So episode 23 was kind of a “calm before the storm” episode before the final episode.  Going after a group like Skillout seems like a lame way to end the series, so it seemed odd that’s what episode 24 was about, so I figured there was more to it than that, but it looks like it was just a set up for an obvious 3rd season at some point.

It's not that easy to defeat Accelerator

I thought only having one episode for some sort of war was a stretch, and it was, as it looks like “the war” will be the next season, whenever it airs.  Accelerator appears to have joined a group called, well, GROUP, along with Tsuchimikado and Awaki to protect Academy City from the inside, though their targets don’t exactly to all be that great (such as wanting to kill Mikoto’s mother for leading a group who wanted to pull their children out of Academy City).  As to why they are against students leaving, perhaps it has something to do with Kazakiri since, I would presume, the fewer espers that are present, the weaker she becomes.

I presume Index will hold a vital role by the end of this franchise, but I’m not sure when I saw a series where the title character was so out of the way.  Sure, she does things now and then, but she isn’t even present half the time, and most of the time when she is, she’s just annoying such as being hungry or being jealous over Touma.  I mean, if you like a lot of action, this series has been OK, but I still can’t get too excited over it.  I may watch the 3rd season whenever it comes out just to see it to the end, but I’m still kind of meh about it.

A lot of things are going in these three episodes.  There looks to be three different sides trying to do things, and I’m still not entirely clear on what each of their goals are.  First, there is Kihara and Hound Dog who captured Last Order, there is Vento, who is making everyone in the city (and suggestions are around the world) unconscious while a glowing dude is preparing to impale everyone in the city, and then there is Aleister (Mr. Upside Down guy), who is using Last Order to organize the city’s AIM field to force Kazakiri to run a spell called Testament which harms anyone who uses magic within the city.

The Church apparently only hires psychopaths

It seems apparent that Aleister’s goal is just to defend the city, even if he is using Kazakiri to do it.  However, one question I had was whether Hound Dog is working for him, since they were the ones who captured Last Order, and when they did, that’s when Testament started.  That would definitely suggest that the two are working together.  As for what the Church’s goal is, I guess it’s the usual goal of destroying Academy City.  Vento says she was sent to deal with Touma, which definitely means they see him as a threat to their plans (and they have good reason to).  I guess the question is whether there is still more to be revealed as part of the Church’s plan.

Now that Accelerator is connected to the MISAKA network, I guess it’s not surprising that he somehow awoke once Index started to “free” Last Order from whatever was happening to her, though I”m not sure what that exactly entails yet.  Obviously he can operate without his connection now, and it was suggested that he was able to defeat Kihara’s countermeasures against him.

It seemed like the MISAKAs were preparing to do something as well, though I don’t know if they couldn’t because of what was happening to Last Order or if they just haven’t gotten around to it yet.  Mikoto, meanwhile, has been relegated to talking on the phone to Index.  Meanwhile, we still have Tsuchimikado out there fighting the glowy being who is using Ancient Greek magic.

This has been an action packed, if confusing, trio of episodes.  It looks like Last Order is on the verge of being saved, Accelerator won his battle against Kihara and Vento is defeated, which leaves glowy dude, this new Acqua of the Rear guy who showed up at the very end, and possibly Aleister (and anyone else yet to be revealed) to deal with.

I thought I might get back to watching some of the series I had abandoned earlier in the year, so I’m starting with A Certain Magical Index II.  We get back to having lots of Mikoto action with her being all nervous around Touma, unfortunately for him, Kuroko is ever on the lookout for rivals. That along with Mikoto’s tsundere-ness results in much trouble for him.

Mikoto wants that Frog

These episodes had a lot of fun interaction between characters, some of which we haven’t really seen together before.  We had Last Order and Accelerator go to stay with Aiho, then Last Order ran off and hung out with Touma (after one of the MISAKAs had) and then while Accelerator was out looking for her, he ran into the ever-hungry Index.

We get back to a big arc again in episode 19 as someone who claims to have given Accelerator his power attacks him and is immune to his attacks, while also trying to get Last Order for some reason.  Meanwhile, Mr. Floaty upside down guy wants Last Order too in order to fight someone from the Catholic Church (of course) named Vento of the Front.  I’m guessing this is the next to last arc, or perhaps the final arc lasting a full 6 episodes (which would be rather long, though I guess appropriate for the final one, especially since the guy behind Academy City appears to be finally getting involved).

Apparently the Roman Catholic Church is obsessed with destroying Academy City.  First, the Cross of St. Peter and now they’re trying to use The Rosary of the Appointed Time and Queen of the Adriatic Sea spells to erase Academy City from history.  They really are going all out now, though one has to ask why they are being so insistent on trying to eliminate their scientific adversaries right now.

Many people probably wish to punch their local Bishop like this as well

So, anyway, Touma’s right hand saves the world (or at least Academy City) once again, though the Catholic Church is now going so far as the Pope himself signing an order of inquisition against Touma.  While the Roman Catholic Church was kinda seen as a villain before, they’ve come to be the front and center bad guy here in the second season.  I’m also liking this second season a bit more, if for no other reason than they’re actually using Index.  Her using her powers to help out Touma have occurred quite a bit more frequently recently.

One would expect maybe one or two lighter episodes after two straight near apocalyptic arcs have finished.  A good first step would be Touma having to play his “penalty game” for Mikoto.  After all, more Mikoto is definitely better.

So Touma wins a trip to Italy which, predictably, ends up with him getting mix up with trouble with the Roman Catholic Church again, after running into Orsola, who is moving from Italy to London, with the help of the Amakusas.  Except the Roman Catholics seem to be up to something really big this time, considering that they are sailing with a fleet of ice ships, where Touma and Orsola are trapped.

Return of the (other) Loli-Nun

As I alluded to above, I knew the instant he said he won a trip to Italy that he’d get into something with the Roman Catholics.  At least Index was actually useful this time getting in the way of some Roman Catholic guys trying to cause some trouble, and in fetching the Amakusas so they could save Touma’s ass.

Whatever is going on, it seems like Agnese knows what she’s doing, though I’m still not sure we know the full story of what the Roman Catholic’s goal is.  All we really know is that the spell they want to use can not only destroy a city, but erase it’s entire history.  They were facing a lot of battle nuns, though they apparently didn’t seem to take too kindly to being sacrificed by the flagship, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they helped Touma and friends in the end.

Other than that…I’m not sure what more to say.  There seems to be a Amakusa girl who, I guess, has a thing for Touma and keeps handing him towels.  Somehow I don’t think she’s going to get much attention, though she’s cute enough to deserve some lol.  Also, this show once again portrays the Roman Catholics as pretty brutal, basically declaring Agnese and her entire unit heretics for, I’m assuming, failing during the Orsola ordeal earlier in the season.