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Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Vol.02 Review


Chapter 008: Awakening from a near-kiss from Kuroko, Mikoto walks off, just as Kiyama Harumi walks in; introducing herself as a person doing research on brain psychology (specialising in AIM diffusion fields). Mikoto comes back from the bathroom and meets Harumi, who notes that she knows Mikoto. Harumi tells the duo that there has been no conclusion as to the cause of the student's coma, telling the gathered scientists that she came also to monitor the health conditions of the students. Kuroko asks Harumi about a 'Level Upper', but Harumi seemingly can't help because of a lack of information as to the 'Level Upper'.


Elsewhere, Ruiko meets up with Kazari and shows her the 'Level Upper', who mistakes it for a music player. Ruiko leads her to a cafe to tell her about what it is.


Back to Mikoto, Harumi and Kuroko in a cafe, Kuroko seems to have expanded on her theory that the 'Level Upper' is what causes the students to be in a coma. (She describes her problem of not being able to publicize this theory as they are not sure and if they were to publicize, the amount of victims might increase). Harumi realizes that Kuroko is asking because of her concern that it might be interfering with the brain's system and that she is asking her to investigate further.


Ruiko and Kazari meet up with the three of them and before Ruiko can show everyone the 'Level Upper', Kuroko states Judgment's intention to 'provide protection' to those with the 'Level Upper' as they "will always walk on the path of a criminal". As they are leaving the cafe later on in the day, Harumi mentions that she was a teacher a long time ago.


Ruiko leaves as Kazari asks her what she was going to show with a dissmissive comment and Mikoto senses Touma in the background and runs after him, without Kazari and Kuroko noticing. Catching up to Touma, she prepares to attack him, but is interrupted with him asking if there are any English churches in the area. Mikoto amiably gives him directions and they both walk away, but Mikoto realizes what she's doing and attacks Touma. Touma closes her mouth as she is talking, because all the electrical appliances in the area were short-circuited, attracting the attention of a security robot who blames him, causing him to run away.


Mikoto chases him and asks him to fight seriously and he finally does reply seriously, making Mikoto freeze up. As Touma does his self-pitying "What bad luck... A morning amongst a self-proclaimed magician", Mikoto tries to attack Touma but can't seem to bring herself to and instead asks about what he means by magician. Touma walks away, leaving Misaka look down despondently at her hand (obviously symbolic).


Ruiko is seen not wanting to throw away the 'Level Upper' as she "finally found it".


Kuroko asks the three thugs, who were previously chasing Mikoto, about the 'Level Upper'. Kuroko easily dispatches two who rush at her and 'politely' asks if she can get help from the last one (who agrees).


Chapter 009: A 'Level Upper' is downloaded by Kazari from Kuroko, who extorted the newly 'collected' music-player (from the last chapter). Kazari mentions that the recently banned web-site has over 5,000 downloads and since then, there have been more cash transactions. Kuroko asks for trading locations and Kazari hands her a sheath of paper of time and locations, who goes off to check out the situation, as she needs to point out the actual harm so that the authorities will stop it.


Harumi calls Kazari and explains that the 'Level Upper' uses devices to intervene with the brain system, but cannot see how it works in its entirety as she states that it will be hard to learn only through audio. Then Kazari realizes that Saten has a 'Level Upper'.


Saten Ruiko, through a soliloquy explains that she has never been able to become an Esper, because she always found there was "an inseparable wall" that she could not overcome, despite working hard. Saten Ruiko comes across Kikuhiko being beat up by two thugs, who are under the order of Trick. They find Ruiko who runs away, but she finds herself coming back and asking them to stop. Trick appears in front of her and grabs her hair, but Kuroko announces her appearence, stopping things from getting out of hand. She takes out the two thugs and is attacked by Trick. She tries attack him, but he seemingly dissapears who attacks from behind. A fight ensues, where Kuroko doesn't seem to be able to hit him, and where Trick seems to be disappearing. Just when Trick is about to land a hit with his knife, Kuroko teleports away in time (having a bit of hair cut off), leaving her to wonder what his power is.


