Probably time to bite the bullet and watch SAO.
I know I've talked about it a few times, but I've got to get this out: Grimgar is down to its final episodes, and while it hasn't been edge-of-your-seat riveting, it's noteworthy in that it's one of the few series out there where you're not quite sure whether the protagonists are going to win, or even survive.
If you mix a Vietnam War drama with a JRPG, you get this. It's awfully strange hearing characters talk about "skills", "levels" and "badges" at one point and dealing with open wounds, mourning fallen comrades and even simply cooking or doing... laundry... at another. It all makes the characters much more believable than the carbon-copy cut-outs in most series. Surprisingly philosophical, mature and compelling for a modern anime, and the fan service is thankfully limited to tumbles with the rogue instructor in one or two episodes and incessant (but sometimes subtle) shots of Yume's derriere.
I'm bummed it's ending, and I'm not quite sure it will get a season two.