Accel World

Accel World promised an exciting blend of virtual reality and intense battles, but it ultimately falls flat on its face. With lackluster storytelling, unimpressive (and extremely annoying) characters, and a shallow exploration of its setting, this franchise fails to deliver on any level and leaves viewers with a bitter taste of disappointment.

The narrative of Accel World is an incoherent mess. It attempts to combine elements of virtual reality gaming, action-packed battles, and an underlying plot of self-discovery, but just devolves into a terrible and frustrating love triangle. This triangle does not even have the entertainment value that something like Gamers! produces (from being contrived and relying on bad dialogue); it is just plain boring and keeps pondering and tripping. The pacing is uneven, often rushing through crucial moments while dwelling on mundane and trivial aspects (see love triangle). The plot twists, if they can even be called that, are predictable and lack any sense of genuine surprise (why does the tsundere chick exist). The story arc progression is poorly executed, and I found myself disparaging the events unfolding on screen. Nothing happens in this show past the initial introduction of the world and the two main characters and there is no plot development of note past that.

One of the biggest shortcomings of Accel World is its cast of characters, who are shallow and lack depth. The protagonist, Haruyuki Arita, is an uninspiring and unremarkable character who fails to evolve beyond his initial state of self-pity and low self-esteem. His journey from a bullied (and obese, as grossly oversimplified) underdog to a hero feels contrived and lacks any true character development. Any imagery (supposedly) involving him (with the pig avatar) seems to just be papered over by some love interest. His problems are entirely external and there is no motion towards even exploring any of these simplistic issues in the writing. He is terribly characterized and written around his two most obvious traits, and then is not developed any further as he keeps pondering his own state but does not explore it at all. The supporting characters, including the female lead Kuroyukihime, are equally disappointing, with most of them serving as mere plot devices (more like love triangle devices) rather than fully fleshed-out individuals. She is about as bland as a character can get and her entire shtick is being “pretty and smart,” akin to most harem manga female leads. The lack of meaningful relationships and emotional connections between the characters further hampers the viewer's investment in their struggles. Again, it just devolves into a tool to allow the viewer to self-insert in the MCs shoes and get led on by Kuroyukihime’s antics.

Moreover, Accel World fails to capitalize on the fascinating concept of a virtual reality world. “Brain Burst” seemed interesting at first glance; but the potential for exploring the intricate dynamics between the real and virtual realms, the psychological impact of living in a virtual world, and the ethical implications of unlimited power are all squandered. Instead, the series resorts to poorly animated, repetitive, and uninspiring battles that serve as mere distractions rather than avenues for compelling storytelling. The world-building is superficial (again, it focuses on the terrible characterization), and the rules governing the virtual reality system are poorly (if at all) explained, leaving the audience confused and uninterested.
Visually, Accel World does little to impress. The animation quality is mediocre, lacking the fluidity and attention to detail that could have elevated the action sequences. Character designs are bland and uninspired, lacking memorable features or distinctive aesthetics. The most defining character design is that of the protagonist, but that feels like a spit in the face of those who actually remotely could associate with his (supposed) troubles. The background art and settings feel generic and uninspiring, ultimately serving only as a tool to give you another flavor of the packaged product that we see nowadays in most love-triangle-esque shows. This is when you try to make an exotic-flavored packaged chip, and it turns out to taste like plastic.

I can conclusively say that this anime’s disjointed narrative, unimpressive characters, and underwhelming exploration of its central themes left me with a sense of wasted opportunity and dread. It was physically painful to watch this drag on. For those seeking a compelling anime experience, Accel World falls far short of the mark and is better left untouched. Even within its own genre, Sword Art Online does everything it wanted to do better. Reki Kawahara does eventually end up finding the commercially winning formula in SAO, but his prototype Accel World shows every trace of the plastic that he was trying to successfully package going bad. This can be exceptionally bad for your health, please do not consume it.