Showdown with the Graviton bomber.In other words, Kazari likes it.Summary:Due to string on Graviton bombings around the city, Kuroko and Kazari have been very busy investigating the case. Worried about their friends, Mikoto and Ruiko decide to organize a shopping outing to the Seventh Mist shopping center on Kuroko and Kazari's day off, but Kuroko decides to keep on working so it's just Mikoto, Ruiko and Kazari. As the three friends are entering the shopping center, they are being watched from across the street by the headphone glasses guy who blames Judgment for allowing him to be bullied. Touma: Hmm... that PJ is perfect for an immature little girl like you.At the shopping center, while Ruiko and Kazari go off to check out swimsuits, Mikoto sets her eyes on a set of pink pajamas. Just as Mikoto checks out the pajama in the mirror, she notices Touma and the little girl whom she had helped standing behind her. Touma is guiding the little girl around the shopping center because the little girl needs to buy some clothing, and the two eventually leave Mikoto to her business. After freshening washroom, Mikoto spots the headphones guy carrying a frog plush toy up the stairs but thinks nothing of it.A truly fearsome face.EPIC FAIL.Back at the Judgment branch office, Kuroko and Konori are still scratching their heads over the Graviton bomber case when Kuroko suddenly realizes that the bomber is targeting Judgment members. Suddenly the two are alerted to an increased concentration of graviton at the Seventh Mist shopping center. Kuroko phones Kazari to alert Kazari, but Kazari decides to perform her duties as a Judgment member and helps the store evacuate the customers. Mikoto is standing outside when Touma approaches her and wonders where the little girl is. Guessing that the little girl is still in the shopping center, Touma and Mikoto rush back into the building. Inside, Kazari is checking if there's anybody left when she is approached by the little girl who's carrying the frog plush toy. The little girl states that a guy with glasses told her to give the toy to Kazari. As the plush toy starts to collapse into itself, Kazari realizes the toy is a bomb and throws it away. Mikoto arrives and attempts to blast the bomb with a railgun but she drops her coin. As the bomb explodes, Touma steps in and blocks the flames with his right hand.Biri-biri literally kicking butt. The explosion rocks the shopping center and shocks the people outside. In the alley nearby, the headphone guy thinks that he has killed Kazari, but he is kicked to the floor by Mikoto. Mikoto states that no one was hurt by explosion and the headphone guy can't believe it. The headphone guy tries to attack with a spoon but Mikoto blasts the spoon away with her railgun. After realizing who he is up against, the headphone guy then starts rambling about how people with power are always keeping him down, and this pisses off Mikoto who punches him in the face before leaving him to Kuroko. Later back at the shopping center, Kuroko talks to Kazari who states that Mikoto had saved them from the explosion, but Kuroko is still puzzled by why only certain part of the floor is undamaged.What happened here?Here's the answer.The next day Mikoto runs into Touma at the vending machine in the park. Mikoto states that Touma could have been the hero if he just told everyone, but Touma answers that he doesn't care about the credit as long as everyone is alright. Mikoto is both embarrassed and pissed off by the remark and starts kicking the vending machine.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Another Touma cameo, and this time he steals the show. If it wasn't for Touma's amazing right hand, Mikoto, Kazari and the little girl would at least be in hospital right now recovering from serious burns. I'm disappointed by Mikoto; just when it mattered the most she drops the coin! Talk about choking in the final minute of the game. Good thing it's impossible for Touma to drop his right hand. Touma might like to give annoying speeches and such, but he tends to perform well when the going gets tough. Touma's role as a support character in Railgun is actually quite enjoyable, because it showcases his commendable characteristics and cuts out his incomprehensible hero speeches.More about the bombing: it's weird that Touma was able to block the explosion from the bomb with his right hand, which is a physical after effect of a special ability. By this logic Touma should have been able to block Accelerators ground debris attacks back in Index, which is again a similar physical result of someone using an esper ability, but in this Touma case Touma couldn't block the debris. The workings of Touma's Imagine Breaker has always been inconsistent.Final note on the explosion: Mikoto and Touma had to step in because Kazari for some reason decided to stay right in front of the bomb instead of running, which was dumb since the bomb didn't explode for 2-3 more seconds. Kazari and the little girl could have easily jumped into one of the stalls and have the walls shield them from the explosion.So that's it for the Graviton bomber. The culprit, Mr. Headphone Glasses, is a victim of bullying who somehow misdirected his rage at Judgment members for not appearing soon enough. I guess Judgment members are like the police: they are not there when you want them there, and they're there when you don't want them there. It'd be more straightforward to blow up his bullies instead, but I guess that way he would be caught faster. This only real reason he was caught this episode is because Mikoto had spotted him carrying the frog plushy by chance. Given all the close-ups on his headphones and iPod, it's obvious that his iPod had something to do with his sudden increase in ability, but the show isn't ready to spell it out for us yet.
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Episode: To Aru Kagaku no Railgun Episode 7
