First Impressions / To Aru Kagaku no Railgun

「姉妹」 (Shimai)
“Sisters”

Sixteen episodes later, the Sisters Arc is over, and what is get is a conclusion that is both fitting and every bit satisfying.

I couldn’t care less about being a God. And I don’t think I can make up for my sins by doing this either. She’s my sister. They’re all my sisters. That’s all there is to it.

As Misaka so aptly says her self this week, you don’t need a grand reason to fight back or defend someone/thing. Sometimes, it all boils down to being as “simple” as being family—even if that term is used loosely in this case—and it’s a notion that highlights both the differences and the similarities between her and Accelerator.

Admittedly, it’s somewhat hard to believe that there are any potential similarities between the two considering their obvious personality differences, but there was definitely one big one and that’s the bit where he too was shown to have been misdirected by scientists in his younger years. With them playing upon his apparent lack of ability to associate with many friends (and a seeming lack of family associations), it’s easy to see how Accelerator ended up the way he did, and ultimately it’s just something at least somewhat similar to what happened to Misaka in the past. Granted, the type of misdirection and the scale are somewhat different, but the fact remains that they were both mislead at some point, and arguably it’s something that highlights how fitting both of them end up being linked via this experiment. In addition, it’s quite notable that it continues the humanization of Accelerator as a person, even if it doesn’t come close to exonerating what he did.

With that said, it was quite interesting to see how they really emphasized the beating that Touma got here (in comparison to what I remember from Index), and one wonders if at some point his intestines were falling out or something. Either way, the added drama really plays in to the whole “the stronger/bigger you are, the harder you fall” bit we get, and seeing Touma finally deliver that last punch to Accelerator really gave me some goosebumps. The shocked faces from Misaka and MISAKA tell a thousand words, and this week really culminates a lot of what’s been developed over the course of this series.

Indeed, in regards to the MISAKA clones especially, the “cycle of development” is arguably now “complete,” and they’re now possessors of genuine emotions from which to live their lives with. I was a bit surprised that they took out the small discussion between the MISAKA sister and Touma at the hospital however, but that slight disappointment was made up with the new scenes added in afterwards. After all, there’s nothing quite like seeing MISAKA pulling her usual antics and facial expressions, or Misaka’s reactions to them as well.

Notably though, it has to be said also that these added scenes continue Railgun S’ subtle interplay between what the scene depicts and what the general theme of the episode was about. We saw it in previous episodes already (such as the bit where the rumors of the clones were spreading around) and it’s been mentioned before, but it’s definitely important to note regardless, as the two sisters in the playground end up being key symbols representing Misaka and MISAKA’s new found relationship. In addition, they serve as the foundation for what’s arguably one of the most important aspects of this episode, which is the perspective that Misaka “should be proud that the sisters were born in the first place.”

And whether or not you’re one that believes in that kind of perspective, it nonetheless shows how there are many ways of looking at things, and that something you consider a negative may indeed harbor some kind of positive element to it all. Looking to Misaka herself, she’s spent the arc cursing machines all this time for causing this, but in the meanwhile, she overlooked the fact that if it weren’t for machines, she wouldn’t have any “sisters” right now. As she says herself, they’re lives born from machines, and the fact that it’s worked out now at least gives the experiment some kind of positive result—one whose importance can be summarized in one of my year’s favorite quotes:

But even so. At this moment, I am still alive.”

Truly, there were few ways this arc’s finale could’ve been done better, and Railgun S is really shining despite being made up of a fair amount of material we’ve seen before. That said, it looks like we’re at a point where everything we see from now on should be virtually new to anime viewers, and while it likely won’t be as great as this first portion, it should at least be worth watching regardless. Until next week!

Author’s Note:

  • Due to the fact that UTW is delaying their Railgun S release 9 hours or so from this point forward, posts will now typically come out on Saturdays instead.

    •  

    Preview

    116 Comments

      1. Tell me I didn’t misread. Not at Index level? Below it even? No …. just no…. This is better than in Index. You have two similiar scene but in Railgun I cried! This is not a match of equals – this is an outright difference in specs.

