Subs by UTW
Written as mermaid, read as a blog entry.
Previously
The kid who beat Takumu at kendo, Noumi, turns out to be a burst linker and really evil and twisted and he threatens both Haruyuki and Chiyuri. Haruyuki challenges him to a battle.
About this episode
Here starts week two without Snow Black. As much as I like her character, these are pretty much the best episodes we’ve had so far and I don’t really miss her for some reason. It’s exactly how I notice that she’s gone that I appreciate her character though. I think that everything would’ve been a lot different if Snow Black had been around and now everyone is less in control of things.
Oh by the way, since his full name is now revealed as Noumi Seiji (I’m not sure if I missed his first name or not, but I didn’t know it last episode), so I’m going to refer to him as Seiji from now on. Maybe a bit confusing but I try to be consistent with names which can be kinda challenging with the complicated Japanese naming stuff.
Unexpectedly good action to start the episode off. I really liked the parts where Haruyuki was beating up Seiji, they were animated well and without interruptions like moral discussions and shouting for the most part. But there has to be a catch: Haruyuki can’t just win against the biggest enemy he’s faced to date. And then it comes. I kinda saw it coming with Seiji’s remark that he would take something and afterwards the “previous owner” thing, but I was still at a loss when Haruyuki actually lost his wings. The only weird thing was that he didn’t beat Seiji on the ground, which he was perfectly capable of. Instead, he wasted a lot of time standing around. Not that it would have given him his wings back, but still… At least he could win the fight that way.
And then it ends. Haruyuki is completely defeated and lost. Drama everywhere. Chiyuri starts crying too, probably more because of the real life events than because of Haruyuki’s loss. There was no doubt about who had won and who had lost now. I’m not sadistic or anything, but I think that this was a really great part of the show. I know that victory will come after this loss (somehow) and this means that Seiji will get what he deserves later. This harshness will make Haruyuki’s victory later so much sweeter.
I don’t have to say anything about this picture, it’s obvious.
And more drama. As Haruyuki is feeling terrible, he lets out his frustrations on Takumu. I feel sorry for the guy, who doesn’t know what’s going on and is feeling bad too. But wait a minute. Chiyuri choosing somebody? I thought that Takumu and Chiyuri were together already? Or was I wrong about this all along? The MAL database seems to agree with me and I don’t want to do a lot of research because I might spoil stuff. So what is all this talk about Chiyuri choosing somebody? Now that I think about it though, Takumu and Chiyuri haven’t been behaving as boyfriend and girlfriend that much on-screen. Might just be that we only see what we see, I bet I’m overthinking. Takumu is also saying stuff out of sadness, anger, frustration.
But Accel World does a nice job not making stuff too depressing. I felt all the sadness that was going on, but it didn’t drag. The first half is finished, and now stuff is looking up. The timing was perfect, not too long and not too short. So back comes, surprisingly enough (except if you watched the opening animations and the preview), Ash Roller. I was wondering what he was up to. He is now what I didn’t expect him to be: an awesome rival. It might be his kind of evil look, but I never thought of him as the caring type. Still, he and Haruyuki built up quite a relationship offscreen. “Remember all those battles?” No I don’t, but it’s nice to know that this was all happening. The only part that’s annoying about Ash is all his half-English lines that don’t make any sense.
It was over too quickly. This episode really flew along, which is good I guess. I’m really curious about this parent now. She looks so much different from Ash, which is funny. They know each other well in real life (probably) if she brought Ash into the game. And she is also the person who was closest to flying before Haruyuki. This is going to be really interesting. I wonder if she’ll teach Haruyuki a new technique to fly or maybe even give him new wings somehow. I don’t think the latter is possible – Seiji will have to give them back before Haruyuki can fly again and he’s not going to hand them over just like that.
Rating: +
This episode was one hell of a ride, but a really good one. This is the best arc Accel World has seen up till now and I’m enjoying every second of it. First the loss, now the training to overcome his loss. All in one episode with a great pacing. One or two weeks of the Seiji arc I guess, and a ton of other new characters too. So many goodies to look forward to.
Semai Sekaide 