The year is 2046.
Haruyuki Arita is a young boy who finds himself on the lowest social rungs of
his school. Ashamed of his miserable life, Haruyuki can only cope by indulging
in virtual games. But that all changes when Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl
in school, introduces him to a mysterious program called Brain Burst and a
virtual reality called the Accel World. (Source: Viz Media)
Spoiler Alert: Review contains some spoilers/plot details
for the first episode of Accel World. Read on with caution!
Accel World is
probably going to be one of those titles that gets a lot of attention and has a
divided viewer base, all because it is based around a chubby unpopular kid who
retreats to video games when real life sucks too much – and said kid happens to
catch the attention of the most beautiful and popular girl in his high school.
But this might be the show I blog
about from this current season on a semi-regular basis. It is currently hitting
a good deal of my storytelling kinks while being terribly entertaining, further
cementing my feelings about this spring’s anime titles.
So, what is it about
a fat kid like Haruyuki who can only find solace in the virtual world that has
me wanting to blog about it every week like some kind of regular anime blog?
Read the rest of my thoughts after the jump!
First, the animation
is pretty damn nifty. I quite like how the virtual world is designed,
especially Brain Burst and the various levels of it we see in the first
episode. Sunrise is doing a good job with CGI in Accel World; the blue frozen
state of the Accelerated World is probably my favorite bit of animation so far.
It really does look like reality frozen in place. Plus, Brain Burst looks just
like an online RPG, complete with HP stat bars and loading screens.
The character designs
are okay, nothing particularly special. Kuroyukihime has the vague look of
Shakugan no Shana’s character title. Haruyuki’s two friends are cute but don’t
really stick in the mind yet. I do however like the look of Haruyuki, although
I’m left wondering why his face isn’t like everyone else’s. I also have to
wonder how much of him we’ll be
seeing once the focus of the series inevitably moves to the Brain Burst world
and the action shifts to Haruyuki’s virtual self – who looks nothing like his
real life self. It will be interesting how his three selves – his real life
self, his Brain Burst Self, and his original virtual (pig) self – change as the
series progresses.
Kuroyukihime so far
is an enigma wrapped up in pixiv bait. Why is she so attracted to Haruyuki?
What is it about him that makes her connect to him in such an intimate way,
going so far as to induct him into the world of Brain Burst? It does not seem like
Kuroyukihime is being completely truthful with her intentions. Everything seems
like the shonen version of Madoka Magica, and Kuroyukihime is the quasi-kuudere
lady Kyuubey come to ensnare our Mahou Shounen Haruyuki into a violent game for
his life.
The story itself has
not really gone anywhere beyond the basics – young boy is bullied, young boy is
offered chance to escape terrible life, new world appears! – but what we see so
far is pretty interesting, especially concerning Haruyuki. He’s not the most
likeable protagonist at first, seemingly unwilling to see his own situation for
what it is, but the further time spent with him, the more his real character
comes through.
And, to be completely honest, I can feel for Haruyuki. I can
feel for someone who feels isolated in a world connected by technology, wishing
to escape the physical world by diving into the virtual and excel at something
that no one else can (even if it’s something other people would find laughable,
like Haruyuki’s squash scores), feeling alone even when around the acquaintances
that are supposed to be his friends.
And that is why I’ll
be watching Accel World, and why I think on a base level a lot of people will
be watching it as well. Haruyuki is like a lot of people in the average anime
audience. He just wants to be accepted and be loved and find his own world
where people like him, but his own insecurities as well as society’s shallow
judgments of who he is on the outside are holding him back from personal
fulfillment.
I’m sure a ton of
people watching have at one time or another made their own escape into an
online game or community where they can feel a part of something bigger and
better than themselves. It’s that kind of connection between the protagonist
and the audience – the idea that anyone is capable of breaking into a new world
like Brain Burst – is what makes Accel World so attractive to viewers.
Plus, those neural
computer systems they use? Are freaking awesome. If 2046 rolls around and we
have nothing resembling this in existence, I’m gonna be seriously pissed at
science. Come on, guys! First you fail at flying cars, now this? And it is
terribly environmental-friendly, considering how few physical components it
takes to connect online. Do you think Haruyuki reads light novels on it? Of
course he does.
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