As a random thought, I’d like Kamijou Touma to cross paths with Ruiko Saten one day. Considering how talented they are at getting into trouble, chances are, the world will be in danger as soon as those two get within a 5m range of each-other xD
Remember when I quoted the author in the afterword of NT vol. 12?
Turns out he’s going to make it true in the upcoming vol. 13, according to the title image and synopsis!
Once again, I’m SO hyped for the next volume!
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That is f’ing awesome news, I’m always for more best biribiri
edit: Found it on MAL!
"学園都市をハイテク自転車『アクロバイク』で疾走する上条当麻！ 荷台には、振り落とされない よう彼の腰に 両腕をしっかり回して密着する御坂美琴。……これは一体!?
Kamijou Touma rushing through Academy City on the high-tech bicycle, the
“Acro Bike!” On the back, Misaka Mikoto holds on to him for dear
life… What is this!?"
Mikoto’s turn as heroine.
With Earth’s destruction on the line.
The chase battle involving Kamijou and Mikoto begins!
Kamijou Touma rushing through AC on the Acro Bike.
On the back, Misaka Mikoto holds on to his waist for dear life so she doesn’t get thrown off.
Great Darkness pursues the duo.
The “Darkness” chasing kamijou holds the overwhelming destructive force to overcome even dimensions.
This time, it’s different from the negotiable Othinus or St Germain the fake.
The true Magic God, true Gremlin presses towards them.
Kamijou and Mikoto can no longer hold their own.
In these desperate moments, a surprising someone lends them his/her hand!
At the same time, while sitting behind Kamijou and fighting, Mikoto’s buzzing feelings for him starts to well up in her chest.
The chase battle with Earth’s destruction at stake! “Gremlin: Magic God Invasion Arc” begins!
When science and magic cross paths, the story begins!
I was being impatient this time. I didn’t wait for someone to make a pdf, or for the illustrations to be translated. Today, I have finished reading NT volume 13.
I… I guess I’m in a daze. I’m having trouble gathering my thoughts after finishing that volume. The one thing I can say right now is that it didn’t go as I expected at all. First of all, Mikoto’s role: Having Mikoto on the back of Kamijou’s bike, I expected a little bit of romance, even if it only happened in Mikoto’s head, and a little bit of progress, like in NT vol. 08 (where Kamijou finally started relying on Mikoto and Index) and NT vol. 10 (where Mikoto gave Kamijou a peace of mind about abandoning Othinus’ ‘perfect’ world, finishing it up with an electric hug.) Unfortunately, Mikoto’s and Touma’s relationship did not progress, though Mikoto’s position, troubles and attitude have been clarified. As the author said in the afterword, " I want her to keep running after Kamijou’s back no matter how hopeless or reckless it seems." And while I am thankful for that insight, I can’t shake the feeling that the position of this volume’s heroine could’ve been taken by someone else without the end result changing. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not agreeing with the High Priest. Kamijou’s reply was very clear. He’s not choosing his partner by how useful they’ll be in a given situation and he’s not choosing his methods by how ‘like’ or ‘unlike’ him they are, which is really cool. What I’m saying is that I didn’t get the feeling that what happened in this volume could only have been accomplished with Mikoto’s help and no one else’s. Nevertheless, I’m happy it was Mikoto and I feel like this volume has established a new ground for her future development, which I’ll be looking forward to at least as much as I did to this volume.
Now to the conclusion of NT volume 13 that had surprised me so much. I mean, yeah, on the surface it was just as expected. The ‘evil’ magic god is defeated after going all-out and the world is saved. But the way it happened made a huge difference. What put an end to the High Priest’s rampage wasn’t Kamijou Touma’s clenched fist or the power of the imagine breaker (though it could have?). It was an agent of Crowley, the man who lured the magic gods out of their secluded world in the first place. This conclusion was surprising in a good way. Good thing that Touma isn’t the only one saving the world. There has been some foreshadowing. I don’t know how Crowley and the Magic Gods are connected, but I’m looking forward to finding out. It has been foreshadowed just a little, but I think it’s very likely that Crowley will be finally stepping forward in the near future. …or not. Because surprisingly, a threat of a NEW CALIBER made its entrance just like that, completely changing the flow of events and overturning my expectations once again. Not gonna lie. I felt shivers down my spine when Crowley and Kihara Noukan have noticed that someone else had taken care of the other magic gods.
