Back to Tenos's Profile Tenos's Profile

Writing a standalone review for an anime that is a sequel to another anime without referring to the predecessor is quite hard, what with all the comparing you need to do between the two shows. What was better? What went worse? Which season is the best one? Why? Questions like these will be brought up and thus, I am going to mention Index 1 in this review as well, but not to a far extent. However, I believe that shouldn't be a problem, since (I assume) you've probably watched season 1 already, which is why you're currently reading a review to its sequel.

In my review ... for Index 1, I compared the show to a dinner consisting of grilled meat with various side dishes. I'm going to do the same with Index 2, so without further ado, let us move on.

So here we are again. You're sitting in the very same restaurant as last time, with the very same chef cooking you the very same meal. After he or she apologized for their mistakes regarding your last dinner here, you have agreed on giving them a new chance. Before long, the same plate is present at your table. There are the tender potatoes, the fresh vegetables and the tasty wine at the side. Then, there is the beef. Again, it at least looks and smells delicious, but you've learned to be skeptical when it comes to the food here by now. Nevertheless, it's time to see if the mistakes of the past have yielded the poor chef any experience.

While still, very unfortunately, carrying with it some problems from the past, Toaru Majutsu no Index II is at least undoubtedly a better show than its predecessor. However, it is not so by too long a shot. Some (severe) issues regarding the consistency and description of the plot have been resolved, but they're not completely wiped out. Index 2 handles it's main story far better than the first season, with arcs being much more vowen into each other and characters not being forgotten. Also, there is actually some interaction between the parties of science and magic this time around. Nevertheless, the show still loses some potential with recurring faults. While the problems aren't big, they're many.

The meat is, for starters, edible this time around. It tastes nothing exceptional, but at least you know you can leave behind you an empty plate this evening. When taking the meal for what it is, the dinner is actually fairly enjoyable.


STORY: 5
A score of 5 is a vast improvement over 2, which is what I rated the story of Index 1. The main improvement here is the consistency of events that unfold and the amount of depth given to each of them. The connection between happenings isn't always clear, but at least it's there. Characters (especially important ones) who are introduced are not forgotten anymore, which also adds to the fleshing out of them. All that being said, while 5 certainly is higher than 2, it's still far away from the higher scores. Agaian, Index 2 handles a lot of issues from the first season in a good way, but very few of these issues go completely solved. The story, while good, is far from as solid as it should be. Details of importance are still lost in the great void of bad storytelling, and sometimes events and happenings are downright mind-numbingly confusing as they seem to happen without you clearly knowing why. This goes for the last one or two arcs especially, where so much goes down while so little is clear.

Index 2 still divides the entire story into several different arcs, and it does so in a (much) better fashion than its predecessor. The arcs are consistent - they are connected. Next to all of them are interesting this time (some moments are even bloody awesome) and it feels like everything is adding to the core of the anime. However (forgive the repetitiveness by this point), some stories could have been told better. Thinking about it, this has been the true main problem up to this point for the entire time. While stumbling over its own feet, Index 2 loses details, sometimes crucial information, which are nothing short of needed for the viewer to fully understand what is going on. In the end though, Index as a series at least seems to be on its way towards the right track with many improvements having been made to it. It's far from perfect, but a show is (almost) always more enjoyable if stuff actually makes sense.


ART: 8
Next to identical when compared to Index 1. Index 2 uses the same tone, same colors, same shading and so on. Note though that this isn't a bad thing. Far from it. I enjoyed the simple yet charming art-style of Index 1 a lot, and it being reused for Index 2 was nothing more than a welcome course of action. Nothing is too extremely detailed or well-drawn, but the skillful usage of simple colors to breathe life into the show is respectable and appreciated.


SOUND: 7
Nothing stands out, but at the same time, nothing is bad. Very similar to Index 1 again, Index 2 hits the nail on its head while trying to set the mood right for specific events. Sound effects, just like the music, sound like they should - nothing exceptional yet nothing wrong.

The two things I do need to emphasize this time around are both openings respectively. They are, simply put, breathtaking. Even one who knows of Index's flaws regains hope and is deceived into thinking that everything surrounding the show is epic when they hear and see the colossi that the openings are. Maybe it's just me, but I'm serious. They are that good. The endings have also improved this time around, and are quite solid when used in the show.


CHARACTERS: 7
Considering the fact that the score of the characters category here is identical to the one of my Index 1 review, it may seem odd seeing that characters actually got more time develop in Index 2. Yes, characters are consistent and ever-present in the second season, but while being so, they are still the ones you know from season 1. Touma has more time to be simply Touma, Misaka is the same girl who only gets a spoonful added to her person, and so forth. While characters are frequently presented in Index 2, they use their extra time to just present more of who they usually are anyway. The one character who actually progressed in his development was Accelerator, and that was one of the best things with the entire anime. Finally, as was the case with Index 1, side characters can sometimes carry too little importance for them to actually matter to the audience, and once they've had their handful of moments of importance or comic relief, they are quickly shunned away.


ENJOYMENT: 5
You like what you see, but you dislike what you know is bad simply because the storytelling varies from bad to abysmal. While being a step up from what Index 1 was, Index 2 is still plagued with the same faults, albeit at a smaller scale than its predecessor. The improved consistency of season 2 makes the show much easier to enjoy than season 1, however, and when the show manages to present what it has to tell in a decent way, the result is actually pretty impressive.


