To update on the situation in Japan, from what I’ve been able to pull, aftershocks continue in many areas, including a M6 in Shizuoka. The evacuation ring around Fukushima Dai-ichi was extended to 30km and only 50 personnel remain continuing efforts to regain control of the plant. Various reports about the radiation levels are coming from various sources, but I myself believe it’s still not life-threatening at this point, but your results may vary by news source (and opinion). Meanwhile the death toll remains somewhere around 2-3k confirmed, and as far as /a/ is concerned, Norio Wakamoto is a god.
I’ve added some quick links to information on the right main bar. Feel free to use them to gather information on the situation. I don’t recommend US news sources other than possibly Reuters or AP, most major networks are reporting inaccurate information, especially on the nuclear crisis.
As for animu related news, two pieces of info today: GOSICK 10 raws have been spotted on Nyaa, so expect a twit about it over the next 24h, and according to MBS’ website, Madoka 11 will premiere as scheduled on Thursday at 1225 EST (Friday 125 JST). It is unknown if Fractale, Infinite Stratos, Yumekui Merry, or Hourou Musuko will premiere on TBS as scheduled. As of now, Kore wa Zombie and Dragon Crisis, which air on Chiba TV and Tokyo MX, have not aired or have no raws/subs out. Will update when I know more information.
Now then…
RAILDEX THREAD
If you read the light novels, episode 22 covers material out of Volume 13 of the novels, the invasion of Academy City by Vento, one of God’s Right Seat of the Catholic Church. At the same time, Allister puts forth the plan utilizing Hyouka Kazakiri, (whom you meet in the first series/earlier novels) a girl comprised of the collision of ability users’ AIM fields who resides in what he calls “The Imaginary Number District”. The plan essentially uses Last Order and the MISAKA Sisters Network to amplify the AIM field and turn Hyouka into an artificial “Angel” along with using a ability or sort of magic that harms (and probably kills) other magic users. The ultimate goal is to be able to cover the entire world with this and eliminate the magic side for good, but it’s efforts are thwarted by Touma and Index who while Touma was fighting Vento, Index, with Misaka’s help, manages to understand and reverse the virus Kihara put into Last Order and stop Houyka from completing the transformation. At the same time, Accelerator, whose battery on his powers ran out and left him helpless, somehow managed to unconsciously tap into basic human survival instincts and also use his powers to blow Kihara out into the sky at subsonic speed and probably kill him. The episode leaves off there, and the novel goes on to mention that he receives an offer to join the military in exchange for Last Order’s safety.
The funny thing is, when I first heard of Index, I did not know what to expect, and a lot of initial expectations had me comparing it to something akin to Shana or ZnT, and I’ve found that not to be the case anymore late in the first season and especially in the second. The novels also add an additional spin element, though fortunately you do not need to read them to watch the series, they pull almost exactly from the source material, the only things they miss are more minor events and internal dialogue, which is why I’ve enjoyed reading the novels. I imagine this series will likely get green-lit for another season as there is still more novel to cover, and the new book came out just recently (a day before the quake I think).
The first season focused mostly on Index in the first half and Touma’s role in saving her from memory wipe, at his own memory’s expense. The second half introduced The Sisters, Accelerator, and others who helped power most of the second season. In the second season, Agnese and the battle nuns, other magicians, and now Last Order and Accelerator, have been carrying the story as of late, to highlight the challenges he faces after the events of the end of the first season. It’s funny how him and Last Order become my favorite characters in this season, simply because there is only so much TouMAN punching and monologue you can take before it gets trite. The To Aru Kagaku no Railgun side-story and anime also helped bridge the seasons, but they did not go into detail of the events leading up to The Sisters creation in Railgun, opting to stick closer to the timeline of the first season. Misaka’s character also got much better in the second season, I remember in the first she seemed off-base and more like a side character, quickly rising to main character status.
Going forward I’m looking forward to reading the next few volumes of the novels and preparing for the third season anime adaptation, and hopefully The Sisters will get a little more love in third season, they got a little in second, but they’re kind of the underdog bunch when it comes to Magic versus Science lawls.
Tomorrow’s thread: Ichika and the Infinite JELLY Factory: A Houki is Fine Too