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Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Vol.05 Review


Chapter 024: The chapter opens with the continuation of a scene in Chapter 20, where Kuroko asks Mikoto what she would do if her own clone were to appear. Mikoto answers that "Well, I think i'd feel a bit sick and want her to disappear from my sight." with a smile.


Continuing from the last chapter (Where Mikoto saw Accelerator kill Misaka 9982), Mikoto rushes towards Accelerator and attacks him, but is easily repelled. Mikoto is at first concerned, but then seeing Misaka 9982's leg on the floor, screams again and attacks him with rails. Accelerator repels the rail's towards Mikoto, which she avoids, and then Accelerator realizes this Mikoto is the original one. She shouts at him, asking him what's his motivation to participate in this program if he was so strong, to which he replies that he wants 'absolute power', a power that makes other people laugh at the thought at fighting him.


Mikoto is disgusted at his response and fires off her 'railgun' at him, which he deflects once again. He starts advancing towards Mikoto, wanting a challenge, but is stopped by other 'Sisters', who tell him that the calculation might be thrown off if he fights against Mikoto. He walks off and as soon as he leaves, Mikoto's knees give out from fear. As the 'Sisters' are given orders by the Misaka in charge, Mikoto shouts at them, asking why they are willing to participate in this program, to which they reply that they are "Lab animals, after all", ending the chapter.



Chapter 025: Mikoto dreams of the moment she agrees to donate her DNA map and she shouts to her younger self to stop, that they are lying to create the 'Sisters' experiment. Her dream develops into her being grabbed by the other 'Sisters', with them blaming her for creating the experiments.


Mikoto wakes up on a bench outside and sees Shinobu standing over her, who realizes that Mikoto has found out about the program. Asking how the scientists can continue this experiment, Shinobu explains that they only see the murder of these 'Sisters' as hamsters, rather than people. Mikoto realizes that she spread the bank cards around the alleys to delay the experiments (which ultimately didn't work) and questions Shinobu as to why she sees the 'Sisters' as human.


She tells Mikoto that after 'Radio Noise' scrapped and the 'Sisters' were used for the 'Level 6 Shift Project' instead. Shinobu recalls talking to Misaka 9982 and her asking Shinobu whether or not the outside air is sweet or spicy, after hearing the outside air is good. After the doors are opened, Misaka 9982 describes the multitude of sensation she feels in a very poetic (Yet methodical) way, much to the awe of Shinobu.


She tells Mikoto that that was the moment she believed that the clones were more than just guinea pigs. Mikoto replies that she doesn't look at clones like humans and that she doesn't think she can help people accept being killed, but she can't accept the people who use "other people's DNA Maps for stupid experiments". She jumps up, telling Shinobu that this is her problem and that she will fix it.


The next scene cuts to scientists talking to Nokleben about simultaneous terrorist attacks, using cyberterrorism to interfere. They cut off all communication lines, which stops Mikoto's attack, destroying 70% of the facilities. She attacks a further three laboratories (Despite days of non-stop moving), which makes the scientists believe that Mikoto is in charge (Though they don't have any concrete proof).


Mikoto ends up exhausted in her room, but she refuses to sleep due to the thought that other 'Sisters' could end up being experimented upon. Kuroko enters her room, concerned, to which Mikoto brushes her off, walking out. Kuroko realizes that Mikoto is caught in something horrible, but is disappointed in the fact that Mikoto can't rely on her.


With two experiments destroyed, Nokleben calls Shizuri (ITEM) to guard her facility, ending the chapter.


Chapter 026: The chapter opens with a debrief of the mission: there is high probability that an Electromaster that is going to attack the facility and they have to stop the attack and not inquire about the perpetrator's identity. Frenda then prepares her toys in the vents and upon hearing the intruder, prepares to attack.


Mikoto rushes into a large room and above her, Frenda's toys explode, making the ceiling on top of her. Mikoto redirects the debris with magnetism, but Frenda quickly follows up by igniting her fuselines. This corners Mikoto, but she is able to avoid being hit seriously and upon following Frenda's fuse-lines, deduces where she is. Rounding a corner, a ceramic doll explodes, but Mikoto is able to disintegrate the ceramic.Mikoto chases Frenda up a staircase and upon it exploding, is able to use her magnetism to continue walking.


The chapter ends with Mikoto chasing Frenda into a large room, 'cornering' her.


Chapter 027: The chapter opens with Shinobu being re-hired into research lab, while Mikoto is fighting Frenda in the other lab. Mikoto questions Frenda as to her intentions, but Frenda shrugs it off, saying it's all for money and explodes the entrance behind Mikoto, sealing off their room. Dolls fall down on top of Mikoto as Frenda lights the fuses, but Mikoto raises the floor with magnetism, cutting off the fuses. As Mikoto rushes her, Frenda drops a flashbang, blinding and deafening Mikoto and while she is incapacitated, Frenda throws several missiles at her. Mikoto evades these by running on the walls, approaches Frenda from behind and threatens her. Frenda quickly throws a vial of Ignis, which Mikoto explodes, and Frenda threatens that the entire room is currently filling with Ignis.


Unable to use her electricity powers for fear of igniting the room, she starts losing a hand-to-hand fight with Frenda. As Frenda is about to have the finishing blow, Mikoto is able to avoid the attack and strangle her. Frenda flips out of it, causing the flares to drop out of her pocket and accidentally light a fuse. Frenda jumps out of the way of the fuse-line and the chapter ends with Mikoto laughing at the audacity of Frenda's bluff.


