A Certain Scientific Railgun S

In this world, there are some people who excels in certain things more than others. These might be anything in the field of academics, sports, games, etc. For a particular middle school girl though, she is already know for being a prominent level 5 esper who excels in academics, her electromaster abilities, and is even given the nickname the 'Railgun' for her signature attack. Thus, begins the story of a certain girl, the one and only Misaka Mikoto of the Railgun. Finally, the series debuted in Spring of 2013. I was waiting for this ever since watching the spinoff of the first season, A Certain ScientificRailgun. Although Misaka had a major supporting role in the Index series, she is now the star of her own show in this sequel of Railgun known as Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S. For the sake of the franchaise, this series is a considered as a spinoff of Toaru Majutsu no Index, and sequel of season 1 of Railgun. The major difference in this sequel is that it focuses on two major story arcs. One of those arcs greatly expands the 'Sister's Arc” that details the dark side of Academy City's secrets from behind the scenes. The other arc details of an original anime arc known as "Silent Party" with Misaka Mikoto and her friends as they encounter a new threat that puts a young girl's life in danger. And like it's predecessors, JC Staff once again takes up the role and adapts this into a medium of entertainment for fans to enjoy. As far as the adaptation goes though, the series delivered itself very well, at first anyways. However, my feelings are a bit mixed after the second half with a new style of its presentation. Yes, I'm looking at you, Silent Party. The series focuses mainly on Misaka Mikoto from her perspective. From what Index originally adapted the Sister's Arc is now greatly expanded in this sequel. It is from here that we get a detailed and insightful view of what is truly going on behind Misaka's mind and both the physical as well as mental paths she walks down as she faces the dark side of Academy City. Among first things though, the series focuses on Misaka Mikoto the third strongest level 5 Esper in Academy City. The city itself is the main setting from where the story takes place. It is divided into 23 districts, called School Districts. Misaka is a student at Tokiwadai Middle School, a pretentious school among the districts. More importantly though, she managed to achieve level 5 among over 1.8 million students in the city through hard work. There are only seven level 5 espers known and she is one of them with the ability that earned her the title “Railgun”. She is also seen as a proper lady from the outside but her inside character is a girl who seems to have a short temper, is prideful, and considered to be a tomboy for someone her age. Regardless though, she is a kind girl who is willing to help others in need and often shows concerns for her close friends. This is especially true in both arcs as Misaka strive to save a certain someone in the second half of the series. Speaking of close friends, the cast from the previous season of Railgun returns! Yup, we got Shirai Kuroko, the leve 4 esper with the ability to teleport. Voiced by Satomi Arai, she often lusts after her “oneesama” but at the same time geniully cares for her. Then, there's Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari, two dear friends of Misaka whom are level 0. These four main characters all make their returns in the first episode as we get that sense of refreshment for Railgun fans. They can be seen as best friends, sisters, and inseparable. More importantly though, this sequel explores the Sisters' Arc in depth that the originally Index series touched upon. Make no mistake. The Sister's Arc is here and present you a spectacular journey that you won't forget. But on the other hand, the delivery of the Silent Party arc might be a bit forgettable especially given the change of its delivery in terms of themes. The difference just feels worlds apart. Misaka isn't the only level 5 esper in Academy City. We also get to meet other level 5 Espers. In fact, no less than 3 other Level 5 espers makes their debuts in Railgun S including a rival for Misaka. I won't be spoiling here but she represents the opposite of Misaka while at the same time possessing a very dangerous ability of her own. Then, of course there's the strongest level 5 esper in Academy City, the one and only Accelerator. For those who have watched Index, you may be familiar with him. For those who haven't, let's just say that badass is only one of many words that describes the young boy. With that noticable albino hair and sadistic smile, Accelerator demonstrates the true darkness of Academy City and what's going on behind the scenes. The excitement doesn't stop there though. There's also a group of espers that shows up and one of them with a very dangerous ability that sparks perhaps the first ever one-on-one legitimate battle between two espers of level 5 strength. The fight represents the action packed delivery that Railgun presents and for me, it's quite delightful to witness it first hand. On more psychological side though is the “sisters” of Misaka Mikoto. Rather, I should probably refer to them as clones. Because throughout the early beginning episodes, a bizarre question is asked: "What would you do if you find out you have a clone of yourself?" For Misaka, this comes as a rather disturbing experience that she won't ever forget. Well, it didn't start out that way. In fact, the first parts of the clones meeting Misaka can be described as strange, humorous, entertaining, and touching all at once. It's definitely bizarre when you realize there's someone who looks exactly like you. More importantly though, she realizes the clones also have a purpose rather than its existence. In fact, that purpose becomes her worst nightmare once she finds out the truth behind the scenes. As a synopsis says, the project of becoming a level 6 is essential for Academy City and she became involved in it after we get a glimpse of her past in one of the episodes. This seems to put Misaka into a state of both physical