US Distributor: Viz Media
Production Studio: Sunrise
Was this provided by the publisher? Yes
More Info: Anime News Network
Disclaimer: This review may contain spoilers for the second half Accel World. Reader discretion is advised.
Haruyuki Arita has changed for the better since becoming a Burst Linker. However, because of a humiliating defeat at the hands of underclassman Nomi Seiji, he risks losing everything dear to him. Seeking out wisdom from a legendary Burst Linker, he gains new powers as he hopes to end Nomi’s reign of terror in the Accelerated World.
The second half of Accel World focuses on one major character who will ultimately affect the viewer’s perception of the series, and he is also the main antagonist for the Dusk Taker arc: Nomi Seiji. Nomi is not someone with whom viewers will connect and view favorably. He manipulates people to do his bidding and accelerates to gain an unfair advantage in the real world. To top it all off, he can take the abilities of other Burst Linkers and use those powers to their disadvantage as he did with Haruyuki in one of their early battles.
In short, Nomi is a smug bastard. So much so that his loathsome nature may turn off some viewers.
While Nomi may be a point of contention in the latter half of the show, fans of Haruyuki will be pleased with his continued development as a character. Haruyuki temporarily regresses to his old self after he loses his wings to Nomi and the will to fight in the game. This is short-lived as he continues to become more confident in himself after meeting Sky Raker, who teaches Haruyuki about the powerful Incarnate System. Other characters are also given some much-needed development, including Taku and Kuroyukihime. Taku’s history gives some information on how his Brain Burst character came to be. Kuroyukihime is given more screen time and is the main focus of a two episode mini arc set in Okinawa.
The background art is the same as fans have come to expect in the first half. I’d like to give a special mention, though, to the episodes set in Okinawa. Sunrise Inc. produced these episodes with a gorgeous bright color palette that really “pops”. The animation quality is still on par with the first half of the show, with fight scenes being fluid and enjoyable. The original sound track continues to be enjoyable with a new synthpop opening, “Burst the Gravity,” and a new ending, “Unite.” On-disc extras include the clean opening and ending, the trailer for Accel World, trailers for other Viz Media properties, and all eight Accel World Mini Short specials.
The second half of Accel World is an improvement over the first half of the series. The audience’s enjoyment of this arc is going to largely depend on the viewer’s tolerance for Nomi as an antagonist. Those that can look past Nomi will be rewarded with well animated action-packed scenes, strong character development, and generally better pacing that differentiates this second arc from the first.
