The second season of A Certain Scientific Railgun, which covers the Sisters arc and the anime-original Silent Party arc.
If you have seen A Certain Magical Index, you will be aware of the sisters arc. However, this shows the story from Mikoto’s perspective, thus expanding upon it. Touma and Accelerator are still there, but there is also the introduction of another Level-5 esper and her team ITEM, that wasn’t seen in Index.
The second arc shown in the anime is the Silent Party arc, which has a far greater focus on Mikoto and her friends as they discover a mysterious young girl who doesn’t know much else besides the name Mikoto Misaka.
All the familiar characters seen from the first season of Railgun return, as one would expect. A quick summary for each character, then.
Mikoto Misaka is the Railgun, third-ranked level 5 Esper in Academy City. In the Sisters Arc, she tries to keep the situation to herself so as not to worry her friends. However, she realises that having friends help out isn’t so bad in the Silent Party Arc.
Kuroko Shirai is a level 4 Esper, with the power to teleport. She is infatuated with Mikoto, though her affection is extremely one-sided.
Kazari Uiharu is a member of Judgment alongside Kuroko. She is a level 1 Esper, with a strong sense of justice. She is also friendly.
Ruiko Saten is a level 0 Esper, and best friend of Uiharu. She will seize whatever opportunity she can to flip Kazari’s skirt to see her underwear. Ruiko is outgoing and very friendly.
Kamijou Touma is the main protagonist of A Certain Magical Index, and plays an important role during the Sisters arc of Railgun. He is cursed with bad luck, which may come about as a result of his ‘Imagine Breaker’; his right arm can cancel out powers, whether they come from science or magic.
Accelerator serves as the antagonist for the Sisters arc. He is the number one level 5 Esper, though he seeks to become stronger and attain Level 6. He does that through murdering clones of Mikoto, which he does gleefully.
And finally, for important characters, we have Febri. She is found by Mikoto and her friends at the beginning of the Silent Party Arc. She is always sucking on a lollipop, and the only memory she has when they find her is the name ‘Mikoto Misaka.’ She quickly becomes friends with everyone except Mikoto, but eventually warms up to her.
I should probably make mention of ITEM, a team of Espers led by the level 5 Meltdowner. Their interactions with each other a fairly comical when they aren’t being serious. They prove to be quite worthy adversaries for Mikoto during the Sisters Arc.
Oh, and I guess Shinobu Nunotaba warrants a mention as well. She has connections to both Arcs, and is probably a more important character than I am actually giving her credit for here.
Don’t forget the Mikoto’s clone, the Sisters, either. They receive character development, though saying too much would spoil things.
Expect to see a few other familiar faces as well, though I won’t say too much about who they are. If you’ve seen Index or the first season of Railgun, then you’ll know them.
I don’t really have much to say in the way of the soundtrack for this anime. I guess it serves its purpose, though I’m having a tough time recalling any of the music from anything before the final episode.
Anyone who enjoyed the Sisters arc from the Index anime will definitely enjoy this look at it from another perspective, especially as it has been expanded upon as well.
The Silent Party arc was a fun watch as well, especially as it returned the focus to Mikoto’s friends, and not just her.
That brings me on to a negative point, then. During the Sisters arc, Kuroko, Kazari and Ruiko are pretty much ignored once the plot gets into full swing. However, they are very much in focus for the Silent Party Arc.
The highlight for me would be the climax of the Silent Party Arc, just edging out the final confrontation with Accelerator. Seeing everyone come together in order to defend Academy City was great. The transforming mecha and the sequence that involved the Earth’s upper atmosphere may have been somewhat over-the-top, but that’s exactly how I like my finales.
Score: 9/10
An nice expanded look at the Sisters Arc, though several important characters are put out of focus. However, the Silent Party Arc returns focus to those characters, and tells an engaging tale along the way.
Rory Muses 