Chapter 010: Kuroko is being worn down and she tries to block a kick from Trick, observing what he does in order to tell what his ability it is. The kick changes direction in an "impossible way" and hits Kuroko in the side. She tries throwing her last needle which seems to deflect away from Trick and she runs into an abandoned building. Trick seems to take pleasure in this, making it a game into a game of hide and seek restricted to this abondoned building, otherwise he will kill Ruiko.


She is slowly chased up to the highest floor, but she teleports to the lowest. Kuroko is about to go outside, but she is intercepted by Trick from an emergency exit, telling her that this building was on of his hideouts so he "know[s] everything about it". She teleports to the top floor to escape him and Trick has his own little soliloquiy about how he's going to kill Kuroko. He faces away from a mirror, which reflects his image anyway.


Outside, Ruiko is trying to be convinced by Kikuhiko to run away, saying that "there's nothing a Level 0 can do in this situation".


Cut to Kuroko confronting Trick at the very top floor, who reveals that she knows his ability is the ability to distort light around himself; She figures this out by the fact that his foot changed direction and that the needle changed directions, indicating that it was an ability to trick the eyes - specifically bending light. Kuroko saids that she can't directly aim at him (due to his ability) and so teleports a pane of glass into the supporting column of the floor. She asks if he wants to surrender, but he doesn't as he believes that she can't do anything if she can't aim at him. Kuroko teleports a panes of glass into the supporting columns of the lower floors, leading to the entire building collapsing. Due to him not being able to concentrate and him being injured by the collapsing building, he cannot walk nor use his ability. As a piece of debris is about to fall on top of him, Kuroko teleports him out and she watches as the building collapses.


Two Anti-Skill officers turn up and tells them that "[Saten Ruiko] reported that Judgment is fighting an esper". The officer thanks her for doing her job as there was a recent surge of espers. Trick starts burbling out that they can't understand because they're not a part of it (Something the other criminal psychics were saying as well) and so Kuroko comes to the realization that he is brainwashing himself.


Ruiko realizes that there's a big difference between level 0's and psychics and comes across her other level 0 friends, who start talking about the 'Level Upper'. Saten tells them that she also has the 'Level Upper' and the chapter ends there.


Chapter 011: Using the 'Level Upper', Saten Ruiko and her friends are able to use a few abilities.


Three days later, Mikoto is hyping herself up to beat Touma "one day" (Presumably after facing off against him) and resolves to be better by helping out. Back in the Judgement headquarters Kuroko is being patched up by Kazari, who mentions that no-one has recovered from the coma and that they must arrest the developer. As Kazari finishes re-bandaging Kuroko, Mikoto walks in (Clearing security with her ability), causing Kuroko to teleport Kazari above Mikoto. Misaka offers to help, but cannot because there are no leads. After a bit of brainstorming, both Kuroko and Mikoto reach the conclusion that the 'Level Upper' works by stimulating all 5 senses through synesthesia.


Kazari calls Kiyama Harumi and sends her the music for the 'Level Upper' to be analyzed by the Tree Diagram. She hangs up on Harumi and receives a call by Ruiko who tells her that she has been using the 'Level Upper' with friends, causing them to fall unconscious. She tells Kazari that she hates herself for not having an ability and that she blames herself for her friends being hurt. Ruiko has a flashback of her mother giving her a charm, so that "If something happens, you can always come back", a charm that Ruiko is holding as she is calling Kazari. Kazari comforts Saten, shouting in public over the phone, as she rushes back to Ruiko; but when she arrives, she is unconscious on the floor.


Mikoto and Kuroko receive the news that Ruiko is unconscious and as they're talking, Heaven Canceller comes from behind and asks if he can talk to them. He shows them both that the brain waves are being influenced (or straightened) by the 'Level Upper' to fit another persons, causing them to fall unconscious. He tells them that one of his works is to make a 'key' from brainwaves and one of the owners is Kiyama Harumi.


Harumi and Kazari are talking, with Kazari blaming herself for Saten being in a coma and Harumi tries comforting her. Harumi leaves the room, leaving Kazari alone and she notices a page about synesthesia sticking out of the cabinet. Upon opening it, she stumbles across an entire compartment of Harumi's research, all related to the 'Level Upper'. She is however caught by Harumi.


