Summary:

Saten and Uiharu are on their way to the Education Gardens area of Academy City to meet with Mikoto and Kuroko, but Saten accidentally slips on a puddle and gets her clothes soaked. As a result, the girls lend her a Tokiwadai uniform, and the group then heads to a cafe. Unfortunately, Kuroko and Uiharu get called away on Judgment business, and when they get to the Judgment office, they learn of a series of stun-gun attacks on Tokiwadai girls in the Education Gardens area. As it just so happens, Saten is at this very moment getting attacked by the same, seemingly invisible culprit while she’s in the restroom of the cafe. Mikoto eventually finds her unconscious, and she brings Saten to Kuroko and Uiharu. Since the victims have all claimed not to have seen their attacker, they figure out that the culprit is using a power called Dummy Check, and Saten is actually able to positively identify the person in the database because she saw her reflection in the restroom mirror.

Saten is particularly pissed off because the culprit had drawn huge eyebrows on her face in black ink while she was unconscious, and the group works together to track the girl down using the city’s surveillance camera system. While the others pursue on foot, Uiharu gives them directions, and eventually they’re able to corner her. After Mikoto knocks the girl out with electricity, Saten wants revenge, but she discovers that the culprit herself has thick eyebrows. She then wakes up and explains that she did all this because she got rejected by a guy who didn’t like her eyebrows and who had gone out with a Tokiwadai girl instead. Saten isn’t quite sure how to react to this story and ends up saying that she likes the girl’s eyebrows, and the Anti-Skills arrive to take the culprit into custody. The only remaining mystery is how a girl like her was able to disappear completely from people’s sights at only Level 2.

Preview

Now this was really the kind of episode I had been expecting last week. It was much lighter on humor and, even though it was still relatively stand-alone, it started moving the plot in the direction I had been expecting. I do wish though that they had made the culprit’s motivation a little stronger than just a scorned lover and that she had done something more significant than just knock girls out to draw ugly eyebrows on them. That made it all seem very silly in the end, and there was the potential for so much more. In any case, I think the important thing to take away from the episode is the fact that the culprit (who I was pleasantly surprised to hear was voiced by Tamura Yukari) was a Level 2 who was able to do things beyond what her capabilities should have been, and I’m hoping the next few episodes will be building on that.

39 Comments

  1. The unexpected highlight for me was Uiharu happily humming away while she was hacking on the computer keyboards, tracking Ms Bangs ^_^

    It’s a charming group we have in the anime 😉 … so let’s get on with the level upper arc!

    Mentar
  2. Well, this works nicely as an introduction into (Act I of) the main plot: espers having power beyond what had been previously measured. I won’t tease any more than that, though. I’m pleased with how this is turning out.

    Kylone
  3. @ahelo and Luke
    Yea Tsumugi and Ikuina Sumi will love this episode.

    I have thick eyebrows but not as bad that XD. But the episode is great. I really wanted to know what happened after the victims was electrocuted but they didn’t show it until after.

    But yea, with Touma being a level 0 with Imagination Breaker and that girl having a skill higher than level 2 than reported, makes you wonder what is actually going on in Academic City…

    Chaos
  4. In case you guys haven’t realized: The seiyuu for K-On’s Tsumugi, Kotobuki Minako, happens to voice Mitsuko, the first victim who appeared before on episode 1. Quite fitting for someone who voiced an ojou-sama with thick eyebrows to voice another ojou-sama who ended up with thick eyebrows drawn on her. 😉

    Poor Saten, looks like it won’t be next episode before she rids of those thick eyebrows. lol

    Even if this is an anime original, at least it’s better than last episode for heading towards the direction of the main manga plot: perpetrators performing acts that is way above their level. And with the perpetrator voiced by Tamura Yukari, I’m not complaining too much.

    The “Tree Diagram” is hinted by Uiharu for calculating the exact second when the rain would stop at the beginning after they got off their bus.

    The “Tree Diagram” is the satellite supercomputer orbiting above Academy City. As we all know, it was destroyed by Index as she went berserk, so I guess it’s safe to speculate that the story currently takes place before Touma met Index.

    Seiyuu trivia: Komori, the Judgment colleague who called out Kuroko and Uiharu, is voiced by Ueda Kana.

    Kinny Riddle
  5. I really don’t mind the way they’re portraying this series. Its light-hearted & giddy at times. I knew the reason the girl was doing that stuff was going to be stupid & they kinda gave it away half way through it. I would just like for them to stay away from that BS plot in the manga. That seems worlds away from the craziness going on now – something that never happened in Index.

    Index tried to be deep – & failed miserably, with a plot that they laid on way too thick, crap that they never bothered to explain mainly because it would bore us to death, & awkward humour that sent the mood of the story into tailspins. Hell, 80% of the episodes were 90% of mindless drivel that could put even the most hardened otaku to sleep.

    I’m just wondering are yall expecting another Index from this. Yall want this to get serious but the GD source ended on a cliffhanger – do yall really want that o.O More than likely, it will feature some sort of plot from the manga so just enjoy it when it comes, but I’ll enjoy the stuff they’re giving us now instead.

    Megas
  6. sincerely i didn’t like the episode because for me the reason and history of the girl was so childish , stupid well the history of the episode 3 wasn’t great , the second episode had good comedy but i think i will skip fillers like this , simply episode 3 never existed for me and will watch railgun after the final of the fillers .

    kyon
  7. certainly looks like the level-upper arc will start next week. if they go for 24 episodes, the second half of the show will have to be pretty much all anime original unless they want to get into the Accelerator stuff.

    curious one
  8. I Don’t know why but my high hopes for this show are gone. When I heard there will be an anime with some of the Index-Charakters, hell yeah I’m gonna watch this but that feeling changed from excited to bored. Additionally to say, This season seems to me that there are only animes with girl context (massiv yuri-stuff, shows where mainly are girls acting). Weird is I usually watch anime only if I like the girls/maingirl in the anime but there have to be the opposite main charakter and that should be usually a guy that interacts with the main heroine. Animes only with girls are boring and I think (even the female animewatchers will agree) that this season is way too much girly based. The last seasons where also somehow boring or get from okay to boring. I hope the producers of animes get a balance in the next season(s) with boy and girl animes(content).

