The end has come for Accel World with a good mix of action and heart.
What They Say:
Silver Crow is determined to settle his score with Dusk Taker once and for all.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With so many episodes geared towards the fight against Nomi, it’s finally come down to that time where it has to just go all out. The two have orbited each other for some time, with Nomi holding the upper hand pretty constantly as he smacks them around and sets up various traps, but it’s reached the point where Haru has to go all the way. With the way Nomi beat down on everyone in the previous episode, it’s now all about hitting back. Haru’s growth has had him go up against some tough opponents along the way and each has naturally taugh him a lot more. Nomi’s been one of the toughest, but unfortunately one of the least interesting as well.
The fight brings a lot of power to the screen as the two go at it, both with Nomi’s sense of confidence and style and how Haru has a certain upstart and almost ragged approach. There’s something almost brawler like with Haru when he gets into the fight as he just doesn’t let up. Well, except for a bit of dialogue. But the fight takes an unusual turn along the way and has an amusing guest for a minute or two as it deals with the fallout from the fight. Nomi’s true natuer definitely shines through here, but what I really liked is the way that Haru just did what was necessary. You can understand the fear that comes into Nomi at this stage considering what he has achieved, but the simple approach taken by Haru by saying nothing and just doing what needed to be done is spot on.
This episode also starts to draw things back together in a different way since Kuroyuki has returned to the fold after her time away, which definitely warms Haru’s heart in a pleasing way. Bringing her back into the fold, as much as I enjoyed her solo adventure time, is very welcome since the banter and dialogue between her and Haru is really enjoyable. It’s still hard for me to really pin down what their relationship is as Kuroyuki is hard to get a read on with what she’s really thinking or feeling, though there’s something very honest about her when she’s like this with him. Giving the fight an epilogue like this, with some real heart to heart moments and more really helps to smooth out things within the show at this stage and to refocus properly.
In Summary:
The end of Accel World does feel a little anticlimactic as I had felt that the show really needed something much bigger and important to deal with. Nomi as an opponent is decent and I liked what he brought to the table and how it challenged Haru, but it’s more a stepping stone than a big event. The fight works well here overall and the results of it are what was wholly necessary. What helps to offset this though is getting the really good character material to close it out, seeing how Kuroyuki and Haru are with each other and more meaning to each other revealed. We also get a really good sequence involving her and Fuko that feels like it really needed a heck of a lot more material to explore better. All told, I really liked Accel World even if it had some awkward episodes and pacing early on and throughout. The show as a whole has a lot to offer and should definitely please a lot of people. It’s one I’ll hold out hope for another, albeit shorter, season.
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.