Well played, Kamachi Kazuma-Sensei. You caught me completely off-guard.
Once again. we are left with many questions. How will Mikoto adapt to the ever-growing distance between her and Kamijou? What is Aleister’s objective? Will Archbishop Laura Stuart re-enter the fray? How did Kamijou Touma plan to stop the comet? And finally, what is Kamisato Kakeru’s objective?
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Oh shoot, it’s out? I can’t wait to read it!
There are some more things mentioned in volume 13 that I would like to adress. It’s about the concept of magic gods and their perspectives.
Not only are magic gods nearly impossible to defeat, they’re also powerful enough to pacify any opponent without resorting to violence. Their very existence mocks all magicians. Magicians are people who spend their lives trying to fulfill one important goal, which they inscribe into their identity as a magic name. Magic gods can skip the process of trying and just fulfill that goal for them perfectly and effortlessly. It’s like confronting a magic god may be a decent, (albeit risky,) strategy for accomplishing an otherwise impossible goal. Then again, isn’t it just as impossible to meet a magic god through your own effort?
So basically, having the power to fulfill any desire is the same as not having any desire at all. If you can achieve something effortlessly, it becomes meaningless to you. To quote Saitama (Onepunch-man), “Having an overwhelming power is boring as hell.”
Once again, Kamachi Kazuma-Sensei is putting a lot of thought into his work.
And then there’s one more thing I’ve been thinking about.
In this volume, Kamijou Touma has rejected the position as the magic gods’ scorer that would allow him to pretty much order the magic gods around and having them change the world as he pleases. He did not want to be able to change the world, even if he could’ve brought about a “perfect world” like the one Othinus had made to corner him. Of course, changing the world according to his own ideals would’ve been an absolute dictatorship that makes everything meaningless, no matter the result. That’s why he had rejected Othinus’ perfect world.
However, Kamijou Touma does participate in changing the world. He’s dashing around the globe, saving people, conquering girl’s hearts and stopping “bad” things from happening. When he sees something he feels he can’t let happen, he jumps in with his fist clenched and prevents it. While on a different scale from what a magic god can do, Kamijou does change the world according to his beliefs.
In a certain alteration of the world by Othinus, all humanity had turned against Kamijou Touma precisely because he’s going around changing so much with, well, violence. (Though I really don’t believe that the rest of the world would go as far as blowing up academy city because of him.) In other words, the amount of control Kamijou can exert over the world, even without the power of magic gods, is enough to terrify all humanity.
Now here’s my question: Where does Kamijou draw the line between heroism and dictatorship? Is anything fine as long as he doesn’t go beyond being a mere participant in the big game?
So once you’ve finished vol. 13, let me know what you guys think ^^
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Was just digging though my Raildex folder and came across this gem again, always amuses me
And no, Accelerator can’t change the divergence, because div  = ∇Â, where  is a vector, but ∇=ê1 𝛿/𝛿x1+ê2 𝛿/𝛿x2+ê3 𝛿/𝛿x3 is an operator
But I still dunno how much all of that works, or how the electromagnetic tensor from the covartiant electromagnetism affects all that business, and I’m too lazy to search my electromagnetism scripts from uni^^
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In the hope that, one day, maybe in a year or two, someone will read NT 14 and join me in discussing it, I shall share my thoughts on it.
New Testament volume 14, eh? Despite how many books came out, the story just keeps getting more interesting and the writing keeps getting more amazing. Despite how many times we witness Kamijou Touma in action, there’s always new things to learn about him.
First off, Kamijou’s newly-established definition of evil:
Evil is created when someone gives up on someone else. It appears when everyone gives up on someone as a lost cause and removes their path to salvation. Once they are cut off from everyone else, they become evil. Just look through history and you’ll understand. What is the difference between a murderer who kills a single person and a great hero who kills one million? It has nothing to do with the person himself. It comes down to whether everyone else accepts him. It’s an issue of majority rule.
~ Othinus - To aru Majutsu no Index New Testament vol. 14
Othinus poited out two things:
1. Kamijou Touma is not a hero who crushes evil. He’s a hero who won’t give up on anyone. Not once did he kill his enemy. Not once did he give up on them. That’s what makes him unique. And that’s why, an additional offensive power would not make him stronger.