        TQ

        KF
        Reply

        1. Well the series is about Misaka, rather than Index, or Touma for that matter. You shouldn’t be expecting as much Index in Railgun. Although, I was expecting a head chomping scene between Touma and Index.

          pearthefruit
          Reply

        2. O man I decide to comment for the first time, didn’t expect it have such a negative impact. Failed big time with my wording tehe. Guess the only ting I didn’t fail at is choosing my avatar… it pretty much sums up my face atm ;P

          cooz
          Reply

    3. Personally the line Misaka said to Accelerator about them being her sisters was one of my favorite quotes of the year. Even if the Sisters arc in Index was very short I always wanted a scene like that and the one in the park. Regardless I really liked the arc and loved how they made a short arc in Index with powerful implications into an actually powerful story line.

      xephx
      Reply

    5. “With that said, it was quite interesting to see how they really emphasized the beating that Touma got here”

      Btw, the time period between the end of the Sister’s Arc to the start of Angel’s Fall was 5 days. Meaning that was the time it took for him to make a full fighting-fit recovery ^^

      Chaos2Frozen
      Reply

        1. Yeah and during Show Spoiler ▼

          Radiosonde
          Reply

      1. And then she may have a brain malfunction when Touma calls her Mikoto or Miko-chan.

        I will love to see the day when Misaka meets our dear Kanzaki Kaori, her brain will later go balistic.

        I want to see more Touma, even if they are fillers, please have more Touma.

        L002
        Reply

      1. it sounds like 17 will be a ‘filler’ episode with the week after being a piece of the movie instead of episode 18

        I think JC Staff really pushed themselves to get everything done on time so they likely need the extra week to catch up

        Longhaul
        Reply

        1. It’s nothing to do with pushing themselves. It’s just that there isn’t enough episodes left to start the next arc plus it isn’t even finished in the manga yet. The director has already said that the following episodes will all be original material. You can call that ‘filler’ if you want.

          Scruffy
          Reply

        2. Actually the director never said it would be all the episodes, and there is other Railgun material that could be adapted besides the current arc of the manga(one of which was specifically referenced in the early episodes). If it turns out all the remaining episodes are anime original, so be it.

          Longhaul
          Reply

        2. Misaka is her family name. Her first name is Mikoto. The reason why she blushing was because Touma called her Misaka instead biri-biri. He always called her biri-biri whenever they met.

          Setsuna Henry
          Reply

      3. Kinda livid that Misaka has yet to return the favor by actually referring to him by name. Show Spoiler ▼

        Gaze of Providence
        Reply

    9. And there we have it.

      Somewhere along the way (undoubtedly with “assistance” from the lunatics who run this asylum of a city) Accelerator lost sight of the goal he was trying to reach (never have to hurt anyone again), and instead got stuck focused on the means he had been using to reach it (become powerful enough that no one will ever attack him again). Once he remembered his true goal, there was no way he could have continued with the experiment, no matter what happened. FINALLY he truly realized what he had been doing to the Sisters, and just how at odds that was with what he truly wanted.

      In other news, I am happy to see the Sisters free to live, at last.

      I was a bit surprised that they took out the small discussion between the MISAKA sister and Touma at the hospital however, but that slight disappointment was made up with the new scenes added in afterwards.

      The discussion was an Index scene. Those others are Railgun scenes. This is Mikoto’s side of the story, after all, not Touma’s.

      Wanderer
      Reply

        1. I think they avoided that scene particularly because of the fanservice and goofiness that came along with that scene; it shows that the director knows that there is a time and place for everything and having that fanservicey scene in the episode would have not been wise (though one could argue that they could have still had that conversation but removed the fanservicey elements that would have dragged it down).

          sonicsenryaku
          Reply

    10. And after receiving Touma’s punch , Accelerator’s path to redemption and having his own harem shall finally begin! And please don’t tell me Misaka got rid of her home made cookies . It surely deserves better treatment after she forgot to give it to Touma

      Radiosonde
      Reply

    11. https://randomc.net/image/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun%20S%20-%2016%20-%20Large%2010.jpg
      So that’s what they mean by imagine BREAKER.
      https://randomc.net/image/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun%20S%20-%2016%20-%20Large%20Preview%2002.jpg
      Is Frenda’s screen time meant to make up for the fact that she’s only half as good as her sister ?
      JC Staff, please don’t mess up Raildex after giving us probably the best animated Raildex arc so far. Especially the Show Spoiler ▼

