Haru’s coming to understand the Accel World a bit more, not that it’ll keep him from getting taken down and hard.
What They Say:
Haruyuki, now a Burst-Linker, suddenly finds himself thrown into a deadly match against a vicious biker named Ash Roller. Haruyuki is unable to grasp the situation and is quickly defeated.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The opening episode of Accel World certainly had its pluses, such as how the whole thing works in the brief explanation that we got and the way Kuroyuki got involved with Haru and used him while helping him out. Though she didn’t get much exploration in that episode, you can’t help but to feel that she’s up to more nefarious things based on how she’s operating so far. Te opening episode had a lot of positives to it, but something felt a bit off in its pacing and overall execution to really drive it home. It certainly intrigued and made me want to know more, but it was a shot that, in a season of stellar shows, was on the bubble for me. Which makes the second episode even more important.
Haru’s exploration of the Accel World was simple at first with the bully, but as we saw at the end of thta episode and into this one, there are far more dangerous fight stages to be had in this particular world, and with him in this thin and tall suit that protects him as his avatar, he’s being thrust into a challenging world. Amusingly, while he complains about the outfit, he’s informed that his look here is defined by his inner self so it’s a reflection of who he is. Which certainly makes you question Kuroyuki more, especially as she offers up the reasons behind why she looks as she does in the world (which is, frankly, gorgeous). She’s true to her word though in teaching him how to survive in this world with the way the fights unfold, the point system and what’s at stake. But it’s something that just feels a bit off in that for a world as fascinating and useful as this, this is what is done with it.
When Haru gets into his first full on encounter within the Accel World after getting a little bit of training, he starts to really feel like he is who he’s listed as being in Silver Crow. ADnd facing off against Ash Roller provides for an intense fight since he’s both nervous and anxious but also fairly capable. What is amusing is the way he manages that nervousness as it’s not hidden internally to the viewer, but Ash Roller doesn’t see a lot of it. The fight that he engages in has its moments, though the flashbacks to what he learns with Kuroyuki is kind of awkward, but what really keeps it fun is watching Ash Roller in his near Ghost Rider kind of approach here having fun with Haru and putting him to the test. He’s really just having fun and not realizing what may be in front of him, and rightly so because Haru doesn’t really get a chance to shine until the last moment. And even then, it is kind of awkward.
In Summary:
Accel World spends its time on two tracks that are fairly well related here and both are decently done, but the show hasn’t had its killer moment yet that demands that I keep watching it. Kuroyuki is still something of a cipher here as one would expect but she does get a touch more exploration as we understand how their visuals are come up with in the Accel World itself. Haru himself is the main focus here as he has to learn to fight and survive in the Accel World, though of course the hardest thing he may have to face are the two women he’s starting to feel like he’s between as we see at the very end. Which, of course, doesn’t really connect as he’s just reading too much into it at the moment. The dark fighting sequence here with Ash Roller dominates the episode and unfortunately Ash is far more interesting than Haru at the moment which weakens it. The series certainly does earn a few more episodes to check out before any full decision since it has so much potential, but it’s just feel weak compared to much of what else is out there at the moment.
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.
