Accel World episode 18

The Olympics are almost over. :( It feels just like yesterday I was watching the parade of nations SPRINT across the field, the crazy giant baby take over my screen, and looking at the medal count board read at zero. Now we are getting down to the last few events and it will be 4 more years until we see the Summer Olympics. Woe is my little heart. Where did the time go? XO

Kuroyuki having the best vacation ever!!

But before I get all weepy and sad..I will blog Accel World episode 18 and be all sad about Nomi not getting his ass kicked. Will that be my spoiler for this episode? Yeppers. Spoilers for someone losing their little mind and Nomi living to see another day.

Um you're Japanese. You have to buy gifts while on vacation. IT'S A RULE!

Episode Summary: Kuroyuki gets off the phone with Haruyuki and knows something is up. She has 5 days left on this vacation yet is upset that Haruyuki might be suffering. She tries to put it all out of her head but Megumi comes out of nowhere and successfully gets Kuroyuki’s mind off Haruyuki. Megumi starts talking about how Kuroyuki always looks like she want to be somewhere else, like she has another world to be a part of. Before things get too serious Megumi assaults Kuroyuki with sunscreen and probably a dip in the ocean. The two make it back to the hotel to shower where Kuroyuki gets over pretending to be mad. The two then go shopping where Megumi talks about her “other world” that she escapes to which ends up being a forgotten children’s book. Megumi even joined a club based on this desire to find the book and rediscover her other world. Kuroyuki makes a mistake about mentioning souvenirs (apparently Megumi has no one to buy souvenirs for…) and she suggests they buy surprise gifts for each other. Megumi gets super excited and runs off with the plan to meet at the hotel in 30 minutes. Right before Kuroyuki can take a step she is challenged by a random Burst Linker.

I am sure this will end well for the blue avatar character.

Two girl avatars appear, one pink and one blue. The pink one keeps talking about how they have to ask Kuroyuki a question while the blue one is like PSHT level 9 that’s nothing. Kuroyuki makes quick work of the blue avatar without making her feel like crap. The two then get excited over how amazing Kuroyuki is and ask her to meet with them in real life. Before Kuroyuki can say no they log out. Kuroyuki ends up going to the café in question and meets Ruka and Mana. Kuroyuki seems exasperated that their Master apparently hasn’t taught them anything and wants to meet with him to yell and scold him. This excites the girls as they want Kuroyuki to help them. Their Master has been depressed lately and he says it is due to a monster being around and that they won’t be able to defeat it. Kuroyuki agrees to see what the problem is but makes no promises. Kuroyuki then freaks out and leaves as she realizes she is late for meeting with Megumi. Kuroyuki runs to the hotel and Megumi is going on and on how buying presents means so much to her and Kuroyuki is the best person even….until she sees no present in Kuroyuki’s hand. Megumi then starts sobbing and basically loses her mind, running upstairs to the room.

Well also I am sorry for keeping the fact that I also play Brain Burst...

Kuroyuki ignores Meguimi’s request of being left alone. Megumi keeps on crying and crying while Kuroyuki tries to calm her down. Kuroyuki tries to explain Accel World without using the exact words, that sometimes Kuroyuki feels as if that world is more of her home than reality and Megumi is the only person who keeps her anchored in the real world. Megumi doesn’t understand the core of what Kuroyuki is saying but seems touched by the effort. Megumi then has to rush to get ready for some sorta of meeting. The next day Kuroyuki does go out and buys Megumi a present. Kuroyuki also decides to stop worrying about Haruyuki unless he asks for help. Kuroyuki meets up with Ruka and Mana where she is frustrated again when they don’t know the basics of logging in properly. Suddenly Mana gets some freaky vision of the future which apparently…happens often. She tells Kuroyuki to leave an extra cable link on the table. Megumi is seen sneaking around behind the group so I wonder what the cable is for. The three girls log in and make their way to a bar where Ruka and Mana meet with their Master. Kuroyuki keeps referring to the Master as Crikin. Crikin starts going how no one can help them with their current monster problem. Only if they had a level 9 King and only then he would need Black Lotus. So he looks up and MOG there is Black Lotus?! THE END!

Save some strength for Nomi!

WAI!!!! I have to wait at least two more weeks to see Nomi get his ass kicked? Is Nomi’s arc going to be the last official one of the season? If so…WAI! Maybe not though as there was another girl in the opening songs that we haven’t seen yet. Has some faith Tenchi!

We can't just show Haruyuki crying all the time. Other people have to cry too!

But since I knew this Kuroyuki arc was coming…I guess I can’t be that disappointed. Maybe it will explain why she doesn’t run to Haruyuki’s aid if she has her own thing going on. Explains it more than OH Kuroyuki just has faith in Haruyuki. Maybe it will also set up more side stories for future seasons?

