A rigid, administrative infrastructure, a reliance on ironically ungodly, god-given superpowers, and the implementation of technologically advanced machines, all for the betterment of its population. That's the backbone of Academy City. A perfect place for in which future generations, and the future itself, blossoms. Or is it?
Unbeknownst to those who merely glance at the surface of this show, we are in fact looking at an arms race. A widespread hunger for power. Beneath the glistening lights of Railgun's (a shortening for the title) overly "perfect" setting, i found this to be a really interesting show that documents an on-going struggle for power, and a need to bring justice to those who place science above morals... This being the simplified meaning behind this 24 episode series...
If there's one thing that Railgun did right, it was this above described premise. The actual concept behind the show, though not revolutionary, always appealed to me as particularly interesting, and one of its strong suits. The focus on the somewhat oppressive nature of this society's administration, and the way that everything is valued logically according to the exact details of one's abilities, gave Railgun a very unique, heavily context-based style. It's definitely not bland, and fortunately strays from the "superpower" theme stereotype.
The show is a somewhat two-faced hybrid between a heavily action-based, cinematic journey, and a more lighthearted SoL. Consequently, there are occasions where the intensity and seriousness of the show, despite being quite emphasized, is a tad jeopardized by the "reality check" if you will, that main cast are schoolgirls. But don't run away just yet.
Railgun bears a formidable, overriding story; hidden mostly in the show's early stages. I guess you could say that Railgun's first "phase" was made to immerse you and give you a feeling for the premise, and the way in which everything works - a very "called for" introduction in my opinion, as like i implied before, without the context it would really work too well. The setting is really immersive and escapist. It gives the viewer a great feel and awareness of scale. Combine this with Railgun's first class art, and it's definitely up there in the visuals department.
In terms of content, Railgun give quite an even split between the characters' lives, and the action-based events that follow. This prevents it from being too sequential, and therefore allows you to go from eating ice cream, to beating up criminals in the blink of an eye. It's great for those with a short attention span, as a generalization, but on a more serious note... Railgun creates a correlation between lack of power, and frustration in its characters, which reflects the context really well. This undertones the main moral arguments that are brought up throughout, and allows surprisingly for more than just shallow emotions to be conveyed, despite the fairly casual presentation.
There's not an obvious method set to class Railgun as... The characters development techniques are primarily quite documentative and straight-up. It's therefore not too expansive, but makes up for this with dramatic and passionate emotional situations - though they are undermined occasionally due to the comedy/innuendo aspects. (a step too far in my opinion), but considering the identity of the characters again, i guess it's appropriate, despite that perhaps being the only flaw in the setup.
On the other (arguably slightly larger) side of the spectrum, Railgun is packed to the brim with action-packed situations that are integrated seamlessly, without being consumptive of depth. They're genuinely cool, VERY intense, and suspenseful too - all serving to give a good immediate scope. In-turn this allows the viewer to get a better understanding of everything works, and acts as an outwards reflection, an indicator of how the characters' emotional growth and cooperation allows them to deal justice.
It CLOSE to being cheesy is Railgun. And i would argue that it is an easy-watching addition to your list, that will have you without a doubt rooting for physics defying schoolgirls. The characters are very understandable, likable, and the action-oriented presentation makes it all particularly cinematic and exhilarating.
Railgun doesn't go without fault though, as i find it frustrating how the meaning evident in the show's brilliant context is not very effectively elaborated upon/conveyed, in the episodes themselves.
So unfortunately, i would have to say that this really epic name in the anime community, is violated by its identity issues. I feel as though JC crammed a bit too much content into this first season (so yes, i am aware that there's supposed to be room for expansion). By judging holistically, it's quite apparent at least to me that the show tries to appeal to too may different audiences at once, and so its very 2-sided nature conflicts by splitting the "allocation of depth", to the point where it's difficult to deduce what the series specializes in.
So i won't deny that this is a problem that leaves the show slightly lacking in terms of its own personality, and a bit generic... But as a whole, Railgun is nevertheless a very vivid and enjoyable, cinematic series. Based off the awesome context and overriding themes alone alone, i promised myself that would follow the series up with the next season: "S".
~ Blue stripes today! ~
