Accel World - Episode 17

Maybe being fat Haruyuki does have its benefits...

Blogger's Note: No, I'm not dead. I was on vacation this past weekend and only had access to slow hotel internet. Now that I'm back, I'll try to catch up with reviews for this past weekend's episodes as soon as possible.

Aside from that one instance of kneeling before Nōmi, I thought Haruyuki did well in terms of not being an insufferable whiner in this episode. Not only did he manage to one-up his opponent on several occasions, but he also did it with authority. It's moments like these where the past in which Haruyuki was constantly whining could temporarily be forgotten as you see him clearly dominating his opponent. And although I did agree with Nōmi about the whole friendship spiel being a bit cheesy and making one want to throw up, I also realize that's how Haruyuki and Taku display the intensity of their "bromance"—or in other words, the strength of their relationship.

I found the entire fight, after the battle mode change, to be very entertaining to watch, both because Nōmi was getting what he deserved and because Haruyuki was putting what he gained from his earlier training to good use. The shocked look on Nōmi's normally calm and collected face when he realized Haruyuki knew about the Incarnate System was truly priceless. Everything seemed to be going well for the protagonists—even to the point where Haruyuki was about to finish off Nōmi—until... she showed up. Out of all the possible Burst Linkers who could've appeared at that moment, it just had to be one of the two healers in the Accelerated World. Now, normally this wouldn't be so bad since we all know Chiyu was there to help Haruyuki and Taku in case they had any more issues with Nōmi, right? Wrong. In the most shocking act of betrayal yet, she ends up healing Nōmi back to full health. Obviously, there must be an explanation to this; is she really backstabbing her "friends" or is she planning something even greater?

That question probably won't be answered in the next episode as the preview implies that the next episode will be about Kuroyukihime and her trip to Okinawa. Two new Burst Linkers are also shown so maybe some of the third-year students also have Brain Burst installed. A bit of drama looks to be present, too. While getting to see Kuroyukihime again is good and all, I don't think I'll be able to enjoy the next episode to the fullest if the answer to Chiyu's actions isn't explained soon. Hopefully, the next episode ends up explaining the issue before shifting to Kuroyukihime's adventures in Okinawa.