A Certain Scientific Accelerator is a spin-off anime from A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun. The season is 12 episodes long. As the title suggests, it follows Accelerator, the most powerful Level 5 esper in Academy City. It is highly recommended to have knowledge of at least A Certain Magical Index and the events that transpired given that this anime takes place after Accelerator’s first appearance there. This is especially since Accelerator has been handicapped and joined by Misaka Misaka, one of the Misaka clones / sisters.
Accelerator wasn’t really likeable in his initial appearances in the mainline titles and spin-offs, given his arrogant attitude and overpowered nature. However, here, given he is the protagonist, it works quite well. He’s also severely handicapped given what he had gone through, and relies on a battery powered device to help him perform the calculations required to use his power effectively. He’s in the hospital still recuperating, joined with Misaka Misaka, a young cheerful little kid, and the anime takes all this for granted that the viewer already knows the background.
The anime jumps straight into it and once again, Academy City shows off yet another dark organisation in the shadows performing unscrupulous experiments. It merges both the magical and science side of the series into its arc, as the initial key plot point was the ability to reanimate corpses using magic. It somehow manages to involve Accelerator. Unlike the other protagonists, Accelerator’s way of doing things is going in solo, smashing everything in his way. He’s still absurdly powerful here, explained with his ability of manipulating vectors, but still feels crazily overpowered.
In an attempt to humanize Accelerator, and make him more likeable in the process, it is surprisingly to see that he is actually affected by his past actions. His participation in the Level 6 project where he had cruelly and heartlessly killed so many of the Misaka clones actually affected him much deeper than he shows. And despite being constantly annoyed by Misaka Misaka, she is his weak point, and he genuinely cares for her.
The plot stalls in the middle of the season with several large scale battles happening. It’s not entirely bad given that the combat scenes are fun. There is the introduction of a team of espers who are powerful. Since they have the strength to back it up, they are quite arrogant. Unfortunately for them, they’re overshadowed by the even more powerful Accelerator who reverses their positions and is even more arrogant. It’s really quite satisfying to watch.
There are several connections and references back to the other titles in the series. The aforementioned group of espers will reappear in A Certain Scientific Railgun T, while several cameos from A Certain Magical Index also appear. Sometimes, it’s a bit too coincidental and forced but cameos are always fun. Antiskill, the heavily armed organisation charged with security of Academy City plays a central role, leading to a more serious tone for most of the season compared to the other titles.
A common theme is how a lot of the plot arcs within the series seem to resolve around creating a Level 6 esper. There’s a fixation on that, and it’s present here as well. The goal is the same, just the method is different. There’s heavy exposition when the anime explains that particular arc’s approach in reaching the rank beyond the current highest level, and it can significantly drag the pacing down. As a result, the second half of the season can become bogged down, even though there’s a lot of action, since by this point, it shows its hand and needs to wrap it up so it couldn’t make it more meaty.
The ending, while mostly predictable, does hold several surprises. Considering the class of the enemy and how powerful they were, the climactic battle ends up being a bit more boring compared to the one during the middle of the season. Perhaps it’s because Accelerator’s attacks doesn’t easily overwhelm the villain, or that he’s handicapped and can’t let loose, but there were actually some scenes where it was boring. Then there was the decision for the last few episodes to lose color, reflecting the state of the world. It had the unintended consequence of making the anime drab to watch.
Overall, A Certain Scientific Accelerator is a fine anime. If you liked any of the other mainline or spin-off titles, then you’ll like this one, especially since there are more than just cursory references to those. Accelerator himself is much more likeable here, and despite his insistence on calling himself a villain, his actions speak otherwise, and he is still regretting his past actions. The only negatives are the uneven pacing, but that’s basically a staple of the series by now.
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