JosephWongKS posted:

Do they get a spin-off series of their own?

Pensive posted:

A Certain Sarcastic Hive-mind?

Dan7el posted:

I didn't watch Railgun Season 1, but I did just recently more or less finish the whole light novel series. I didn't read all the side stories. Here are some bits of information, thoughts, and light novel spoilers regarding Mikoto and Touma:

Bits of Information:

1. As far as I can tell, there is never really any reason given as to why the level 6 project began or is important. My best guess is that the difference between a level 5 and theoretical level 6 is probably like the difference between an F5 and theoretical F6 tornado. Maybe an order of magnitude? We only know the Tree Diagram super-super-super computer calculated how this could happen, and people in Academy City got the project going:
___a. We don't know who will profit or why.
___b. We can assume the project is super-secret because:
______i. Cloning is more or less illegal by international convention.
_____ii. The killing of said clones would also be highly illegal and immoral by any convention.

2. Most of the characters introduced and developed in this Railgun series are not mentioned much in the primary series. I think some of the side stories focus somewhat on some of them, though. Mikoto in fact, is only one of many girls developed in the main To Aru series. She probably gets the most overall development, though.

3. As indicated by a couple of things in this series, there is a "dark side" to Academy City. About half of the level 5's are somehow involved in the dark side, including Mugino who is part of the ITEM team. Mikoto seems to have either side-stepped this involvement altogether, or is totally not interested in it. She generally leads a "good", and "clean" life as a top-member of what is most-likely the top-most all girls middle school in the City.
___a. There is never any indication about how people like Mugino got involved in these dirty deeds or why.

In this universe, there are two primary means of paranormal powers: magic and esper. Now we're delving into the world of light novel spoilers. Note, I will keep my information "general" and not specific as to what happens to any particular individual. This information is all more or less how the author did his world building.
::Light Novel Spoilers Ahead::

1. Aleister Crowley is like a hundred years old or older and possibly the most knowledgeable and powerful magic user of all time. Other magic users hunted him down and almost killed him. The frog-faced doctor (who is also very old) saved his life and together they moved to Japan and developed a new branch of paranormal power development -- espers -- and built Academy City.
___a. Esper powers are a new paradigm designed to possibly supplant magic.
___b. Only the people at Academy City know how to turn someone into an esper. There are some, ultra rare, natural espers called "gemstones" that exist, but the bulk of the espers in existence are all from Academy City and all because of some mysterious process that only Academy City can perform on someone that causes them to become esper.
______i. Touma had this process done to him. Initially, all espers start out at level 0, like Touma, but are given training and opportunity to develop past that.
_____ii. Once the process is performed on a person, that person can no longer safely practice magic. They can perform magic, but it will cause them to injure themselves and eventually die.
____iii. The teachers and instructors generally do *not* have this process done to them. Therefore, they can perform magic. They generally don't.
___c. Aleister Crowley has a hidden agenda apart from the overall development of esper powers. His end goal is never revealed, but I get the idea it has something to do with a development past both esper and magic abilities.

2. The magic side generally can't leave well enough alone and wish for either the total destruction of Academy City and all it stands for or to have Academy City come under their control. This desire is the genesis for the majority of the conflicts Touma gets himself involved with, including taking care of Index, etc.
___a. Many of the conflicts involve evil magic users coming into Academy City only to be stopped by Touma and Company -- often ending in a punch to the face.
___b. Touma and Company do get to travel abroad a bit as well. Touma punches faces all over the world.
___c. Touma inadvertently develops a "Kamijou Faction" -- a group of people who more or less follow him in his endeavors. Both magic and esper groups consider his faction both powerful and threatening. This faction consists of both magic and esper users.

3. While Index herself is fairly idiotic, her importance to the magic-side can't be underestimated. She contains the total sum of all the magical works known -- some 103,000 grimoires. The fact she's allowed to "roam free" at all is significant. The fact those who are "in charge" allow her to live with Touma is significant. He is more or less her keeper. While Index can't willingly manipulate magic, she has an automatic defense mode built into her psyche called the "John's Pen" mode. It's never described how or why she has this mode, but when it's activated, she is no longer herself and it's best to run and hide.

