Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-1430834-20150716032845

Well, here is the latest volume of the Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index series, and Kamachi is once again killing the fanbase through his comedy while expanding on the change in Kamijou Touma's character after the events in NT9 and NT10. So far, only parts of Chapter 1 is done, but it's already showing some of the problems I have with the series at this point.

First off is the depiction of Touma as a trauma sufferer and how the narrative and the characters around him perceive his condition. I'm sure everyone knows how many times he had died in NT9 and his current personality reflects to that. I'm a bit baffled, though, that nothing has changed about his interactions with the same people that he saw in NT9. I was expecting more character-driven drama involving him and his friends over at A Certain High School.

Second is the comedy's shift to a stronger schadenfreude than in the previous volumes and in OT. Let's say that Kamachi is enjoying in putting Touma in unfortunate circumstances, but it's reached the point where Touma freaking needs to take a break from that. The comedy is also becoming too integrated into protagonist-antagonist interactions, something that happens rarely in OT.

Lastly is the series relying too much on bait-and-switch. I personally dislike when creators rely on the hype of creating something and the hype of creating something that is the opposite of the expectations of many. To me, it undermines the talent of the creator, as if people read his works only because of the twists. Also, it worsens the pain of being trolled several times because Index is used as a promotion for other works.

You guys can read my posts on AnimeSuki (as Marcus H.) about my outlook for NT13, and I'm currently unimpressed. How about you guys? Kamachi-tier comedy aside, how is the progress of the story? Do you think you've been baited too hard by the developments in the story? And do you think Touma will get the resolution he deserves? Feel free to talk and rant on the Comments section below. 