2. Kamijou Touma does not carry the burden of the entire world on his own. He doesn’t have to solve every problem or feel responsible for everything.
So as I was reading NT 14, I’ve been wondering what exactly Kamisato Kakeru’s role was. Was he supposed to be an alternative what-if version of Kamijou Touma, just like Aureolus Izzard was back in Volume 2? The author described Aureolus as the “failed version”, the kind of guy Touma might have become if he would have failed to save Index in Volume 1. So what about Kamisato Kakeru? He’s the kind of normal high school boy one could find anywhere. But unlike Kamijou, he clings to the term ‘normal’ and rejects everything that strays from the path of normalcy. He despises his power, those who have granted it to him and basically everything that happened ever since he became the world rejecter. In other words, is he a hero who hates being the protagonist? He will save girls and confront the mightiest foes. He’s in the same position as Touma, yet they are enemies due to how differently they feel about that position. Touma saves anyone who needs to be saved while Kakeru destroys evil. Touma is driven by his sense of justice while Kakeru is driven by the desire for vengeance. Touma is the “Harem accepter” (xD), while Kakeru rejects all the girls’ feelings as unnatural. Touma always aims for the perfect solution while Kakeru only accepts realistic solutions.
So the Kamijou faction is made up of those who were saved in a way they could only hope for while the Kamisato faction consists of girls who gave up hope for a perfect ending and took matters in their own hands?
I just LOVED this volume’s clash of ideals. Kamisato’s view of the world really scared me, but I actually believed he was right for just a short while until Kamijou crushed his reasoning.
As for Kihara Noukan, I really feel bad for him. It’s a damn shame he had to leave the game board so early. Between like and dislike, I definitely liked him. I didn’t expect someone as gentle as him to be so high up in the rankings of academy city. Speaking of which… Aleister is being portrayed way more positively than ever before, isn’t he? I mean, he still sacrificed Noukan for his plan, but he was being… human about it. Ever since NT 13, he’s not being the creepy, inhuman upside-down guy pulling the strings and using friend and foe as pawns in his game. He’s the human, emotion-driven upside-down guy pulling the strings and apologetically using friend and foe in order to accomplish one great goal. And I really really want to know what that goal is.
With Noukan leaving the battle, we can expect Kihara Yuiitsu to join in his stead. She’s aiming to suprass her master. Could it be that Aleister sacrificed Noukan precisely in order to make an even stronger chess piece out of Yuiitsu?
There’s one thing about this volume that I found extremely strange. That is the world rejecter itself. World rejecter attacks by touching touching the target’s shadow with its own. That’s like a simple spell, isn’t it? Kamisato Kakeru can be defeated as easily as any other magician once you figure it out, right? So how could he defeat magic gods with just that? He may have the ultimate attack that can’t be defended against, but shouldn’t evading it be fairly easy? How could someone as inexperienced as Kamisato destroy the power of a veteran like Kamijou? Did they just let the ultimate shield and the ultimate sword collide head on and the shield lost? How could he defend against Kihara Noukan’s attacks? He had lasers. That stuff travels at the speed of light, doesn’t it?
It’s… very weird.
Finally, Kamachi Kazuma-sensei talked about destroying safe zones. So which safe zones will be the next to be destroyed? Perhaps Aleister’s windowless building?
The kind of normal high school boy you can find anywhere is someone who can become a hero at any time if they happen to see someone in need!!!
~ Kamijou Touma - To aru Majutsu no Index New Testament vol. 14
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Realism vs Idealism. I can’t agree with everything Kamisato says, but I certainly found myself siding with him more than I would’ve liked in this chapter. I wouldn’t say Kamijou is a harem-accepter, but more, harem-ambivalent. He’s never really expressed any kind of happiness over the harem; it’s just a natural consequence of his actions. What distinguishes Kamijou here is that he refuses to deny the feelings of those girls who had fallen for him. It’s one illusion he wishes to protect, and the only way to do that is by avoiding any action which might shake the balance. But I really, really want him to shake it up. If he did end up falling in love with someone, it would create some very, very interesting circumstances. His role as the hero might even be called into question if something like that happened. It probably won’t happen, but here’s hoping. New Testament is all about breaking down the boundaries and rules that were in place in the first series. The harem might be the final boundary that needs to be broken before Kamijou can evolve into something different. I’m very glad they touched on it in this chapter; I hope they continue to do so. Misaka’s role isn’t over yet.
