Current Events > Any weeaboos can help? Can I watch A Certain Scientific Railgun S without

(+) Yeah! (+)

knowing anything about the universe?

Can I just start with A Certain Scientific Railgun S?

No. You absolutely must watch the first season of A Certain Scientific Railgun before watching Railgun S or a lot of things won't make sense, and it's recommended that you also watch at least through episode 14 of A Certain Magical Index (the main series that Railgun spun off from) because that provides a lot of very helpful world-building too.
---

Yes, you can.

It adapts the Sisters arc from Index but in a better way. You don't really need to know anything about the previous season of Railgun or Index. The first season of Railgun is really only needed so you know the characters going into Railgun S.

Calwings posted...

No. You absolutely must watch the first season of A Certain Scientific Railgun before watching Railgun S or a lot of things won't make sense, and it's recommended that you also watch at least through episode 14 of A Certain Magical Index (the main series that Railgun spun off from) because that provides a lot of very helpful world-building too.

@Calwings

Would it be ok to start with broadcast order with the main series, Certain Magical Index, etc, then?

Trelve posted...

Yes, you can.

It adapts the Sisters arc from Index but in a better way. You don't really need to know anything about the previous season of Railgun or Index. The first season of Railgun is really only needed so you know the characters going into Railgun S.

@Trelve

I meant to say T, the latest series where a girl flips a coin in the trailer. It's better to start with the main, then second season and then 3rd?

CrazyandLazy posted...

@Trelve

I meant to say T, the latest series where a girl flips a coin in the trailer. It's better to start with the main, then second season and then 3rd?

T is different. You can't jump in with that. You need to have seen Railgun S, and Index 1 and 2 (at least up to the festival arc).

Also, this is going to be a dumb question but is Railwars the same thing as railguns?

Dont pretend that you care about the plot anyway youre just tryna fap to misaka anyway.

---

CrazyandLazy posted...

Also, this is going to be a dumb question but is Railwars the same thing as railguns?

Totally different series.

Stallion_Prime posted...

Dont pretend that you care about the plot anyway youre just tryna fap to misaka anyway.

What? I'm trying to find a binge anime series to watch during corona isolation.

Trelve posted...

Totally different series.

Cool. THat's what I thought. I will try to follow broadcast order then and start with Index.

That girl in Scientific Gun T is in the first Index right? It looks like her. The one on the right.

<img src="https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/12/23489l.jpg">

CrazyandLazy posted...

That girl in Scientific Gun T is in the first Index right? It looks like her. The one on the right.

<img src="https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/12/23489l.jpg">

She's in both series. She's the main character in Railgun and a supporting character in Index.

Cool. Thanks a bunch @Trelve

CrazyandLazy posted...

That girl in Scientific Gun T is in the first Index right? It looks like her. The one on the right.

<img src="https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/12/23489l.jpg">

No Index is on the left.

---

CrazyandLazy posted...

Would it be ok to start with broadcast order with the main series, Certain Magical Index, etc, then?

That would be fine, but there's a better (and more complicated) watch order that puts things in a better chronological order.

- Index 1-9
- all of Railgun
- Index 10-14 = Railgun S 1-16 (these are both the Sisters arc but told from different points of view)
- rest of Index
- rest of Railgun S
- Accelerator
- Index II 1-7
- Index: Miracle Of Endymion movie
- Index II 8-13 = Railgun T 1-?? (these are both the Daihasei Festival arc but told from different points of view, however Railgun T is still currently airing so we don't know how many episodes the arc will be in this version)
- rest of Index II
- rest of Railgun T (whenever it finishes airing)
- all of Index III

The ones listed in italics are filler stories that have very little connection to the main story, so they're technically optional, but they're still worth watching if you want to see more from the franchise. The point they're listed in this order is where they fall in the timeline, but you can watch them at any point later than that as well (or just skip them entirely) without affecting your enjoyment of the rest of the franchise.

CrazyandLazy posted...

That girl in Scientific Gun T is in the first Index right? It looks like her. The one on the right.

Yes, that's Mikoto Misaka. She's the main character of A Certain Scientific Railgun after starting out as a supporting character in A Certain Magical Index.
---

Calwings posted...

That would be fine, but there's a better (and more complicated) watch order that puts things in a better chronological order.

- Index 1-9
- all of Railgun
- Index 10-14 = Railgun S 1-16 (these are both the Sisters arc but told from different points of view)
- rest of Index
- rest of Railgun S
- Accelerator
- Index II 1-7
- Index: Miracle Of Endymion movie
- Index II 8-13 = Railgun T 1-?? (these are both the Daihasei Festival arc but told from different points of view, however Railgun T is still currently airing so we don't know how many episodes the arc will be in this version)
- rest of Index II
- rest of Railgun T (whenever it finishes airing)
- all of Index III

Ok. I have saved your post in a notepad to follow.

Calwings posted...

- rest of Railgun S

Skip this bit.

- Accelerator

I'd probably skip this one as well, but it's not as bad as the rest of Railgun S.

Also I'd read the Ligh Novels instead of watching the Index series. Index III adapts one of the best series of arcs and it turns them into shit. The previous Index anime series are fine but they often skip things that come up again later on down the line, and skip the internal monologue that adds a lot to people's characters. Railguns anime is fine but the second half of the original and S are filler the original series filler is fine but I really don't like the filler in S.

Accelerator isn't bad, and it's amazing compared to the shitshow that was Index III.

SerperiorThanU posted...

I feel bad for Index. Shes the original main character and title of the series and then the side characters overshadowed her in popularity so much that they got more popular spin-offs and eventually she became practically irrelevant.

Index is a plot device not a character

---

Calwings posted...

That would be fine, but there's a better (and more complicated) watch order that puts things in a better chronological order.

- Index 1-9
- all of Railgun
- Index 10-14 = Railgun S 1-16 (these are both the Sisters arc but told from different points of view)
- rest of Index
- rest of Railgun S
- Accelerator
- Index II 1-7
- Index: Miracle Of Endymion movie
- Index II 8-13 = Railgun T 1-?? (these are both the Daihasei Festival arc but told from different points of view, however Railgun T is still currently airing so we don't know how many episodes the arc will be in this version)
- rest of Index II
- rest of Railgun T (whenever it finishes airing)
- all of Index III

I was thinking of watching this some time, but seeing that... yeah no. Way too complex.

---

Stagmar posted...

I was thinking of watching this some time, but seeing that... yeah no. Way too complex.

The less complicated option of watching them one season at a time without skipping around individual episodes (I'd say the best order would be Index, Railgun, Railgun S, Index 2, Railgun T, Index 3) is perfectly viable as well. Unfortunately, at this point, there's so much overlapping in the stories that neither Index nor Railgun can be fully understood/enjoyed alone without watching the other.
---

You can totally watch all of Index without watching Railgun. I'd say watching Railgun in no way shape or form effects Index's overall plot. Sure you can a bit more of a back story to this, and that, but it's not necessary back story. Indexes biggest problem is adapting too many novels in too few episodes, Railgun doesn't help with that.

I'd also say you can watch all of Railgun without watching Index, although I wouldn't recommend it, unless you at least read summaries of the episodes that stuff happened in. Sometimes important stuff in Index has an impact in Railgun, the opposite isn't true.