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「開戦」 (Kaisen)
“The Battle Begins”
Ah nothing brings satisfaction like watching a deserved beatdown. Even if it’s not really a beatdown, and the real fighting has yet to begin. That’s right gentlemen, Railgun is finally readying the big guns for some midseason carnage, and while the suspense is quite literally aggravating, never fret, because the results are going to be a thing of beauty.
While Railgun’s (and the Index-verse’s) penchant for featuring minor characters in all shapes and forms typically yields more fat than meat in any given arc, it’s hard denying the latest example in our minor villain Baba didn’t deserve his fleshed out comeuppance. Smug superiority always needs a little humility now and then, particularly when said superiority largely rests on the back of power that technically isn’t yours. Maybe it’s the hubris of watching arrogance put in its place or simply the satisfaction of seeing rape face in the dirt, but damn it was nice watching Baba get beat by a pair of girls he definitely shouldn’t have underestimated. They may not be the strongest or most interesting of characters we’ve seen to date, but Kongo’s friends certainly show how perseverance and a bit of ingenuity can go a long way towards endearing a crowd. Well, even if it was mostly for the final result.
For all the fun of teamwork however, the main attention this week rightfully lay on Misaka and what you can be assured will be some violent fireworks. I imagine few expected Misaka to stumble across Kongo again so soon for example, but the end results of vigilante Kongo certainly provide the impetus needed for Misaka to finally ditch her chaperones—and give quite a bit of anger to help fuel what comes next. It’s sometimes hard to remember after all that next to no one knows what Misaka has gone through regarding the Sisters, or how strongly she feels for their safety and wellbeing. Just coming between them and seeking to leverage their potential is enough to get a free lightning ride, but by also involving the wholly innocent in the process too? Well you cannot say you weren’t warned. It’s going to be really interesting seeing just what Misaka does next, because while Misaki undeniably deserves the beating she signed up for, we still don’t know why she kidnapped a Sister or what her endgame is. Obvious bet is nefarious of course, but there’s always the potential it’s not, and in that case Misaka is going to have one hell of a decision to make.
Best stay tuned boys and girls, Railgun only gets crazier from here.
Preview
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https://randomc.net/image/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun%20T%20-%2006%20-%20Large%2025.jpg
I was cheering like a madman to see him drown this episode. I was expecting Wanaai to pull off some blood bending since it’s mostly water… Come to think of it, if she;s a Level 5… I can imagine her blood bending and also pulling water from water vapour.
https://randomc.net/image/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun%20T%20-%2006%20-%20Large%2034.jpg
More Railgun please! Now to go through 1 week of withdrawl pain.
https://randomc.net/image/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun/To%20Aru%20Kagaku%20no%20Railgun%20T%20-%2006%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
I know I’m suppose to be awed by their prowess but those outfit look hot.
A great “day in the limelight” episode for these two side characters. As it turns out, Awatsuki and Wannai are closest to the idealized “Yamato Nadeshiko” among the Tokiwadai students shown so far– down to earth unlike Kongou and Shokuhou, level-headed unlike Misaka, can hold their own despite being “only” Level 3 espers (minimum requirement for entry to Tokiwadai), and able to make sound decisions in the middle of combat.
It really shows the overall strength of this series that we get such characters featured in the first place. In any other show they’d be 2 second background characters at best, and with none of the development to boot.
The slower pacing helped a lot. If this were a breakneck-pace adaptation like Index, we’d be lucky to get 5-7 minutes covering this battle, with a lot of their characterization cast aside as a result. 🙁
Fun seeing Baba get beat down, from near drowning to electrocution chamber. For all his superiority complex and analysis skills, he forgot one basic rule: don’t make conclusions based on limited data. If he took into account any margin of error, he might have come up with a better strategy. There’s a reason why they say overconfidence is a weakness.
Even though the Mantis was taken down by Misaka, I really doubt it could do what Baba was imagining. The main reason those two girls had problems with the Great Danes was numbers. Sending one Mantis probably wouldn’t do much. Those two have shown they have some tactical capability and their powers are also good enough to actually take it down. Worst case scenario, the one that controls buoyancy can at least buy time to get away.
Great episode.
Misaka sure was scary there, though I expect her to mellow out again.
Otherwise you would think that there is no stopping her and the arc over in a heartbeat, but will be interesting to see what kind of counter measures Misaki can bring to the table apart from using hostages…
Oh Misaka will mellow out, the question is before or after electrocuting Misaki 😛
Misaki did nothing wrong! 😛
Oh boy this is going to be fun…
Not as fun as waterboarding Baba or locking him up by his own electronic locks….
No! this is going to be “level 5 going all out” level of fun.
I am salivating.
Also Kuroko’s feelings flowing thru despite Misaki’s mind control,,,, LOL