Klein: Super Sleaze or Knowing Look? Actually, is there a difference?

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So I guess I have even less willpower than I originally thought. I went and read volumes 1, 3, and 4 over this past week, which means that I pretty much know what’s going to happen from here on out. I’ll be surprised if they go beyond volume 4, but at least then I won’t know what’s going on again. 

Now that I’m watching these as an adaptation and not as it’s own anime, I’m starting to pick up on some other things about the series. For instance, this isn’t a direct translation from the light novel. The major difference is that the anime is a lot smoother than it should be. No disrespect to the author, but Reki Kawahara’s translated prose does not scream literary genius to me. But to the anime writer’s credit, it works amazingly well in the show. The Sachi flashbacks were so much more effective than explaining Kirito’s hesitation, and the exposition was much better than in the novel. Plus there’re the perks that can’t come in text like Sachi when Kirito wakes up or Asuna’s blush or Klein wiping his tears. Plus Liz has a small cameo. That wasn’t in the novels. Hopefully she comes back for another one soon.

Art was okay. Sans boss battle, nothing incredible or anything noteworthy. But as I see it, the animation is already doing its part. It presents the story as a wholly different experience than reading the books, which is really the whole point of an adaptation. The medium makes that whole thing snappier and faster paced, at least compared to the source.

GO Rating: 4/5