Toaru Kagaku no Railgun/とある科学の超電磁砲（レールガン）
A Certain Scientific Railgun OVA

Kuroko desperately teleports to a location, directed by Uiharu at their Judgment office, where trouble is brewing. However, Kuroko makes it there too late as Mikoto has electrocuted all of the suspects. Since there is a big, adoring crowd, Kuroko takes Mikoto into custody for her own protection while Anti-skill arrives to take charge. As she does, Mikoto has a very uncomfortable flash that she’s being watched. After she and Kuroko leave, Kuroko frees her and Mikoto tells her about the feeling. The two of them meet with Uiharu and Saten at the family restaurant, where Saten eagerly tells them the “Someone’s Watching” urban legend story going around the Internet, something Kuroko dismisses.

Later, Mikoto runs into Touma and blames him for the feeling she had and attack him, which he repels. He asks why she would think he’s watching, flustering her. She’s about to attack again when the two Anti-skill officers from before show up and put an end to the encounter. Late that afternoon, a weary Mikoto sits with Kuroko at a cafe, revealing her worries. Kuroko thinks it is related to the events of Level Upper and the fact that Mikoto is now even more famous.  Kuroko isn’t worried, but as she speaks, Mikoto again senses the eyes and gets angry, but has no one to target as no one else is around.

Kuroko hooks up with Saten and Uiharu at Saten’s apartment to do some more research on “Someone’s Watching,” where they find a message board with posts about similar events to Mikoto’s, one by true “ojousama,” Mitsuko. Kuroko asks Saten and Uiharu to keep the investigation secret from Mikoto for now. Sometime later, Saten and the weary Mikoto are at the 177th Judgement office, only to find Uiharu and Kuroko are out. Their supervisor, Mii, decides to help Mikoto relieve her stress by taking Saten and Mikoto to the local bath house.

Meanwhile, Kuroko speaks with Mitsuko and discovers that Mitsuko hadn’t actually experienced “Someone’s Watching,” but reported it for folks who had. While that’s going on, Saten and Mii help Mikoto to relax, but as they leave the bath house, Mikoto’s reality starts to shift and she finds that she is being plagued more and more, day by day, by “Someone’s Watching,” whether at school or at home. Kuroko and Uiharu continue their investigations when Kuroko suddenly has an idea. She has Uiharu investigate it further for her.

One evening, an exhausted Mikoto leaves her dorm, but Kuroko was prepared for this as Uiharu and Saten have their own “eyes” on her. Mikoto tracks the “Someone’s Watching” feeling via the effect it has on her electrical power, and flies down a back ally using electricity. She comes upon the two Anti-skill officers she’d previously met and is now confused. Kuroko teleports in, IDing the female officer as JOUNAN Asako, the former Nagatenjouki Academy Power Development Director who’s behind “Someone’s Watching.”

Asako throws a stun grenade up, which Mikoto destroys, but it knocks herself, Kuroko, and the male Anti-skill officer down. Asako gets away and manages to commandeer a motorboat.  However, as she makes her getaway down the canal, she comes to an overpass, where Mikoto awaits.  Before Asako can turn around, Mikoto blasts the boat with her Railgun ability, knocking the boat out of the water and onto the bridge. Kuroko teleports in with an umbrella to protect her “oneesama” from the “rain.”

As thanks, Mikoto gives a very happy Kuroko a massage while buying expensive cakes and deserts for Saten and Uiharu. While the three enjoy their rewards, Uiharu speaks praisingly of Kuroko’s dedication to Mikoto, making Mikoto realize that some of her “being watched” events were in fact Kuroko since “Someone’s Watching” wouldn’t have access to their dorm room or other private places. Thus, she has to punish Kuroko for her perversion.

I guess for those waiting for a second season of the anime, this OVA was a bone tossed to the fans.  As such, it makes sure to capture all of the elements one expects from a Railgun anime, both in comedy and in action (Kuroko’s yuri perversions, Saten checking the panties Uiharu is wearing, Mikoto using her powers, Kuroko using her powers, etc.).

The story itself is an interesting, psychological thriller to some degree, with Mikoto sure she is being closely watched, but unable to find the people responsible, much less stop them. Just goes to show that despite her enormous powers and often cocky attitude that comes with it, there are things out of her control, thus her fear felt very real to me. Kudo’s to the writers for bringing this off.

I was struck by the scene in this OVA where Mikoto was actually shown in class.  I think the closest the anime (and first two volumes of the manga) came was Mikoto having her powers tested at the pool (and in the anime, Mikoto and Kuroko having the clean said pool as punishment).  Not sure why that aspect never came up before since she is a school girl.

You know, as I see Touma in his cameo role in this episode, I’m reminded that he’s the male lead of A Certain Magical Index, which focuses on the magical aspects of Academy City. While I know that the focus of the Railgun side of things are espers, shouldn’t magic still show up to one degree or other?  After all, both Mikoto and Kuroko (and I think Uiharu and Saten, but I’m not 100% sure about that) show up in Index, so it seems to me that there should be a few meaningful reverse crossovers in future. Just saying.

Finally, I just wanted to briefly touch on something that I meant to mention in my review of the Railgun TV series, and that’s the not so subtle “green” message here.  Seriously, I laughed out loud when I saw these wind turbines because for a city as massive as Academy City, a few wind turbines mean nothing (to say nothing of how unreliable they are).  Then, there’s the convenience store Mikoto pops into, which is named “Green Mart,” because being “green” is cool and shows you TRULY care (even if you don’t). *_*  But enough of that.

In the end, I like the fun of the episode as well as the psychological aspects of the episode, even if it did put Rockwell’s 80s song “Somebody’s Watching Me” in my head. ^_^