Table of ContentsIntroductionThe universeA certain Magical IndexA certain Scientific RailgunPersonal thoughtsExtra informationIntroductionWelcome everyone! For some time now, the universe of Raildex has taken me whole. Back in the Summer, a rewatch of Raildex was hosted by /u/FlyGuy302 and since that rewatch had ended, my new interest had started. After rewatching Raildex for the third time during that rewatch I was finally taken in by it. The universe of Raildex is a very unique and well done, so in this post I will explain why you should get into it!I noticed that there was no proper WT for the series so that's why I decided to write it. I will go over pros and cons of both Index and Railgun while trying to keep it as unbiased as possible. At the end of this post, I will also include my own opinions of both series.Let's get started!The universeThe majority of events take place in Academy City, a city taking up 1/3 of Tokyo with the population of 2.8 million 80% of which are the students. The city is focused on the development of science technology and currently is 20 or 30 years ahead of the rest of the world. Students take part in Esper Development Curriculum which gives them the potential of gaining psychic powers. Espers are ranked starting from level 0 (almost powerless) ending with level 5 (super powers), latter being the rarest occurrence in the city (there are only 7 students with the power level of 5). While espers can be fully explained by science, there is another major part to this universe which is unreachable by science.While the concept of espers had appeared not long ago, espers had always existed. Natural espers, now recalled to as Gemstones were referred to as "those with talent". While Gemstones are a rarity, there were still those who were jealous or afraid of "those with talent". Out of fear and jealousy magic was born, a way to gain and use supernatural powers for "those without talent". People based their magic on various beliefs and traditions which gave it variety of effects dependant on their cultures. While esper powers have only one type of power they can use (I.E. controlling the electrical current), magic has a variety of ways to use it, ranging from simple healing to shifting and fluctuating the world.While both magic and esper powers are the ways to reach the supernatural, both concepts are based on different sets of laws and cannot be used together. In this universe where people have reached the supernatural, the fight between two different realms had begun!The universe of this series is very possibly one of the best universes I've seen in media. Unfortunately, only a fraction of what there is to this universe was shown in the anime adaptations, but nevertheless adaptations do show some important points and also include a lot of hints to what the wider world in the unadapted volumes has to offer. If you liked the series and want to see more, then don't hesitate to read source material, them being manga for Railgun and LN's for Index.A certain Magical IndexA certain Magical Index is the main story of Raildex following perspective of Kamijou Touma, a powerless level 0 who is drowning in misfortune. Living in Academy City, a city of pure science where concepts of "misfortune" are non-existent did not help him. He can also be referred to as "The Weakest" because he has no esper power at all. Even level 0's of Academy City possess some kind of very weak power, but that is not the case for Kamijou Touma. Even while science deemed him as powerless he bares an unexplainable power in his right hand which he calls "Imagine Breaker". Imagine Breaker has an ability to nullify any and all kinds of supernatural powers be it an esper power or magic.A major part of the first season of A certain Magical Index focuses a lot on world building. Explaining a lot of important aspects of the universe as well as building the base to build the further plot on, some of which being Index I spoilers. In the second season, we get to see a lot of Accelerator, the second protagonist of the series. Hamazura Shiage, the final protagonist of the series appears in the final episode of the second season.The universe is very big and a lot needs to be explained, that is what some people are not fond of. During the world building of the first season as well as half of the second season, Kamijou Touma goes through little character development (that is why anime-only fans are usually referring to him as a very blunt character, not that I agree with them). The positive part of this is that some of the world building is based around certain characters which are Misaka Mikoto (more about her later) and Accelerator, one of the protagonists. During both seasons, Accelerator's character gets developed a lot and we get to see his epicness often. Misaka Mikoto is a supporting character which gets a lot of screen time and during both seasons her character will also get developed quite a bit.The adaptation is well made but it is lacking in some aspects. Some arcs were really rushed, them being Index I arcs. Kamijou Touma, the primary protagonist, his character gets a lot more development further in the novels, so if you're interested in him, then give it a