Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S Episode 08
とある科学の超電磁砲（レールガン）S
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

The members of ITEM are completing their latest job when their leader, Shizuri, takes a call for her team to protect a couple of pharmaceutical facilities from attack. One of the members, Frenda, is allowed to stake out one of the buildings, which has been abandoned, thus allowing her to get a big bonus if she nails the electromaster who’s been launching the attacks. As she waits with her rigged stuffed animals, she realizes how boring this is. However, her patience and decision to stake out this facility pay off as Mikoto arrives to destroy the place.

Frenda sets off her first explosive trap, bringing down part of the metal ceiling on Mikoto’s position, but Mikoto easily defends against this with her ability to magnetize. Frenda lays more fuse tape and sets off a bomb in a plushy doll, but Mikoto is unharmed. However, Mikoto discovers that the place has been completely rigged with bombs as there are stuffed animal bombs everywhere. Mikoto uses a couple of large, metal wall/floor plates as shields, but then discovers that bombs are hidden in them too. Mikoto follows the fuse tape to where Frenda is fleeing up some stairs, but Mikoto can’t get a direct shot thanks to metal pillars on the stairs.

While this is happening, the other facility is being evacuated and Shinobu arrives, apparently transferred there to help them. Meanwhile, Frenda sets off a ceramic bomb, but Mikoto doesn’t get scratched. Frenda continues fleeing up the stairs, feigning fright, and then takes out the stairs with explosives. However, Mikoto simply uses one of the metal beams to float up on. Having chased Frenda into what appears to be a dead end in a large room, Mikoto wonders if Frenda screwed up or did this on purpose. She soon discovers that it was on purpose as Frenda has a massive, metal door slide down behind Mikoto and remarks on the hunter becoming the hunted.

Mikoto attempts to talk with Frenda, but it is pointless as Frenda ignites more metal tape to set off a large number of doll bombs just dropped on Mikoto. Mikoto uses her abilities to cause the floor to break into large pieces, thus cutting off Frenda’s fuse tape from the bombs. Frenda realizes her prey must be level 5 to do something like that, so as Mikoto charges, Frenda sets off a stun grenade after putting plugs in her ears and protecting her eyes. Mikoto is blinded and disoriented, so Frenda sends several rocket propelled grenades at Mikoto. The resulting explosion causes Frenda to start celebrating the money she’ll get until she discovers no remains. Adding to this, Mikoto is behind her, thanks her abilities to sense the approaching explosives.

Frenda starts speaking jibberish, throwing off Mikoto, and allowing Frenda throw a container with an explosive gas in it. More gas floods the room, which Frenda says will explode with even a spark. Denied all of her electromaster abilities, Mikoto now finds herself in a desperate melee combat with Frenda, who’s quite skilled at hand-to-hand combat. However, Frenda’s remarks on killing her victims causes Mikoto to become enraged and she puts Frenda in a choke hold. Frenda throws her off, but in the process, one of her igniters accidentally lights some fuse tape. Realizing she’s been duped, Mikoto takes control and fries Frenda. She wants info, which Frenda is willing to spill, but Frenda’s tongue has been numbed and she can’t speak. Before Mikoto can punish Frenda more, Shizuri arrives, rapidly melting her way through the wall.

Thoughts/Review:

In case you were wondering, this episode is adapted from the last couple of pages of chapter 25, all of chapter 26, chapter 27, and the first few pages of chapter 28 as well as a couple of pages in the middle of 28 (volume 5).

The only additional material to this episode was extending ITEM’s mission at the beginning of the episode, thereby giving the audience a taste of some of their abilities and why a group of girls would be hired to protect a couple of important research facilities. I fully approved of this addition.

One of the things that a proper anime adaptation of a manga can do is provide a much greater perspective on scenes. Thus, Mikoto’s fight with Frenda is even better in the anime than it was in the manga as we see Mikoto acting in real time as well as Frenda.

The only thing that was missing was the complete explanation of how Mikoto escaped Frenda’s hand tossed RPGs, though we did get an explanation of how Mikoto was able to sense Frenda’s attacks even while blind and disoriented.

Considering that Frenda is not esper, it is pretty impressive on how she held her own against Mikoto.  Actually, now that I think about it, it is amazing that some high school girl would be so skilled with explosives. I wonder how that came to be, though I bet I’m not supposed to worry about that. ^_~

Shinobu’s return inspires some thoughts on my part, but since she will be back next episode, I’ll save them for then.

Though I like Kuroko, Saten, and Uiharu, I’m glad the episode didn’t try to shoehorn them in on a side story as it would have killed the flow of things.  As it is, I love how this episode adapted the original manga story.