and mental despair afte realizing what was happening behind the scenes. It explores a different side of Misaka like we've only glimpsed at Index but now fully comprehensible by her viewpoint of the story. At the same time, she is so young (not even in High School yet) and already experiencing first hand what's like to witness someone being killed for the sake of just an experiment. To her though, it is not an experiment but an inhuman project that she's desperately trying to stop. The problem? Well, the strongest level 5 esper in Academy City isn't exactly someone who's good with negotiations; neither are the scientists. I am also quite pleased though with the faithful adaptation of the Sister's Arc. Having read the manga, there's a lot of action and drama presented. There is of course the lighthearted and occasionally slice of life feeling to it. There are some of those fillerish moments. However, the slice of life part from this sequel is lesser than its prequel for the first arc. Instead, it gets rather into the Sister's Arc for fans. As such, Misaka has her hands full quite a bit in this season. Luckily, this gives fans many opportunities to see some of her abilities as the third strongest level 5 esper. This typically involves her spider like movements, electronic hacking, power movements with her electromaster ability, and of course her infamous 'Railgun'. It doesn't stop there though with the action because her adversaries gets tougher and tougher. In fact, we get glimpse of some of the other level 5 espers in this series. There's room for other espers to shine too including a genius girl who seems to earn quite the respect later on in the series after being confronted about the clones project. As the series focuses mainly on the Sisters' Arc in the first half, expect violence and blood being shed. Surprisingly enough, the series presents that clearly especially in the terms of the clones. Although they are just 'clones' of experimentation, Misaka sees them as human with a life and purpose beyond just being part of some project for Academy City's sake. JC Staff also takes that level of violence both physically and mentally though its visuals. There's gruesome scenes to expected and moments where viewers can even feel what Misaka is going through from her viewpoint. At the same time, there are also scenes of fun and lighthearted moments that captures the cheerful girl that Misaka is. Her kindness are shown to viewers as someone who cares for those who she has met in life that she sees as important people to protect whether they are strangers, classmates, or friends. Other times, we see her as the typical tsundere denying some obvious facts in front of her. Among other things, a certain main character from the Index franchise also makes his debut later on that brings out some humor despite the dark aspects of the Sister's Arc. The series does lose some touch though. As the star of the series, Misaka Mikoto obviously gets the most screen time but at the other times, some characters seems to outshine her in a few particular episodes. Among other factors, Misaka's friends gets lesser spotlight as compared to its prequel. When they do get some spotlights, it usually involves that feeling of fillerish-like fever. Although this can be also seen as nostalgic from the original Railgun, I find it a bit sometimes slow paced and dragged out. Additionally, there are censorship in some of the more brutal scenes. Maybe the BD's will eliminate them but the AT-X's airing has it. But perhaps one of the most prominent reasons Railgun S seems to fall a bit apart is the anime original arc after the conclusion of the Sister's Arc. The change of pace, delivery, and style contrasts quite differently. It still retains the dark side of Academy City in some ways but presents it in a contrasting perspective. The reintroduction of a supporting character as well as a certain esper group could be appealing along with the comedy. However, I find the Silent Party arc to swing much more on the slice-of-life style with less appeal to plot but more so on character relationship. Unfortunately, the dynamics of the relationship is explored as rather dense without any special appeal. The antagonists in this particular anime-only arc also cliched and lacks any decent personalities with steretypical design. Their creations aren't far from that scale either in the lines of science. As such, the enjoyment of Railgun S might not be as appealing when comparing the two arcs to each other. As J.C. Staff is also involved in this project, expect some of the similar designs with its previous predecessors. Luckily though, the animation seems to have been enhanced with greater visual depth. I am quite happy by its production values. The action scenes are fluid and gets its strongest moments during some of the struggles between Misaka against a certain group during her attack against some science facilities. Then, there are the sunny atmosphere of Academy City and touch of technology that shows us how powerful its settings are. There is some fan service here and there though but don't let that become a barrier to enjoy this sequel. The soundtrack of this sequel is also strong with the OST and OP song. In fact, fripSide performs both of the opening songs, “Sister's Noise” and “eternal reality”. Through its montages, we can see many of the characters and some foreshadowing. Rina Satou portrays Misaka Mikto once again with a brilliance through her struggles in moments of weakness, moments of cheerfulness, and moments of her typical tsundere. Satomi Arai who protrays Kuroko also does a fine job while my favorite character from the series Accelerator is accompanied by that voice of malevolence. Being a fan of the manga, I am proud to say that the series has achieved satisfaction from me in terms of the Sisters' Arc adaptation. There are times when I do get frustrated at some of its fillerish moments. However, that is thankfully made up with the expanded Sisters' Arc that Railgun S has bought for us. The action and violence comes into fruition as we see Misaka's struggle to protect the clones. It's moments like this where Railgun shines at its