It’s all very artificial…
What They Say:
As Yomikawa takes over investigating the runaway security robots, Konori invites the whole gang out to take in a bath at a bathhouse. On their way home, a number of detours lead them to a confrontation with yet another, much more dangerous runaway robot.
The Review:
Runaway robots is serious business, but it’s just one of a number of strange malfunctions that’s come to the attention of Judgment lately. Not that that’s getting in the way of the gang enjoying their downtime – this time with a trip to the public baths with Febri. While the gang’s goofing, off, though, it seems that a trap is being laid for Misaka by the group hoping to use her in their ‘experiments’…
Enter our rampaging robots again – with the added problem that these robots are immune to Misaka’s electromagnetism, which of course makes dealing with them a little more difficult. It seems that Febri has no such problem dealing with the mechanoids, though, which adds to the mystery surrounding her. And leaves her suffering side-effects that land her in hospital, where part of her origin is revealed.
Still building the mystique of the arc, then, with the shadowy group getting exactly what they wanted from their interrupted ‘experiment’ and now left planning what to do next with the information they’ve gathered. All very ominous, especially when a familiar face makes an appearance amongst them.
Looks like Kongou’s going to be playing a major part in this arc, too, which (as much as I hate her ojousama laugh) looks set to be a good thing – not someone we’ve seen a lot of over the course of Railgun‘s anime adaptation, but I like her – and as much as I love the dynamic between the core girls, adding someone comparatively fresh to the mix for a while can only be a good thing.
In Summary:
Overall, though, I’m stil not entirely convinced by this arc. Rampaging robots is hardly an original idea, and there’s no real twist to the idea yet that’s giving it a unique Railgun twist; and while Febri’s cuteness incarnate, there are still no real answers as to the what and why of her presence with the gang. It’s all a bit up in the air, with no real indication of just where it’s going. With four episodes left is in the season, though, there’s plenty of time to put things right.
Content Grade: B+
Streamed By: FUNimation
Review Equipment: 27” Apple iMac, 2.9GHz Core i5, 32GB RAM, Mac OS X 10.8.4
