Accel World OVA 1

Well, a nice little episode, I suppose. However, it seems to be missing a lot of information as usual. Mostly surrounding this idea of the Assault Linker and Accel Assault. Based on naming and style of the game, it seems to be some sort of precursor to Brain Burst. But if so, why isn’t Kuroyukihime curious? Wouldn’t she want to get to the core of this game? I suppose she could have been locked out when the last Assault Linker was defeated, but I feel like there would normally be some sort of reaction.

The other possibility, of course, is that it’s just some unrelated game. That possibility would have to explain why time stopped, but it gets past all of the other stuff I said before. And since Brain Burst creates avatars based on inner thoughts of the user, it would make sense that the avatar’s characteristics would translate into another thought-based creation system.

And let’s not even get into the fact that Chiyu should not have been able to fly as freely as she did (even with a rocket in the form of Taku). Anyways, more trolling with Kuroyukihime’s name and random antics…I think there is supposed to be two of these OVAs, so maybe they build on the Accel Assault thing? Probably shouldn’t get my hopes up.

Accel World Final Episode

Sigh…I spent so much time telling myself that Chiyu couldn’t possibly be an Orihime clone…oh how wrong I was. Oh well, I see why it had to be that way…it’s not like it worked negatively in any way. I’m always wary of these sorts of time-related explanations, though, because they give rise to possible inconsistencies. Although Chiyu’s power isn’t exactly balefire from Wheel of Time, so there aren’t any huge ones to note (for reference, balefire removed its target from existence).

Still, I can understand if her power was to revert the target back in time (which would have gotten rid of the wings, but not given them back to Haru) because then you could say that she can’t affect the consequences of what she reverses (for example, she wouldn’t be able to bring an avatar back to Accel World that was destroyed by the wing power). Unless that’s what they were going for…

But yeah…it’s over. Haru got his moment this week…laser swording all over the place. We got teased with the little bit from Sky Raker about Kuroyukihime’s real name. I’ll be very upset if it’s just some nickname she gave her that has nothing to do with the real name. That’s just messed up.

As for the bit about Noumi losing his memory, I just kinda assumed that’s what happened…I didn’t realize that they had never explicitly told us that. I figured something as ingrained as the Neuro Linker should easily be able to erase memories despite the surprise of everyone else in the show…seriously, though? With Physical Burst, how is that a stretch? Anyway, waiting for season 2…gogo

Accel World Episode 23

Taku is kinda awesome, isn’t he? He gets his cool moment this week…that battle with Dusk Taker was better than anything else I’ve seen so far (that I can remember). Too bad he doesn’t get to finish him off with his cool new incarnate sword. I guess that’s reserved for Haru. Speaking of Haru, he had this incredibly intense moment where he refuses to accept defeat and breaks free of the restraints! …and then falls over. Seriously, why is this guy the main character? Couldn’t even entertain me with some indication of Chrome Disaster…no hope of that happening this season, I guess.

I really thought they’d try to end the Noumi stuff without Kuroyukihime, but I guess she’s shown up. She’s also used her reins, which doesn’t bode well. The fact that they’ve been used signifies to me a lower probability of a second season…since there are few things left unresolved. Well, I mean there’s still the whole “getting to level 10 thing”, but that could just mean a severely delayed second season. Basically, there’s no cliffhanger so there’s no rush. That’s all I’m saying. Anyway, the season finishes up next week…Noumi gets defeated and everyone goes on with their lives.

Accel World Episode 22

The final battle against Noumi has been set. We finally know about this Brain Implant that Noumi has to keep himself hidden. That stuff about the incarnate system triggering Chrome Disaster was also pretty interesting. It’s an interesting question…you have to wonder if Haru’s creating a new Chrome Disaster or whether he actually has the original one.

It still really seems like there’s some organization with the brain implants and I highly doubt Noumi is their leader (because he’s about to get owned). I wonder if that suggests a second season…taking them down or something. I feel like Noumi’s been hinting too much at the fact that there are more like him for it to just be coincidence. But this does go against my theory of Chiyu being inducted…she shouldn’t have the chip.

Next week should be fun. With two episodes left, you have to wonder if that means that the battle will be long…usually not, but who knows? I’ve got my money on Haru losing control at the end of next week’s episode…either that or the troll cliffhanger ending of Haru losing it at the very end of the series. If it’s at the end of next week, then the last episode could just be Kuroyukihime coming back and saving him. Or maybe the last episode is just random fun with everyone…that would be kinda boring.

Accel World Episode 21

Welcome back, Yuniko. But then again, the episode was more focused on Taku than her. Niko brings up this idea of the four types of incarnation, though…assuming Taku and Haru each master two types, who wants to bet they master complementary pairs of incarnation, covering all four?

Meanwhile, Haru has met the last member of his hare- err…the last member of the main cast, Blood Leopard. I guess she’s supposed to be the more emotionless type…kinda reminds me of Kuroyukihime a bit (before she becomes infatuated in Haru).

It’s weird…Niko calls Haru a noob at incarnation, but then he leaves Taku and her, rather than trying to train more. I guess he’s waiting for Taku to catch up before trying to learn more? I would have expected him to try and learn his own thing separately while Taku’s being introduced. Either way, he’s got his own stuff to deal with.

I wonder if he’s supposed to get closer to this “society” of hacking Burst Linkers that Noumi seems to be part of…at least, that’s what I assume it is. Looks like we’ll find out more about it next week…also probably find out about why Chiyu betrayed everyone. I get the feeling I’m not gonna like the reason, but whatever…we’ll see.

