Accel World - Episode 15

Yes, Haruyuki, you tera-suck.

Haruyuki... please stop whining already! Just when I thought Shu from Guilty Crown whined too much; at least he went badass after he snapped. What does Haruyuki do? That's right, he starts crying in his little corner, complaining about how useless he is. Seriously, if you've got time to do that, why not actually try making yourself, I don't know, not useless? At this point, seeing Nōmi toy with Haruyuki doesn't make me feel the least bit angry. In fact, I'm pleased that there's an antagonist who, although he's probably the most revolting one thus far, is actually teaching Haruyuki a lesson—one about the fact that things don't always go your way and that, if you want them to, you need to try doing contributing to the cause yourself.

Both Taku's slap punch in the face and Ash Roller's pep talk essentially saved Haruyuki from going over the edge. For the former, I feel terribly sorry for him (I got over my doubting of Taku a while ago so it'd definitely surprise me if he reveals later on that everything he did after his so-called "repenting" was actually a lie). Seeing as how he trusts Haruyuki so much and finds out that he's not being trusted in return, I really don't blame him for not being able to control his anger and disappointment. Luckily for Haruyuki, Ash Roller chose not to selfishly claim a win for himself in their "duel", but instead, decided to help the emo fat kid instead. On top of being an amusing character, this biker turns out to be extremely helpful as well. I guess looks can be deceiving.

The introduction of Sky Raker, Ash Roller's parent, is almost certainly going to lead to some sort of revelation for Haruyuki. Whether it is in the form of some words of wisdom from the veteran Burst Linker, or a new ability that's even more special than aviation, Haruyuki's potential newfound power will undoubtedly give him a (temporary?) confidence (and possibly power) boost. Whether that's enough to stop Nōmi is still unknown, though if it is, I'm going to guess that it'll barely do the trick. Maybe it will end up having to be Kuroyukihime who defeats the cunning kōhai. Overall, I'm leaning towards the "disappointing" side when it comes to my enjoyment of this episode. Haruyuki's whining, although arguably justified, needs to seriously be taken down a notch or it'll start becoming a pain to watch Accel World.