read.Overall the story, universe and characters (most of them) of A certain Magical Index were really good. The music is well above average and art style is also very good for the year the anime was released in. If you like more of a serious type of series with a very good universe and plot, then go ahead and watch it!A certain Scientific RailgunA certain Scientific Railgun is a spinoff of A certain Magical Index following Misaka Mikoto's point of view. Misaka Mikoto is a powerful Level 5 esper ranked as the third strongest level 5. She's the strongest electromaster in Academy City. Her ability is controlling electricity allowing her to make very powerful electrical attacks, hacking electronic devices, moving objects with magnetism and a lot more. Her nickname "Railgun" is originated from her most powerful attack, the Railgun. She is a middle school student attending prestigious Tokiwadai Middle School.In contrary to A certain Magical Index, A certain Scientific Railgun takes a more light-hearted approach in the story with a lot more SoL episodes and seemingly less action. The first season focuses a lot on Misaka Mikoto's group of friends being Shirai Kuroko, Saten Ruiko and Kazari Uiharu with them taking on the bizarre situations Academy City has to offer. Misaka Mikoto's character also gets very little development in the first season compared to the second.Before getting into the second season, I'd like to explain the weakest side of A certain Scientific Railgun anime. Fillers. While the filler arcs were made by the original author, the way they were directed created a lot of inconsistencies with the main plot as well as a few plot holes. Usually, it is not a problem. You can think of A certain Scientific Railgun as an ever so slightly different universe and you should be fine. I highly recommend reading the manga after you're done with the anime if you're interested in canon.Now about the second season. The first arc of the second season is also present in the first season of A certain Magical Index and during this arc Mikoto's character gets a lot of development. While the anime is filled with fillers, this arc alone makes up for all of this. I'm not kidding, this arc is really amazing and you should go watch it.Overall, A certain Scientific Railgun is a very bad adaptation of the manga. As I said, the anime has a lot of inconsistencies with the main story. But that is not a huge problem because the music, art and first arc of the second season make up for all of it. If you like SoL series with a fair bit of action mixed in, definitely watch this! The music is especially cool.Personal thoughtsNow that I made unbiased judgments of both A certain Magical Index and A certain Scientific Railgun, I'd like to tell you what I think of both series. I enjoyed Index more than I did Railgun mainly because Index had more action, more Accelerator and less fillers in it. Though I still liked Railgun especially the second season. Like holy shit, episodes 11-16 were one of the best episodes I've ever seen. I won't spoil anything, but if you find it hard to watch Railgun, I'll let you know that second season makes it all worth it. In my honest opinion, the only thing that can top the first arc of the second season of Railgun is Index III if it ever gets released (pls).Also, this universe has really interesting philosophical themes which I really liked:The more power a character has, the more pain he will gain in return. That is shown really well during arcs with Misaka Mikoto or Accelerator. They're really really powerful but they're still human.If you're really weak, it doesn't matter, you can still change the world. Shown really well with actions of Kamijou Touma Minor LN spoilersWhen humans carve to get as powerful as gods, they dirty their hands in everything just to get said power.If you liked the series, then consider reading manga/light novels. The more we support Kamachi Kazuma the better content we'll get. LN's are really well written. Even those who didn't like Index anime really liked Index novels, so don't hesitate to give it a try!Extra informationWatch order shouldn't matter much as long as you watch Index I first. A lot of unexplained points in Railgun gets explained in Index I. In my opinion, Index I is essential if you want to understand the story better. After that feel free to watch it however you want as long as you watch the second season of Railgun after the first.Useful links:Raildex can be legally streamed over at Funimation./u/JBHUTT09's presentation of Raildex series./u/Zanotam's creative (fun) watch order.Translated Index LN's can be bought here. Note that not all the LN's are fully translated yet. You'll have to wait a few years before all of them will get translated. Usually, one book gets translated every three months.Special thanks to /u/JBHUTT09 for motivating me with his dedication, /u/FateSteelTylor for having shit taste for motivating me with his reactions, /u/aniMayor for his input and people from a certain subreddit for banning me.If you think that I left out some details then don't hesitate to leave a reply with constructive criticism!Peace! http://ift.tt/1Omp5PM
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