[Dextro]

Originally Posted by EnigmaticAxiom

I've noticed it as well, but I don't really hold it against the studio, I guess? While there are a number of stills, it's mainly for less important fights. All the important ones I can really think of (Kuradeel, Gleameyes, Heathcliff) are quite well done, and definitely some of the more well done scenes (not necessarily better animated, but better choreographed overall).

You also have to consider the budget differences. Horizon has 2 seasons, each 1 cour, while SAO has 1 season, 2 cour. The budget for the season probably isn't significantly different (This is how I think, I honestly have no idea how accurate I am, nor do I know how well funded each studio is in general). Regardless, I think, given the novels, which I won't go in to, will be more battle-heavy towards the latter half of the series, so it's also possible they want to spend more budget towards that end.

Also: Sunrise is pretty well known for it's ability to animate action scenes while A-1 is know for outsourcing virtually everything which means that we never know the kind of quality we might expect. But the main issue is budget imho. Not only monetary budget but also time budget: a split cour show gives you a much needed break at the half way mark to help you get back up to speed.