4.0

If you're an anime fan, this is available on Hulu and I highly recommend it.

The novel is everything I'd hoped it would be. It was so much fun to "see" more in depth into the story. It's also a relief to know the author has a very powerful grasp on how MMORPG games work. I know I have students who will absolutely love this series.

Basically this is what Sword Art Online SHOULD have been. But it stands completely on its own right as a story where a game world becomes reality for those trapped into it. This story is funny, thoughtful, and precious by turns. At times Naotsugu's character is annoying. His actions are sometimes just a bit too anime to translate to a book. That's the only part of the author's writing that felt inauthentic to their own style.