Accel World - Episode 14

Now that's scary.

He's sick, twisted, and despicable; he's easily the most hated antagonist thus far. And yet, it's hard not to appreciate his presence as the villain. All of Haruyuki's previous opponents, although they had the physical strength, arguably lacked the intelligence and psychological expertise needed to mentally wound their foe. But with Nōmi, this is not the case. Because Kuroyukihime is away on a class trip, it's all up to the weak and cowardly Haruyuki now, making things all the more entertaining. Even though the outcome is most likely going to involve Haruyuki defeating Nōmi, I'm curious to see how he does so against an enemy of this calibre.

The introduction of the Physical Burst command adds another element to the possible uses of Brain Burst. Right now, special battles are not restricted to the Accelerated World, but can happen in the real world as well, at the cost of one's Burst Points. And while Haruyuki has just learned how to use Physical Burst, Nōmi seems to be an expert in using it, among many other things. Since Haruyuki is almost useless due to his physical state in the real world, I think the only way for him to defeat Nōmi is in the Accelerated World as Silver Crow. But even then, it'd be difficult, given how strong Nōmi's avatar looks and should be. Good luck, Haruyuki—you'll need it.

Taku and Chiyu's involvement in this conflict, more so the former, will also be something to look out for. They'll definitely play a role in the battle between Haruyuki and Nōmi, but whether that benefits our protagonist or hinders him is a different story. As seen in this episode, Chiyu's presence served as an advantage for Nōmi who used her to provoke Haruyuki. I'm mostly interested in knowing what's going through Taku's mind now that he's now in close proximity to a mirror image of his former self.

New OP and ED for the second half of the show.
OP2: The song's quite catchy—I'll give it that. It's on an equal level compared to the first OP. However, the excessive use of Engrish which, although didn't sound too bad, made no sense at some points. Maybe this song will grow on me later, but right now, I prefer the old OP.
ED2: Pretty neutral on this new track. It's decent and has its good moments but didn't really impress me with anything. It'll probably take a few more listens before being able to decide whether I like this ED more than the old one.