Chapter 012: Heaven Canceller discusses with Mikoto the possibilities of a 'brain wave network'; By changing their brain wave to an electrical signal, a network, Mikoto theorizes, could be created, as long as the consistency of the brain waves doesn't change. As Mikoto is asking if Harumi did that, Kuroko interrupts to tell her that she cannot contact Kazari.


In a car with Kazari and Harumi, Kazari asks her a series of questions, which answers:


The 'Level Upper' connects the espers' brains to create, what is essentially, a computer to make very complex calculations possible. It doesn't actually improve an Espers' abilities, but actually allows them to boost their ability and to "temporarily raise the capacity of production and the ability's range", with the people who have the same ability sharing their experiences so they are more efficient. The problem comes from their brain waves affecting each others', which means that a person can make them lose control of the network (Presumably Harumi).


Harumi saids that by using ten-thousand Espers to do a calculation and that when it's over, she will let every go with no side effects. As proof that she wanted no harm to come to anyone, she hands Kazari the uninstaller. Uiharu Kazari challenges Harumi on that claim, asking her what would happen if people fell into a coma when taking a bath (or such)? Harumi swerves to a stop in (comedic) shock, meekly saying that she didn't think about that. Harumi receives a message on her phone, alerting her to intruders in her lab and she mentions this to Kazari, telling her that the data will most likely be erased (due to her security protocol) and so the uninstaller in her hands is the only way to stop the network.


Anti-Skill arrive at the AIM laboratory and report to Mikoto and Kuroko that they are unable to find Harumi and Kazari and don't know Kiyama's objective or destination. They begin searching her lab with permission of their supervisor. Mikoto and Kuroko have a brief argument on whether or not Kuroko should go and help - ending with Mikoto winning, with what is presumably a lot of charm (So Kuroko does not go).


Harumi is driving when she comes across a anti-skill barricade and she stops her car. The anti-skill order her to get out of her car to be arrested and so she gets out of the car; but she mentions to Uiharu that the 'Level Upper' not only allows for calculations by linking minds, it also has "an interesting byproduct" for the manipulator. As the anti-skill officers approach and surround her, she controls a persons gun to shoot two officers. With the other officers distracted, she creates a fireball and causes an explosion.


Mikoto runs to the scene, talking to Kuroko on the phone and being informed that Kiyama is using multiple abilities. She does not believe it, as there is no exception to a person having multiple abilities, but Kuroko tells her that if they consider the 'Level Upper' as one big brain, then she can manipulate it to "Do what no one could ever do" (Be a Multi-Skill). Mikoto arrives at the scene, with Anti-skill officers on the floor and Kazari fainted in the car. The scene ends with Kiyama stating that she doesn't have a level five in her system, but Mikoto has never fought against a person with her [Multi] skill.


Chapter 013: Kuroko looks up Harumi's history and discovers the reason why she quit being a teacher was because "A student lost consciousness for unknown reasons during an experiment". Harumi and Mikoto are fighting on top of a highway, where Kiyama is showing her ability to use multiple abilities, crumpling the ground underneath Mikoto and dissipating her electricity (By combining multiple abilities). Causing to Mikoto to fall, there's a lull in the battle where they argue, with Harumi trying to explain that she's not sacrificing anyone and Mikoto rebuffs this, saying that she can't believe that such lengths would be taken for a good cause. Harumi questions the development of powers in Academy City, saying that the city is hiding something very important about the abilities and without knowing that, teachers are teaching it to everyone, endangering people. Mikoto doesn't believe her and attacks with magnetised iron sand, which Harumi blocks and counters with Graviton's power (with aluminium) by sending a can over and exploding it.


Mikoto is able to stop the can, but a stream of other cans float around the corner. Mikoto destroys them all before they can reach her, but they were simply a diversion for a can that was sneaked behind her. The can explodes, seemingly leaving Mikoto fatally injured, buried under dust.


Rating: 8/10

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