best. It's more than just about saving people but her ways of ending the cruelty of an almost incomprehensible goal. To become the strongest in Academy City by reaching level 6 through killing is inhuman and someone has to stop that. Even though she made a mistake, it's now time to fix that mistake and end it once and for all. It might be super hard but then again, it's a super fun experience for viewers to see first hand the Sisters' Arc directly from Misaka's point of view. On the other hand though, the anime only original arc of the second half falls apart and lacks the depth and the enjoyment I got out from first half. As a mixture genres of action, fantasy, science fiction, and super power, expect some of the unexpected that comes from this series at its finest. However, also be prepared for some lose and snooze. Honestly, if JC Staff decided to go with its adaptation, they should of went with a different route for its second arc. Oh well, at least most the enjoyment excelled with Misaka Mikoto from the Sister's Arc. Now, that was worth living for.

While the second installment of the Railgun series picks up almost directly after the conclusion of the first series, A Certain Scientific Railgun S goes for a different kind of approach thematically and in terms of emotional appeal. Overall, there is a larger focus on the troubles of Misaka Mikoto herself. S1 gave a pretty even amount of screen time to all four of our main characters, so she was not put entirely into the spotlight before, but now she leads this show head on following the events that take place during the sisters arc. The first episode is what one would expect from watching thepilot episode of a returning show. We're given a broad overview of the events that took place before, and a warm up to the characters that were previously introduced. An interesting event that took place was the introduction of the psychic level 5 Misaki, called the Queen of Tokiwadai. She seems like quite the interesting character with enough power to control an entire library full of students. She leaves Misaka with an open-ended threat, hinting at a possibility of a later confrontation. Just from this one episode, we are able to immediately note the positive change in production values. The sky fall scene in the later part of the episode was a pleasure to see given how good the visuals were. Compared to S1, the art and animation has gotten even more captivating. The shots, angles, and overall direction were things worth marveling at. At times, especially during the sisters arc, the quality of the episodes resembled that of a well directed movie. The background art is always intricate and detailed. The great ost choices also amps up the general intensity and mood of the show. "What would you do if you suddenly met your clone?" The question is thrown at Misaka, but it is something that is hard to answer truthfully until you actually come face to face with the situation. The Atmosphere in the sister's arc feels completely different from any of the previous arcs. There is less of the day to day scenario type of feel you get from the first series. There is a lot more buildup and momentum, and the episodes follow in more logical, developed arcs. The transition from episode to episode flows more smoothly and the series is divided primary into two arcs. Misaka's power is shown to be even more powerful than it appeared to be in the first series. She is able to hack into and control anything electronic which is a pretty op power given the different possibilities you can achieve with that level of utility. In the sister's arc, Misaka distances herself from the other girls and tries to become self-reliant. Now that the background is all set, we are introduced to some of the deeper, more pressing issues of Academy city. The fifth episode of the show deserves my utmost praise because of how well it was adapted. It was one of the most gripping episodes I've seen in the series, and the end sent a chill straight up my spine. I was not entirely expecting the drastic change in tone but it was a pretty pleasant surprise. Accelerator is as intriguing of a character as ever and his voice acting is superb. The entire episode felt like a standalone movie complete with its own unique ending theme. It honestly made me feel an urge to tip my hat to the producers for their excellent work. Naturally, while a very mentally stressed Misaka is out running around and trying to save the sisters, her friends become very concerned. The ost does bring out some tingling emotions at times. Kuroko's feelings do eventually reach Misaka, but she is still unwilling to drag anyone else into "her mess". The action scenes throughout the show are seriously well played with smooth, eye opening animation. I rather liked the appearance of tomboy/ponytail Misaka during her raids on the different labs. This is the first time we get to see more of a full out battle between two level 5's of similar skill level, and overall, the battle ended up feeling really solid in production. While the meltdowner does not have some of the utilities that Misaka's power has, her beams are powerful enough to disintegrate most objects on contact. From the battle we can see that esper powers do in fact, have a limit. After using her powers and getting beat around so much, Misaka feels weak in the knees as an aftereffect and is extremely exhausted. I've always wondered why Kuroko didn't teleport around all the time for everything(she complained about running around all day for judgment work), but it makes sense if an overuse of her powers would result in a physical toll. While most espers seem to be lacking in terms of hand-to-hand combat, they do seem to have good reflexes and manage to dodge most things that come their way. ITEM seems like an interesting group of characters to keep around, and I hope to see more of them in the future. The meeting between Misaka and a memory-less Touma works as a nice change of pace. Misaka's clone has such a cute personality and creates some comedic scenes. As more time passes though, Misaka gets more and more emotional as she accumulates pent up anger. Her breaking down in front of Touma is done