Accel World Episode 20

Oh hey Chrome Disaster…it’s been a while. Welcome back. I was wondering when it would make an appearance again. Of course, like a typical corrupted protagonist, Haru hasn’t noticed that something caused him to change in that battle, so he stupidly didn’t tell Kuroyukihime that something was wrong. Sigh…

And yes…I noticed when Chiyu freaked out over Taku’s death, showing that she didn’t realize that teaming with Noumi would lead to that. I still don’t get why they reacted that way, though…so Taku lost some points…big deal. Nothing to scream about, right?

Anyway, now Taku needs to learn about the incarnate system, so next week is the return of Yuniko. Based on the preview, it also looks like that maid character from the opening will finally be introduced. Been wondering about her. In both openings, she appears without an Accel World avatar, so I wonder if she is even a Burst Linker. If not, then her role must be something cool, right? I’m eager to know. Or maybe I’m just getting trolled…but that never happens, right? …right???

Accel World Episode 19

So I guess Crikin basically constructed Gundam Heavyarms (for all you oldschool Gundam Wing fans)…basing this off the excessive amount of missiles, of course. Didn’t get to do much, but it was good for nostalgia. More importantly, we have this deal with Megumi. The stuff that happened to her seems to go outside the realm of normal logic, so it’s quite curious.

Naturally, she doesn’t remember what happened, but why was she able to burst link? Kuroyukihime seemed to think it was due to her being a previous Burst Linker, but wouldn’t she remember that? If I had to guess, I suppose the natural guess would be Mana. She seemed to know that Megumi was coming, so it could be that she “called” her…plus, she acts kinda weird. Will Megumi and those three from Okinawa reappear later in the series?

As for our enemy, Sulfur Pot, he is able to hide himself from the matching list like Noumi, which suggests to me that they are linked. I mentioned before a theory that there is some society of these newer Burst Linkers and they’re both probably part of it. They also seem to be linked by this hacked Neuro Linker that they use (probably to hide themselves).

But next week, Kuroyukihime finally returns and we’ll hopefully find out about that whole deal about Chiyu. It looks like Kuroyukihime herself will be caught in Noumi’s web as well based on what I saw in the preview. I guess it was a fun break while it lasted…but the vacation’s over.

Accel World Episode 18

Megumi is evil! That must have been her standing by that pillar in the building where Kuroyukihime and the kids went (I even went back painstakingly to confirm the match)…so suspicious. Of course the kids made it sound like their problem extends before the class trip, so it’s unlikely she’s their “monster”, but she’s still up to something. How could she? I actually felt a little sorry for her when Kuroyukihime forgot to get her a gift! Is she just pretending not to know about Accel World? There’s a girl who looks suspiciously like her in the opening now that I think about it (I can’t tell if they’re the same, though).

It looks like Kuroyukihime is reuniting with an old…acquaintance? I guess my first natural reaction to this “monster” the kids were referencing was that it had to be Chrome Disaster or something similar, but that shouldn’t be possible. Plus, it looked like a fairly normal Burst Linker riding on top of it. I can’t imagine it should be too much trouble for Kuroyukihime…how strong could it be? Why is it a problem?

Guess we’re gonna have to keep holding off on finding out about Chiyu because this arc is going on next week. While it’s kinda nice to see more of Kuroyukihime away from her mysterious aura around Haru, it’s kind of a jerk move to leave us dangling on that cliff.

Accel World Episode 17

Well, Haru certainly didn’t waste any time to show off his new power. Defeating Noumi with the power of friendship! Woohoo…yeah. But that’s not the main point…as predicted (a while ago), Chiyu has betrayed the group, healing Noumi. I assume the reason she could join the battle was that turning it into a battle royale gave Noumi the option of adding her, despite not having Haru and Taku’s approval. So, the question remains: is this Chiyu going to the dark side or has she pulled off a Zelos-style (Tales of Symphonia reference) betrayal?

Noumi mentions a difference between older Burst Linkers and more recent ones during the battle…this has to be linked to Chiyu’s decision somehow. Noumi made the newer Burst Linkers seem organized somehow…maybe there’s some leader? Or maybe Noumi is the leader? I suppose the main question is whether Chiyu was forced to join them or whether she was convinced to join them or whether she is just faking joining them. Since I predicted her starting to feel left out a while ago, I lean more towards her being convinced, but the other two choices are equally possible.

I’d say we might find out next week, but that’s likely not the case since the episode seems to be devoted to Kuroyukihime and her trip. Looks like we’ll find out who those two kids from the opening are. I would assume there’s some sort of sob story and the like…

Accel World Episode 16

Remember, Haru…there is no spoon. You’ve had the ability to fly this whole time…you just need to believe. Sound about right? Well, I suppose it would have been depressing if it had taken too long for Haru to figure out this incarnation business…still, the training itself isn’t anything surprising. Why else would they have such a ridiculously tall tower? As for Sky Raker herself, I’m not sure if I see her returning as a permanent member of the cast…maybe she just shows up in the final battle to lend a hand…you know.

I will say this, though. This episode does point out something interesting about games. As we move closer and closer to creating games that can emulate reality, it’s very possible to lose sight of the fact that it’s all a program. Haru instinctively thought of the Accelerated World as having the same limitations as reality, but actually, the “reality” it shows is only an interface created for the user. So when the robot overmind takes over in the future, try to break the wall…okay?

Well, hopefully we see the results of this week’s training next week. The preview shows Haru, Taku, and Chiyu in a battle against Noumi for some reason. It also shows Kuroyukihime sending Haru something from her trip, but let’s not go into that.