A Certain Scientific Railgun 1

A Certain Scientific Railgun 1 by Kazuma Yamachi, art by Motoi Fuyukawa, 2011. 192 pages. Published by Seven Seas. Source: Publisher for review.

Welcome to a world where mysticism and science collide, and supernatural powers are derived from either science or religion. At the heart of this world is Academy City, an advanced metropolis whose population is comprised mostly of students. The majority of students are enrolled in the city’s "Power Curriculum Program," where they must learn to master their latent psychic powers. Out of several million students, only seven are deemed powerful enough to have Level 5 status.

Meet Mikoto Misaka, the third most powerful Level 5 esper in Academy City. Together with her best friend Kuroko Shirai and the other members of Judgment, a student-run law enforcement agency, Mikoto delves deep into the dark heart of the scientific sprawl she calls home, and uncovers secrets she wishes she hadn’t!

What really caught my eye on A Certain Scientific Railgun was the title. It was intriguing to say the least and the cover was awesome looking.

Story:
I can pretty much Tell from the first page if a manga is going to appeal to me, and A Certain Scientific Railgun is no exception. I knew I was definitely going to enjoy this one since it started out with one of the characters apprehending a miscreant and putting some serious hurt on him.

I really enjoy the mystery aspect of A Certain Scientific Railgun and how they had to figure out who was targeting the members of Judgment. I liked how the plot for it was laid out and that it opened up the storyline for the next volume as the characters realized that they've only just seen the beginning of their troubles.
  As for the school "guardians/disciplinarians" Judgment, I thought it was an interesting why to give certain characters a bigger role in the manga.  
     I liked that the first volume didn't feel like a complete set up for the rest of the series, and that you got a decent amount of back story on the characters.

Okay, hands-down my favorite part of A Certain Scientific Railgun 1 would have to be how Misaka and Kamijou would end up fighting every time they met. Mainly because he would try to run away and she just wanted to annihilate him, it was just plain funny especially since they ended up kind of working together later on in the volume.
Content (may contain spoilers, highlight to see): ACSR, does have some nudity (girls shower) and one image of groping. As for language, there is a bit of swearing but not a whole lot of it.
Character(s):
Misaka, was definitely the most interesting character, which is a good thing since she's the MC for A Certain Scientific Railgun and it would be just horrible if she wasn't. What I really liked about her, besides her awesome power of electromaster, that she was pretty kick-butt and she was unintentionally funny and the way she would react to certain things.

As of right now, I'm not too sure how I feel about Kuroko and Uiharu. While they were there quite frequently I haven't really had a chance to decide whether I find them funny or annoying, but I do feel bad for Uiharu because her best friend is kind of weird and keeps embarrassing her.

Artwork:
I found the art of A Certain Scientific Railgun to be quite enjoyable. I think my favorite part visually would have to be the panels were the characters look flustered, angry, or just whenever they showed any facial emotion that could be exaggerated. It tended to leave me smirking, especially since they seemed to always be blushing for one reason or another.

I really think that Motoi Fuyukawa did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life, and absolutely loved the way each of the main characters (or those that played bigger roles) were depicted. Definitely looking forward to seeing what will happen next visually in volume 2.

Final verdict: A Certain Scientific Railgun 1 definitely a must read for fans of Fullmetal Alchemist.

A Certain Scientific Railgun 1 earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.