[Review] Anime: Toaru Kagaku no Railgun
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, AKA A Certain Scientific Railgun, is one of my favourite sci-fi series ever. That being said, I'm going to try to not just gush all over the place. This is especially because I think the second season is better. Let's go!
Story:
The story is about a group a friends in the technological metropolis of Academy City who must solve the mysterious happenings in School District 7. They are espers, people who can use Psychic Powers. One has the ability to keep the temperature of anything she touches constant, one can teleport, one is an Electromaster, and the last has no powers(though she is revealed to have wind powers if she ever awakens to them). Their powers Rank Level 0, Level 1, Level 4, and Level 5. Odd considering that they are literally opposites in social standing, as your status raises with level. As the story begins, strange occurrences have been happening in which criminal espers are showing power higher than their levels should be capable of. The investigation of which will eventually lead them to the source of a strange urban legend, and against a Mad Scientist intent on continuing unethical research left behind by another.
I love the plot, which manages to be both trope filled yet not cliche at the same time. It has a way of presenting old plots and devices in fairly new and interesting ways. However, it can drag at times and the second arc, which is technically filler, had some problems. Not to mention, the second season is better in terms of story mostly because of the heavier subject matter, which allows for more emotional scenes(which were really the best parts of the story in this season). While some of the episodes in the second half do nothing for the plot, they do add to the characters at least a little(even the fanservice episodes tells you something about the characters!). Not to mention, a certain plot point that was left basically unfinished in the manga, gets resolved as well. So bonus points for that. It should also be mentioned that the story really feels cohesive. Remembering all the things that happen, while not necessary, make the story even more enjoyable. For example, a couple characters could be sitting around talking about something that doesn't seem relevant, but then several episodes later they bring it up again. You probably don't notice it, but this doesn't happen in a most anime, at least not on this level. Well, not the ones I've seen at any rate. On the subject of parts in the second half not contributing to the plot, there is something I kinda half to mention. There is a bit of a structural problem with the second half I suppose. While the first half has a good mix of both plot and simple slice of life in the episodes, the second half has a section that is all slice of life(and minor character development). What happens is the plot kinda stops for 1 episode, continues for 2, stops for a bunch more, then begins again. I wouldn't call this a pacing problem as it all feels the same pace, and when the plot does move again it's well paced and things feel fleshed out. I think it might have benefited from maybe putting the Big Spider stuff after the slice of life. Overall, while the plot is a bit flawed in some areas, the story itself is rather solid, and the flaws it has are outweighed by the good aspects.
Characters: The characters are probably the best part of the series. No, screw it, they ARE, hands down. Let's go down the list, from "weakest" to "strongest". Saten Ruiko is a girl with long black hair, who is kind of tomboy and is a total Genki Girl. She enjoys flipping her friend's skirt to tease her and loves urban legends. Uiharu Kazari is a girl with short black hair and a hairband of flowers on her head, she is as sweet as the cakes and ice cream she never get's to eat, and is an excellent hacker. She is one of the two of the cast who are members of "Judgement", a student run police-like force. She takes her job fairly seriously but not as much as our next character. Shirai Kuroko is a girl with auburn hair tied into twin tails. She is a member of Judgement and takes her job very seriously, being a kindhearted but harsh woman who believes in Justice. She is also a crazy lesbian with boundary issues whose actions can border on stalker tendencies. She is deeply in love(and lust) with the next girl. Misaka Mikoto, 3rd of the 7 Level 5 espers, an Electromaster whose power is unrivaled amongst her peers and allows her to control electromagnetism as well, leading her to her famous attack, the Railgun for which she is nicknamed. Mikoto is stubborn, brash, reckless, short-temperd, and ill-mannered to those who have pushed her many buttons. However, she is also kind, caring, overprotective, softhearted, and loyal to anyone who has curried her favor(which isn't too hard to do).