GOD DAMMIT KIHARA NOUKAN, why did you have to be a sacrificial pawn? You were too good! Why didn’t we ever receive any illustrations of you, except for one simple illustrating in the contents page of this volume? Why the hell didn’t the climax of the last volume get an illustration? Literally the most explosive moment of the entire series, and we didn’t get an illustration for it. It’s way too soon! There may be hope for a return, especially since he hasn’t died yet, but I feel really bad for him. A Kihara with romance I wanted so much to see more of. It really is a shame… I don’t think Yuuitsu will easily fill the gap for me.
Oh, and since I didn’t touch on it, I think Volume 13 is definitely one of my favourites so far. That whole volume was so action-packed, it really brought the conflict to a new level when Academy City was at such a threat of being destroyed, and seeing the dynamic between Kamijou and Misaka explored so thoroughly was a real treat. It had some really great messages too, like the whole idea that “the world isn’t so fragile that it needs me to save it; everyone is working together to save this city”. Really cool stuff. And damn, the High Priest was as menacing as he was eccentric.
So, I guess the only direction we have now is toward Aleister himself. It looks like we might be approaching the final story arc, guys. I anticipate a more spinoff-y volume next time. It might be time for Dark Matter to return to the stage once more.
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Damn. Just read NT15. Haven’t had a chapter that felt this… immoral since Baggage City. [spoiler]Salome was a fantastic character, and it’s slightly worrying that he’s been able to paint a ruthless serial killer as a likeable character. The big scene which stuck with me this volume was Salome using the Kamisato faction as fuel for her attack, which didn’t even succeed anyway! Heroic or not, that was really fucked up.
We also had Kamijou forced to choose whether or not to wield a firearm against Yuuitsu. Thankfully, he was spared from making that decision, but not at the cost of Misaka. She’s finally taken the dive into the world of magic, and it feels extremely unsettling. For all we know, Misaka could be forced to walk down the path of a Kihara to catch up with Kamijou. All the pillars supporting his foundation are beginning to crack.[/spoiler]
“Remember this: the first step towards crazy is to stop caring what other people think of you
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"Crazy people aren’t crazy because their actions don’t follow any rules. They’re crazy because they never break a set of rules that only they can understand.”
I went into NT15 thinking it’s gonna be some filler-y, half-serious school life episode with some foreshadowing here and there…
[spoiler]And I still thought so for the most part of the volume, only to suddenly see Kamijou’s safe zones attacked, his ideals challenged, Kamisato dethroned and Misaka corrupted in the blink of an eye. You got me again, Kamachi Kazuma-sensei.
Salome’s personality really was a plot twist of sorts. It’s funny how a mass murderer was the one to point out the ridiculousness of Kamisato’s logic and environment.
Salome - best girl. The smartest, most reasonable and most honorable character of this volume. She also had the best lines. Of course, slaughtering the Kamisato faction to save the boy or using them as fodder is going way overboard, but she was right about everything else.
“What the hell is this disturbing orgy of violence with no guilt whatsoever?”
There is no reason to fight the magic gods. There is no reason to attack Kamijou and his friends. Kamisato’s greatest problem is his rejection of the abnormal. If his faction would just stay put, they should be able to attain a reasonable amount of happiness.
So Kamisato still fails to be a protagonist. In fact, he becomes more and more like a villain. Treason, ambushes and intrigues are his new strategies. Although he didn’t actually plan to weaken Kamijou by turning his normal classmates against him (which, as we’ve seen in the Othinus arc, is tremendously effective. Another safe zone has been attacked!), it was still pretty low of him to get normal people involved in his fights to gain an edge.
Right until the moment he was proven wrong, he absolutely believed that the feelings of the girls around him were a byproduct of the world rejecter. He’s an idiot and a douche. And that’s not only because he has the ultimate weapon - the easiest way of cutting people off. According to Salome, he’s always been the type to manipulate people and bait them into committing crimes.
So now that he’s lost his arm, I sincerely hope for him to become a better person, though it doesn’t seem very realistic at this point.
As for Kihara Yuuitsu, I’m pretty disappointed. The scale of power she has attained is on a whole other level, but Character-wise, she’s just another “average” Kihara. She may have the biggest gun in the hood now, but she completely failed at becoming unique. She doesn’t come close to being an interesting character like Bersi or Noukan. Come on, Aleister. Is that the best you got? Did you sacrifice Noukan just for this? I’m sincerely hoping for Yuuitsu to disappear soon, so that a more interesting villain can take over.
