[Anime Review] A Certain Scientific Railgun

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is equivalent to magic."

–Sir Arthur C. Clarke

You know, I'm always down for an average anime series. Yes, I admit I have high standards, very few anime even reach an 8 out of 10 for me, but I have absolutely no problem sitting down and watching a show I have every inclination will be just "kind of alright". It makes me feel like I get a bigger scope of things in the anime world when I watch these shows, so that includes watching those anime that have made it onto my Plan to Watch list for the sole purpose that for some reason, they have been able to remain relatively in the public's eye even years after they have aired. And yeah, for shows I have watched this way, anime like Guilty Crown, Mirai Nikki and Shakugan no Shana, I get exactly what I expect, from mediocre, to trying-too-hard-to-be-dark, to crap. However, every once and awhile, an anime is able to transcend the image the consensus of the anime community and myself have painted for it, and it always makes for a nice surprise. Now let me stress this, the anime I will be reviewing today, A Certain Scientific Railgun(which will just be called "Railgun" from now on for convenience's sake) is absolutely not like that. In this review, I'll tell you exactly how this anime fulfilled every average expectation I had for it, but somewhere along the way, planted the roots for something greater than itself.
     Hello people of "The Wired", my name is Quan, I've been mentally preparing myself for my return to school tomorrow, and after over a month of waiting, it's time for a new anime review. Sorry about that, but these things take awhile to write, and I've sort of spent all my time recently catching up on a lot of things, both with anime and academically. Anyway, it's time to get started, so let's start already.

Before that though, let's get some potential confusion out of the way first, and talk some technical shenanigan stuff. Now, A Certain Scientific Railgun acts as a spin-off to another anime: A Certain Magical Index and its sequel: A Certain Magical Index II, so for those of you who have seen both shows, keep that in mind that I have yet to see Index or its sequel, so that might be why I don't mention certain things about the franchise or its laws. And if you think that in any way impairs my ability to review Railgun, let me remind you that even if a show is a spin-off, it should still be able to stand up on its own and establish the rules of its universe without any prior knowledge of the sister/father/first series. Additionally, A Certain Scientific Railgun also has a sequel, A Certain Scientific Railgun S, and while I have seen that series(and think it is in every way better), the review today will be exclusively on the first season, though I may reference Railgun S occasionally, probably in the context of saying what it does better than the first season. OK, everyone clear? Good.
     A Certain Scientific Railgun was brought to us by those folks over at J.C Staff, the animation studio that has brought us, as well as the entirety of the Index franchise, Toradora, Golden Time, Shakugan no Shana, and Zero no Tsukaima. It was directed by the one and only Tatsuyuki Nagai, who you probably recognize from his directorial work on both Anohana and Ano Natsu de Matteru, though I personally like him best for directing Toradora, which is still probably one of the strongest slice-of-life/romance I have seen yet. Part of the script was handled Michiko Itou, who had done work on No. 6 and a Toradora OVA, but the script was primarily handled by Miya Asakawa... who hasn't really done anything of note besides a couple episodes of Noein, which I'll be shocked if you've even heard of that(though on a side note, go watch Noein, it's pretty cool). And finally, A Certain Scientific Railgun is 24 episodes long, and aired in the season of Fall 2009, a season which also gave us Kimi ni Todoke and Aoi Bungaku, if that means anything to you. Ok, let's get started with the plot.

Academy City is a scientifically advanced hub of technology and the arts, apparently about 20 to 30 years ahead of the rest of the world. 80% of the population are actually students, which sounds like someone screwed up somewhere, but in addition to being pretty much the Metropolis of this world, Academy City serves a second purpose. In this world, part of humanity has awakened to a greater psychic power, which is not nearly as exciting as it sounds because the anime doesn't really go for something like Shinsekai yori in which these powers would kind of destroy the world because everyone simultaneously decided they were God now, but more something like a "what if?" scenario, as life is basically normal in Academy City besides from the fact that certain people could potentially fire kinetic beams from their hands. These psychic powers are different for each person and could range from teleportation, to being able to see through walls, to just having cats slightly more prone to chase you. These powers are ranged from levels 1-5 based on their power, with a level 0 simply being a normal person without any abilities. Academy City seeks to train the thousands of students to properly develop their powers(people with psychic powers have been deemed:  "espers") and understand them, thus why Academy City's population is so unbalanced.
     Our main heroine is Mikoto Misaka, a student of Tokiwadai Middle School, and one of only seven Level 5 espers in the entire city, her esper power being an "Electromaster", or in simple terms, being able to manipulate or produce vast amounts of electricity. She has earned the nickname "Railgun", probably because of her tendency to flick a coin into the air, and launch it with a controlled beam of electricity that is usually capable of settling whatever problem she may have. And if you're having trouble picturing what this may look like, allow me to turn to the almighty Tumblr for a demonstration.