These characters make up the main cast and are incredibly charming, funny, and bad ass. They have a lot more depth than the those of A Certain Magical Index, and the characters from there are more fleshed out. Almost all characters, the exception being very minor ones, receive some form of development. Even for those who do not have character growth there is a good deal of backstory, focus, and building of the characters. As the story progresses, you learn more about the characters through the stories of their past, their interactions with other characters, and episodes specifically about them that I mentioned. So in the end, the characters are highly three dimensional, unlike the archetypes plastered onto the script like in Index. They're fun, endearing, and just all around loveable. They feel like they're probably the bestest friends in the whole world, and it's very heartwarming. Endearing is a keyword here, as they are plenty of it. It's to the point that even the most mundane of conversations can be entertaining to watch with them. Really, any problems you have with them will likely be purely subjective. Like Kuroko's... er... wackiness, which I know many don't like and I completely understand(I just disagree).
Animation: The animation is by J.C. Staff, so thus it's good and consistent. It's not spectacular but it's not bad. That's all really. The action scenes are pretty good but could be better, but the last episode is really fantastic, including a back to back badasses moment and an epic car/mecha chase ending in a hyper railgun attack. It also allowed Ruiko to have a great heroic moment that earned her great respect from Kuroko. I should also mention that this is very good adaptation of the manga. The first 12 episodes are adapted from the manga, with the subsequent 12 being original material. While the anime is more "slice-of-lifey" then the manga, it still manages to capture the spirit of it. There were some changes made to the adapted parts, which stemmed from it being set 1 week(or was it a month?) prior to the time the manga is(so it could make room for the original arc). If these things were not changed, it would have conflicted with the timeline and caused the manga/Index fans to be much more angry at the adaptation. Everything that could be put in from the manga without doing that, was. The only thing that's different is that scenes were added, and those actually add to the story. So there. Bleh.
Sound: Voice Acting is AMAZING. All the seiyuu are great and fun. Satou Rina does an excellent job as the short tempered tomboy Mikoto, with the most epic parts being when she is legitimately pissed off at someone(such as arc 2's villain) where she starts off calm and slowly and then ends the line with a wonderful yell. "Don't screw around with me!" indeed. Arai Satomi does amazingly as Kuroko, as she has fantastic range which she uses to its fullest in this role. The best ones being when she suddenly sounds rough and masculine because something caused her to snap. For the life of me I cannot remember the other names, but I know Kazari's was in K-on!. She does great too, bringing that super cuteness of her character to life. Ruiko's voice is also great, able to be cheerful and fun, as well as sad and depressed when need be. The performances add a lot to the anime, whether it be silly or serious scenes. EDIT: Toyasaki Aki and Kanae Ito, respectively.
Music on the other hand isn't great. It's not bad but not amazing, much like the animation. There are a few themes such as the somber sounding piano themes used at serious and sad moments, which are very good, but it's not a jump out at you thing like Kajiura Yuki or Yoko Kanno. The OPs and EDs are great though, but they don't really count. EDIT: I didn't notice some of the better pieces for some reason, but after listening to the OST I like it much more. So nevermind, the music is good.
Final Thoughts: Railgun is a really good show. It has shifting tones and straddles several genres very well, though sometimes this can lead to mood whiplash(sometimes it's done on purpose for laughs). Still, it makes it more real and enjoyable that it isn't simply one tone or genre, as that isn't what life is like. By making the show and characters multifaceted, it makes it more believable and you care more about them and the setting. I won't say that it's perfect, that it puts forth philosophical themes and depth, or that it doesn't have some problems here and there, but it's still great. Not to mention it's pros really outweigh the cons like I said before, as unless you really think about it you won't really notice any problems it may have. Please, give it a try if you haven't. And if you have and didn't like it, try again. If you saw it all and didn't like it even a little, you are not human. I feel like the only people who don't like it are those who just don't want to(this includes just not liking "moeshit" and because it's by JC Staff). Or some other thing I can't fathom, who knows? Whatever, I think it's good.
