To Aru Majutsu no Index 24: Final Verdict on Index

Posted: March 22, 2009 | Author: flomu | Filed under: Uncategorized |2 Comments »

FAIL-O-METER
Pretty bad.  The fail here is the size of my house (which, by the way, isn’t really that big T_T)

Evil woman: Don’t you think it’s bizarre that I know of such things?
Touma: *bored expression* aka “You kidding me?”

You said it, Touma!
This episode was filled with boring speeches and crap like that.

At least J.C.Staff had the good sense to tell us when a speech was coming with music!
Seriously, isn’t there always some sort of “speech music” that always pops up when Touma gives a speech about the importance of friendship, etc.?

Touma’s speeches were once cool (prompt reference to arc #1, Touma’s speech to Stiyl and Kaori during Index’s attack), but now, after 24 episodes of him saying essentially the same things over and over again, it’s become boring and redundant, to say the least.

It’s all “friends r cools” and “frend plox” and et cetera.

I bite my thumb at you, sir.

All right, all right!  I won’t, just SHUT UP!

OH NOES!

Sudden plot injection in the last episode!

We want a conclusion, not more plot!

Chotto matte!

Who the hell is Mace?  Isn’t that what you spray bears with?
I’m not sure if this is J.C.Staff’s fault or AoShen’s fault, but I have no idea what this is supposed to mean!

Woah, since when could Touma hit that hard?!  I thought all he had  going for him was his canceling ability!

So now he, an ordinary human, can hit somebody so hard that they make a crater in a stone pillar?

Holy shi-

Oh jesus, I smell stereotypical Touma (with a speech) to the rescue!

Right on cue!

It seems to me that deus ex machina endings are quite the rage nowadays.

YAY, MIKOTO!!!
She gets… what, 1 minute of screentime and then she leaves?  BAH

Woah, when did Hyoka get up there… wait.
More importantly, when did Touma get up there?

Hold on, why are they even up there in the first place!?

NOT THIS AGAIN!

k.  More predictable dialogue… ZZZzzzz

WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOD is Touma’s hand doing!?!??

Sure is!

Yeah, who’d’ve thought?

It’s not like we even understand a word in this conversation… >__>;

This was actually pretty funny, really… o_o;

Very epic last scene, but still couldn’t make up for the failure that preceded it.

NAGI SANZENIN?!

The last few scenes (especially this one ^) were the best part of this episode.

So all in all, this episode failed.  Serious fail.
It was a bunch of stereotypical speeches followed by more speeches, then Touma saving the day in somewhat of a deus ex machina ending, followed by even more speeches, an epic last scene, lots of plot confusion, and Mikoto fanservice <3.

Questions raised:

• Aleister Crowley.  Who is he?
• What is Nagi Sanzenin doing here?  Who’s the archbishop?

Basically, this last episode sets itself up for a second season.  There’s no doubt that there’s going to be a second season.

Yet Mikoto’s anime comes first… why?
I’m not complaining that Mikoto shouldn’t have her own anime (on the contrary, it’s the best thing that’s happened to me since I first discovered Mikoto), but to put To Aru Kagaku no Railgun between the two seasons of Index is kind of… awkward (it’s like people waiting patiently for The Second Raid while laughing their asses off at Fumoffu… it’s good, but anticipation of S2 is a force to reckon with).

So a few comments on the overall series…

The individual arcs weren’t connected, there was great main heroine confusion, and there was confusion in general.  Add that to Touma’s stereotypical speeches, Index’s failed recurring gag of head biting, and some characters simply disappearing for entire arcs, and you’ve got yourself a whole load of failure.

However, there was also great win.  The very idea of Touma’s power to “cancel” things was innovative and interesting, and was pulled off quite well.  The battles themselves were usually very well done, and Mikoto is awesome.   When there was humor (Index’s clothes blowing up, Mikoto as a little sister, etc.), it was presented very nicely, and Mikoto, Last Order, and MISAKA are awesome.  Also, Accelerator was one of the most interesting characters I’ve seen, with his huge inner conflict and whatnot, and Mikoto is awesome.

I’d give this anime a…

7/10.

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