...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 within the recesses of her photographic mind. And then there's his right hand, Imagine Breaker (Yes, he has a name for it), which has the mysterious congenital ability to negate any all paranormal and supernatural abilities that it comes in contact with. Produced by J.C. Staff, with direction by Hiroshi Nishikiori, script by Seishi Minakami and Masanao Akahoshi, and character designs, original and adaptation, by Kiyotaka Haimura and Yuichi Tanaka, respectively, it avoids an annoyingly lazy cop out common in a lot of contemporary low fantasy fiction: that science and magic are one and the same. Understanding that they are effectively separate allows for new avenues of potential in the setting to be explored.
One is that it allows the story to cover a wide range of interesting premises without the shackling constraints a tight system of logic. One on the magical end revolves around vampires, a girl, and the inadvertent destruction of her entire village that unwittingly turned, her family included. Another on the science spectrum revolves around clones, a girl, and the inadvertent massacre of over 10,000 of them for an experiment. Two is that it permits the story to set up a rich, multilayered universe that facilitates exchanges of the two sides that are both intra and well as inter, among as well as between. Academy City as well as other research communities scattered throughout serve as the domains of science, while the multiple denominations of the Church serve as the realms of magic. For those both sides who know that both worlds exist, their reactions toward each other come about as mixed relationships of either cooperation, tolerance, or animosity. Speaking of which, three is that it prompts the story to hover around a rather engaging overall natural antagonism. In other words, it sets the stage for a grand scale sense of intrigue. The underlying tension between these two powers remains in constant danger of roiling and boiling over, threatening the shakily established truce that allows sorcerers and psychics to survive without constantly being at each others throats.
A couple other things commendable about Index are its OPs and EDs. The OPs and EDs, respectively, keep to one particular artist group, though they all cover one particular musical theme. While the pacing and atmosphere for OP1 and OP2, “PSI-missing” and “masterpiece” by Kawada Mami, are drastically different, the former more mellow and melancholy than the latter, which is more dynamic and climactic, they both have that techno feeling that matches the show's technologically advanced setting: radio noise, voice distancing, auto- tuning, irregular rhythm lagging, and/or abnormal beat skipping, among other separate electronic embellishments by the keyboard, electric guitar, drum set, and synth. ED1 and ED2 “Rimless ~Fuchinashi no Sekai~” or “Rimless ~ Rimless World ~” and “Chigaikoto ~ Sukoshi Dake Mō Ichido ~” or “Oath ~ Just a Bit, One More Time ~” by IKU have the same techno add-ins, but come off more mellow and relaxed. My favorite, though has to be ED2, because I just prefer straight old singing. The electronic embellishments, which can admittedly muck up the melody at times, complements the vocals in this song quite nicely by adding a sense of breathe and broadness.
Bear in mind, though, the term “potential.” I wouldn't be able to comprehend much even if it was possible to prove on paper, but since the show tries to present esper abilities as a matter of physics, I can do this much to explain my critique on Index. You have the sum total of Index's premises as an object on the very top of a flight of stairs. Compared to the ground below, it has a relatively large amount of potential, or potential energy when placed on the edge of a flight of stairs. That potential energy is utilized when force pushes the sac down the stairs, converting that potential energy to execution, or kinetic energy. Yet the force was only so great and proper as for the object to drop a few steps before coming to a full stop. Relative to the ground, a significant amount of potential energy remains. Why? Because it was a weak ass push. Or rather, because it's poorly written. Not to the point where the plot doesn't make any serious sense, but to the point that it unravels in such a ridiculous fashion that it's hard to take seriously. For a show that indulges a lot of action, there's an awful lot of talking that occurs back and forth in during those segments, their goals, their abilities, how they're really going to bust each others' shits this time if they don't desist, to the point where the participants should just go ahead and share their life stories, dating preferences, and money saving tips over stew while they're at it. The money part especially, since the decent visuals are what probably took up much of the show's budget. One scene had Kamijo looking like he was running in place during a fight for about a minute while his opponent spoke on. Basically, there's a lack of urgency where the context so desperately requires it. What isn't lacking is the amount of exposition that was needed to define each character and situation the audience is introduced to to make the developments in the show comprehensible to follow. Because we are, more or less, told rather than shown who so and so is and what so and so means, it makes it that much more difficult to emotionally invest ourselves it in what's happening to who. This especially pertains to our main male protagonist whenever he touts off one of his sermons, sermons which blur the line between righteousness and self-righteousness, because at the end of the day, he usually has to smack someone to get the point across. It might be because the pacing for each arc was rushed, but it also might be due to how much time is wasted trying to initially show something gimmicky instead of solid, a major offender of this being Index herself, who's, funnily enough, a lot of bite, literally speaking, among other things, yet little bite, metaphorically speaking, to show on her own. There's myriad conveniences that the show likes to throw to advance the plot at the expense of belief, like how Kamijo can magically... scratch that, scientifically reattach a severed arm with seemingly no permanent consequence to his health. There's the fan service, which is so obnoxiously shoehorned in at times that it stomps whatever semblance of belief remained with spiked shoes. Or would you prefer a bare foot? Or feet, considering the show also has harem undertones?
It was poorly executed, poorly written, poorly planned... I've concluded as much. But all in all, in spite of its setbacks, Index has so much potential in the premise and setting that the portions of the show that weren't quite as messed up stood out quite positively. Hopefully, future productions of this franchise will utilize better scripting.
I give A Certain Magical Index a 6 out of 10.