with even stronger feelings than in Index given all the buildup. The final battle's action sequences were great as usual and accelerator's personality is as refreshing as ever(those epic screams are pretty nostalgic). Touma's ability feels more mysterious here given the lack of explanation. Just imagine them adapting Index with the same great quality. While most of the show focuses on the sisters arc, the last 8 episodes focuses on the "silent party" arc. Immediately, there is a return to a more "cute" feel, but it was nice to see the four of them all together again. I don't particularly dislike Haruue, but I was glad to hear that she was moving out because she always felt a little extra in my opinion. There is a 4's a group, 5's a crowd feeling. Kuroko's personality is as strange as ever, and Ruiko's personality is also as interesting as ever. It was pretty amusing when she tried to inquire about the recipient of Misaka's cookies. Academy city seems like such a great place to live. There seems to be just the right amount of danger, security, and excitement. With the new arc, Misaka finally decides to consult with her friends about the new issues. It is a bit sudden, but it's tied in with the plot I guess, especially since it was impossible for her to do so during the sisters arc. In a nutshell, this arc is about the group trying to save Febri, a tiny artifical loli girl who sustains her life off lollipops. Apparently esper compatibility is mostly determined from birth(the case with little Misaka proves this), and they are able to tell very early on whether or not you can be a powerful esper. There seem to be a lot of bonker scientists in academy city who are affiliated with the "underground of academy city". As usual, they are portrayed as skill-outs who crave power. The issue here is pretty coincidental but understandable given that it is an anime original arc. I had mixed thoughts watching this arc but it wasn't too bad of a watch. While it was interesting to see so much of academy city united(people and resources) for the final arc, the fight is dragged out for a pretty long time. The mass fight wasn't bad but it had substantially less intensity compared to previous fights. Similar to S1, it seems that the producers have a habit of continuously playing the opening themes throughout the final battles. My final thought on this arc would be that it was not nearly as "dark" as they had tried to make it sound with phrases like "I ask you once again, are you sure you want to face the darkness of this city?" The show ends with some pretty nice closing scenes complete with all of the characters introduced throughout. Overall, the show is fairly action-packed complete with stunning visuals. There's never a dull moment in this city after all. My score: very good 8/10

To aru Kagaku no Railgun S. A sidestory series which retells the popular “Sisters” arc from To aru Majutsu no Index, though in this iteration it is mostly retold from the perspective of Misaka Mikoto. The result of this adaptation is mixed to put it favourably. There are times when this anime ascends to brilliance, but there are also sadly many instances where it falls to outright trite. One of the first problems evident is the appallingly slow pacing – the sisters arc takes 16 episodes to tell its story, whereas the original Index adaptation covered it more concisely in 4 episodes. The Index adaptation wasa frenetic battle arc with well placed comedy, by comparison the Railgun adaptation drags its feet and peppers the storytelling with dull filler scenes. Unfortunately there is a painfully high amount of filler present in Railgun S – which seems unforgivable given the amount of material they could adapt for this anime, all the more so since the moeblob (which the director likes inserting) feels so out of place in a battle shounen. Switching scenes from outright terrorism to moe-moe tripe about swimming costumes is pretty jarring. On the plus side, the series introduces ITEM and the four episodes where they appear are some of the best seen in the animated Railgun/Index franchise. The battles with ITEM are fantastically choreographed and provide the much needed energy which so lacking throughout the rest of the series, they also provide a much needed change of characters (the Railgun anime all too often focuses on the same central group). This is followed with a fantastic newly animated battle between Accelerator and Touma, the production values are at the highest for this section of the story and it’s well worth watching that section of the story. Unfortunately the series really nosedives in quality once the sisters arc ends. Once again, the show resorts to filler to plug the last 8 episodes, and delivers some of the most abysmally scripted rubbish you’ll ever see. It’s no exaggeration to say that these episodes rank amongst the absolute worst of all anime: the plot is contrived and predictable with mad scientists running around to conduct experiments to test powerlevels; it also introduces an awful mascot character whose presence on screen for some reason reduces other characters to cooing morons. Worst of all, the filler arc greatly contradicts major storylines and plot devices present in the main series – quite why this happened when there is an enormous amount of excellent canonical content available for adaptation is extremely sad. Such is the immense dislike of this butchery that the fanbase have come to label it “Nagaispace” (there is even a wiki entry for this). It’s worth mentioning that the animation has improved exponentially since the previous three series: it’s now actually presented in 720p HD; liberal use of keyframes makes everything look incredibly smooth too. Backgrounds (as usual) are well painted, and in some cases interestingly make use of hand-painted 3D models. If future Index series look this good I’ll be pretty happy. All in all, I can’t help but feel like the manga did a much better job of telling the story; it’s a shame that overall it turned out to be such a poor production. I would hope that a subsequent series would address many of these issues – but after two weak series I’m not going to hold out much hope.

