So, Accel World. :eyes:

It’s another one of those virtual reality game-based series with an interesting concept of “acceleration”. The premise? Solid. The execution? Well, it was so-so… definitely not without blatant flaws.

Except for the main character, Haru, all the characters were well-designed both in and outside the game. The world-building around the acceleration mechanic is genuinely intriguing and offers some cool moments.

The “But” (And It’s a Big One)

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

The lead character, Haru, is really flawed in design. I mean, if they had to make a nerd, low-self-esteem guy who is overweight, they could have done so with a generic nerd design. Instead, they just had to make him look like a literal pig cartoon character. Standing next to other characters, it just screams “how the heck is he so short?”. It was a massive negative for the show and made it hard to take serious moments seriously.

Then there’s the romance. It felt improperly handled. There were so many scopes for the romance to fit naturally into the plot, but it was kept aside, almost unrelated to the main story. :| Moreover, it wasn’t a “building romance”… more like a sudden development where the lead female confesses in just the 3rd episode or so. It felt unearned.

The Downhill Slide

The second half of the series went a bit downhill. One would expect that after the first few episodes, more genuine plots would emerge. Instead, I was disappointed with the whole Naomi arc. It seemed a bit too long for an arc that felt unrelated to the broader direction of the anime.

It has its moments, but the jarring character design and rushed romance make it a hard sell. If you can get past the protagonist looking like a mascot character in a serious world, maybe give it a shot. Otherwise, skip it.