Chapter 028: The chapter starts with Mikoto questioning Frenda about her friends and as she is, Shizuri's Meltdowner pierces through the wall, narrowly missing Mikoto. While Shizuri is addressing Frenda, Mikoto throws a heater with her magnetism, which Shizuri destroys with her powers. A fight ensues, with Mikoto avoiding Shizuri's attacks by clinging to the walls and throwing objects with her powers.


In the other laboratory containing the 'Sisters', the scientists discuss Shinobu's employment, where they say she is a scapegoat. They enter the room where they left Shinobu, but she's already left, wanting to do "that".


Consuming the Ability Body Crystal, Rikou watches the fight, with Mikoto's 'railguns' being bent away by Shizuri. Destroying a steamer, Mikoto disappears in the steam, but Rikou already has memorised her AIM diffusion field, allowing her to follow Mikoto's movements through the walls. As Mikoto's energy is depleting, she barely avoids Shizuri's attacks, which go through the solid walls.


Shinobu describes her plan as uploading rudimentary emotions to the 'Sisters', hoping that their emotions will not only make them grieve for the losses, but also appeal to the emotions of the scientists, and maybe, the Accelerator himself. In the middle of uploading, Shinobu is stopped and the chapter ends with Saiai restraining Shinobu and revealing her face.



Chapter 029: The chapter opens with Mikoto running away from both Frenda's and Shizuri's attacks, whilst still being tracked down by Rikou's AIM Stalker.


Cutting to Saiai restraining Shinobu, Shinobu installs the virus onto the Misaka Network, however is stopped by their cyber-security (They show a picture of Last Order here). Shinobu escapes from the hold and pulls out a gun, pointing it at Saiai's head, but shooting it at her arm. Saiai's Offense Armor easily stops the bullet and Shinobu is knocked unconscious. While one thug peers into another room with Last Order in it, the other carries an unconscious Shinobu, while Saiai muses that she will probably "lose everything... And have a really shitty future ahead of her".


Mikoto is again clinging against walls to avoid attacks and in one particularly close Meltdowner attack, bends the beam out of desperation. Shizuri orders Frenda and Rikou to leave, wanting to single-handedly beat Mikoto and receive all the glory. An exhausted Mikoto wanders around the factory and the chapter ends as she picks up one of Frenda's dolls, wondering if she can use them.


Chapter 030: The chapter opens with Frenda and Rikou stumbling out from the warehouse and being escorted onto the truck, as they are headed for the other processor lab. Frenda's concern over Rikou's condition prompts Rikou to profess her love towards ITEM, but Frenda saids "It'd be nice if you find another place to belong to". She suddenly exclaims that she had forgot to collect the bombs.


Mikoto walks into the central room with Frenda's explosive dolls in her hands, where Mugino is waiting. Mikoto throws a doll, exploding it, which Mugino blocks with her Meltdowner. Throwing another doll, Mugino shoots a Meltdowner at it, but Mikoto maneuvers it in midair, revealing that she inserted metal in the doll. Destroying the floating doll, Mikoto shows the crowd of other dolls that she had prepared, in response to Mugino's inability to fire several shots. However, Mugino pulls out 'Silicon Burn', splitting her attacks into several, destroying the wave of dolls. Mugino spots Mikoto with only one doll hovering in the air and as Mikoto charges Mugino, blows it up in mid-air. In the ensuing smoke, Mugino is unable to see the last doll, which Mikoto hid behind her back, until Mugino is inside the bomb's blast radius. As Mikoto sends off a spark to ignite the doll, Mugino redirects it, but Mikoto again moved the trajectory of the doll, colliding the doll (With metal parts) into Mugino's head.


The scene cuts to Mikoto walking into the central command centre and destroying everything. Moving back towards the room where Mugino should be unconscious, she doesn't see Mugino. Mikoto, sensing Mugino, dodges the Meltdowner attack, only to be kicked in the gut and sent across the room. Mugino, enraged, starts sending off Meltdowner's without thinking with a clear mind. A phone rings in her pocket, with Saiai calling her about what they should do next. Frenda asks Saiai if Mugino "seemed... Mad... At all?", to which Saiai replies with no, but Mugino "did have a message for [her]": "Prepare to be punished".


Mugino catches up with Mikoto on a suspended walkway and continues to fire off her Meltdowners, with Mikoto redirecting. them with her magnetism. Out of energy even to fire a 'Railgun', Mikoto recovers sitting down and Mugino's attacks stop. Approaching Mikoto, Mugino listens as Mikoto explains the difficulties she had with fighting Frenda, but mostly the traps she put up and moves out of the way to reveal the conductive line that Frenda used. Igniting the lines, the bridge collapses underneath Mugino and she falls down. Mikoto tries to help by offering a 'safety-line' of sorts, but Mugino melts it down. At the bottom of the chamber, Mugino gets up and threatens a scientist for the information Mikoto was trying to destroy and she finds out about the 'Level 6 Shift' program, realizing why they wanted to use ITEM for this job. Laughing, Mugino lets Mikoto go, wanting her to fall into despair over what is going to happen next to her, wanting Mikoto to fall deeper into the dark side of Academy City.


The next day, Mikoto enters the final proccessor, only to find that it has been completely disbanded and she ponders upon the fact that although the project isn't destroyed, the 'Sisters' will no longer have to die. The chapter ends with Mikoto looking at Touma as the vending machine steals his money.


Rating: 9.5/10

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