Scan barcode
hidekisohma's review
3.0
I'm glad i finally got around to reading volume 4, because volume 3 REALLY left a bad taste in my mouth. it was kind of the "Empire strikes back" so far, where the volume ends on a dark cliff hanger and you have immediately read the next one to find out what happened.
The villain in this book is still Nomi, carried over from the last one and it has a lot to do with Takumu and haruyuki trying to defeat him without the aid of Kuro as she's still on her school vacation. This one doesn't have as much of a training montage in it, which is nice considering it definitely dragged the previous volume out a bit.
There's a lot of internal dialogue in this one where Haru has to find the will to fight, save his friends, etc all while not relying on Kuro. This, while it can be annoying, because if he just asked her for help they could have resolved it pretty quickly, but i guess i can see the desire to solve the problem on your own without having to ask for help from your superior.
Nomi is still annoying as ever, but thankfully, since this is part 2 of the 2 parter, his villainous story gets wrapped up in a nice little bow. I'm also thankful that Kuro is back and hopefully won't go on any more school trips moving forward. (also seeing Chiyu being fully back in the group)
This one, once you get into it, reads pretty fast and i read the second half pretty much in one day.
Besides Nomi, i have to say i really did enjoy the characters they added in these recent volumes. all the characters added bring their own charm to the story and i haven't strongly DISLIKED anyone besides nomi so far, so that's a good sign moving forward.
That being said, 3.5 out of 5 but...rounded down to a 3. (mainly due to Haru just not ASKING kuro for help like a normal person would and dragging the problem out and also Haru being accused of putting a camera in the girls' changing room for an awkward amount of time)
The villain in this book is still Nomi, carried over from the last one and it has a lot to do with Takumu and haruyuki trying to defeat him without the aid of Kuro as she's still on her school vacation. This one doesn't have as much of a training montage in it, which is nice considering it definitely dragged the previous volume out a bit.
There's a lot of internal dialogue in this one where Haru has to find the will to fight, save his friends, etc all while not relying on Kuro. This, while it can be annoying, because if he just asked her for help they could have resolved it pretty quickly, but i guess i can see the desire to solve the problem on your own without having to ask for help from your superior.
Nomi is still annoying as ever, but thankfully, since this is part 2 of the 2 parter, his villainous story gets wrapped up in a nice little bow. I'm also thankful that Kuro is back and hopefully won't go on any more school trips moving forward. (also seeing Chiyu being fully back in the group)
This one, once you get into it, reads pretty fast and i read the second half pretty much in one day.
Besides Nomi, i have to say i really did enjoy the characters they added in these recent volumes. all the characters added bring their own charm to the story and i haven't strongly DISLIKED anyone besides nomi so far, so that's a good sign moving forward.
That being said, 3.5 out of 5 but...rounded down to a 3. (mainly due to Haru just not ASKING kuro for help like a normal person would and dragging the problem out and also Haru being accused of putting a camera in the girls' changing room for an awkward amount of time)
irayred's review
4.0
This volume is where the fight against Dust Taker ends, so we finally see Nomi get his ass kicked! This arc was the last one animated (2012), which is a shame because it’s only the tip of the iceberg compared of how much these series has grown over the years.
There are a lot of action scenes but what I really liked about this volume was the fact that Haruyuki/Silver Crow convinced Niko/Scarlet Rain/The Red King so she could help Taku/Cyan Pile learn the Incarnated System. Niko explains that using the Incarnated System is a powerful weapon, but it also means you're opening a door that is meant to be closed because it digs right in the core of your traumas. Either way, it is the only way to fight against Dust Taker, because unfortunately Chiyu/Lime Bell is helping that asshole. So he’s become this indestructible Burts Linker that takes especial attacks from others with a range of 100% wins.
Also, knowing about Taku’s past trauma reminded me that they’re a bunch of kids playing a game that eventually affects their lives. They make good friends and relationships in the Accel World, yes, but they’re also get threatened IRL, which is something that makes a great balance between a plot-driven story and character development.
