Toaru Majutsu no Index (light novel)

Toaru Majutsu no Index (とある魔術の禁書目録（インデックス）), which is translated to A Certain Magical Index of Prohibited Books and shortened to A Certain Magical Index is a Japanese light novel series written by Kazuma Kamachi and illustrated by Kiyotaka Haimura; the series is published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint.

It has been adapted into an anime series, which was animated by J.C. Staff and aired between October 2008 through March 2009; a second season of the anime was announced and began airing in Japan on October 8, 2010. The series has been also adapted into a manga series, which began serialization in Monthly Shōnen Gangan in June 2007.

Plot
Toaru Majutsu no Index is set in Academy City, a technologically advanced Academic city located at western Tokyo which studies scientifically advanced superhuman students with powers, but is also set in a world where magic is real. Kamijou Touma is a high school student, with a power called the Imagine Breaker that can negate all magic, psychic, and divine powers, but also his own luck. One day he finds a young girl hanging on his balcony railing named Index. She turns out to be a nun from the Church of England, and her mind has been implanted with the Index Librorum Prohibitorum — 103,000 magical texts of the Church. His encounter with her leads him to meet others from the secret world of science and magic and an adventure with his friends where science and magic collide. Touma's unusual power places him at the center of conflicts between magicians and science-based espers in Academy City. As Touma tries to help and protect his friends, he learns the people he knows are not as they appear and begins to attract the attention of magicians and espers alike as they try to unravel the secrets of Academy City and Index.

Terminology

 * See also: Glossary

Espers (能力者) Also known as psychics, they are people who possess supernatural abilities or psychic abilities. A vast majority of espers are ordinary people whose powers are acquired through participating in the Power Development Curriculum in Academy City, while a rare kind of esper, called Gemstones, are espers whose abilities are present since birth.

Magicians (魔術師) Magicians are ordinary people who desire powers like their psychic counterparts. Using a variety of methods, they use magic spells in various tasks. Although magic is designed such that ordinary people can learn and use it, its high incompatibility with psychic powers causes espers to suffer bodily injury (if not instant death) when they use magic spells.

Index Librorum Prohibitorum (禁書目録) A collection of 103,000 magical books called Grimoires which is implanted on Index's brain. These powerful books contain vasts amount of knowledge, and is considered to be poisonous to any person, even on experienced magicians. This large collection of books has been targeted by various magicians and magical organizations around the world in spite of this risk.

Light Novels

 * see list of: Toaru Majutsu no Index light novels

The light novels have been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko label since April 10, 2004. As of March 2011, there are twenty-three novels and two short story collections.

Drama CD
A drama CD was released as a mail-in order of Dengeki hp Volume 48 and was released later in November 2007. There are two parts of story, the first part originally aired as a radio drama in Dengeki Taishō starts with an encounter with mysterious self-proclaimed "former" magician by Tōma Kamijō and Index in the family restaurant after Misaka decide to go back due to urgent business. The second part involves around Mikoto Misaka and Kuroko Shirai with their "urgent business", and a duel request by a Level 3 Psychic girl from Tokiwadai.

Anime

 * see list of: Toaru Majutsu no Index Episodes

Manga
The series has been adapted into two manga series. The one which follows the novel's storyline started serialization in Monthly Shōnen Gangan in June 2007. The first bound volume was released on November 10, 2007 and there are currently five volumes of this manga. Even though the manga follows the novel's storyline, it skips the events of the second and fourth novels.

Music
Maiko Iuchi of I've Sound was in charge of the music in the anime. Four pieces of theme music are used for the episodes: two opening themes and two ending themes. The first opening theme is "PSI-Missing" by Mami Kawada, and is used for the first sixteen episodes. The second is "Masterpiece" by Mami Kawada, and is used in the subsequent episodes. The first ending theme is "Rimless: Fuchinashi no Sekai" (Rimless 〜フチナシノセカイ〜, lit. "Rimless: Rimless World") by Iku, and is used for the first nineteen episodes. The second is "Chikaigoto: Sukoshi Dake Mō Ichido" (誓い言 ～スコシだけもう一度～, lit. "Oath: Just a Bit, One More Time") by Iku, and is used in the subsequent episodes. A single for "PSI-missing" was released on October 29, 2008. A single for "Masterpiece" was released on February 4, 2009.

Other Media
Index and Mikoto are playable characters in the video game Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus for the Nintendo DS.