that the translation might also be weak. None of my assumptions proved true in the end, and I'm glad!
If you've seen the anime and then begun to read this series, you'll recognize immediately how incredibly faithful the first arc of the anime series is to this first novel. Some parts are missing that are present in the show (Google says that's because the anime was created with bits of story borrowed from the Progressive light novels as well), but over all, this light novel unfolds in your mind's eye with an illustrated scene from the anime in every chapter. Some short exchanges which answered minor questions I had about the anime were also included, which was exciting for me at a very nerdy level.
If you loved the anime, I don't see how you could dislike the novel. If you hated the anime, there's very little chance the novel will dispell your frustrations and grievances. I actually wonder if giving someone the light novel and letting them read it might be a good way to get them into anime later. It's well written enough that I feel that could be reasonable.
Also, if you're interested in the audiobook version whatsoever, it's worth noting that Bryce Papenbrook (the English voice actor of Kirito in the anime) reads this one. He does a stellar job.