Topic Discussion of the Day:Greetings readers of the AW blog this is Blitzzz147 here with our very special topic of the day, BTOOOM!, SAO and Accel World – The Big 3 of Gaming: Now in order to further discuss this topic I shall present a synopsis for each of these shows:
Sword Art Online, an Anime set in the year 2022 (also within the same universe as Accel World) where the new Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG), Sword Art Online (SAO) has been released to the public but can only be playable with the use of the Nerve Gear, a virtual reality helmet that stimulates the user's five senses via their brain, with this players can experience and control their in-game avatars with their minds. Our story follows main protagonist Kirito, a very skilled online gamer who logs into SAO with the rest of the world only to discover that they are unable to log out and are informed that in order to free themselves from the game, they must reach the 100th floor and defeat the final boss. However if a player should die within the game then they die in real life, can Kirito reach the 100th floor in time and save himself and the rest of the world from the fate of death?
Accel World, an Anime set in the year 2046 (also within the same universe as SAO) where Neuro technology, the ability to access the five senses through the brain has become a global phenomenon to the point where people can access the internet and enter the virtual world through the use of new technological devices aka the Neuro-Linkers. Our story follows main protagonist Haruyuki “Haru” Arita, a short fat boy with low self-esteem due to constant bullying, who one day encounters Student Council Vice President Kuroyukihime who installs a program into Haru called Brain Burst, a secret program that allows a person to make time appear stopped by accelerating their brainwaves in real life. However this power is only limited to the amount of Burst Points a player carries, and so the only way to gain more Burst Points is by playing Brain Burst which is also revealed to be a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Fighting Game (VRMMOFG), a game where players fight and the winner receives their Burst Points as prize, they also discover that if a player loses all their Burst Points then the Brain Burst program will be forcefully uninstalled never to be installed again.
BTOOOM!, an Anime set in modern time where a new popular online game known as BTOOOM!, a game similar to the style of First Person Shooters (FPS) but without guns and instead forces the player to strategically and tactically use bombs has been released. Our main protagonist Ryota Sakamoto, a 22-year old gamer jobless and still living with his mother, becomes ranked in the top 10 players of the world. Ryota one day wakes up on a mysterious island and discovers that he holds a bag with bombs and a chip in his left hand, he soon discovers that other people along with him have also been stranded on the island and in order to escape all survivors must find 7 other chips to win the game but the only way to do that is to kill the other survivors with the use of their bombs, Ryota now realizes that in order to survive he must play BTOOOM! for real and escape the island with his life on the line.
Now that we have that covered let’s begin. In my opinion both BTOOOM!, Accel World and SAO are very compelling Animes, though with the exception of placing SAO within the category of Anime that drives controversy. It’s these types of Animes that are really interesting to me as it generates two types of audiences: the fan-boys and the haters, but I digress. Out of the 3, the biggest difference is that both SAO and Accel World feature futuristic elements through virtual reality whereas BTOOOM! simply bases the concept of being in a game by placing the players in a real life environment, which is no coincidence due to the fact that both SAO and Accel World were written by the same author and depicted in the same universe thus explaining the similar concept of Neuro-Technology. But another difference that these shows have that not many fans typically pay attention to, is the fact that Accel World unlike SAO and BTOOOM! holds no serious implications or consequences for the players as in both SAO and BTOOOM! the players demise will ultimately result in their untimely deaths whereas in Accel World if players die it will simply lose them points or remove the game to never be installed ever again. However Accel World’s program holds a better value where the players can utilise the program in real life by manipulating events with physical acceleration, meaning that the players can take advantage in everyday situations whilst also being able to play the game. Accel World feels to be the better Anime in terms of originality within the concept of the story merely because BTOOOM! and SAO play the certain Battle Royale type story which isn’t exactly original given the fact that this concept has been used many times and most notably in the film “The Hunger Games”. However BTOOOM! outshines better in originality in terms of the concept of its game where using bombs is completely more unique then the simple MMO and Fighting Game that Accel World and SAO have. Yet due to all these distinctive qualities I have discussed about both BTOOOM! and Accel World you must be asking “why am I not giving SAO any comments that differentiates from the other two, well that is simple, because in my opinion it’s not as amazing as people say it is. Back in 2012 SAO was noted as one of the best Animes of the season if not the year which to me is just overestimating it to what it really is, above average. It also felt that it tried too hard to portray every genre in Anime, changing from an Action to a Romance to an Adventure and so on to such a degree that it just didn’t reach its expectations, in my personal opinion a great concept, poor presentation. And now it’s time for a new segment I like to call “Critical Dissection”, a section in the blog where I review and compare the pre-mentioned shows on the following 4 merits of Animation, Characters, Music/OST and the Story.
Animation: For me I would award the title of best animation out of the 3 towards Accel World, why? Simply because it was done by Sunrise, the company responsible for shows such as Gundam and Code Geass as not only the action scenes but the flawless character designs just remarkable to look at with the exception of Haru’s character. SAO I felt came in a close 2nd as I do admit the action scenes in SAO were done beautifully thanks to the dedication of A-1 Pictures, the company known most recently for the creation of Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic did a great job no doubt about it. As this means BTOOOM! would come dead last though the action scenes and normal scenes were decent and average but they also felt realistic and fluid and all this thanks to the work of Madhouse, a company which is very well known for shows such as Black Lagoon and Death Note.
Characters: Best character development I would have to say BTOOOM! since its cast of characters are very well developed in just a short amount of time which I have to give it props, its does it well by telling a character backstory in just a short conversation between characters that don’t feel rushed nor inconsistent. As for Accel World and SAO I felt the characters were just too childish even in SAO, while BTOOOM! showed a more mature approach to the subject of gaming and survival as well.
Music/OST: The soundtrack in each Anime didn’t exactly stand out toward each other though if I were going to have to give it to someone it would be Accel World, it just felt more natural not saying that BTOOOM! and SAO had terrible OST but with that being said Accel World just overcame the other two due to the well done shift in scenes were the music would fit according to its scene so perfectly that near death to fights just became that much more interesting.
Story: In my opinion the most important key to a good Anime is a compelling story in which case BTOOOM! just explodes with interest and admiration. The plot in BTOOOM! is just very well done, and it also felt more mature in nature then Accel World and SAO because it handles the life and death scenario so well and also incorporates survival tactics also not to mention implementing the aspects of its game without really having the use of Neuro-Technology, the setting is also more relatable because of its modern perspective. Granted SAO started out as an interesting story but then began to shift pace and had a feeling of restarting itself over and over with the same sequence of arcs, though Accel World hopefully planning to end strong in a season 2 should live up to par if not excel in story.
So which of the Big 3 of Gaming is superior? Well I’ll let you be judge as I highly recommend you watch all 3 of these Anime and especially if you’re a hard-core gamer then these Animes will really appeal to you. Though I shall leave you with just a few tiny reminders for you: If you are in for a very realistic, violent and compelling storyline then go for BTOOOM!. If you want a show full of action, romance, adventure and a fantastic tribute to the MMO genre, then I recommend SAO all the way. And if you want a show with drama, love, action, and amazing animation then prepare yourself to enter the Accel World. But really, no matter what you’re taste of Anime these fantastic shows will keep you very entertained if not give you the thrill of a lifetime, and with that I leave you ladies and gentlemen Blitzzz147 logging out.
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