Review: #763
Title: Accel World 10: Elements
Series: Accel World - 10th volume
Author: Reki Kawahara
Read Before: no
Comments: Elements is a collection of side stories that takes place in between the previous volumes. The first is “The Sound of Water on a Distant Day” which takes it all the way back to when Haru just got his avatar of Silver Crow. He levels up but uses up most of his points in the process, leading to a real risk of losing Brain Burst forever. This just shows off the stupidity of the system sometimes, using what are effective life points in order to level up? Able to be challenged by anyone any time and the fact that new players only get 100 points to start with? All this is a recipe for disaster and it is a miracle players survive. Anyway, we are introduced to a new character who you know will be important in future volumes. It’s fairly interesting although the resulting battle feels truncated and cut short right when it was getting good. It takes the easy way out in retconning it back such that Haru never once mentioned this event in previous volumes. The second is “The Roar of the Sea at the Ends of the Earth” which takes on the side of Kuroyukihime when she was at the Okinawa school trip while Haru was trying to defeat Dusk Taker. Again, it expands on Brain Burst and the various technical matters and this is by far the longest short story. It’s quite interesting and we learn a lot more about how Kuroyukihime thinks, and realize that she is not as pure and calm as her exterior might lead you to believe. In the end, she encounters a powerful enemy that she defeats but unfortunately, the author continues his preference of pulling miracles out of nowhere to solve the problem which cheapens the whole thing. Then the author goes ahead and introduce more mysteries that seemingly cannot be explained unless you dive into the realm of pure fantasy. Nevertheless, it is a neat fit into the existing story and is great to see how Black Lotus managed to get onto the flying horse to save Haru and Takumu at that fateful fight against Dusk Taker. The final short story is “Versus’ in which it is a crossover between Accel World and Sword Art Online. Crossovers are always awesome and this is not exception with Kirito and Silver Crow duking it out. However, being a clash between the two main characters, the author cannot have one have an upper hand on the other and thus it feels somewhat superficial when the two alternate between who’s gaining the advantage. Overall, Elements is a solid distraction of side stories within the Accel World universe.
Rating: 7/10