Last but not least: Misakaaaaaaaa!
This was something I had not expected at all. We all knew how much she wanted to stand on equal ground with Touma and fight alongside him, but seeing her almost break under that pressure to the point losing her mind was heart-rending. I definitely wanted Misaka to remain on the stage… but… not if Misaka stops being Misaka in exchange… The worst part of all is that she had already decided NOT to tap into a power that would most likely turn her into something horrible, only to be practically forced to accept it after all.[/spoiler]
I’m just as excited as I am worried. Things have gotten interesting in the most messed-up way. >_<
It’s weird how things are upside-down around Kamisato, aren’t they? The kind of normal high school boy you can find anywhere starts doing horrible things (srsly, I’m slowly getting some School Days vibes here), the faction girls’ love turns into the source of the problem, and a mass murderer who sacrificed her own body to gain strength becomes a wise hero…
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Since we have yet to discuss Volume 16, I’ll be adressing both NT 16 and 17 now.
Both volumes take place at a borderline post-apocalyptic disaster site. This time, Kamijou is not the only one whose ‘safe zone’ is destroyed. While assuming a passive role in the earlier volume, Kamijou proactively dictates the entire flow of the later one.
NT16
[spoiler]I like the amount of Misaka in NT 16. She gets to save Kamijou’s ass again and she flings away the deadly Elements with the snap of a finger. But the best part is that Kamijou keeps thinking about her even when she’s not around. Of course, it would be bad if he went back to viewing Misaka as someone to protect rather than a reliable ally in battle, but he just might be the only perso who still sees her as a girl rather than a walking weapon.
Kamisato has touched on the topic of succession. If Kamisato or Kamijou were to die or to remove their hands forcefully, their powers would be transfered to someone else.
Would they be responsible for whatever the next owners would do?
Remember when I mentioned that the world rejecter works the same way as a normal spell? And now, Kamisato blocked it with a simple umbrella.
<- THIS! that’s exactly what I meant back then! The world rejecter has limits and conditions just like any other magic spell and weapon. So Kamijou should’ve been able to outplay Kamisato easily, as he had done with countless magicians (and espers) before! So Kamijou should never have lost!
Kamisato’s predictions came true in the most horrible way. The balance of power had shifted dramatically and the new owner the World Rejecter had truly become the ruler of the 100 girls. But no despair is too big for the spiky-haired boy.
[quote]“To hell with all of that!! Wait for me, Kamisato. I’m done not acting like myself and I’m going to turn this around! I’ll show this piece of shit world just who Kamijou Touma is!! If you think what you’ve forced onto us will make even a single person happy, then I’ll destroy that illusion until not even the smallest piece remains!!!”
~Kamijou Touma - New Testament Vol 16 [/quote][/spoiler]
on to NT 17
[spoiler]After betraying his former ideals and getting rejected by the world rejecter, Kamisato Kakeru’s character development did not end. It turns out the kind of normal high school boy you can find anywhere had been someone special all along. And he accepted that fact. He had accepted the help and the words of the same magic gods he had slaughtered in a mad pursuit of revenge. He can finally see clearly and get his priorities straight.
Kamisato himself might take a step back at this point, but his harem might make a comeback despite all my doubts. I mean…
did Kihara Yuuitsu manage to “infect” all of Kamisato’s girls? It doesn’t really feel authentic to me. Even for a Kihara, 48 hours shouldn’t be enough to accomplish that and by only utilizing “fear” as a medium to boot. But if she did succeed… 100 Kiharas with ridiculous esper and magic powers would be horrifying.
We got to see more girls of the Kamisato faction, but honestly, I can only sympathise with two of them. Only Salome and Fran feel like actual people, in terms of both emotions and intellect. Only they have enough individuality to break free from the hivemind that is the “Kamisato faction”. So even despite Kamachi Kazuma-Sensei’s attempts to picture said faction as a group of individuals, I’m not really feeling it.
But more importantly, Misaka.
Her rampage had come at a greater surprise than it actually should have. Us readers tend to forget it because she is Academy City’s #3, a protagonist in her own right, and because she had fought through countless large-scale conflicts and went through hell more than once, but Misaka is still a fragile middle school girl.
