Toaru Majutsu no Index Movie: Miracle of Endymion

The Toaru Majutsu no Index Movie: Miracle of Endymion (劇場版 とある魔術の禁書目録 エンデュミオンの奇蹟) is a theatrical film based on the popular Toaru Majutsu no Index franchise released on February 23, 2013. It is centered around a terrible threat against the once peaceful Academy City that could lead to its destruction.

Academy City's space elevator Endymion. One day as its completion nears, Kamijou and Index meet a Level 0 girl named Meigo Arisa. Index and Arisa have a mysterious connection in their ravenous appetites. While the three are enjoying their time after school, Stiyl (who has brought in some other magicians) suddenly attacks. His target is Arisa. Why is a member of the science side like her being targeted by the magic side? With the attack form the magic side underway, Academy City deploys a unit meant to maintain order led by its female leader Shutaura. As the situation developing around Kamijou, Index, and Arisa grows more and more confused, Stiyl says, "That girl could likely cause a war between the magic side and the science side."

When science and magic cross paths, the story begins with Endymion as its stage!

Announcement and Promotion
Originally announced on October 2, 2011 during the Dengeki Bunko Autumn Festival, curiously on the same day as the announcement of the release of the 3rd light novel volume of Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index. Accompanying this announcement is the revamp of the official Toaru Majutsu no Index project site for the anime, as well as an announcement that further news will be released on the release of the Dengeki Bunko Magazine on October 11. However, leaks of the magazine later reveal only small information regarding the movie, which states that the once peaceful Academy City is under the threat of destruction.

It was later announced on June 7, 2012 that the movie has been delayed to be released on February 2013, along with a confirmed cast list and staff for the movie's production. Furthermore, the plot summary, as well as new characters have been released with designs from Haimura Kiyotaka. Tickets for the movie was released on July 14, with first buyers receiving Toaru Majutsu no Index merchandise.

A nearly two minute long preview was later shown in the Summer Comiket on August 2012, which featured scenes of the new characters, and new mechs, as well as Stiyl Magnus fighting witches, Kuroko stilll in her wheelchair (indicating this is after Tree Diagram Remnant Arc), as well as the appearance of Accelerator.

Sidestories
Dengeki Daioh magazine has revealed that PSP game Toaru Majutsu to Kagaku no Ensemble is the lead in to the story of the movie, though details are unknown as to how. Later, it was revealed that the videogame's story occurs before the Daihasei Festival Arc, and seeing that Kuroko still has her wheelchair, this implies that the story occurs between September 15 and 19. In an interview with Hiroyuki Yoshino (Movie Screenwriter) and Nakayama Nobuhiro (Anime Producer) revealed that the movie was originally planned as a festival that was set in some kind of parallel world, before being incorporated into the canon. It is later revealed that Kamachi has written a new 220 page light novel illustrated by Haimura from Dengeki Bunko, and that 103,000 copies will be distributed to the first attendees in theaters playing the Toaru Majutsu no Index Movie, called Toaru Majutsu no Index: Road to Endymion. Moreover, a manga version of the movie was released on March 2013 issue of Monthly Shōnen Gangan on February 12, the same magazine that runs the Toaru Majutsu no Index Manga, and will be illustrated by Ryousuke Asakura. On February 20, 2013, brochures for the money was released, containing a sidestory written by Kamachi known as Toaru Majutsu no Index Movie: Story Underlay.

Music
On February 6, 2013, the image song for the movie, Shining Star-☆-LOVE Letter, is released. Then on February 20, 2013, Sachika Misawa's Polaris mini album is released, containing the song telepath ~Hikari no Tou~, the song Meigo Arisa sings on Endymion. Moreover, Mami Kawada's FIXED STAR single is released, containing the ending theme for the movie.

Box-office performance
The movie opened with 30 screens nationwide, and 69,117 viewers. Within the first two days of its premiere, the movie garnered a box-office revenue of about 100,760,000 yen, making it the third-highest selling movie during the weekend.

Starting from March 2 to March 8, special screenings of the movie will include the PV of the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S as well as will be included in 30 theaters, including the OP of the new season by fripside, sister's noise.

After a week, the movie accumulated over 200 million yen, and has remained 7th place at the box-offce. Beginning on March 9, on the third week of the movie's screening, the movie will be screened in an additional 7 theaters. In addition to this, the digital master frames from the movie will be distributed to those who will see the movie in its third week. After 16 days, the box-office profit of the movie has exceeded 300 million yen. After 28 days and at least 80 theaters, the film has gained at least 400 million yen. The film has now topped 490 million yen in the box office on Saturday. Extra screenings have been added to 11 Korona Cinema theaters beginning on Saturday. To celebrate the milestone, Korona will distribute exclusive B2-size posters to filmgoers while supplies last.

Home media
The Blu-ray and DVD format of Miracle of Endymion will see a release on August 28, 2013. The special editions will have a bonus disc with a making-of video and bonus anime. Kiyotaka Haimura will be drawing the art for the special editions' boxes, which will include a soundtrack CD, a 64-page booklet, a miniature replica of the dialogue recording script, and a reproduction film. Both the regular and special editions will have audio commentaries.

Later, a commercial for the Blu-ray Disc and DVD release of the movie began airing in Japan. The Blu-ray and DVD releases will both ship on August 28, and the special editions will have a bonus disc with a making-of video and bonus anime, Toaru Majutsu no Index-tan: Miracle of Endymion Movie Edition. The bonus disc will also have footage from the auditions and a roundtable discussion with the cast.

The movie will replace the scheduled airing 18th episode of the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S on August 9 with a special premiere of the first 22 minutes of the movie. The episode instead will air on August 16. It also has a digest video on television and online simulcast providers, likely to promote the Blu-ray and DVD release of the movie.

Reception
Debi, the author of the Trigger Happy End blog, commented on how the movie has deeply moved him emotionally. The movie had at least 103,000 attendants, along with him, he was able to obtain the Toaru Majutsu no Index: Road to Endymion light novel. By 8:00 in the morning, the pamphlet that contained the Toaru Majutsu no Index Movie: Story Underlay was sold out, but was later available again for sale, allowing him to obtain his copy.

Impact on the Toaru Majutsu no Index animated universe
The movie retcons several scenes from the Toaru Majutsu no Index anime to somehow fit the obvious elevator in the timeline. Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S would later insert the elevator into scenes were they were supposed to appear as shown in the movie.

The movie is the first Toaru Majutsu no Index-related content to be mastered in a higher vertical resolution other than the standard 576p the studio has done for all animated content of the franchise. This allowed for a much more crisper and vivid animation. Moreover, though the animated universe is not alien to the use of CG graphics, the movie is the first one to use it en masse in crowd scenes, instead of people who are drawn as a crowd but do not move, as seen in the Daihasei Festival Arc in Toaru Majutsu no Index II. All these changes would later be incorporated in Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S.

Characters

 * Kamijou Touma
 * Index
 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Kanzaki Kaori
 * Stiyl Magnus
 * Himegami Aisa
 * Tsuchimikado Motoharu
 * Aogami Pierce
 * Tsukuyomi Komoe
 * Shirai Kuroko
 * Uiharu Kazari
 * Misaka Imouto
 * Accelerator
 * Saten Ruiko
 * Laura Stuart
 * Aleister Crowley

New Characters

 * Meigo Arisa
 * Shutaura Sequenzia
 * Ladylee Tangleroad
 * Marye Spearhead
 * Mariebeth Blackball
 * Jane Elves

Locations

 * Academy City

New Locations

 * Endymion

Cultural References

 * The obelisk that commemorates the Miracle 88 has a quote from Blaise Pascal. The full quote being "Time heals griefs and quarrels, for we change and are no longer the same persons. Neither the offender nor the offended are any more themselves."
 * Ladylee compares Arisa to Jenny Lind, a 19th century opera singer. Her queer reference foreshadows her longetivity.

Animation Trivia

 * Scenes from episode 24 of the first series, episode 1 of the second series, and the 1st opening of the second series are reused in a flashback sequence and featuring the Endymion space elevator slapped in the background.
 * Shutaura's first appearance has her behind rendered entirely in CG.

Interviews

 * Tokyo Anime News Exclusive Interview with Nishikiori Hiroshi
 * Dengeki PlayStation Interview with Kamachi Kazuma