A Certain Scientific Accelerator

Episodes 1-2

Much like A Certain Scientific Railgun, Accelerator used its first episode's encounter with a random opponent as a setup to quickly get the protagonist into the heat of action, presumably in an attempt to ramp up enthusiasm for this new spin-off. While this episode didn't achieve quite the spectacle that both opening acts for Railgun did, it nonetheless served its purpose well, in the process reassuring fans that the mostly-new production staff would be capable of handling the content. And also like Railgun, its real storyline starts in earnest with episode 2.

The short but busty necromancer, Esther Rosenthal, was briefly introduced in the epilogue of episode 1. This episode only reaffirms that her getting involved with Accelerator and Last Order will be the focal point of the first arc. This episode also reveals that the individuals seen in that epilogue who looked like Anti-Skill officers were not anything of the sort. Instead, they are part of some highly dogmatic group called DA, which to my knowledge has not previously been introduced in animated content. Their claim of pursuing justice strikes me as just a smoke screen to manipulate their peons into doing some disgusting things, in this case turning dead espers into the core of experimental weapon systems that can not only harness the esper's powers but also augment them. That sounds like a logical extension of the ruthless behind-the-scenes shenanigans that the franchise is known for, and it's not hard to guess why the people behind DA would have their sights set on Last Order.

The only thing I don't quite get is that the masterminds have to be aware of Accelerator if they know about Last Order, but they're being awfully cavalier about that. Presumably Dachshund's warnings about not harming other patients have something to do with Accelerator, but the urgency is rather lacking if so. Regardless of why that's going on, Esther mentioning that they are targeting Last Order gives Accelerator reason to get involved, and his further contact with Yomikawa builds more toward the important connection that they will share in A Certain Magical Index III. Of course, the tender scene with the sleepy Last Order will be as much the bread and butter of this series as Accelerator grinning evilly and abusing his powers, and you won't hear any complaint from me about that. I will be curious to see how long the series can keep up its “I'm no hero, I'm really a bad guy” shtick without it getting old; Index III showed that Accelerator will not change that attitude until much later in in the storyline, so hopefully the story can continue to find creative ways to handle it. There's also the introduction of the mysterious Qiong Qi, whom I'm presuming is the naked girl hanging with Dachshund.

Regardless, the technical merits look surprisingly (but pleasingly) sharp, perhaps even slightly better than how Index III looked. I'm also quickly taking a liking to the opener. I could do without the way that the series is using some of its fanservice teases so far, but other than that, it's looking promising as a spinoff.

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A Certain Scientific Accelerator is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.