Well, Haru is like a lot of men in that he’s powerless in the face of a redhead.
What They Say:
Haruyuki comes home one day to find a cute young girl greeting him with a smile.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
While the previous episode did a lot to get Haru trained, leveled up and up to speed with what he can do, it wasn’t exactly an episode that captivated me. It did the job but it was a by the numbers kind of training session in the classic sense that, even as nice as the style was, was something that I’ve seen so many times that it was just kind of there. It didn’t have enough on its own to hook you in and make it appealing. With that done though, the show can move on to the next phase of things, which seemingly includes the arrival of a cute little redhead in Haru’s home when he gets there. Something that he’s shocked is actually real and not something from the augmented reality he partakes in.
Tomoki’s arrival brings some perkiness here and even though he’s kind of pushed into things in a way that fits his personality, since he’s not one to really push back, it gets kind of still early on as there’s bath scenes, food scenes and so forth as Tomoki settles into the place. But there’s also more to it as Tomoki is one that will give him a challenge in the Accel World as she’s a participant there of a significant level and the temperament to use it badly. Things shift into this sid eof the story after the first half deals with the silliness and Tomoki’s kind of silly/wacky side makes for an amusing battle scene between them since she’s basically an aggrieved child. One in a very, very big combat model which is difficult for Haru, but his flying ability does give him something of an advantage.
In Summary:
The use of Tomoki here is kind of awkward at the start and again paints Haru as the kind of young man that can be easily taken advantage of. There’s plenty I like about him in general, but he’s a difficult one to get into at times with how naive he seems. Similar to the previous episode, this one largely feels like it’s all about filler, though it is about a bit more. We get the introduction of Tomoki who will make further appearances by all measure and there’s some good if overall brief dialogue between Haru and Kuroyuki towards the end that paints a bit of a bigger picture as well. The action is fun and I like what Tomoki uses in the Accel World, but overall the bulk of it just felt empty and at times a little insulting with how easily she moved into his life.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Viz Media
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