    Navo
  9. Railgun is decidedly worse than Index. Seriously, what is this nonsense? The best part of this episode was the computer hacking. For those who have read the manga does the series pick up on the action side of things? Do we get to see Touma punch and talk his way to victory after victory at all? Do we at least get to see Railgun beast on strong people (not random thugs and scorned little girls)? Or is the majority of this series gonna be girls ordering cheesecake, cleaning pools, and other daily life stuff.

    Not saying a day in the life/slice of life series are bad, but I just want to make sure I understand the purpose/direction of this series.

    So Very Odd
  10. lol comedy eyebrows xD i prefer watching this than Index, Index was way too wafflely for me, Railgun is more light-hearted, kinda doesn’t take it self too seriously which i like.

    foamer
  11. I guess yall like 20 minutes of yack & fake seriousness (Index) rather than 5 minutes of yack, mucho goofing off, & light-hearted comedy (Railgun) Just go back & watch that crappy ass Index if you like it that much. Sadly this will get a plot sooner or later so just be patient. Although the plot in this (when it comes) is much more in the f’d up nonsense range than Index.

    Megas
  12. Megas, what the heck are you talking about? Your precious Misaka wouldn’t even be around right now if there wasn’t any Index. Don’t get angry at people who like index more than this yuri stuff. Railgun is good, I ain’t disputing that, but you seem to be pissed off because some people are saying they prefer index.

    Revan
  13. @Revan:

    Did you even watch Index. 21 out of the 24 episodes was 20 minutes of talking – basically explaining boring stuff but leaving out alot of it because they figured out that the episodes would be all talk if they didn’t – 2 of those episodes was ALL talk. But I do have to credit them for the 3 episodes of pure action – Touma only preached for about a minute in all 3 of them.

    Given that, I never said Railgun was good. Its mostly been fillers up until now because they don’t have nearly enough material to work with. I’ll call it funny trash – but most ppl are just pointing out the trashy part. But right now Rialgun is a heck of alot more entertaining than Index. The only humour in Index involved her being stripped or Touma being bitten. BTW, Index was only in half of the episodes in her Series…Touma was in 22 episodes…It really should be called To Aru no Touma if you ask me 😛

    Yall don’t even seem to be giving this a chance. But I know if they were talking drivel for 20 minutes like in Index instead of goofing off, I would drop this shit in the can. I would have rather for Index to start like this but Index had so much material to deal with that they can easily give us another season of her (or Touma’s) boredom. If yall want more boring “Index-ness” then it will definitely come in this – if they stick with the plot.

    The manga just introduces Misaka’s group then get right into the action. I would judge that it would be just enough for 12/13/14 episodes. But if they’re trying to go for 24 then alittle under half will be these silly fillers. I don’t even think I’ll be able to take that much goofing off, especially when you read about the plot. But if they work hard then they got to play hard too.

    Megas
  14. @BROOKLYN otaku

    LOL maybe she can open up a theraputic beauty parlor specializing in electro-therapy and similar services? (wait scratch that, Kuroko would just end up hogging Mikoto for some “personalized” services)

    Sailor Enlil
  15. I was just laughing at Uiharu using Irfanview to hunt down the eyebrow girl. If you look at all of the fake programming she’s doing, a lot of it is just Irfanview this and Irfanview that. Heh.

    And yeah, why didn’t eyebrow girl just go to a salon and get those things worked on? It’s not like she needs major surgery to get those fixed… it’s a hell of a lot easier to get your eyebrows fixed than your criminal record, that’s for sure. (Although she is a minor…)

    It’s enjoyable so far. I’ll watch it as long as I enjoy it. Same goes for anything else, really.

    sarcastic_weasel
  16. Im actually enjoying this series, its alot more fun than index but i liked the seriousness of index too. The major things i liked about index though was the misaka/mikoto/last order part. Considering this is an anime based on my favorite part of the orijional i have to say, they could do all episodes like last weeks and i would still watch it and buy it on blueray if i ever get the chance.

    chris
  17. Imagine breaker – the inference from Index was that this wasn’t a psionic power but a supernatural/divine one as such Touma has no psychic talent although he has a powerful ability.

    Level 2 or not – I think the most interesting inference at the end of the episode was the suggestion that the “database” was not correct, leaving open some interesting questions. Is it incorrect because of intentional tempering to hide various psychics or is there something that is rapidly increasing the level of some psychics? Which side is responsible (psychic/technological or supernatural or another unknown or rogue faction)

    Anyway again, like the series.

  18. @So Very Odd: Maybe you didn’t noticed but RAILGUN is fanservice of Mikoto daily life, compared to Index this series is not serious. You will enjoy this series only if you are a Mikoto fan like many others.

    @Ayle: I’m sure that JCSTAFF didn’t consulted the author, Kazuma Kamachi.

    @Megas: Looks you didn’t noticed the tags of Index novels, but they’re tagged like sci-fi and comedy, not a generic shonen where you get awesome power-ups per minute, so deal with it, thanks to the explanations of Index the studio don’t need to repeat them in Railgun, but looks like JCSTAFF is not taking advantage of that :(.

    Ah don’t forget that Index = novel & railgun = manga.

    Lero

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