In the year 2040, cybernetics will reach a stage where implants in our brain will allow us to access the digital world simply through the power of thought. Or that's the premise of Accel World, a new anime based on a light novel series of the same name written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by HiMA.
In this fictional future, people's interaction with virtual worlds is as immersive as life in The Matrix.
Accel World's protagonist is Haru, a short and very chubby high schooler, who has a lot of self-esteem issues, a winning way with virtual squash, and a major crush on Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl in school.
One day she approaches him and offers him the chance to use the Brain Burst program, a game which allows users to 'accelerate' their awareness to the point where it seems that time has stopped. Kuroyukihime wants Haru's help to reach the game's top level.
Yet there's a cost to using the Brain Burst: to keep using it, you have to compete in, and win, battles against other users. If you reach a stage where you use up, or lose all your points, Brain Burst will automatically uninstall and can never be used again.
So what's Kuroyukihime's plan for Haru? What is she really after?
