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Year: 2012
Genre: Action, Romance, Sci-Fi
Episodes: 24
Rating: 4.25 out of 5
VR, or Virtual Reality, has grown over the last few years. I personally have an Oculus, and I think it is excellent. As technology progresses, we might be able to fully immerse ourselves in our games. Think about playing Halo or Assassin’s Creed in a game where it feels real. How about a battle royal game that would almost give you powers in reality. How many of us would play those games? Accel World is an anime where the main character goes from a loser to one of the game’s most unique and strongest characters.
Overview
Haruyuki “Haru” Arita’s life is miserable. He is a student at Umesato Junior High School, but since he is a short, overweight boy, he is constantly bullied. Haru uses his Neuro Linker to escape the torment and depression of his real life. Haru goes to the bathroom to log onto the school’s local network cyberspace, where his avatar is a little pink pig. Haru always plays virtual squash alone and is one of the best at it. His skill in the game catches the attention of Kuroyukihime, the beautiful, brilliant female student council vice president.
Seeing an opportunity, Kuroyukihime helps Haru with his bullying problem and then introduces him to a secret program called Brain Burst. Brain Burst is a game that is able to accelerate the human cognitive process to the point at which time appears to stop, but it is also more than a program. It is an augmented-reality, massively multiplayer online game where the participants fight each other in fierce battles to obtain burst points.
Kuroyukihime enlists Haru in helping her reach a number of her goals in Brain Bursts: to defeat the Six Kings and obtain level 10 to meet the creator of Brain Burst. Kuroyukihime has been in exile from Brain Burst as she is the legendary Black King who beheaded the former Red King. With their mission in front of them, Haru and Kuroyukihime take on all challenges to one day reach level 10.
Review:
When watching Accel World, the story is pretty much the same as Sword Art Online or any other anime that dives into a different world. Ready Player One is also like this. The central theme is about growth and building confidence in oneself. The main character, Haru, is a short, overweight boy who is frequently bullied at Junior High School. Hara uses his Neuro Linker to escape the real world and logs into cyberspace, where he always plays virtual squash alone. The sad part is that Haru’s avatar is that of a short, chubby pig. Homeboy’s self-esteem is low, and he has zero courage. His life changes when he catches the attention of Kuroyukihime, the school’s most beautiful, popular, intellectual, and female student council vice president.
Here is where the story gets good. Kuroyukihime introduces Haru to a new world called Brain Burst, an augmented reality fighting game where people battle each other to advance their skills and abilities. The story shows where Haru thinks he is a weakling until he gains the ability to fly, which is so rare that he is the only one to do it. We also learn that Kuroyukihime is one of the seven kings, and she killed a king for the simple reason of getting to Level 10. I want to say that, at first, I thought this anime would be completely dull, but damn, was I wrong. The battles were intense, and to see Haru grow and change in front of you should give you confidence.
The main reason for his growth is Kuroyukihime. You think Kuroyukihime was using him, but she really fell in love with him. This completely shows that it isn’t about looks. It is all about personality that draws people together. Kuroyukihime risks her life and safety for Haru, and Haru does the same as they care for each other. This also shows that there is major drama because Hara’s friend is dating his other friend, but she likes him. Some major love triangles are going on that adds to the drama and intensity.
The story progresses every few episodes. What I mean is that the focus hits one particular villain that Haru must overcome, and then they move on. Haru first learns about Brain Burst and defeats a skeleton motorcycle boss to level up. Another mini-arc is when Kuroyukihime saves him from being hit by a car, and he must fight his best friend. The major one is when one of the villains takes his wings, and his best female friend somewhat abandons him. This story is intense, and Haru goes into a depression and then climbs himself out to whip ass.
I discovered that it is somewhat a successor to the Sword Art Online story. The Nerve Gear technology makes a brief appearance or reference. Technology has advanced, but seeing how this anime was connected to that one in a small way is interesting. The reference is so quick that you might miss it. This doesn’t take away from the overall anime. I find it refreshing when some anime series can connect with each other.
The animation was very surprising. I wasn’t expecting the anime to be so crisp and appealing to the eyes. When Haru was in his Sliver Crow avatar, there wasn’t any fancy CGI; it was drawn so well that he really shined in the light. Kuroyukihime’s Black Princess looked intimidating, but I liked the combination of black and purple with her avatar. There are times when the animation falls off, but all the characters are drawn in a way that you notice they are all fun to look at.
As far as characters go, I think there are only two we need to talk about, Haruyuki Arita and Kuroyukihime. Haruyuki Arita, or Haru, is the main protagonist. As stated earlier, he is short, overweight, bullied, and has really low self-confidence until he meets Kuroyukihime. I think this character is great because even though he is smart and careful with everyday life, homeboy has no issue with being reckless regarding Kuroyukihime because he views her as a mentor, friend, and lover simultaneously. He has extreme loyalty to Kuroyukihime. His Brain Burst avatar, Silver Crow, is fantastic because it reflects the person’s inner feelings. His avatar was created by his desire to be thinner and fly away. This is why Silver Crow is the first and only avatar with the ability to fly by developing wings on its back.
Kuroyukihime is the beautiful and mysterious female protagonist. She has been in Brain Burst since she was eight and has risen to the rank of the Black King. Her backstory is fascinating; she wanted to reach level 10, but the other kings wanted to be chill. Kuroyukihime decides to behead the first Red King, Red Rider while trying to defeat the other kings to reach level 10. She exiles herself from doing it and also hunted. I like her character because she values Haru as a friend and tries to be the best mentor possible by giving him courage. Kuroyukihime is also a complete badass; when she rolls up, she wins at cost.
Accel World is one of those anime series that will surprise you. I wasn’t expecting much from the anime and, in return, got an action-filled, funny, and inspiring anime. The battles and growth of the main character are fun to watch. Watch this anime and have fun watching with the other augmented reality anime series.
