Accel World - 06

Nice aim, Chiyu!


It was nice to see the fight between Chiyu, Haru, and Taku conclude quickly - oftentimes, things like this get dragged on forever and ever, so I liked that it was resolved without too much angst.  I especially like how it showed the closeness of the trio, but it raised questions at how much things have changed and Haru was oblivious to it all.  It showed that, of the three, Taku is probably the one who has distanced himself the most from the group, despite being Chiyu's boyfriend.  He's the only one of the three who didn't keep their childhood slippers, and he hasn't told either one (or at least Chiyu) about his withdrawal from the kendo tournament.  Also, while Haru has completely forgiven Taku and even called him his best friend, Kuroyukihime - whom I shall start calling Hime from now on since they completely trolled us last time and didn't reveal her real name - doesn't seem to trust Taku completely, as evidenced by her challenge at the end.  This also tied into the opening scene, where he's confronted and challenged by two followers of the Blue King - what is he up to?

The rest of the episode focused on Haru inadvertently losing most of his points when he leveled up, and his need to regain points without endangering his remaining ones.  Even though I was already suspicious of Taku due to the opening scene, I actually still believed that he was sincere about letting Haru beat him to take half of his points.  Haru, however, still doesn't want to be seen as a pity case, and in declining, they had to find out another way to help him regain points, which introduces the idea of the bouncer.  I loved that Haru accidentally discovered the identity of the bouncer.  We'll get to see next week what her deal is.

Personally, I am really enjoying watching Haru grow as a character.  I never thought that he was too whiny in the beginning like many people; rather, it made sense why he was whiny.  When you're the one who is always picked on and bullied, it's hard to be optimistic all the time.  Another thing that I'm truly enjoying about this anime is the relationship between Haru and Hime.  I thought she was absolutely adorable when she did her hair for Haru, then got upset he didn't noticed right away.  It shows that while she may be adored by everyone, she's still just a girl!  Also, I thought it was telling that Haru didn't tell her about his problem with his Burst points.  It shows that he's trying to find solutions for himself rather than relying on her to solve all his problems.  You go, Haru!  I'm rooting for you!