So, without further ado, I award Toaru Kagaku no Railgun 5/5 Thugs Judo-Flipped by a 13-Year-Old Girl. Why 5/5? Because I said so!
Story:
The story is about a group a friends in the technological metropolis of Academy City who must solve the mysterious happenings in School District 7. They are espers, people who can use Psychic Powers. One has the ability to keep the temperature of anything she touches constant, one can teleport, one is an Electromaster, and the last has no powers(though she is revealed to have wind powers if she ever awakens to them). Their powers Rank Level 0, Level 1, Level 4, and Level 5. Odd considering that they are literally opposites in social standing, as your status raises with level. As the story begins, strange occurrences have been happening in which criminal espers are showing power higher than their levels should be capable of. The investigation of which will eventually lead them to the source of a strange urban legend, and against a Mad Scientist intent on continuing unethical research left behind by another.
I love the plot, which manages to be both trope filled yet not cliche at the same time. It has a way of presenting old plots and devices in fairly new and interesting ways. However, it can drag at times and the second arc, which is technically filler, had some problems. Not to mention, the second season is better in terms of story mostly because of the heavier subject matter, which allows for more emotional scenes(which were really the best parts of the story in this season). While some of the episodes in the second half do nothing for the plot, they do add to the characters at least a little(even the fanservice episodes tells you something about the characters!). Not to mention, a certain plot point that was left basically unfinished in the manga, gets resolved as well. So bonus points for that. It should also be mentioned that the story really feels cohesive. Remembering all the things that happen, while not necessary, make the story even more enjoyable. For example, a couple characters could be sitting around talking about something that doesn't seem relevant, but then several episodes later they bring it up again. You probably don't notice it, but this doesn't happen in a most anime, at least not on this level. Well, not the ones I've seen at any rate. On the subject of parts in the second half not contributing to the plot, there is something I kinda half to mention. There is a bit of a structural problem with the second half I suppose. While the first half has a good mix of both plot and simple slice of life in the episodes, the second half has a section that is all slice of life(and minor character development). What happens is the plot kinda stops for 1 episode, continues for 2, stops for a bunch more, then begins again. I wouldn't call this a pacing problem as it all feels the same pace, and when the plot does move again it's well paced and things feel fleshed out. I think it might have benefited from maybe putting the Big Spider stuff after the slice of life. Overall, while the plot is a bit flawed in some areas, the story itself is rather solid, and the flaws it has are outweighed by the good aspects.
Characters: The characters are probably the best part of the series. No, screw it, they ARE, hands down. Let's go down the list, from "weakest" to "strongest". Saten Ruiko is a girl with long black hair, who is kind of tomboy and is a total Genki Girl. She enjoys flipping her friend's skirt to tease her and loves urban legends. Uiharu Kazari is a girl with short black hair and a hairband of flowers on her head, she is as sweet as the cakes and ice cream she never get's to eat, and is an excellent hacker. She is one of the two of the cast who are members of "Judgement", a student run police-like force. She takes her job fairly seriously but not as much as our next character. Shirai Kuroko is a girl with auburn hair tied into twin tails. She is a member of Judgement and takes her job very seriously, being a kindhearted but harsh woman who believes in Justice. She is also a crazy lesbian with boundary issues whose actions can border on stalker tendencies. She is deeply in love(and lust) with the next girl. Misaka Mikoto, 3rd of the 7 Level 5 espers, an Electromaster whose power is unrivaled amongst her peers and allows her to control electromagnetism as well, leading her to her famous attack, the Railgun for which she is nicknamed. Mikoto is stubborn, brash, reckless, short-temperd, and ill-mannered to those who have pushed her many buttons. However, she is also kind, caring, overprotective, softhearted, and loyal to anyone who has curried her favor(which isn't too hard to do).