Something I always found mesmerizing was that in this game, all your fears and traumas give shape to the image of your avatar. The things you’re struggling with become your weapons or your special attacks. And I mean, how great would that be? IRL it's hard to overcome the things that haunts us, that make us weak, but if somehow we got power over them, we would be stronger.
And OMG! I absolutely adore the soft scenes with Haru and Kuroyukihime. Their relationship reminds me a lot to what I was with my loved one, and even though that’s probably not the best, since she’s gone, I get so emotional from time to time. What I love the most about them is that Haru truly loves, admires and respects Kuroyukihime. And she loves him too, despite all his flaws. Haru becomes a hero thanks to the love she feels for her, and that’s beautiful.
On the other hand, I kind of understand where Nomi was coming from –I mean, the guy was bullied by his own brother, but c’mon! Being in the Accel World was an opportunity to leave all behind and find his own family. Still, he decided to go to the dark side and look where that got him. Actually, the way he completely forgot all his memories from the game, left me in a weird note. He should not have been forgiven and he deserved a punishment equal to what he did to others, but what can we do?
The same happened with Chiyu. I still don’t understand the reasons why she helped him hurt others. Is she jealous of Kuroyukihime? Does she want Taku and Haru for herself? I truly don’t know. She’s a character that doesn’t make any sense to me.
Last but not least, I really fucking love these series. The Accel World is a story that is so important to me that I don’t have the words to explain how much it brings me hope, and the will to stand up and fight every single day. I’ve said it in my previous reviews, but there’s nothing like rooting for an underdog that grows into a powerful yet humble hero.
PREVIOUS REVIEWS:
Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3
There are a lot of action scenes but what I really liked about this volume was the fact that Haruyuki/Silver Crow convinced Niko/Scarlet Rain/The Red King so she could help Taku/Cyan Pile learn the Incarnated System. Niko explains that using the Incarnated System is a powerful weapon, but it also means you're opening a door that is meant to be closed because it digs right in the core of your traumas. Either way, it is the only way to fight against Dust Taker, because unfortunately Chiyu/Lime Bell is helping that asshole. So he’s become this indestructible Burts Linker that takes especial attacks from others with a range of 100% wins.
Also, knowing about Taku’s past trauma reminded me that they’re a bunch of kids playing a game that eventually affects their lives. They make good friends and relationships in the Accel World, yes, but they’re also get threatened IRL, which is something that makes a great balance between a plot-driven story and character development.
Something I always found mesmerizing was that in this game, all your fears and traumas give shape to the image of your avatar. The things you’re struggling with become your weapons or your special attacks. And I mean, how great would that be? IRL it's hard to overcome the things that haunts us, that make us weak, but if somehow we got power over them, we would be stronger.
And OMG! I absolutely adore the soft scenes with Haru and Kuroyukihime. Their relationship reminds me a lot to what I was with my loved one, and even though that’s probably not the best, since she’s gone, I get so emotional from time to time. What I love the most about them is that Haru truly loves, admires and respects Kuroyukihime. And she loves him too, despite all his flaws. Haru becomes a hero thanks to the love she feels for her, and that’s beautiful.
On the other hand, I kind of understand where Nomi was coming from –I mean, the guy was bullied by his own brother, but c’mon! Being in the Accel World was an opportunity to leave all behind and find his own family. Still, he decided to go to the dark side and look where that got him. Actually, the way he completely forgot all his memories from the game, left me in a weird note. He should not have been forgiven and he deserved a punishment equal to what he did to others, but what can we do?
The same happened with Chiyu. I still don’t understand the reasons why she helped him hurt others. Is she jealous of Kuroyukihime? Does she want Taku and Haru for herself? I truly don’t know. She’s a character that doesn’t make any sense to me.
Last but not least, I really fucking love these series. The Accel World is a story that is so important to me that I don’t have the words to explain how much it brings me hope, and the will to stand up and fight every single day. I’ve said it in my previous reviews, but there’s nothing like rooting for an underdog that grows into a powerful yet humble hero.
PREVIOUS REVIEWS:
Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3
More...