It's kind of a shame that the author doesn't do more with Index because she's actually very knowledgeable and when push comes to shove, she's able to come through on her own. Unfortunately, the author focuses so much on Touma that Index becomes nothing more than a whiney, biting side-kick who doesn't do much and doesn't seem to be worth much.

4. Sister number 10031 is the last Sister that Accelerator kills. Therefore, there are 9968 Sisters alive plus Last Order (Sister 20001) that are very much part of the story. After the Level 6 Project is abandoned, the Academy City sends out all but five or so of the Sisters to various parts of the world. The LN refers to these Sisters as Military Clones. Aleister uses them for various nefarious and not-so-nefarious purposes. Touma encounters a few on his various travels.

I would hope that if there are any further Railgun series seasons, that we'd focus on the large amount of times that Mikoto doesn't spend with Touma. For the most part, he spends most of his adventures outside of her presence; although, she does become more involved with him in the later LNs. Also, I would hope we see more of what the Sisters are up to. We do get some reports of things they've done while following Touma around the globe, but I'm sure there's a gold mine that can be used for series fodder available there.

Redcrimson posted:

Oh, well... it fun while it lasted. Yay, more fanservice

Redcrimson posted:

Oh, well... it fun while it lasted. Yay, more fanservice

Relambrien posted:

I agree, I am extremely glad that I was wrong about how the stupid fanservice was likely to continue (watch me eat my words this week or something).

Relambrien posted:

I agree, I am extremely glad that I was wrong about how the stupid fanservice was likely to continue (watch me eat my words this week or something).

Relambrien posted:

Redcrimson posted:

Oh, well... it fun while it lasted. Yay, more fanservice

Falken posted:

Something to note from episode 12. It seems that (spoilers) 10032 is the MISAKA that finds the black kitten rather than 10031 now. Slight retcon perhaps but I like it. Also, Accelerator killed the poo poo out of those thugs..

ZepiaEltnamOberon posted:

The Wiki

JosephWongKS posted:

Episode 12 - The Sisters continue to be the best part of this series. I love their sense of humor.

"Dog." "Tokugawa Ieyasu". "Schroedinger". "Deferred".

Do they get a spin-off series of their own?

Redcrimson posted:

Oh, well... it fun while it lasted. Yay, more fanservice

Raenir Salazar posted:

"Why are you walking away from the cat that is clearly in need of help. Says Misaka outraged."

The best was: "Its a cat. But its named Dog. Huehue."

Poke posted:

Can someone tell me what happens to the researcher who tried to help Misaka during her raid on all of the buildings associated with the experiment? I read as far as I could go with the translated manga but it never says what happens to her after she gets captured.

tonberrytoby posted:

Manga Spoiler. No, she is never heard from again.

veekie posted:

^^
I'd think it's never been in doubt that Accelerator is a psycho. He's just fighting on the side of the good guys. Doesn't change who he is.

Poke posted:

Can someone tell me what happens to the researcher who tried to help Misaka during her raid on all of the buildings associated with the experiment? I read as far as I could go with the translated manga but it never says what happens to her after she gets captured.

tonberrytoby posted:

Manga Spoiler. No, she is never heard from again.

Wheezle posted:

Hooray for Misaka runs through generic science facility breaking stuff scene #50000.

Why does every scene that we didn't already see in index seem like filler?

Wheezle posted:

Why does every scene that we didn't already see in index seem like filler?

ChronoReverse posted:

Railgun only viewer here and it was a good episode for me. I'm appalled at how backed into a corner Mikoto is. It's not even fair (obviously).

Dan7el posted:

Okay, so what are the writers doing? I think they're doing a really good job letting us see Mikoto get to the point where she realizes (Anime Spoiler) that there is no other way to stop the killings other than Mikoto herself dying. This is where Touma finds her when he meets up with her in the rail yard during Misaka 10032's battle with Accelerator. Mikoto is ready and willing to fight Accelerator, knowing she can't beat him and will die. The writers are bringing her to this point, and doing a fairly good job of it.

With filler.

Falken posted:

I like the way they changed the sister's iris style from the flat emotionless grey to just like Mikotos. It makes Accelerator's doings seem worse because it looks like he's merrily murdering Mikoto over and over.