      Kai
      Reply

    14. I feel that the ending scene where Misaka 10032 got the Gekota badge was really touching. The first Misaka sisters that Misaka met got the same Gekota badge, and she died hours later. The ‘first’ Misaka sister to be saved by Misaka and TouMAN got the Gekota badge (Though its by her own effort)

      Ashkem
      Reply

    15. She’s crude, Short tempered, and quick to pick fights, on top of that she’s the type who won’t admit to liking things, but she’s my big sister, who’d even give her life for me.

      Epic words. Roght in the feels.

      Swarz
      Reply

      1. In the manga the Daihasensai arc is still ongoing anyway. They’re most likely going to animate Liberal Arts City SS. Can’t wait for the upcoming fights. One of the rare arcs in the Pre-NT series where there’s really proper magic vs science Show Spoiler ▼

        Ashkem
        Reply

        1. Is it confirmed that they’ll do the Liberal Arts City arc??? I know that ANN posted a article that said that they’ll do a arc related to summer and suiwsuits…but is it really LAC arc? Crossing my fingers for it but wouldn’t be surprised if they did something else.

          Ko-Gil
          Reply

        2. @Ko-Gil
          It does sound a lot like LAC, since in the LAC arc they *cough* wore swimsuits . Plus LAC helps to link towards the current Daihasensai arc in the Railgun manga, since a certain character from LAC appears in the current arc again. But I just hope that it IS LAC. I just want to see Show Spoiler ▼

          Andro
          Reply

    17. A good wrap up to the Sisters Arc. Mikoto was sooooooooooo cute stuttering on the bridge when she tried to hand over some cookies. Hehehe, I see they’re trying to fit more Frenda in before… well… you know… =P

      Mutare
      Reply

    19. Something about the Misaka 10032 (and the others) really gets to me. Maybe because she’s kundere. Maybe it’s her innocence and struggle to gain her full humanity. There’s just a warm feeling I get when I watch her.

      At least this shows some reason (besides being a batshit sociopath) for Accelerator’s actions. His power isolates him from from others due his belief that it causes others to hate and fear him. The only way he feels he can protect himself is to be so strong that no one will attack him and it appears that it was ingrained in his psyche very early. Touma’s ability to nullify his power was terrifying to him because it showed he was vulnerable. The one thing he fears.

      Bear
      Reply

        1. It’s not the ONLY arc that directly overlaps with Index. There’s the Daihaisensai arc that’s ongoing in the
          manga, and who knows what other upcoming arcs that will overlap with the novels . Just a heads up, so far the Railgun manga has only 2 arcs; Sister’s Arc and Daihasensai arc

          Asmalti
          Reply

        2. When I say directly I mean the same events, the current arc in the Railgun manga is taking place during Daihasensai but it is not covering the same events as the Index LN’s. The Railgun manga has had 3 arcs(you forgot Level Upper) and there are two side story novels.

          Longhaul
          Reply

    21. Sorry if this sounds inconsiderate in any way, but why does the delay of fansubs change the release of RC blogs? The shows are still released at the same time and raws or other sources are still available at the same time. Is RandomC affiliated with UTW fansubs or partnership advertisements of some kind? If not, I see no reason for to change your release schedule base on a particular subs. Even if you release your blog at regular time, people can still choose to avoid reading it until they seen the episode if they can’t speak Japanese.

      What I’m trying to say is, unless RC is affiliated and receiving benefits from UTW, you guys shouldn’t feel obligated to wait for a sub release to show up first to prevent spoilers.

      thenewhorde
      Reply

      1. Zephyr is most likely watching Railgun S using UTW fansubs. Why the assumption that all the RC bloggers know Japanese? Besides, among all the Railgun fansub groups, UTW is one of the fastest and has good quality release.

        Ashkem
        Reply

      2. Generally all writers have some varying degree of knowledge regarding the language, but subs are typically used as the end reference (both in terms of making the post and releasing it, as it’s a bit moot to release something early based on a raw, since most readers don’t watch it raw).

