Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
ThatAnimeSnobRE
SCRIPT
The Toaru franchise is more known for its complex terminology and elaborate world building than for its plot. In the story, magic and science are at war all over the world, but the viewer spends the series in a city where most people are teenagers with superpowers who get to have generic adventures. The story sounds great on paper because the author put a lot of work in explaining the various magical and scientific powers that many characters possess. The plot however is as typical as it gets when it comes to light novels. Despite the variety in themes and special abilities the protagonist is a seemingly normal teenager who is evaluated as level zero (at the bottom), yet with his power he defeats everybody with a punch and makes his harem bigger by the day. Level zero indeed; so muc…
Read at the sourceTakaCode
This review will cover both seasons of A Certain Magical Index as well a bit of the movie called A Certain Magical Index The Miracle of Endymion.
I have a complex relationship with the Raildex series. Ever since I was introduced to the series from my group of friends my opinion of the RailDex series has been all over the place. On one hand, I really adored certain elements of the series such as Sisters arc in Railgun S and the first arc of Index while I hated such as Touma Gary Sue preachy power-ups speeches and the contrived Silent Party Arc of Railgun S. Needless to say I enjoyed the Raildex for what it is despite its numerous flaws. Now unlike Full Metal Panic, Inazuma Eleven and Legend of The Galactic Heroes I didn’t get excited for Index Season 3 at all mainly because I didn’t like A…
Read at the sourceMicsupreeme
~ I will eat your illusions alive! ~
(TL;DR Version: Bottom paragraph)
In spite of the release order, i would in fact recommend visiting the alternate "Railgun" story prior to the "Index" one: as it begins by explaining Academy City's context, infrastructure and esper system more thoroughly. This could aid your ability to understand the extent of Toaru's genuinely captivating and morally driven premise. Nevertheless, i will treat this first installment of the "Index" story as the start of its own anime to avoid bias...
Academy City is introduced as a technologically advanced place in the future, where even magic is a reality; therefore filling the show with a notable sense of wonderment and limitless potential. The Index story begins by showing a clear division between science and magic,…
Read at the sourceChrolloDevJS
After watching (and enjoying) A Certain Scientific Railgun, I was very excited to start this show. Railgun is meant to be as a spinoff for one of the side characters in Index, so I was very curious to see what the main story actually is. To my dismay, however, I learned that Index, despite being the main story, is overwhelmingly average and mediocre compared to Railgun. I doubt I would have enjoyed this at all if there weren't any of the side characters from Railgun to keep things somewhat interesting.
Much like most anime that I have gripes with, my main two issues are the story and the characters. Let's begin with the story: in a single word, I would describe it as disjointed. The story is split into several small arcs that feel like they have very little to do with one another; in addi…
Read at the sourcekorison
Ever since people started thinking, gathering in groups and building villages and cities, there was always the one question that some people asked themselves and even though most people probably didn't really care in the first place, they later started asking the same questions. It was a matter of time until that question was raised. "What are we?", "Where do we come from?", "Why are we on earth?", are the ones I am talking about and one answer became popular quickly: God! Religion was founded in the early days and while having it hard at first, the religion that in the end came out on top in the western world was Christianity. Not always through peaceful means, but they somehow managed to make people believe them. But the church doesn't really have the monopole of answering these question…
Read at the sourceLeikoHaran
Toaru Majutsu no Index (A Certain Magical Index) is a 48 episode adaptation of the light novel series of the same name respectively.
The 2 season anime were released between 2008-2011 and a movie released in February this year.
A Certain Magical Index is set in a world where supernatural abilities are a reality. While some individuals known as Espers possess special powers gained since birth, other individuals denominated Magicians gain their powers upon mastering the power of symbolism, be it from obtaining knowledge from special books known as Grimoires or by using special magic artifacts. While several Magician cults align themselves with ancient religions, Esper powers are usually developed by experimentation and training, thus they are usually aligned with scientific institutions. Th…
Read at the sourceZeroReq011
We have an egotistical alchemist with reality manipulation, a murderous psychic with vector control, and a magician with rampaging golems. You know what they all need in common? A good punch to the face...
