Anime: Toaru Majutsu no Index II 294h5e

Toaru Majitsu no index in general (and not just the second season) is a show that tends to sidetrack sometimes and has some idiotic stereotypes thrown all over the place , but is quite the good watch if one ignores that and also checks out the source material (which is of higher quality).

Animation:
The animation in index is generally good to the point of beautiful sometimes . The issue with it is similar to that in many other animes , namely that it fluctuates ,sometimes very noticeably and that can be annoying . Mostly however , it isn't a very big issue , and the animation is regarded to be on the high end .

Sound:
The show has some memorable Ops and Eds if you care about that , the BGM generally fits the mood of the show and doesn't disturb the experience , it is however nothing special or noteworthy.

Character:
This is where it gets a bit complicated , the thing with index is that it is full of likable characters , among both the villains and the protagonists, many of the cast however tends to act very stupidly in slice of life parts , and many of their characteristics are stereotypical to an annoying degree.In short , you will hate many characters in this show , but you will also like many of them too , and a great deal of them are very memorable due to the depth they are given.

Value :
I regard the show's value to be higher than most others because of the amazing job the writer did with the setting , this is particularly clear when one reads the novel ,it is built in a manner where many stories from different backgrounds inter-wind together to make one very enjoyable experience . Many judge the story only based on the anime , but you will miss a lot if you don't check the novel as well.

Enjoyment:
Watching index is an enjoyable experience that is hindered by the sometimes boring or badly paced transition between slice of life and story and between the arcs themselves (can be confusing) and generic qualities of a great deal of the characters . It is regardless worth the watch especially if your enthusiastic about reading the novel.

SCRIPT
The Toaru franchise is more known for its complex terminology and elaborate world building than for its narrative depth.
- The premise is about magic and science being engaged in a global conflict, although the series spends its runtime in a city predominantly inhabited by teenagers with superpowers who get to have generic adventures.
- The story is conceptually enticing and benefits from the author’s meticulous exposition of diverse magical and scientific powers.
- The plot however adheres closely to the tropes typical of light novels. Despite the array of thematic explorations and unique abilities, each arc rehashes the protagonist punching bad guys and adding waifus to his harem before ending up in hospital.

CAST
The ensemble cast comprises a motley assortment of stereotypes that take their sweet time to develop, and when they do they are usually thrown in the background, never to be important ever again.

- The protagonist is the main focus, of course, who follows the generic backdrop of being a seemingly normal teenager who is evaluated as level zero (at the bottom). Is anyone surprised to hear he actually has a broken power nobody else possesses that cancels other powers, defeats everybody with a punch, and makes his harem bigger by the day? So much for all the amazing techno-babbling that makes sense. It’s all improbable physics canceled by a broken power and it comes down to a harem. Oh, and of course there is going to be a lot of talking during battles which comes down to childish morality, friendship, and macho one-liners.

- Index, whose name is even in the title of the anime, is supposed to be the key character in the war because of her hidden knowledge. Once she is offered some immersion and drama she becomes nothing more than a platonic lover for the lead character. Not only that, but as the girls who like the lead male keep increasing, her significance wanes further. Some say this is a boon because she is so annoying nobody likes her, and the less screen-time she gets, the better the show is. Nonetheless, this underscores the very bad choice of naming the show after her.

- The characters have even less significance to the plot. Each arc usually concludes with Touma saving one girl and adding it to his personal harem, which of course increases in nudity as the episodes go on, because the scriptwriter had no idea of what to do with them once their introductory arc was over. The girls are objectified and treated as fapping material, doing nothing but coking or being naked. A result of the scriptwriter wasting all his time on writing techno-babbling bullshit, instead of character development.

- The only villain most of the fans care about is this psychotic guy named Accelerator, and even he is just a deranged, formidable adversary who wants to level up by killing lots of people. So much depth.

- Mikasa is the favorite girl for most fans, to the point she got her own side story. She is otherwise an average tsundere with superpowers, mass-cloned so everybody can have his own personal waifu.

PRODUCTION VALUES
The animation holds well for the time it was made. Action scenes are very good if all you want is fancy lights and big explosions. However, they follow a very standard and repetitive formula, ultimately diminishing their allure over time. You know the drill, they macho talk, the lead gets trashed, they macho talk, the lead gets up full of resolve to protect his friends, they macho talk, the lead wins. Thank you very much; I am watching this ever since Hokuto no Ken came out.

LEGACY
There are definitely far better shonen than this one, with far better handling of their stories and characters. It’s a good time waster if you are still a newbie, a shonen fan, you somehow find panty shots of minors to be sexy, or you like to think for hours about all the techno-babbling they are talking about. It is otherwise nothing great in the longrun. If you expect a lemon twist to your average soda, Toaru is just tab water in a fancy glass.

MINOR DETAILS ABOUT THE SEASONS
- Toaru 1 had little to no overall plot amongst its story arcs. Some excuse it as the introduction to the setting and the cast but story-wise it is still a pretty much dised series of almost stand-alone missions.
- Railgun 1 was just a storyless spin-off made to please the Misaka fans / Index haters. It is considered far more enjoyable that Toaru 1 but still has zero story to tell.
- Toaru 2 does a much better job at having a better overall plot, but the transition from one plotline to another happens in a rushed and poor way that confuses anyone not aware of the novels. Plus, it leaves most of the older characters as background decoration. The fan service goes up 300%, degrading the females into mostly eye candy than respectful characters. It was apparently the only way to maintain the interest of the audience around people the author doesn’t plan to develop.
- Railgun 2 is also improved in of plot and characterization, and it’s considered to be the best season. It still spends a lot of time in cute girls doing cute things and nothing more.
- Toaru 3 was supposed to be a super exciting continuation of the previous season, but it took so long to come out nobody cared by the time it was finally here. The storytelling continues to be confusing, and the plot is still the same generic crap. It was forgotten very fast and the franchise is now dead.