        In the case of Railgun S in particular, UTW was mentioned because they’re the only ones who sub it within a 24 hour time span of its airing in Japan, and typically the one I use (and many readers use) as reference in this specific case. Also, I wanted to add more detail to the explanation.

        Anyway, just note that there is no partnership or affiliation on the part of Random C with any group/company/organization/website. Some individual writers may have affiliations, but we don’t carry that into our posts.

        I apologize if my wording caused some misunderstandings.

        Zephyr
        Reply

        1. it would be rather suicide, if A. had his reflection still “on”… and probably he did, just he had the MISFORTUNE of fighting the only enemy that could BREAK thru it…

          ewok40k
          Reply

    23. The Sisters Arc has gotten a lot of praise in how it is executed, particularly the parts where it retold the segment from Index from mainly Mikoto’s POV, and rightly so. Credit must go to director Nagai Tatsuyuki for once again pulling it off.

      Now that there’s 8 episodes left, and with Nagai expressly saying it will all be an original material, I hope we will all cut Nagai some slack next week for making “fillers”. When done correctly, fillers can shine more light on characters which did not have much screentime in the main arcs. Railgun season 1 saw the redemption of Kiyama-sensei from the Level Upper arc, as well as give Konori-sempai and Kongou Mitsuko some development.

      Already we’re seeing Frenda return in the previews, mainly in a comedic capacity considering the title of the episode “Studying Session”. As the manga has not covered for Shinobu after being taken away by ITEM, we might see more of her here. And there’s also the other Level 5 that’s appeared – Shokuho Misaki.

      echykr
      Reply

        2. Yes. Depending on the circumstances though, the post release time may be a tad bit later than the norm (maybe as much as a week), as if it ends up being in September, I’ll be extremely busy through the weekdays.

          If anything, someone else will cover it in my stead, but it’ll be covered.

          Zephyr
          Reply

    25. I know they didn’t have much in the way of Kuroko and Misaka in the aftermath of the Sister’s arc in the manga, but I was hoping that they would throw in some scenes in here. Afterall, we have seen over the past few episodes how hard it was for Kuroko knowing that Misaka was struggling with a problem that Kuroko could not help with, and would’ve been nice if Kuroko at least got a little closure.

      Now will be new territory for Railgun, as it sounds like everything from this point forward is original material as the current arc in the manga is not yet complete. There were a few loose ends from this arc yet to be tied up (i.e. that researcher that was caught trying to corrupt the research) and possibly the ITEM team returning. Here is to hoping for more interactions between Misaka, Kuroko and the rest of the gang!

      taiakun
      Reply

    26. I must say…. Railgun S is surpassing Railgunand both Indices in almost every possible way.

      And finally after almost 42 episodes….. Index finally make a quick appearance!

      c2710
      Reply

      1. Actually Index appeared a few times in the previous season.

        Episode 17 (she appears for quite a long time here and even has some lines):
        https://randomc.net/image/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun%20-%2017%20-%20Large%2024.jpg
        https://randomc.net/image/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun%20-%2017%20-%20Large%2025.jpg

        Episode 19:
        https://randomc.net/image/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun%20-%2019%20-%20Large%2036.jpg

        There might’ve been more appearances in addition to those, but can’t think of them off the top of my head.

        taiakun
        Reply

    28. Great episode happens when 2 great directors get to work together…
      In this episode Honey and Clover director Kasai Kenichi served as a visual planner under director Nagai, and you know what, “vs accelerator” scene was very dramatic and scenes of Mikoto and Touma were so sweet, their talent really show here!

      UDoh
      Reply

    29. The past few episodes have really emphasized just how desperate of a struggle Touma vs Accelerator was. Hopefully, when the new Index comes out, we’ll get to see more of stuff like this. I remember scratching my head when, towards the end of the fight in Index’s version, Accelerator charged at a barely-scratched Touma thinking he could bring him down when such tactics had already failed him before.

      I’m with you Zephyr; I was disappointed that they cut MISAKA’s nighttime visit. I hope this isn’t the last time we’ll see the Sisters and their antics in this series. Or Touma, because I just can’t get enough of Mikoto turning into a tomato.