...courtesy of a Mr. Tōma Kamijō right fist. Sourced from Kazuma Kamachi's light novel franchise (and later, manga series), A Certain Magical Index follows the misfortunes of Kamijō when a rather eventful encounter with a nun hanging from his dorm room balcony throws headlong into friction-filled world of science and magic. Science, through Academy City, where he currently studies to realize his supposedly untapped potential as an esper. Magic, through Index, where he eventually ends up cares and protects her from forces that target her, in part, due to the 103,000 grimoires locked wit…
Read at the sourceNateal
*to those who are too lazy to read and just want a quick summary, skip to the final paragraph*
One of the greatest battles that mankind has ever witnessed is the battle between science and religion, a battle that is still being fought today. So just imagine, what will happen if people with supernatural abilities existed and both these sides got hold of people whose special abilities that are nothing short of miraculous? So how exactly does this relate to To Aru Majutsu no Index? Well I suppose a short summary of the story is in order.
Now To Aru Majutsu no Index (which I would just refer to now as Majutsu no Index) is set in a world where both science and magic coexist. Kamijou Touma, you regular high school kid lives within a place called Academy City, the so called “utopia of science”…
Read at the sourceMessyrats
"Such misfortune!"
It's somewhat apt that I happened to choose that as the opening quote to this review, because it really does sum up To Aru Majutsu no Index rather nicely - that is, an anime filled with misfortune.
Initially, Index got off to an...interesting start, it wasn't particularly bad, nor was it particularly good either, it was just interesting. We are introduced to our main character Touma, rather interestingly, Touma is not the stereotypical useless protagonist so often seen in shows like Index; don't get me wrong, at his core, he's just a variation on the plain nice guy, but this nice guy also happens to have one of the most overpowered abilities in the history of fiction: the ability to negate literally any form of supernatural ability that happens to come his way with his…
Read at the sourcefrsdnl2
Oh God~
Where do I start? This anime just want to make my brain cells crushed and having an extreme migraine.
The story and setting is near to Shakugan no Shana, SURPRISINGLY! But Shana is more darker and give more suspense. I even checked if both of them have the same Director and make in the same studio, but no.
If I want to make a a one word review of this anime it would be.
MOE.
That's all. I still can't get the grip on what the fu*k the story is all about, Magicians? Esper? Walking Church? Fu*k...!! Even a detective Anime like Conan, Q or Death Note does not make me feel confused as much as this Anime.
If you want to get fun by watching this anime... GOOD LUCK!
Then there's this Protagonist which is ok but does not however explained where does he get the Imagine breaker. How? W…
Read at the sourceTenos
The beef on the plate before you smells wonderful. Its color indicates that it has spent just about the right amount of time on the grill. Surrounded by finely cooked and cut potatoes and some vegetables for the fresh taste's sake, with a glass of delicious wine towering nearby, the seemingly delicious meat only waits for you to enjoy your meal.
It's funny, really. In a way, Toaru Majutsu no Index is deceptive. The first few episodes promise you a really intriguing (if not epic) story. The presentation is phenomenal; the opening is great, events that unfold in episode 1 already get you hooked and there are already some interesting characters whom you want to know more about. Hungrily, you venture onwards for more.
Throughout the episodes after the terrific first impressions, however, you…
Read at the sourceKaminaKai
"Then would you accompany me to the depth of hell?" - Index
"When magic and science crosses path, what will happen?" is how I would have liked to start this review. However the answer to that would have simply be "nothing" since, although both sides exists in the same place, there were hardly any interaction between them. So instead, I will begin by asking Index what she meant by accompanying her to the depth of hell. She was hardly present for half the show and during the rare occasions when she is in an episode, she gets sidelined and become a minor character with absolutely no impact to the story (beside biting Touma on the head).
So what happened to those 103,000 magical texts? With the exception of the first few episodes and the last episode or two, where Index as a character actua…
Read at the sourceSamFury
A Somewhat Unlucky Boy
Academy City, the Mecca of Science, is where most of it's denizens are student that have been scientifically engineered to be espers, or wielders of certain unique abilities: manipulating electricity, teleportation and controlling natural forces.
Touma is a student in the Esper Development Program, with very unique skill, the ability to negate supernatural powers, like the ones manifested by other Espers. This, of course, nullifies his good fortune as well: vending machines devour his yen, his cellphone crushed into silicon fragments by his foot, and he has to attend extra classes during the summer.