As a long time fan of the To Aru franchise, I had hoped to give this anime a 10/10. Unfortunately, while the show was raging in a fiery passion of excellent during the Sisters arc, it suffered during the latter half; although it was only for 8 episodes. Regardless, the first half demonstrated how a studio can excel where previously they we mediocre. J.C. Staff has displayed fine talents that any To Aru fan can appreciate... for most of the show anyways. Plot The narrative follows Misaka Mikoto, a middle school girl whose unique life instantly sparks your attention. Although she has a lightning quick temper,Misaka is so attractive that you could actually mistake it for magnetism! It doesn't take long before the plot takes a shocking turn, throwing her life into a storm of drama. The Sisters arc covers the events that happen in Index, but from Misaka's perspective. She takes charge of her pain, anger, and burdens, displaying a strength that could inspire any person. Yet even though the first arc is electrifying, the plot becomes a bit static later on. All in all, I think that the main reason the second half of the show strayed from the path of excellence is because of filler content. An author's world is intricate and purposeful only because it's the author's world. For some authors this is not the case, and that's because their quality of writing isn't the best; however, a good writer will know the purpose of what they write. If unnecessary ingredients are thrown in to the mix, an unsavory cake is going to pop out. Regardless, I believe that, for filler, it was well done. Props to the conductor. Characters If you thought the TouMAN was awesome before, you'll be halfway into his zipper after starting Railgun S, and laying in bed with a cigarette by the end. Touma is the paragon of heroism, and you can whine about how perfect he is, but don't you lie to me and say you didn't sport a spiffy during the climax. Go on. Watch it now. And then tell me it didn't moisten you up. I DARE YOU. *Cough* W-well then... In addition to Touma (Yes there's more) , we have Misaka. She's spicy, she's sweet, she's quite the treat. These two protagonists are joined by their plethora of friends causing all sorts of adventures. The characters are all great except Febri; she seems too much of a one-dimensional blob of cute, I just can't see her relevancy except as walking plot device. Art All sequels to popular shows are animated well. This is a a sequel to a popular show. THEREFORE! This show is animated well. That was technically a logical fallacy because not all sequels to popular shows are animated well, but this show was animated well so fuck you. There was definitely a sizable budget attached to this show, and it shows through the fluid animation and cinematography. The vibrancy of academy city is distinct as it has always been; a colorful feast for the eyes. However, I have one bone to pick with the animators. I'm not going to spoil anything, but Touma somehow defied the laws of physics during one fight. Sound If anything helped to build tension and paint emotions passionately it was the OST. Those dramatic pieces got my heart racing so fast I thought I was having a panic attack. Maybe it was the cheeseburgers. Who knows? Anyways, we're thrown in to the show quick-paced as ever with Fripside performing the opening. The electronic music fits Railgun like a glove, as it always has. I'd comment deeply and thoroughly on the voice actors, but I only know enough Japanese to give them a slap on the back and a "sayonara" of congratulations. Seriously though, the voice acting is pretty good. Enjoyment Personally, I enjoyed the shit out of this for the most part. It was the kind of show where you wake up with three hot people waiting to pleasure you, but all you can do is hop out of bed and watch the next episode. Until like episode 18, then you can crawl back in to bed and watch it after a few hours of a little sumt'n sumt'n. Overall A solid addition to the To Aru franchise. Between the continuous world building, character badassery, fluid animation, and striking score, I believe the show deserves all the popularity it gets. What the hell are you waiting for? Another paragraph? GO WATCH THE DAMN THING.