Summary Key Points:

[spoiler]

• The series opens up Touma going over what happened in the last few episodes of Season 1 and how that prevented him from getting his summer homework done
• Touma and Index decide to  head to a family restraunt, but are attack with a Magician who uses a bow to cast some odd wind based and illusionist magic
• Index is kidnapped, and the Magician escapes, leaving Touma to search for him
• As Touma scours the city, he runs into Misaka, who still has the events of the summer fresh in her mind
• She attempts to try and give Touma her number but he is in too much of a hurry and leaves her
• She attempts to stop him with a lightning bolt in front of his path
• Touma, in a hurry, comes up close to her, but Misaka, obviously having feelings for him, starts blushing and getting flustered
• Touma ends up leaving as he is in a hurry to save Index
• Touma finds Index through her cellphone, and manages to break the ritual that the magician had going on in order to read one o the books that Index has stored in her brains
• It turns out that the magician wanted to save the woman he loved who was under a curse
• Touma, after having stopped him, offers his help as his Imagine Breaker can cancel all supernatural/magical elements in the world

[/spoiler]

Opinions: (B)

So finally, Index II is here! I’m surprised to find how season 2 did not start with a huge bang and an epic episode, but it was rather low key and more of a whimper. The emphasis was clearly on getting everyone up to speed and give a sort of recap to what happened in the last season. The results vary… and while I loved some things about this first episode, I couldn’t help feeling a bit underwhelmed by what happened.

I really loved the cohesion that this season has with the previous one. It really felt very nice, and it felt more like Season 1 continuing forward rather than a full blown sequel. This is a pattern I’m noting in both this show and Letter Bee ~Reverse~ and I really think its a good idea. I’m sure it sucks for people who haven’t seen the first seasons of these shows, but I’m not exactly sure why they’d be watching a Season 2 of a series anyway if they haven’t seen the first season.

That said, it was nice finally having Touma back in center stage. Fans of Railgun will probably disagree, but I like Touma as the main character of the universe. If you’re one of those people who hated Touma for his preaching and speeches in season 1, that’s pretty much not going to change here, and honestly, I don’t believe it should. The speeches are cliche and preachy, but that’s what I find to be very interesting about Touma. A character who is defined by their ideals, even if those ideals are naive, is really interesting to me.

That said Railgun fans don’t have to totally cry a river, because Misaka seems to have a pretty significant role this time around, much to my delight. I loved the scene where Touma ran into her, and the awkwardness that followed. Misaka is clearly into Touma, as we already knew from last season, but its nice to see some development on that front. I’m kind of really in favor o the MisakaxTouma pairing, even if it doesn’t make a lot of sense and even if it doesn’t seem like it will happen  at all.

Still, the part where she totally tried to give him her number, only to have him run away, then stop him with her lightning was hilarious. Then Touma finally facing her and getting a bit too close, only to have her totally flustered was entertaining beyond limit. Nuff said, I really do hope that the Touma x Misaka thing goes on sometime later down the line, because at the moment, I doubt Touma even really cares for a girl beyond friendship or companionship. For those that have read the light novels, please don’t spoil what may eventually go down, unless of course, it IS Touma and Misaka that eventually happen XD (That would make me very happy)

That said, the actual event/plot in the episode was kinda meh, and not of the standard that the franchise is known for. It was nice to see how Index’s mind is and all, but other than that there was nothing really interesting this time. I remember how Touma used his powers in Season 1, but here, he just spammed his Imagine Breaker everywhere. The whole issue was absurd, as in the end, Touma pretty much could have cured said curse off that Magician’s woman with his right hand. And if he KNEW about Index, I’m surprised he didn’t know about the Imagine Breaker, as its just as famous and legendary. Needless to say, the actual fight/opponent that Touma and Index had to contend with, was kinda “meh’ at best.

The end of the episode had Kanzaki come back into play, and it seems things are really starting to heat up again. From the looks of it, next episode is when things get back on track. A modest start, to what I hope will be a very entertaining and thrilling ride.

The animation and art was pretty solid, as I’m sure this is the Top J.C Staff team handling the animation this season. Good stuff for that I’d say!

I also have to touch upon how disappointing the OP and ED themes are. I was pretty “meh” at both, which is sad, because both Season 1 and Railgun had exceptional OP and ED themes. I really just wish they had used the artists who did the Railgun OPs or the first Index Season 1 OP. Either way… I wasn’t all too impressed by the animation or the songs used in them.

The one interesting thing that did pop up in the OP was the fact that it seems our good old Level 5 Esper is getting a good decent role in this series. With Touma, Index, Misaka and him in the series, I’m expecting great things!

Preview:

Another plot to kidnap index? a Mysterious organization? All of that and more next week!