Behold the Railgun.

The plot revolves around the daily adventures of Misaka, her roommate Kuroko Shirai, and their friends Ruiko Saten, a level 0, and Kazari Uiharu who attend a different school. As they proceed with their daily lives,  they will begin to uncover a conspiracy about the true purpose of Academy City, and at the same time, stop the ever growing numbers of enemies and factors that seemingly never rest from trying to destroy it. That's a plot I can get behind for the most part, as the story divides its time between several arcs that are usually about some trouble starting to brew in the city, from a gang of esper delinquents or mysterious cases of bombing around the city, and filler that mostly exists to get supporting characters slightly more involved in the narrative and get some breathing room in between the arcs. As I said, this is something I can definitely enjoy, especially when I want to see what crazy esper powers enemies have and how the world can be expanded from the premise, but Railgun, bless its heart, as it frequently switches from filler to plot, forgets to put anything really substantial in either.

The main problem is the show's own writing, in the fact that it just isn't very good. So, I watched dub admittedly, but even if maybe some dialouge is switched around, the story will still follow the same basic structure right? Yes, it will, and the stories Railgun provides for the most part aren't great. You can usually predict how most arcs will end, and usually the arcs themselves are very basic in the way they progress and are structured. It doesn't help there's always at least one piece of dialouge that's worthy of a groan every episode, and no really tension exists since Railgun is undoubtedly not trying to be an overly-dark or serious show. Sure, it has its moments, but for the most part, you can practically guarantee that everything will work out in the end, all the characters will get out unscathed, and even in the darkest hour, the power of friendship will prevail. It's a shame too, because considering the promising premise, some good writing really would've shined here, as seen in A Certain Scientific Railgun S. The filler is pretty bad too, there's really not a lot there, mostly cliches without much character development, and considering how much filler there is in the series, about half of the episodes, it begins to become a problem really fast. And I'm not saying that there is an inherit problem with filler per say, but what I do have problems with is filler that doesn't accomplish anything. Look, I know it is called "filler" after all, but I still think that down-time of a story should be dedicated the developing characters or parts of the world that the main plot doesn't have time for. I mean, consider an anime like Bakemonogatari, an anime that practically is 90% filler, but uses nearly all of that time to develop its amazing characters, so when something sort of resembling a plot does kick in, there's all the more reason to care. 

     It's not all bad however. I usually have a problem with anime with an arc format with filler in between, because as seen in the original Fate/stay night, the tonal identity of the anime suffers, as it switches too far often between light-hearted filler and plot. Railgun, on the other hand, is able to keep a consistent tone throughout, and whether the characters are having a beach episode, or the plot dips into something actually quite dark, it never feels unjustified. Also, the pacing and structure is actually quite exceptional. Yes, I'm still complaining about the basic structure of any given arc, but the structure of the entire shows fits together quite well. And if we were to continue this extended structure metaphor, the parts of the story all fit together to form a complete picture. There's definitely a sense of escalation in the plot, and every arc plays at least a little bit of a part in the bigger picture. This means by the time we reach the finale, and Misaka is fighting mech suits on a highway, it's easy to see how we got here from the beach episode, which is definitely a positive. However, if I were to pick the high point of the entire series, I still think the mid-season finale was kind of awesome, in both execution and the fact that a lot of things were going down and I thought it was cool. 

     It's still not great, the main plot that is, but I'd say it is passable but nothing special. Whatever plot-points or themes the plot does bring up for the most part have been done better in some other anime, and while that's not necessarily a deal-breaker, it's a problem. I do like the plot, and it's probably the best part of this otherwise average show, but I find it hard to give it too much credit. 

From left to right: Uiharu(who is making a really stupid face), Misaka, Kuroko, Saten.

We're moving onto characters now, and I will say I really like our main character Mikoto Misaka, because she is pretty awesome. The problem is, I can't tell you why. A Certain Scientific Railgun mostly just establishes her character while Railgun S develops her in all kind of awesome ways, so saying why I like her character might spoil some things I would prefer you weren't spoiled about. So, I'll just give you her surface personality. Misaka, despite being one of the strongest espers in Academy City, isn't arrogant about it, though that isn't too say she doesn't know just how powerful she is in comparison to other espers. She's a little hot-headed, which is good in the way that she will try to end a battle as quickly and effectively as possible by using her superior power to protect her friends. However, it's bad in the way that she's quick to anger, and usually tries to solve every problem by firing a electricity beam at it. It is in this way that her fights between enemies becomes a little more even, so she doesn't seem overpowered in the story compared to others, at least usually. She's also one who tries to accomplish everything herself, and even gets into dangerous situations when there's really no need to, though that might be just an excuse for the anime so it can get an arc initiated. As I said, most of her development is saved for Railgun S, but looking at her character from the first season exclusively, I'd say she stands out fairly on her own, and feels a little different from most main protagonists, which I'm grateful for. 