Kuroyuki without Haruyuki around? Lets see how this goes down!

But as a person we don’t know a lot about Kuroyuki. Just what Haruyuki sees in her and what Kuroyuki allows Haruyuki to see. Sometimes she has flairs of jealously but for the most part she seems to be the older student who is guiding these newbies through the Accel World. In this episode/arc we are seeing more of Kuroyuki through the eyes of someone who has known her longer and through Kuroyuki herself.

So...Kuroyuki has changed....she used to be worse?!

It is nice to see Kuroyuki not calm, cool, and collected…and it doesn’t involve being jealous. It shows that sometimes she doesn’t have all the answers and that she makes mistakes other than RARWING over people who might want to touch Haruyuki. That being this cool and calm person also has a drawback in it was difficult for her to make friends. Just because it looks like Haruyuki has it all doesn’t mean she does. She has problems and situations just like everyone else in life.

I sense a Disney song coming on!

One thing that Kuroyuki touched upon and made a lot of sense to me was her inability to pick which world she belongs in. Yuniko talked about how they matured faster as they have been “alive” longer via Brain Burst. But Kuroyuki talked about the other side of that. She has spent so much time in Accel World and created a real identity there she was lacking in the real world. That this real world persona might just be spilled over from Accel World, where she is in charge and things happen under her command. She doesn’t seem to be concerned about how people view her in the real world….yet she was willing to throw away everything she worked for in Accel World. X__X So maybe Kuroyuki belongs nowhere now?

So basically she is old and friendless?

Wow that is slightly depressing. :( Poor Kuroyuki. I wonder how she was able to keep a secret so long from her only friend Megumi. Also it is slightly depressing that Kuroyuki only had one real life friend before Haruyuki rolled around. Maybe after the great betrayal of Sky Raker Kuroyuki just stopped trying. But since she wasn’t playing Accel World because she was in hiding..she really had nothing to look forward to and no one to count on but Megumi.

Maybe Tenchi should watch the opening songs and she wouldn't be so SURPRISED at things. XD

Megumi seems like a good and patient friend. Kuroyuki and her serious self need a little bit of fun. Megumi must have gone through a lot with a friend like Kuroyuki. Always hiding things and looking so far away. Megumi was right on the money about Kuroyuki being in another world. I thought that Megumi was just very observant but now it appears that Megumi also is a Burst Linker. The whole leave a cable, hiding behind a corner, and Megumi trying to apologize to Kuroyuki over something…yep it appears the new avatar in the next episode will be Megumi.

MOG SO MUCH CRYING?!?!?!

All that being said Megumi was pretty insane at some points in this episode. Was Kuroyuki hinting that Megumi doesn’t have a boyfriend (due to a recent breakup) or that Megumi has NO ONE in her life? Like orphan material. Either explanation could shine light on why Megumi is so clingy and…well insane. Yes buying presents for friends is nice. But 30 minutes and maybe Kuroyuki lost track of time? That really didn’t call for such a dramatic reaction. It was really over the top folks. They weren’t leaving tomorrow and 30 minutes seems like barely any time to see the sights of the shopping area let alone find this magical gift that means everything to this friendship. Unless Megumi was really crying because she knows Kuroyuki was doing Accel World thing and feels left out because she (Megumi) has made it that way…I have really no idea what all that crying and boo hoo was about. Friends forget things and it doesn’t mean they hate you or the friendship was over. Megumi just really took that to a whole new level of insanity.

Teach him a thing or two Kuroyuki!

Kuroyuki was busy though. Despite not being that much older than the girls Kuroyuki has turned into a big sister. Ruka and Mana. They seem to have the worse Master ever. Since this island nation is separated from “mainland” Japan anyone from Tokyo coming over could have really established themselves as top dog and made a name for themselves. Instead…. Crikin comes over and is like whoa rules, advice? Nope lets just chill and have some fun. It is a miracle Ruka and Mana have lasted this long.

WTF is this crap?!

I am not even going to talk about Mana and her….whatever ability that was. Well I guess I did just mention it but what the heck was that all about!?! Confused folks. Confused.

Wherever shall we find Black Lotus?!?!?

Not too sure what Mana and Ruka want from Kuroyuki. Or rather I am not sure they know what Crikin is talking about. There seems to be another avatar on the island who is from the movie Avatar? I see them riding monsters and what not. Maybe they are more organized that Crikin and they are here to establish themselves a legion or something. In any event Crikin has to get drunk all the time because he has failed to stay in charge on the island or learn anything when he was in Tokyo.

Given how strong Kuroyuki really is I wonder how they are going to make this beast worthy of being her opponent. Surely they won’t bring in another King into this arc right? I am sure the real drama will involve Megumi showing up and the power of friendship being discovered. Maybe Megumi will end up joining Kuroyuki and they can help kick Nomi’s ass? Please? PLEASE?!??!