A Certain Scientific Railgun T

We’re back with the review of yet another season for the spinoff “A Certain Scientific Railgun T.” It’s strange when you’re excited more about the side story of a secondary character instead of the main one and are hooked more to the events happening in the former’s life. We just can’t help it.

There’s a massive difference in the quality of the original Index Series and the spinoff Railgun Series. As we’re this deep into the series, nothing is new for us anymore, and we’ve noticed the patterns with the predecessors of the Railgun series that we’ll be talking about in detail in this review. So, without further ado, let’s talk in-depth about the series!

Story

A Certain Scientific Railgun T opens with the beginning of the Daihasei Festival. Tokiwadai Middle School, an all-girls school, is also taking part in the festival. Mikoto Misaka, who is a prodigy at her school, is excited to compete and try her best to win. The Festival has opened the gates of the Academy City for foreigners, and all sorts of people are gathering. Certain groups are adamant about ruining the Festival for their own motive. Misaka appears to be their target. As the festival begins, the mysterious groups slowly start to show themselves.

We’ve noticed some heavy use of symbolism in this season, like that of “Humanism.” The Railgun Series never fails to amaze us with the correct use of symbolism that actually makes sense. The story balances out dark elements as well as light-hearted moments perfectly.

We’ve noticed with the new seasons of the Railgun Series that the writers have put more effort into making things more intriguing for the fans. Things are quite the opposite of how we initially think they are, and we’re kept in the dark all the time, except for when it’s the right time to expose everything. The plot twists are also there, so the whole experience becomes quite enjoyable and keeps us hooked to it till the end.

This season introduces us to a new character, Shokuhou, who ends up bonding with Misaka. We commend how the creators have managed to contrast both the characters and the vast differences between them. Both being level 5 espers, their synergy is very impressive. This was not present in any other season of the Original Index Series. Still, the Railgun Series has proved itself to be much better than its predecessor because it has incorporated all the elements in it that were absent before.

This season is divided into two arcs; “Daihasei Festival Arc” and “Dream Ranker Arc.” After going through both, it is safe to say that both the arcs were made perfectly. Better arcs make our watching experience even better and give us a sense of satisfaction that was absent with the Original Index Series. So, Overall, the story for this season was phenomenal, and both the arcs were equally good.

Characters

We have noticed with the character of Misaka that she is much more than just a tsundere girl. With such character development, there is a lot of depth in her character. Even though she’s being treated like a lab rat in that awful city, she still cares about the innocent civilians. Her friends are vital to her, and she will not hesitate to crush anyone who dares to take them away from her. She becomes more mature, and her perception about certain things changes after going through the character development.

The new character we’re introduced to is Shokuhou Misaki, who was introduced as a sociopath who was cold towards everyone around her. The viewers started to hate her initially, but her character appeared to be more fleshed out after her redemption arc. She did appear in Railgun S for like 5 minutes, but her character in Railgun T was far better than how she was portrayed in the previous one.

Misaka’s group of friends are the same. Kuroko is still annoying and is there just for fanservice but also keeps the atmosphere lighthearted. Kuroko is one such character who is pretty well-rounded and goes well with the personality of Misaka. Overall, the characters were very likable, with each one of them having different personalities and attitudes towards different things. We’re giving a 10/10 to the creators for putting in so much effort in the development of the characters!

Animation

J.C Staff was able to create even better animation in the new season. The last season was done pretty well too. The fight scenes were not just all over the place. There was a proper strategy behind them, and it was done perfectly well. The movements were fluid and pleasing to the eyes.

We noticed the background animation because it was reused a lot, which took us back to season 2. It’s not a bad thing at all, as the second season served us with really fantastic animation. The CGI was not bad at all and was able to exceed our expectations.

As far as character design is concerned, we are impressed by the facial expressions of our characters. They actually look alive though they’re only anime characters. The animators have paid great attention to every little detail, and their hard work did bring them fruit.

Sound

The opening and ending theme songs of the Railgun series, as always, are pretty catchy, and a fun listen. The opening did sound like the older ones from the Railgun series, but we have nothing to complain about as they were phenomenal. They incorporated the right kind of background music with a specific scene involving emotions like sadness, rage, excitement, etc., which was done very well. Overall, the music directors did a marvelous job in composing the soundtracks and the background themes.

Final Verdict

The Railgun Series has shown us that the spin-offs of a specific anime can work wonders if the storyline, characters, animation, and music have some effort and care put into them. We enjoy this spin-off series and recommend you watch it even more than the original Index Series!