To Aru Majutsu no Index II - Episode 14

After finally, finally putting its Croce Di Pietro arc to bed last week (and let's just pretend that whole firework thing never happened), Touma's luck when it comes to getting entangled in misfortune doesn't seem to show any signs of changing as he briefly recounts his latest unlucky entanglements.  Will this guy's luck ever change?  Yes, it will as it happens, as the very next minute he finds himself winning the first prize in a lottery - a week-long trip to Northern Italy, no less.  Probably not the best holiday destination for someone hated by the Roman Catholic church but hey, a holiday's a holiday, right?

So, off trots Touma (with Index in tow of course, this is a trip for two after all) to Choggia in Italy, and after the lure of food separates the pair of them who else should show up but Orsola?  It turns out that her transfer to the Anglican church hasn't gone as smoothly as anticipated, hence her still being in Italy but currently preparing to complete her move with the help of the Amakusa church.  This leaves us with time for a bit of mooching about, and of course a big fat dose of nudity/fan service as Touma's misfortune crops up again, before the episode finally steps things up a gear with the introduction of an assassination attempt on Orsola, before the appearance of first one massive, glass galleon and eventually a whole fleet of the things.  With more old foes popping up as we reach its climax, we're all set for a story arc that might actually not involve just running around for six episodes.  We live in hope...

Certainly, it's too late to get any real grasp on this particular story arc at this juncture - most of this episode was simply fluff as it worked to get Touma to Italy and all of its pieces into position to kick things off properly.  In light of its poor last major storyline I have to confess that my tolerance for such things has diminished quite considerably, but I suppose now is the time to take a deep breath, cross my fingers and pray that this time around To Aru Majutsu no Index II can actually deliver rather than bringing us to the brink of something exciting and then frittering it all away.