She may have the spirit and the skills to face a malicious villain head-on, but being betrayed, attacked and abandoned by a mass of normal people she had given her all to protect was undoubtebly too much for her young psyche to handle.
She had been attacked by random strangers, so she had lashed out at random strangers. That’s the most normal reaction a person, especially someone her age, could possibly have.
…I mean, I can comprehend that on a logical level, but the thought of Misaka using her powers to hurt civilians is still pretty disturbing. Does this count as another safe zone going down?
At the very least, Kamijou earned another chunk of man points for embracing her and promising to destroy her fears.
I’m getting the feeling that, while the biggest part of the series had focused on picturing certain characters as the embodiment of their respective concepts, such as heroes, the last couple of volumes, including the othinus arc, made sure to picture the characters’ human sides.
Also, “balls of steel” has a name and a face now: Tsuchimikado Motoharu.
He casually attacked the greatest villain of the universe and walked away victorious. Forget Kiharas, siscons are way scarier!
And while I hate shipping, is it already time to ship Fran with her sunglasses-clad Lord UFO and savior?
Now to the core of the story…
[quote] “Isis, Osiris, and Horus… But this is far removed from Egyptian traditions. That which will not obey upon being summoned… Abrahadabra. The upside-down triangle made from the same letters…the curse-reversing charm… I see. The induction of the paranormal using adolescent minds and drugs was taken from the Temple of Thelema. But wait…that would mean…!?”
“Science and magic? Don’t make me laugh! If everything here is true, then there never were two different worlds. A single person’s wickedness was only making it look that way!! You can explain the world with a single unified theory!!”[/quote]
That is actually the biggest bombshell of this volume, or maybe of the entire series. Science and Magic are part of a whole. Though a plot twist, it does explain a lot of things. For example, how a magician, out of all people, had managed to create the “science side” and turn it into a worthy rival for the “magic side”. For example, why Kamijou Touma’s right hand had the same effect on both magic and esper powers.
But, uh… it’s such a huge deal, I’m not even sure what to think of it…
It seems more and more like the next arc would also be the final one. I can’t wait to see what Aleister’s goal is.
Until now, I have assumed that his aim was to eradicate magic from the world by using the Misaka network, as hinted at some point in the old testament. But now that it turns out magic and science are one and the same, this theory is void. The network might be a mere stepping stone to a completely unrelated goal.
So, what did Aleister have to neutralize the magic gods, the A. A. A. and the World Rejecter for? What does he need the Imagine Breaker for? Why did Aleister go out of his way to “train” Kamijou Touma by pushing him into all kinds of conflicts and turning him into a global hero? Why did he build a space ship?
Will Laura Stuart finally re-enter the stage as a villain? Why is Aleister so cautious of her?[/spoiler]
When Science and magic clash, this story… hey, wait a minute.
I wrote a thing. Hopefully this can be helpful to anyone interested in picking up the series!
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It is indeed regrettable that the author never managed to make Index an interesting character beyond the beginning.
I gotta ask though, what’s the problem with the deep blood arc? I’ve read through the official translation recently and I didn’t really have much to complain about.
Also, would you mind explaining what consistency issues it supposedly presents? It probably has something to do with the right hand, but please elaborate.
Truly an interesting article, but one I’m going to have to disagree with solely because it depends on what you expect from Raildex as you walk right in. Do you want a nice, casual experience that’s fun to the eye with some nice comedy sprinkled in? Index and Railgun anime are just what you need.
Are you perhaps interested in something a bit deeper, something that really gets your brain going into how deep all of this could possibly get? Index anime still passes, but the Railgun anime should be shunned in favour of the manga.
Or are you perhaps the type who likes to understand and analyse the character’s very thoughts according to what canon dictates? You can watch the Index anime as a nice entertainment since it does its best within the medium’s limitation, but the light novels will be a must first. And remember: there is no such thing as a Railgun anime.
That said, I’m not going to argue that reading the Index light novel is only a must if you want to truly understand all of the subtleties in the series. Even though the Index anime takes a step back in terms of depth in favour of a more shounen-like approach, it still does a decent and fulfilling job, for all that it has to deal with, at being an enjoyable and faithful watch for those who can’t be arsed (or simply don’t have the time) to read that insane amount of novels (OT + NT + SS + Extra).
I really wouldn’t say the same for Railgun, though, because it screws up the most fundamental parts of the characters in favour of mindless comedy when that was never its orientation, and even blatantly contradicts canon for the sake of its own nonsense. It feels like it was made more to please the people that were making it than the people who’re watching it and in that regard, I would simply recommend reading the manga first and seeing then anime second for a more casual experience if you’re curious as to what’s all the controversy about… assuming you don’t lose your mind at the sheer difference between the two experiences.
Now, another thing in this article I have a problem with is how Index and Railgun are presented, so I’ll be addressing these under spoilers in case people don’t want to get spoiled/have to read so much.
[spoiler]My first problem is the “skipability” of early Old Testament.
Let’s start with the Index Arc. Though it may seem that way, the Index Arc doesn’t actually serve as an example of what the rest of the series will be like . Once you get a good hang on the universe, it actually serves the purpose of both introducing the setting and introducing us to the inherently flawed character that is Kamijou Touma.
It establishes his uglier sides born from his self-loathing, insecurities and regrets. It shows a Touma who’s willing to give up and had to force himself to keep on going, even then still pretending that he was never the one who did anything (as evidenced by his speech to Stiyl and Kanzaki).
The end of that arc rewards the courage he had with an ultimate sacrifice and outcome, the death of the old Touma and the birth of the new Touma, who’s a blank state riddled with anxiety in retards to his memory loss that’ll fuel the rest of Old Testament until he realises that he doesn’t need his old, unknowingly cynical and highly flawed self to keep his current one going. Index Arc is the difference between the Touma who was willing to give up when told there was no hope, and the Touma who’d never even think that things are hopeless
And that’s why Deep Blood is an important arc (admittedly not as important as the Sisters Arc in that regard, but I’ll get to it), despite how boring it may appear at first. It serves as the starting ground of the new Touma who’s trying his best to fit in a world that only asks for his old self (as shown by him having to keep appearances around everyone he meets in this volume, save for Aisa) and his complex feelings about eventually coming to terms with his memory less.
Aureolus Izzard is meant to represent what could have been had Touma been “another person who failed to save Index”, and to give him the assurance needed to continue his lie by showing the difference between those who failed and him, who succeeded, and showing him that the fact that Index still remembers and wants to be with him isn’t something he can throw away.
This leads us into Radio Noise, an arc that is much more important to Touma than it is to Mikoto, believe it or not (hence why it’s important to watch/read both versions and not just Railgun S, which is a very poor adaptation of the manga form tainted by Nagai’s lack of understanding of the more subtle aspects of character development in that arc), and something that should absolutely not be skipped if you don’t want to see Touma as yet another shounenprota.
The Sisters Arc marks the first point in the story where Touma can act true to his current self. I mean sure, he’d known Mikoto before his memory loss, but it’s clear here that finding that out didn’t put the same amount of pressure on him as when he found out Index knew his old self. Their banter is similar to before his memory loss, but Mikoto never actually made him think “oh shit, I’m not who she wants me to be better pretend otherwise” like Index. Where it was obvious to him that Index longed for his old self, Mikoto, on the other hand, is someone he could just at his most natural around and not have to overthink his every word to keep his secret.
His will to protect the Sisters and Mikoto from the cruel fate that awaits them isn’t something that’s forced onto him by ideals he used to follow before, either, such as when Stiyl approached Touma to save Aisa because “hey you did save Index after all that right hand of yours sure is helpful”. None of that shit here. Touma doesn’t want to see Mikoto get hurt, and he sure as hell doesn’t want to see the Sisters dead, so screw the “strongest” in Academy City, he’s getting his hands dirty to protect them and Imagine Breaker (if you ignore the keikaku he wasn’t even aware of anyway) had nothing to do with anything.
The Sisters Arc marks when Touma starts protecting others because he wants to, and not because he’s obliged to by how people viewed his old self. That’s when he truly adopts the ideals he holds tight during all of OT (and NT, but that’s a lot different and would require an entire post dedicated to it) and when he establishes the everyday life of the new Kamijou Touma. This Arc is important to Mikoto because it teaches her of her blindness to the truths behind Academy City, the city she spent nearly her entire life in, but it’s also important to Touma because it establishes Mikoto and Imouto as the fundamental gears in how his everyday life functions even if he doesn’t see the latter that often.