OVERALL: 6
Index 2 is an improvement over Index 1, yes, but it is still a shame that so much gets lost because of bad storytelling. The main draw in the disappointment in both season 1 and 2 is that you can actually see the mighty impressive world created in the universe of Toaru Majutsu no Index. You know that everything needed for a fantastic experience is right there. However, when the ingredients are treated in the wrong way, what had the potential to be phenomenal becomes a saddening, dull mass of grey matter that you simply want to throw away. While Index 2 doesn't go that far, the show is still a crystal clear example of lost potential.

The meal is finished. In the end, it was fine, nothing more than that. Similar to a story that is treated in a bad way, you know that the faults don't lie within the food itself, but rather in the one who made it. If Index 2 is the ingredients which eventually turned out as the beef you just ate, the bad storytelling of the creator(s) is the chef in this case. Just like the chef had every chance in the world to turn the ingredients into something wonderful but failed, the creators of Toaru Majutsu no Index didn't manage to turn what they had into the sensation it very well could have become.

When it all comes down to it, much like the food presented to you, Toaru Majutsu no Index is only fair at best because someone else messed it up. If a third season is ever released, I hope it's treated with the respect and care it genuinely deserves. A show that has all the potential in the world to grow up and become something grand but is never given the opportunity to do so is simply everyone's loss.

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 start to notice a few things. First, it's only minor details that go unexplained, but you start to worry when it does not stop there. Before long, the show refuses to explain even more about certain events or characters. Soon, the story is all over the place, and with its failing ability to present itself properly or consistently, you begin to lose interest gradually over the course of the entire ride.

Remember the meal I mentioned before? The potatoes are just fine, the vegetables are okay and the wine is actually quite good. The meat, however, tastes awful. When you (try to) cut through it, you realize that it is far from done. The meat is pink, and the two or three pieces you try to chew on end up spat out on the floor.

While the side dishes were okay, the main meal was plain bad. In a way, Index is the same.


STORY: 2
Before anything, let me just say that in its core, Index is probably a very good show with regards to the story. However, there is one thing with this story that damages the show badly - the way it is presented. And I'm not exaggerating things, because it really is that severe. The concept of the entire show (Science vs Magic) is really interesting, and the sides shown of both parties are sometimes genuinely good. All things considered though, nothing actually ever happens between them until the last one or two episodes. Index, the main heroine of the anime (I think?), carries surprisingly little importance to the plot for the most part. Mostly forced into a few scenes purely for the sake of comic, what is revealed about her at the very start of the show (which is supposed to carry a lot of weight in the actual plot) is never mentioned until, again, almost the very end of it all, and even there it doesn't matter as much as it should. These are just some of many examples of things the show presents but forgets to handle or elaborate on.

Moving on, the entire show is split into several arcs, each handling its own sub-story and characters. While a minority of these arcs are quite decent, the rest of them remain uninteresting, and some even make you question what importance they actually hold to the main plot. The main problem with the arcs is, yet again, the fact that the show forgets to handle everyone and everything that happens in a proper way. Characters who're just being given some depth are suddenly wiped out of existence (figuratively speaking) with the coming of a new story or arc. Events remain unexplained, both within themselves and how they connect to everything else, until you simply start to not care anymore. Simply put, while everything has a potential of being great and interesting, the show treats its contents with little care, telling us many stories and presenting us to a lot of different characters, only to barely tie the knots on not more than a select few of them.


ART: 8
The art of Toaru Majutsu no Index is, truth be told, very good. While everything is coated with a simple style and charm, the liveliness in both characters and places is presented excellently through not too extreme methods of drawing. Colors come out nicely and blend together in a pretty way where they should, nothing or no one looks too deformed or incomplete, even from a distance. While a flaw can be spotted in the art here and there, it's nothing that will deviate you from the rest of the anime.


SOUND: 7
The music fits in the moment, so to speak. While the tracks of the show give the right effect to all events that occur and set the mood right most of the time, there's nothing here that'll stick with you once the moments have passed. The music, while good, is often forgettable, but it serves its purpose in the show. As for the two openings, they are actually epic. They set the tone right for what's to come, and as standalones in an MP3-player, they're still a pleasure to listen to. The endings are also decent, though not on par with the openings. Finally, sound effects. Everything sounds like it should, whether we're talking about explosions, footsteps, laughs or anything else. Nothing bad, yet nothing exceptional.


CHARACTERS: 7
Considering how I bashed the story section of this show, it may come as a surprise that the characters are being given a (significantly) higher score. However, while they were presented dreadfully together with the story, you actually cared for what you knew about them. Save for a few characters (including Index herself, ironically), most of them made you laugh, feel emotions, or care enough to finish watching the show altogether. Yet, it was rather frustrating when the show kept blowing away characters after their stories were told, since you really want to know more about some of them.


ENJOYMENT: 3
Back to the low scores. Index had every opportunity to become a good show. Most of the characters were interesting, the plot and setting were fresh and intriguing, and even the background details such as art and sound pleased. Nevertheless, thanks to the catastrophical presentation and handling of everything, what cound've been an epic experience was lost.


OVERALL: 5
All things considered, even if the main plot failed, the show wasn't impossible to finish. The several stories, for what it's worth, were decent sometimes, and other elements such as nice characters helped carry me through the ride. In the end, however, it truly is a shame. I really wanted to like what Index truly was trying to tell, but it was impossible considering the scattered everything was.

Even if the main meal failed to deliver, the side dishes were okay. Even if the meat wasn't even close to edible, you could leave the table knowing that at least the rest of the food pleased you. It is possible that the chef might have learned from his or her mistakes, and maybe, just maybe, the next dinner will be a winner.