These characters make up the main cast and are incredibly charming, funny, and bad ass. They have a lot more depth than the those of A Certain Magical Index, and the characters from there are more fleshed out. Almost all characters, the exception being very minor ones, receive some form of development. Even for those who do not have character growth there is a good deal of backstory, focus, and building of the characters. As the story progresses, you learn more about the characters through the stories of their past, their interactions with other characters, and episodes specifically about them that I mentioned. So in the end, the characters are highly three dimensional, unlike the archetypes plastered onto the script like in Index. They're fun, endearing, and just all around loveable. They feel like they're probably the bestest friends in the whole world, and it's very heartwarming. Endearing is a keyword here, as they are plenty of it. It's to the point that even the most mundane of conversations can be entertaining to watch with them. Really, any problems you have with them will likely be purely subjective. Like Kuroko's... er... wackiness, which I know many don't like and I completely understand(I just disagree).
Animation: The animation is by J.C. Staff, so thus it's good and consistent. It's not spectacular but it's not bad. That's all really. The action scenes are pretty good but could be better, but the last episode is really fantastic, including a back to back badasses moment and an epic car/mecha chase ending in a hyper railgun attack. It also allowed Ruiko to have a great heroic moment that earned her great respect from Kuroko. I should also mention that this is very good adaptation of the manga. The first 12 episodes are adapted from the manga, with the subsequent 12 being original material. While the anime is more "slice-of-lifey" then the manga, it still manages to capture the spirit of it. There were some changes made to the adapted parts, which stemmed from it being set 1 week(or was it a month?) prior to the time the manga is(so it could make room for the original arc). If these things were not changed, it would have conflicted with the timeline and caused the manga/Index fans to be much more angry at the adaptation. Everything that could be put in from the manga without doing that, was. The only thing that's different is that scenes were added, and those actually add to the story. So there. Bleh.
Sound: Voice Acting is AMAZING. All the seiyuu are great and fun. Satou Rina does an excellent job as the short tempered tomboy Mikoto, with the most epic parts being when she is legitimately pissed off at someone(such as arc 2's villain) where she starts off calm and slowly and then ends the line with a wonderful yell. "Don't screw around with me!" indeed. Arai Satomi does amazingly as Kuroko, as she has fantastic range which she uses to its fullest in this role. The best ones being when she suddenly sounds rough and masculine because something caused her to snap. For the life of me I cannot remember the other names, but I know Kazari's was in K-on!. She does great too, bringing that super cuteness of her character to life. Ruiko's voice is also great, able to be cheerful and fun, as well as sad and depressed when need be. The performances add a lot to the anime, whether it be silly or serious scenes. EDIT: Toyasaki Aki and Kanae Ito, respectively.
Music on the other hand isn't great. It's not bad but not amazing, much like the animation. There are a few themes such as the somber sounding piano themes used at serious and sad moments, which are very good, but it's not a jump out at you thing like Kajiura Yuki or Yoko Kanno. The OPs and EDs are great though, but they don't really count. EDIT: I didn't notice some of the better pieces for some reason, but after listening to the OST I like it much more. So nevermind, the music is good.
Final Thoughts: Railgun is a really good show. It has shifting tones and straddles several genres very well, though sometimes this can lead to mood whiplash(sometimes it's done on purpose for laughs). Still, it makes it more real and enjoyable that it isn't simply one tone or genre, as that isn't what life is like. By making the show and characters multifaceted, it makes it more believable and you care more about them and the setting. I won't say that it's perfect, that it puts forth philosophical themes and depth, or that it doesn't have some problems here and there, but it's still great. Not to mention it's pros really outweigh the cons like I said before, as unless you really think about it you won't really notice any problems it may have. Please, give it a try if you haven't. And if you have and didn't like it, try again. If you saw it all and didn't like it even a little, you are not human. I feel like the only people who don't like it are those who just don't want to(this includes just not liking "moeshit" and because it's by JC Staff). Or some other thing I can't fathom, who knows? Whatever, I think it's good.
So, without further ado, I award Toaru Kagaku no Railgun 5/5 Thugs Judo-Flipped by a 13-Year-Old Girl. Why 5/5? Because I said so!
Have some moe!
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Ey watchu think mang?