Evolution of writing, this volume again sets up for the next.
Creative Staff:
Story: Reki Kawahara
Art: Hima
What They Say:
The silver wings responsible for the rise of Nega Nebulus, the legion led by Kuroyukihime, are weakening! During the battle with the mysterious Acceleration Research Society, Haruyuki sustained corrosion damage from the revived Chrome Disaster, and he has still been unable to escape its effects. The Seven Kings of Pure Color take this very seriously, and soon they hand down their judgement: purification. Now Haruyuki is faced with a choice–undergo the grueling purification process, or have a bounty on his head and risk being cast out of the Accelerated World altogether!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
We are into the depths of Reki Kawahara’s Accel World. What seems to be evident is that Kawahara opts for a two-part scheme with the latest books. We saw this with books four and five with them being a two parter. With that said, this volume of Accel World does good care as a setup volume for this arch.
After the races, Haru lands himself in deep water. The request for him: get rid of Chrome Disaster or the Color Kings will get rid of him. That of course, won’t happen under Kuroyukihime, but Haru must act fast to resolve it. That is if he can handle his other duties he suddenly entered. Drafted as the President of an animal Care club he now with two other students must take care of an animal which then leads to the appearance of Utai Sinomiya. While almost normal in appearance Haruyuki will learn how Utai and her animal club fits into his benefit.
This volume presents itself somewhat interestingly. In that, unlike with previous ones that seem to be about a main character’s past or present, it happens to be a little bit less up on main characters and more about the general circumstances of what got characters into their predicament. To understand where this though is coming from, it’s best to see exactly how the first chapters of this volume play out. We see that Haru has to go up on the Kings and taking action to get rid of Chrome Disaster. But, unlike with past chapters and volumes, we see that the Kings when they arrive, tend to take a nervous if not hostile approach towards the Kuroyukihime. It’s only because of the circumstances that we are allowed to see them all assembled together and it’s because of what happen pre-Accel World that makes them begrudgingly come. Haru’s discussion with Ash Roller helps to see how previous events in past volumes build and pay off within each other. Camaraderie and info exchange works to inform us on what exactly happened in the background of this volume and that is because of the circumstances of the previous volumes.
Those invested in Accel World will be happy as it shows that certain questions have answers and many things that need explanation will get there. We get to learn the consequences of unlimited burst, a bit more about the world and its rankings, as well as the events that conclude after the race. We also interesting get to see more and more of old members come into the fold. While this may not seem interesting to read about, actually it give a sense of who and what made Nega Nebulus. It also kind of shows the personality of Kuroyukihime of before and after Haru came into the picture with the revival of Nega Nebulus. It also answers the call for a little bit more character development on everyone, especially Kuroyukihime. While one would expect it in an development volume, it’s nice to know that Kawahara will still follow through with the development. It will satisfy people enough to just push him into the next volume, but it’s still not going to answer a lot of character questions we may have the other people. Yet, one may ask is it even worth attempting said character development now? The answer is really up in the air. For certain people to answer will be yes and there are lots of reasons about them to justify this answer. The exact same time, there are multiple events going on that the thought can be back for a while.
If you’re used to Kawahara’s writing style then you’ll be happy to know that it is somewhere refined in this volume. You see a little bit more flexibility in his writing, And a little bit more freedom in the way he expresses himself. With that being said it still shows that lot of his comforts zone writings are still there for better and worst. It won’t bring new people into his writing style, for those that like it, however, they will overall be happy and will still want to push on with his story.
In Summary:
As stated earlier in this review, Accel World Volume 6 is a setup for larger events in the start. See a lot of development about the world about what’s going on. We also have a little bit of fun with the action that involved in this volume. The same thoughts of Hiwa art still hold true with nice artwork, with the same quibbles as held in previous volumes. Though, with that said, it’s nice to see a start to the evolution of Kawahara’s writing style. While we are prepping to see some major action, as a setup volume it does its job to prepare the fans for what’s coming next, and that’s enough.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: March 22nd, 2016
MSRP: $13.00