     As for Misika's roommate Kuroko(and the rest of the cast actually), she doesn't hold up as well. Besides from her personality trait of constantly perving after Misaka, there's not a whole lot to her. She's a member of Judgement, a sort of student run police force, which allows her to show off her more serious side. It is also through Judgement that allows Misaka and the rest of the cast to get involved in the plot, as they help Kuroko and Judgement stop whatever thing is terrorizing the city. The only thing I'll give Kuroko, besides that she is kind of annoying, is that she is undoubtedly the person who knows Misaka the best, and is usually the first to scold Misaka at her tendency to rush into situations without thinking. 

     The problem I have with Saten is that she is kind of useless. At first, I thought her role would be to be, despite not having any esper powers, the voice of reason and intelligence. But she's not really that either. She's just kind of... yeah useless. And as for her friend Uiharu, I don't really have much to say about her either. And that is a big flaw when nearly all of your main cast is sort of under-developed, and a big reason why you'll see the number you do at the end of this review. 

     Luckily, the rather large supporting cast pick up a bit of the slack. From the members of the actual police force Antiskill, to Misaka's classmates, to the various adversaries that our main characters meet along the way, everyone has something to bring to the show. Hell, even the main character from A Certain Magical Index: Touma Kamijou will show up occasionally, and usually have very amusing interactions with Misaka, bringing up her well hidden tsundere trait for all to see. He's mostly just there as fan-service(the other kind) however, not really contributing to the main plot besides from one occasion, but rather distantly mention side-characters from Index and so on. The standout however, is Dr. Kiyama Harumi, who is probably the most well developed character in the show, at least in season 1. I can't tell you her exact role in the plot due to spoilers, but her motivation and personality are really well defined. I also like how she is just a little "out of it", sometimes asking off-topic questions or not reacting to situations in the way a normal person would. 

Welcome to Academy City.

J.C Staff have always been consistently good with their animation, but if I had to say, A Certain Scientific Railgun is probably one of their best works. The futuristic aesthetic they've given Academy City looks crisp and clear, and there is plenty of nice backgrounds to go along with it. Speaking of backgrounds, occasionally you'll see these wide sweeping shots of the city sky-line, and you can tell the effort that the production company have put into them; you could take a snapshot and put it as your wallpaper they look so nice. Fight scenes between espers, especially fights with Misaka are always cool to watch, but even ones without her, J.C Staff usually find a way to make it interesting to look at, and all around, everything is awesome, except maybe the character designs, which while original, never really did much for me, but that's a nitpick. And it only gets better, as I think I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Railgun S has the best animation that I've seen J.C Staff produce.
     I've been listening to the OST the entire time I've been writing this review, and I hardly even registered it. The music, done by Maiko Iuchi, sounds very bland and uninteresting, filled to the brim with all the slice-of-life jingles you've heard a million times before. And yes, there is music to compliment the more serious parts of the series, but it's nothing worth listening to twice. The only thing I'll give on the music side of things is that the both OP's, and the first ED of the anime are rather nice, and have good animation to boot. There's also two songs: "memory of snow" and "Late in autumn" done by the band "fripside", that are rather serene and calming, and at least beat out the counterparts by Iuchi on the OST that seek to achieve the same feelings. And even if some voices are annoying, I can speak well for the dub.

OP 2

ED 1

Late in Autumn

Despite all the flack I've had to say about this show(and I had a lot), I'm glad I was introduced to this franchise. There's a lot to like, and a lot to dislike, so ultimately it just settles around average, but it is enjoyable, with hints of actual quality spread thin throughout the series. If I had to give only one compliment to A Certain Scientific Railgun, or even the whole Index franchise as a whole, I'd say it is highly approachable. I think at least everyone can find something to like here, with the well balanced genres of comedy, action and scfi-fi. That's not something I can say for just any anime, so well done Railgun on being able to achieve at least that. At the end of the day however, I'd say go watch Railgun even if you can see yourself only moderately liking it. There is not a lot of franchises that get better as they go on, and while it's true that I can speak for both seasons of Index yet, I can for Railgun, and there's nothing much better than a steady rise of quality in a show. So yeah, both seasons, I ultimately recommend it. Go see them guys.

Final Verdict: 6/10

P.S: Never trust anyone with a lab-coat.




Recommended Anime:

A Certain Magical Index

Well this one is pretty obvious.

Night Raid 1931

I sort of feel bad for recommending two anime I haven't even seen, but hey, it's another anime about a team of people wielding psychic abilities in an awesome setting, but this time with more a focus on plot and more serious.


Goodbye for now guys.



Like the review? Click here for a review of Kanon(2006).

Or for a countdown, click here for the first part of my Top 50 Anime OP's. 

Or for books and the such, click here for a review of Ender's Game. 

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