      Mikoto’s proof that there are just some tsunderes that are likeable… even though I like MISAKA more!

      Beedle
      Reply

    30. “Strongest! You’d better be prepared for my weakest!” That is easily one of the most awesome lines and fight finishers. I really enjoyed the fight from start to finish man, and seeing Accelerator’s inner thoughts I would like to quote a wise man from Big Fish: “Most people you consider evil or wicked…are simply lonely.”

      Fortunately we know he won’t be anymore.

      gawrshness
      Reply

        1. That aside there are a few things I always wanted to happen or be answered in the series but never did and probably never will…
          1. Misaka meeting Last Order and her reaction to seeing her child self
          2. Kuroko finding out about the clones and meeting one
          3. Misaka meeting MISAKA WORST
          4. What happens to Shinobu
          5. ITEM get what they deserve especially Laser lady what’s her name and the Armor Offense one…

          gawrshness
          Reply

    31. Heard the old Index OST during the Mikoto hospital visit. How nostalgic. And Mikoto please hurry up with your confession! Otherwise Touma’s gonna get snatched by over thousands of girls! (Excluding the Sisters)

      Lysimac
      Reply

    33. Typo in the firt sentence, “and what is get is a conclusion”

      And so the best arc ends. Apart from that one filler episode dealing with Kuroko and the rest of the girls, this was a joy to watch. Now I hope that we’ll see some more of Misaki trolling the others in the upcoming eps.

      boingman
      Reply

    34. This was definitely a solid way to wrap up the arc. Some really powerful moments like Mikoto accepting the Sisters as family and Misaka 10032 being touched by that. If Touma treating them as people changed the Sisters then Mikoto considering them her little sisters also had some real impact.

      They did a good job as well showing how completely wasted Touma was by this fight. There’s no shrugging off this kind of insane damage.

      FlareKnight
      Reply

        6. Agree. Keyword “underage looking” – actually it can be any age. From 17/18 to 30-40-50.
          Suzu from Seitokai Yakuindomo. Examples are very, very much – it’s a stereotypical char.
          But – only girl.

          Andrew
          Reply

        7. Lolicon definition from Google dictionary :
          The sexual attraction to young girls; An individual fixated on young, generally prepubescent, girls; Erotic or suggestive art depicting prepubescent females

          Swarz
          Reply

        8. If you still don’t get it,

          lolicon is an abbr of lolita complex, someone that likes lolita, or, underage girls.
          shotacon is an abbr of shota complex, someone that likes shota, or underage boys.

          lolita is female
          shota is male

          any gender can like lolita, therefore any gender can be called ‘lolicon’
          any gender can like shota, therefore any gender can be called ‘shotacon’

          you’re missing the difference between “lolita” and “lolicon”, Accelerator IS a lolicon, but HE is NOT a lolita.

          Vy
          Reply

      1. Dunno, but i am now really curious. if we switch now to “Slice of Life” with the Sisters. How many Episodes we get here?. Because, until now the Action was the driving force so far, and i feel we will lose some if we switch to “slice of life” modus

        Germanguy
        Reply

      1. If you mean the writers, not quite. Pretty much all writers do have some varying degree of knowledge regarding the language, but subs are typically used as the end reference (both in terms of making the post and releasing it, as it’s a bit moot to release something based on a raw, since most readers don’t watch it raw).

        Zephyr
        Reply

        1. The only problem with that is there’s a lot of fansub groups out there, and while a lot typically just copy the CR subs flat out, for more popular series there’s usually a wider variety of translation styles. Some more literal subs could give quite a different feel compared to the liberal styled ones.

          Variances in translated dialogue can leave different viewers with, well, different views than they otherwise would have had.

          Though it’s not like I hold anything against RandomC writers watching subs, just an observation. I studied Japanese for a while, but at best all I can do is notice when a certain line isn’t translated literally every once in a while.

          Besides, the UTW-Mazui subs for this series are pretty solid imo.

          herpderp
          Reply

    43. I was really hoping that Misaka started crying when Touma mentioned the sisters in the hospital. Would have had a great dramatic effect (and honestly, it would fit considering the trauma she just went through).

      It also would have given Touma another opportunity to pat her head. (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

      herpderp
      Reply

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