Saturday 5 March 2011

To Aru Majutsu no Index II - Episode 21

With Academy City about to go to Hell in a handbasket and chaos all over the shop, To Aru Majutsu no Index II continues with what we can realistically only refer to as "the good bit".

With Accelerator still on the rampage in his search for Last Order, he finds himself receiving a phone call from Touma, leading to the two pooling their knowledge of her possible whereabouts... or not as the case may be, with Accelerator keen to seek her out himself without any outside interference.  Certainly, our anti-hero here still has quite a lot of power to throw around, and speaking of throwing things around said power extends to chucking an entire skyscraper at the Imaginary District's Fifth Facility, not that it has any effect whatsoever.


While Vento of the Front still looks a little poorly and with people passing out everywhere out of the blue, it's that Fifth Facility which becomes the focus of the episode, as it seeks to up its game while using Hyouka Kazakiri as its centrepiece via a frightening blend of Last Order, science and magic which creates an "angel" which looks set to put everyone in the vicinity at risk - a fact which sees both the Misaka network and Mikoto Misaka seeking to join the fray.

To be honest, I'm a little bit lost in the intricacies of the plot at this juncture (I clearly wasn't paying enough attention to the first season back in the day), but at the same time I don't really care as this story arc is doing what To Aru Majutsu no Index II does best - using its most kick-ass characters in action set piece after action set piece against a backdrop of chaos, destruction and danger.  This is the point where the series turns away from trying to provide over-blown fan service or "smart" story-telling and becomes a popcorn anime where you can watch your favourite character look all brave and awesome while cheering them on overly loudly in front of your TV screen... and you know what?  I wish the Index franchise did this more often.

No comments: