Toaru Majutsu no Index (anime)

Toaru Majutsu no Index (とある魔術の), translated as A Certain Magical Index, is the anime series adaptation of the light novel of the same name produced by J.C.Staff The anime series was directed by Nishikiori Hiroshi and written by Akahoshi Masanao for the first two seasons and Yoshino Hiroyuki for the third, with music by Iuchi Maiko, art and sound direction by Ebina Yasunori, and character designs by Tanaka Yuichi based on the original designs by Haimura Kiyotaka.

The series is currently composed of two 24-episode seasons and one 26-episodes season, which follows the story in the light novels of Kamijou Touma and his adventures following an encounter with Index, a nun that carries 103,000 grimoires in her head.

Plot
The anime series closely follows the story of Kamijou Touma, a high school boy studying in Academy City, a city in Japan known as a hub for many educational and scientific institutions, but also for its Power Curriculum Program which aims to help students develop esper abilities. Touma is considered a weakling by many because he is considered a Level 0. However, he manifests an unusual ability to dispel supernatural phenomena using his right hand, which he calls Imagine Breaker.

In the first season, Touma meets Index, an English nun who is in pursuit by her "guardians" who make sure that the 103,000 magical books in her head do not fall into the wrong hands. Index eventually becomes Touma's companion at home, while Touma faces multiple agents from both within Academy City and magicians who sneak into the city due to various reasons, most notably to directly attack the city as part of the ongoing power struggle between magic and science. The second season involves the Roman Catholic Church, a major faction in the magic side, targeting Touma for posing a threat against the organization. The third season picks up from where the previous season left off, as Touma comes into conflict with God's Right Seat, a secret faction of the Roman Catholic Church, which only promises to bring the magic and science sides closer to a full-blown war. The first season covers Volumes 1 to 6 of the light novel, while the second season covers Volumes 7 to 13 and the first side story volume, and the third season covers Volume 14 to 22, the final novel of the original series.

Characters

 * Kamijou Touma - A Level 0 student of A Certain High School, known not only for his constant exposure to misfortune but also for his right hand that can dispel any magical or supernatural force. Voiced by Abe Atsushi.
 * Index - Full name: Index Librorum Prohibitorum. A nun affiliated to the Church of England. She is tightly guarded by the church because of the 103,000 grimoires in her head. She is voiced by Iguchi Yuka.
 * Misaka Mikoto - A Level 5 Electromaster and considered to be one of the seven most powerful espers in Academy City. She is voiced by Satou Rina.
 * Stiyl Magnus - A magician affiliated to the Church of England's Necessarius, entrusted alongside Kanzaki Kaori to act as Index's guardians. His expertise is fire-based rune magic. He is voiced by Taniyama Kisho.
 * Kanzaki Kaori - A fellow member of Necessarius and Stiyl's companion as Index's guardian. She is a Saint who, unlike most magicians, use magic to strengthen their bodies. She is voiced by Itou Shizuka.

Release
An anime series based on the Toaru Majutsu no Index light novels was green-lit on June 4, 2008. The anime series, directed by Nishikiori Hiroshi and produced by J.C.Staff, aired in six TV channels in Japan between October 4, 2008 and March 19, 2009 and was released as eight DVD and Blu-ray disc sets between January 23 and August 21, 2009. A second season of the anime series, entitled Toaru Majutsu no Index II, aired between October 8, 2010 and April 4, 2011 in seven channels in Japan and in Nico Nico Douga. A third season of the anime series entitled Toaru Majutsu no Index III, aired between October 5, 2018 and April 5, 2019 in five channels and fourteen streaming services. The second season of the anime is later released in DVD and Blu-ray in 2011. The third season of the anime is later released in DVD and Blu-ray in 2019.

Localization
licensed three seasons of the anime series in North America and first released the series through streaming on September 2012, and in DVD with English dubs on December 11, 2012 for the first season, 2014 for the second season, and 2018 for the third season. also provided a subtitled simulcast for the third season in various languages and for various countries worldwide.

Supplementary Media
A series of albums entitled Toaru Majutsu no Index Archives were bundled with the release of the Toaru Majutsu no Index and Toaru Majutsu no Index II anime series, which includes character songs and audio dramas. The Archives albums for the first season were released between March 25, 2009 and August 21, 2009. The Archives albums for the second season were released between May 25, 2011 and August 24, 2011.

Limited editions of the Blu-ray and DVD releases of all seasons of the anime include episodes of Toaru Majutsu no Index-tan, a series of short episodes which features Index depicted in a super deformed appearance with a habit of sitting on Kamijou Touma's head. The limited-edition disc releases also include side stories written by Kamachi Kazuma based on Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, namely Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS: Liberal Arts City for the first season, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS2: Ability Demonstration Trip for the second season, and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS3 for the third season. All side stories were released in parts and were bundled on each volume. The side stories feature various adventures of Misaka Mikoto throughout the timeline where she unknowingly encounters elements of the magic side.

Toaru Majutsu no Index Anime Illustration Book was released on October 7, 2018 in Dengeki Bunko Fall Festival 2018.

Music
Iuchi Maiko of I've Sound handled the music in three seasons of Toaru Majutsu no Index. A total of twelve theme songs were used for the anime series. For the first season, the song "PSI-missing" by Kawada Mami was used in the opening theme song for first 16 episodes, and was later replaced by "Masterpiece", also by Kawada Mami. The song "Rimless ~Fuchinashi no Sekai~" by Iku was used as the first ending theme song for the first 19 episodes, replaced by "Chikaigoto ~Sukoshi Dake Mou Ichido~" by Iku in subsequent episodes. For the second season, Kawada Mami reprised her role in performing the opening theme songs for "No buts!" and "See visionS". For the ending theme songs, Kurosaki Maon sung "Magic∞world" and "Memories Last". For the third season, Kurosaki Maon performed both opening theme songs for "Gravitation" and "ROAR" and Iguchi Yuka performed both ending theme songs for "Kakumei Zen'ya" and "Owaranai Uta".

Two original soundtrack albums based on the music used in the anime series were released. The soundtrack for the first season was released in two parts. The first part, entitled "Toaru Majutsu no Index Original Soundtrack 1 - ELECTROMASTER" was released on January 23, 2009. The second part, entitled "Toaru Majutsu no Index Original Soundtrack 2 - Dedicatus545" was released on April 24, 2009. The soundtrack for the second season is also released in two parts, entitled "Toaru Majutsu no Index II Original Soundtrack 1" and "Toaru Majutsu no Index II Original Soundtrack 2", released on January 26, 2011 and May 25, 2011 respectively. All four soundtrack albums were released by Geneon. The soundtrack for the third season is also released in two parts, entitled "Toaru Majutsu no Index III Original Soundtrack 1" and "Toaru Majutsu no Index III Original Soundtrack 2", released on December 26, 2018 and April 30, 2019 respectively. Both two soundtrack albums were released by Warner Bros. Home entertainment (distributed by NBCUniversal Entertainment).

An album compilation of the theme songs and insert songs used in the anime series, entitled "Toaru Majutsu no TV Songs" was released on August 28, 2013. The album also includes "Ame", used in Episode 12 of the first season, "Jellyfish", used in Episode 23 of the first season, and "Pray ~Inori~", used in Episode 23 of the second season, as well as a new song performed by Kawada Mami and Kurosaki Maon entitled "Snap out of it!!". A collection of was released in 2011.