Alright, Toaru Majutsu no Index or A Certain Magical Index (Season 1) is completed and definitely a lot of starting points... Our protagonist is Tōma Kamijō, who is living in Academy City (I have explained the details of the city in my previous review) and is a Level 0 Esper or ability user, however his ranking seems to be slightly off, his right hand negates abilities and even cancels or erases them. This has also brought him great misfortune in his past. One day while readying for make-up courses in Summer, he finds that a Sister (Nun) has graced his (at least second story) balcony and hanging off of the rail. Her name is Index Librorum Prohibitorum, List of Prohibited Books, or Index for short and she is a part of the English Puritan Church, in one of its factions known as Necessarius or The Church of Necessary Evil and her Perfect Memorization, ability or magic has not been established, has a list of 103,000 forbidden grimoires, which is a fancy word for book. Basically, the Church has these texts to battle the Espers but wants no affiliation with the Evil of magic... sounds about right but I really wish they would have changed the names of these groups. Anyway, she needs help from Tōma because she is being retrieved by the church and this unlikely pair must learn to overcome these challenges. So, enough plot, let me start with what is wrong and Ill work into what I hope is happening. First, the idea that a Sister would be in Japan, away from the church is never explained, second, there are a lot of starting points in this season but no plot points are explained to make any links or connections to a main plot point, it just hangs with a lot of open ends. Third, I hate to say this but there are a lot of unnecessary characters hanging around and the lack of focus from jumping from one to another is atrocious. Now, here is what I will say, because it is still fairly open on all fronts, I am hoping the second season makes some connections. Next, is that since A Certain Scientific Railgun was so good and followed only a year later with more focus and a better plot summary, I hope that is what happened later on. Basically, I want to say pass on this but again Railgun was fantastic so I am perplexed. I will get into the next season and see how it pans out for both Index and Railgun. Until the next one.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 19:02:22 +0000