TOARU MAJUTSU NO INDEX

DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ActionToaru Majutsu no Index II
NOVEL ActionToaru Majutsu no Index
SPECIAL ComedyToaru Majutsu no Index Specials
ANIME ActionToaru Kagaku no Accelerator
ANIME ActionToaru Kagaku no Railgun
MANGA ActionToaru Majutsu no Index
ONA ComedyToaru Kagaku no Suzushina Yuriko

REVIEWS

• 

  CaninnTurtle

  69/100
  Magical Index really makes use of some interesting ideas, but overall, executes them poorly.

  I'm going to come right out and say it: I struggled with A Certain Magical Index. It didn't start that way. In fact, I loved it for a good bit. But then, I began to to realize that I was having certain issues with the general trajectory of the story-line. It was somewhat strange for me, because, generally, I like Magical Index's genre. The story with the main character who has "special powers" and can't help but attract new recruits for his harem wherever he goes. It reminded me a bit of Strike the Blood, which I enjoyed a great deal more. Maybe you could say that Strike the Blood improved upon the formula of Magical Index, which came a good 7 years before it, or maybe I'm just biased because I watched Strike the Blood first. Either way, I was disappointed with Magical Index, especially in the latter third or so and I'll explain why, but first I'll go over what I liked.

  I really liked the premise of Magical Index for one. The idea of magic versus science is a really strong premise and, at first, I thought that it was executed really well. The first arc with Index was a great blend of magic and science, with Touma working in both worlds really well. However, they kind of lost me a few arcs later as I began to see the same premise essentially re-skinned and re-used. That's about the time I began to wonder if Magical Index was just really formulaic.

  The second thing I liked was Touma's ability. I didn't love Touma himself too much, I was more indifferent than anything about him, but what made him stand out to me was his power. Touma's right hand possesses Imagine Breaker which can destroy any kind of supernatural power. It's kind of a unique take on the "powerful MC" trope that dominates most, if not all, supernatural shows and allows for more unique conflicts, even if they usually just end up as "Touma punches something with his right hand as hard as he can".

  Finally, I loved Mikoto Misaka. This may be something of a personal preference, but I thought that she was the best character in the entire show. It wasn't that far through that I realized that she was the only reason I was watching in the first place. In a show about supernatural abilities and unnatural situations, Mikoto felt like the most human character in the show. She was strong, but she also had weaknesses. She was confident, but also had insecurities. Maybe all of this praise is just my best girl bias, but she definitely kept me watching. With all that said, I'll probably watch A Certain Scientific Railgun just for her.

  Oh boy, what didn't I like? Pretty much every other character, outside of a few like Accelerator, Kanzaki, Himegami, and Kuroko. I disliked the magic arcs a lot, they felt really boring and convoluted compared to the much more interesting and grounded scientific arcs. I think the big thing about the magic portions of the show was that they felt unrestrained. At least in the show, there are no rules to the magic, like how the hell does it even work? Is it just whatever you can think up, is it grimoire based? Who knows?

  Like I mentioned above, I really disliked the direction the story was going. I could all but feel the insane escalation coming. I mean, I could already tell that it was just going to get crazier and crazier, but the fact that it was getting ridiculous in the first season was kinda concerning. As an aside, I spoiled myself a little bit and found out that Touma's harem just keeps growing to ridiculous proportions and the fact he just strings them all along kind of made me a little upset. I would be the first person to admit that harems can be fantastic, but there's a point where the constant adding of girls should just stop and use the girls that are there. However, the greatest sin in Magical Index is who else but Index herself. Oh God, she made me want to pull the trigger of the gun that I put to my skull every time she was on screen.

  Even if the above paragraph made it seem like I despised Magical Index with every fiber of my body, I really did enjoy it for the majority of the run-time. Something just stopped working toward the end, causing my enjoyment to really suffer. It's something that I really can't put my finger on. Because, by all means, I should love Magical Index, seeing as it has everything I could ever want from an anime. There was just something there that really makes me not want to finish. At this point, I have no idea if I'll finish or not. I probably will at some point, but it won't be for a while. I'll probably watch Scientific Railgun for more of best girl sooner.

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• 

  OVERPOWERED99

  70/100
  The light novel adaptation where religion and science coexist as supernatural powers is ready to destroy illusions.

  

  I'll destroy that illusion of yours. It's a catchphrase belonging to a certain spiky-haired boy who resides in a world conceived by the light novel writer, Kazuma Kamachi. Index is that world, and if you want to know more about it, then I say get ready because we're in for a ride through the depths of hell and heaven. With a lot of punching too, bear in mind. This is the anime adaptation after all.

  Think about the two great systems that are ingrained deeply within our connection to the universe. Religion and science. The duality, the coexistence, and the friction. It's definitely a story idea of many potentials and this show has utilized it with supernaturalism in mind. We have Touma, a high schooler who possesses a mysterious right hand that can neutralize every supernatural powers. Being a misfortunate guy, he's taken in on a journey split between the magic and the science side. But here's where the main issue arises. The solitary nature of each arc means that there is no core holding everything together. It creates this weary repetition and detaches any sought-out continuation into a bigger story. Exposition is also quite problematic, mostly to do with tediousness, as explanations of religious and scientific concepts can get long-winded. Thankfully, the characters manage to retain interest with the conflicts and entertainments they give to us. Relying on the calm before the storm formula, the slice-of-life scenes have a lot of great humor in the form of witty dialogues, except for maybe the biting gags and some fan services that are sprinkled throughout. During the more serious moments, the magicians and espers complement well in each respective arc and have integrated themselves into some good discussions of ideals, morals, and history. Sure, a lot of them do feel bland with only a couple getting focused developments, but their dichotomies have at least applied to the two great systems of mankind.

  And if not for the audiovisual, this world where religion and science coexist as supernatural powers wouldn't have come to life. Academy City is the place where most of the story resides in. As it's a fairly architectural and diverse city, the characters are taken to a lot of different settings that are meticulously designed. Like a metallic tint, the washes of blue, red, and purple fit both the magical aspect of religion and the near-futurism of science. The animation is quite solid on an overall basis although there at times where some minor details are lost. With Touma being a guy that could only rely on his right hand, his way of brute fighting stands out among all the supernatural powers that glow and shimmer with devastating effects. Seeing the punches knock down his opponent can be a satisfying thing in itself. Anyway, something the visual has done to mitigate the boredom caused by numerous expositions is to preoccupy the characters with other actions, usually comical in nature, so they're not like dead presenters. The mix of fast-paced electronic beats and lighthearted soundtracks also help to bring even more enjoyment to this show. While the serious tracks shake things up as conflicts escalate, the cheerier ones supplement the slices-of-life pretty nicely, especially when comedic sound effects are played. Both the opening songs sung by Mami Kawada are really cool to listen to as well.

  You know, despite the issues that came with it, the first season treats its adaptation of the Index light novels quite competently. Weariness from how the story is structured and the bland surface of the characters does clash against enjoyment, but overall, the world of religion and science provides a good starting point for more expansion.

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