The battle takes on some new meaning, especially as Haru has to really stand firm for once.
What They Say:
The battle between Black Lotus and Yellow Radio is halted by the sudden appearance of Chrome Disaster. Silver Crow is wracked with fear as he witnesses the monstrous power of his target.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The shift to big action after a couple of more character oriented episodes and some training is pretty welcome, though I’m cringing over some of the designs once again when it comes to Yuniko and the Yellow King. But within the context of this world, it works fairly well and it definitely makes it easy to see who is who as the fights get underway. And they are taking a pretty dangerous turn here right from the start as even Yuniko is starting to panic over what’s going on and who all is involved.
It’s been engaging to watch Kuroyukihime going against things here since it’s a rare chance to see her in action and she does well even if she takes her hits along the way, helping to show that she’s not an ultimate fighter who can do anything easily. The field of battle as we see it here is something that has a lot of danger to it and it’s not something that any of those we know can handle with ease, making it for more interesting fights overall. It also gives Haru the incentive he needs to really step up his game and stop being cowardly over it since there’s so much at stake. It’s also complicated by the fact that these people are becoming friends on some level but there’s still the game itself with its advancement, points and more that are at stake, which makes playing with people like Yuniko all the more dangerous since she’s focused on that aspect of it above all else.
Strangely, in the midst of all of this as Haru and Yuniko really have to band together, there’s also some exploration of her past as she lays out her sob story. It has its merits, but it really feels out of character for her to reveal things like this or to really hold it as close as she does. Something about it is just so forced in how it’s brought about that it makes you cringe a bit. Still, the end result is good as the game world changes, the group moves on and there is a better sense of unity about them, though there is still plenty of room for things to change along the way as the situation adjusts itself. And for Haru, it’s now a further chance as they move on for him to stand up and be someone rather than being continually abused and made fun of. While he has his issues, he’s coming to grips with them and being proactive rather than just a punching bag.
In Summary:
Accel World does a decent job of working a couple of different things here while wrapping it all up in the action aspect. The action is a double edged sword in this series since it can be good but used poorly, such as the leveling up aspect. There’s also the fact that when they’re in their Accel World mode that there are no real faces for a lot of it and just a lot of smooth faces with nothing to connect with. That hinders the show in a lot of ways and the few snippets of visuals from inside don’t help. It also makes the time outside of this world a lot more interesting since that’s where you get to know the characters. Yuniko’s revelations would have worked a lot better outside of that mode since just her body language wasn’t enough to sell it. There are things to like here and it has some good moments, but it’s just another stepping stone towards something bigger.
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.
