Accel World Takes Us to the Year 2040

I was looking for upcoming anime series to watch and I happened to come across a series entitled Accel World (short for Acceleration World). At first, I was so reluctant to watch the first episode considering that the main male protagonist is a fat boy named Haruyuki Arita. It's just that I am not into his kind of characters. But guess what? Unfortunately, I have to eat my words after watching the pilot episode. :)

The main characters.

Well then, let's start with the synopsis:

Being bullied a lot, Haru is ahort, fat boy who apparently have the lowest of esteem. In order to escape torment of the real world, he usually logs in into the virtual world network which has become a widespread hobby for people. In the virtual world, people are able to manipulate their senses thus, letting them access the internet without a problem.

Escaping into the virtual world, Haru plays his favorite game Squash where he usually gets the high score. One day, he finds out that an unknown player has taken over his previous top score. The unknown player happens to be his secret crush and virtual player goddess Kuroyukihime. Out from his league, Haru finds himself being offered by Kuro an application called Brain Burst that enables users to accelerate their brainwaves in the real world.

Kuro asks for Haru's help in order to reached Level 10 letting her meet the creator of Brain Burst. Unfortunately, it wasn't an easy task to make through considering that Kuro has to defeat five Level 9 users. Not just any regular Level 9 users but the powerful leaders of the top leading factions in Burst Brain called the 'The Six Kings of Pure Color'.

 My first impression? Based on the first episode, this series could be a potential hit. In contrary to what I previously said, I find Haru easily likable. Not because I have to be on his side just because he is being bullied, but rather because he is unconsciously funny and for the record, he is cute. :)

Kuroyukihime

The series also features some other likable characters like my very recent favorite anime character, Kuroyukihime. I'd say that Akemi Homura has found a match in Kuro's presence. Kidding aside, I love both characters. 

Plot-wise, it's not the most original but I love the fact that it involves very impressive fictional technologies. Connecting to the internet without the need of physically devices is my favorite. The series has made a strong start, making us wanting for more episodes to come. The pilot episode's ending was surprisingly awesome knowing that a new challenger is on Haru's way.

When in comes to animation, the series can't boast on this category but it's not bad either. Let's just say it's plain mediocre.

In conclusion, in a range of 1-10, I'd give this an 8.5. I'd be watching the next episodes hoping that it would be as interesting as the first episode. On final note, Haru is obviously an easy underdog but let's not give up on him. He might just have some actions hiding over there. :)