That’s where he also learns that it’s fine to do things for his own sake, and not have to live for others solely because they would “miss” the old Touma if he were to reveal the truth (which is a theme really accentuated on when Mikoto finds out the truth in the Acqua arc).
Both sides of the Sisters Arc complement each other because it’s an arc meant to be the turning point of both protagonists, and I can’t fathom ever recommending one over the other.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]Secondly, the Railgun anime.
Now, I’m not going to go on a crusade against whoever enjoys it, but if people truly want to understand what Railgun is like and who the characters truly are, then the anime is a must-skip until the manga has been read. The anime doesn’t show as much insight into the character’s heads as it likes to think it does, it merely focus on superficial aspects such as “four girls hanging out” at the cost of understanding canon material (even openly contradicting it at times).
In the anime, Mikoto is made out to be a NAKAMA BADASS a la shounen-genre whereas the manga takes the time to establish her as a cocky, self-confident young girl who simply let all the praise and power get to her head because everyone always went on about how great she was. Where the anime teaches her she can do anything with her friends, the manga showcases and teaches her of her shortcomings and natural flaws as a human being.
Kuroko is made out to be a hyper-jealous hyper-lesbian hyper-weirdo in the anime, whereas the manga actually showcases her true care for Mikoto (such as covering her with a blanket after she fell asleep complaining about Touma, only slightly muttering in displeasure whereas the anime has her blowing unreasonable fuses at the slightest things) and how she’d put anything aside for her happiness which is a theme shown in the Remnant Arc that the Railgun anime displays poorly.
The anime aims to be a show about everyday life in a city of supernatural, whereas the manga aims to show the darker and much unpleasant aspects of such a highly advanced city which is a theme Kamachi favours much more than any normal day scenario.[/spoiler]
I could keep on going on and on using a volume/arc basis, but I’ll cut it here to avoid breaking anyone’s scrolling wheel. My point here is that early OT is actually where Kamachi shines the brightest, solely because most of what happens prior to Invasion Arc is nearly all development for Touma’s sake. If you look closely, even the anime reflects those important aspects of the novels as much as it can within its limitaitons… shame the Railgun anime doesn’t even bother to try and show that brilliance.
This wall may be unrelated to most of what was written in your blog post, Aspi, but while Raildex isn’t a franchise meant to be simple in the first place, it’s up to the viewer/reader to decide what experience they want to gain out of the series which is why I feel it’s important for them to know what they’re missing depending on how they decide to approach the franchise.
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Has the time come?
Shall the unreasonably broken power scales introduced in NT finally be put aside in favour of focusing on the one grand Arc everyone has been waiting for since this series started?
[spoiler]
NT18 Cover & Summary
“Toaru Majutsu no Index” and “Toaru Kagaku no Railgun” Manga’s 10th Anniversary! And in the headquarters, finally a confrontation with “him”――!!
The “Plan”.
Enshrined within the headquarters of Science is the ambition of an immortal magician that spans beyond a hundred years. It undergoes an infinite amount of forms, and bares its fangs without mercy.
Tsuchimikado Motoharu and Fran have become target of the leader of Academy City. After they stumble into Kamijou Touma’s room, they attempt to escape from Academy City as a last resort. However, the man in the green surgical gown certainly will not let them get away. His poisonous fang, a magic called “Karma”, strikes Tsuchimikado’s sister Maika, consuming her in the process. To overcome this situation, Touma and Tsuchimikado decided to attack the stronghold of the General Superintendent of Academy City, the Windowless Building.
What awaited them inside was vast, nihilistic space as if symbolizing the ruler’s mind.
Kamijou charged forth heading to the top, but suddenly a strange, cat-eared beauty in mourning garb named Mina Mathers invites him to experience the same Golden Miracle that the immortal magician walked. Along with the mystery of the Imagine Breaker…
Finally the curtain is drawn.
Thus begins the tale of Aleister Crowley, a “human” with a clear consciousness.
Release date: May 10th.[/spoiler]
A quick reminder: NT vol. 19 is currently being translated. We gotta make sure to read and discuss it before october ends!
I’ve been keeping up with it. Aleister chan is… Very interesting
Rumours speaketh that one of fripSide’s members, in a personal interview, said she was happy that fripSide had been contracted for a “new Railgun project song”.
Should these rumours be true…
What have you done, Miki? How did you conquer the memes with such ease in a mere year or two after building your own society? 