But fate isn't done with Touma, ready to twist the string of his destiny around it's cold slender fingers. Enter Index, hanging to dry from Touma's balcony, a church s…
Read at the sourcekanauru
. Pros
+ Science vs Magic Plot
+ Interesting and likeable characters ( girls )
+ Accidental harem
+ HD Quality
+ Humorous with popular references here and there ( leek )
. Cons
- After Episode 10 it's character development for the other characters
- Not enough time to get back to the main plot ( Season 2 I assume? ) - Feels like a giant introduction / setup ( Novel and Manga still going )
- Some characters feel like filler, hopefully they'll have some use later on
. Conclusion :
I like this Anime despite the fact it got off target halfway through. They did a good job of developing the other characters in the show but then by the time you finish the series, you're expecting Season 2. Basically it felt like one giant introduction episode, introducing us to the characters and the plot, but…
Read at the sourceSplitter
Largely a compilation of various archetypes and cliches meant to produce something to hold over the Shana crowd until the inevitable Season 3, To Aru Majutsu no Index embodies the same animation style, similar story progression, and yet another myriad of needlessly confusing terminology. However, Index does manage to possess some very different characters than it's spiritual predecessor that add some freshness to an otherwise tired production.
If there's one thing you can't fault J.C. Staff on, it's the animation. Sharp, crisp, with a signature pallet and inspired character design, Index can be a treat to look at. Consistent in its appearance throughout, it does a fine job of carrying a sharp appearance, even though it does not strive to be anything beyond that.
Sound is another matter.…
Read at the sourceTetsuo3K
Toaru Majutsu no Index starts off strong, but quickly fizzles out. I, like many others, was intrigued by the fantastic world described in the first few episodes, a world where everybody has a superpower, as well as the mystery surrounding the title character. Sadly, the series fails to deliver a single solid story past the first arc and stumbles blindly onward to a barely sub-par ending.
The anime actually had me hooked at the first few minutes of the first episode. The character of Touma, who inexplicably possesses the power to nullify any supernatural force with his right hand (and also seems to attract misfortune, something I can relate with) was very appealing. Upon his encounter with Index, a girl who inexplicably has perfect memory recall, things really started to take off. Now ther…
Read at the sourceUnregistered00
In order to enjoy this anime one has to realize that these are story arcs each having a number of episodes. Each of these arcs have some sort of boss battle in each end. Too bad most of the bosses aren't too impressive. And the finale doesn't weave all the arcs into one.
The story is too shounen oriented which will deter those that are looking for depth. It is unfortunate since there is potential for the storyline which in turn is trying too hard to be deep with the inclusion of quasi-physics theories that only drags it down.
Pacing-wise it feels way too slow. A good amount of time is spent on needless talking even though the viewer already knows what's going to happen. Most of the time viewers will feel that the story should go to the boss battles as soon as possible.
Fortunately ther…
Read at the sourcemidgarmerc
To Aru Majutsu no Index (or TAMI for short) is the very definition of a generic anime. Theres nothing good here but its not necessarily bad. Some characters are likeable and entertaining but that makes up such a small percentage of the enormous cast that its just not worth it. TAMI is about a guy named Touma who lives in a city thats entire purpose is being a school for Espers (see: Psychics) although nobody actually reads minds and its more they all have a certain power. So nobody is psychic at all. Touma discovers a young girl hanging on his balcony whos a magician being chased and he helps her. They become friends and have adventures. Thats TAMI in a nutshell, they tried having some main story throughout the whole thing but nothing important was revealed and the series couldnt keep a st…
Read at the sourcegdavge2003
To Aru Majutsu no Index is an action, comedy set in a modern (or perhaps slightly futuristic) city called Academy City. The entire city is basically composed of several schools that teach the usage of Esper; a scientific kind of magic.
The story revolves around the protagonist Kamijou Touma, as he is caught between tensions and events involving conflicts between Magic and Esper (science). While the first few episodes were quite promising, hinting at a huge power struggle between two sides, with Touma being in the center of attention, the rest was quite the letdown. There wasn't any deep story. The main plot simply gets shoved into the background and To Aru Majutsu no Index becomes a somewhat repetitive, episodic 2/3 episode-per-plot anime. Despite the great entrance leading to an episodi…
Read at the sourcegame8910
To Aru Majutsu no Index is yet another anime adaptation by JC Staff based on a light novel series published by ASCII Media Works. This is a show that has as many good things as it does bad things.
Story: The premise of To Aru Majutsu no Index (Index from now on) had me intrigued from the beginning, a story which is based on a science vs magic/religion is the type of plot I can really get into. However the way the story is executed turned the anime into something that could have been a great show with a deep and interesting plot into an anime with long and confusing dialogue that was so in love with its own world that you would wish everyone would stop talking for at least 1 minute. The action that the show would offer you would often get interrupted by more explanation and exposition abou…
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