To Aru Majutsu no Index II - Episode 4 Discussion / Poll

[Dominic Night]

Enjoyed the eps. Given I'm a novel reader I knew what was going on. ^_^.
The Nuns should count themselves lucky, having an enemy that doesn't kill. I wonder how Accelerator would handle this. lol.

[Francismeunier]

I mean this part=>

Now that is disturbing. Yeah, the blood of that part.

[Hell_ping]

It's like a groin attack, even if you really don't get hit by it, you feel the pain.

[Marina2]

Yeah!, She's cute and cool!

http://b.imagehost.org/0461/Itsuwa1.gif

I don't know why I made these gifs... ..
http://b.imagehost.org/0810/nunpen2.gif
http://d.imagehost.org/0099/nunpen3.gif

[gaboratamer]

I wonder if the Cicada will appear in the next ep.Seeing it always make smile for some reason

[Minagi Mikoto]

I've just watched the whole four episode! Finally season II of index. New soundtracks are really great.

Though I preferred a more science-sided story involving Accelerator, Kakine and Kihara Gensei. I don't like the sudden increase of sisters that much, specially that foul mouth low-cut dress wearing sister! (What a combination!)

[Klashikari]

I can't help but think this episode is one of the most nonsensical thing you can have in To Aru universe.
As some people already mentioned, this episode was disturbingly dull: there was little to no tension (battles were one sided from start to finish), the transitions were poor and characters actions were underwhelming (Stiyl and Tatemiya chatting whereas Touma has his hands full with Orsola)

That would have been more or less acceptable, as it isn't like this arc is that interesting, so they can put more efforts for later. However, it just doesn't look too good when the situations on screen required a lot of suspension of disbelief (I can accept that churchs use magicians in this lore, but why not using them then? I mean Nuns running around with weapons that hardly fit their body built? really? Touma going super man, carrying Orsolas here and there, then magnificient jump WHILE carrying her with little to no damage afterwards? sure).
Topped with Index with a new skill out of nowhere, from all of the grimoires no less.

But the final scene was the straw: I wasn't shocked by the nuns going that far in order to counter Index. Rather, I was shocked how convenient it was: they are always carrying 2 fountain pens, all of them, for this kind of purposes?
The real shock was the fact -all of them- were able to stand still. Let's assume they can inhibit their sense of pain (which would be quite a feat considering how sensitive it is), there is one thing that cannot be remotely possible: that they are in fact standing.
Considering how far they have to go to peirce their eardrums, they could very well pierce the inner ear by the same process. Which means, a very nasty damage on the vestibulary system, leading to a drastic loss of balance.

Honestly, JC staff should just go in a simple way: going all flashy etc just makes the show even less enjoyable as it is.

[Jarmel]

I've had my ears ruptured before and I was screaming in pain. There is no way you could pierce your eardrums and keep fighting. No way in hell. I had two shots of novacain before I could even get to sleep.

The battle itself was unimpressive and just lacked tension altogether. The weapons themselves make no sense and are all of the nuns not magicians?

I was also fully expecting Touma to have broken a leg from that jump too.

[Asuras]

Exactly. A direct stab to your vestibular system directly affects balance. Seeing as how they were on an angled slope and standing no less, I cannot see how they possibly stood standing, with glaring faces and dripping ears. And why didn't Luccia stab herself? Is she suddenly capable of spells that disable hearing, while every single other nun has to go to painful measures to achieve the same effect?

Meh.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

But the final scene was the straw: I wasn't shocked by the nuns going that far in order to counter Index. Rather, I was shocked how convenient it was: they are always carrying 2 fountain pens, all of them, for this kind of purposes?
The real shock was the fact -all of them- were able to stand still. Let's assume they can inhibit their sense of pain (which would be quite a feat considering how sensitive it is), there is one thing that cannot be remotely possible: that they are in fact standing.
Considering how far they have to go to peirce their eardrums, they could very well pierce the inner ear by the same process. Which means, a very nasty damage on the vestibulary system, leading to a drastic loss of balance.

Yeah i was kinda wondering that too. It's like this story is trying to go purely by Rule of Cool. It's reminding me of Bleach and that's not a good thing.

And honestly, the animation is just incredibly sloppy.

[Asuras]

In season 1, episode-something, when Touma was fighting Stiyl, and he used his fire powers and all that jazz; that was good animating right there. I really hope they take their time to give us quality over the speed of release.

[outerelf]

While it's true that stabbing your eardrums can cause great amounts of pain, there are people who can rise above the pain- Take some anti-occupation protests taking place across the world- in fact, where I used to live, there was a group of people that purposely set themselves on fire in the middle of the street- and didn't scream even while being burned to death.

As for the loosing balance part- they were on the ground in the light novel, so I guess it's a goof?

[Asuras]

How do you remember something like that?

True, some people can rise above pain, especially magically-imbued persons. But that still doesn't explain their completely unchanged expression. Not even a wince. I'm sure that under the flaming wall that resides upon their bodies, those protesters where crying or cringing.

[Klashikari]

Withstanding pain doesn't mean the body will withstand it. Even if you mentally can endure it, physically, it is a complete other matter especially concerning things close to the cerebrum.
At the very least, the pain would make their body jerk one way or another. It doesn't even require a scream or whatnot. They were literally unaffected.
If it is the work of a magical enhancement, it is a wonder why they can't make one that would prevent them being "mentally" afflicted by a song.

Also, regardless if they were on a slope or not, there is no way you can stand still like that with your sense of balance turned into WRECK.
The simple effect of alcohol and other dizziness make anyone unable to remain firmly straight and all.
So having this very sense of balance directly hit (instead of afflicted) but still remaining perfectly standing up is just unbelievable to the slighest.
For people hit like this, it would feel as if the world is spinning around them continuously without any order whatsoever.

[orion]

Maybe they had special training on how to puncture their eardrums safely. Surgeons do it all the time for myringotomy tubes.

They prob knew in advance what Index is capable of.

[Klashikari]

Doing that with... plain Fountain Pens? And having that kind of training? That's even more convenient.
No seriously, there is little to not point to explain that: it just doesn't make any sense.

[Asuras]

And like Klash said, why did they (every single one) have two fountain pens each?

[outerelf]

Originally Posted by Asuras

How do you remember something like that?

Being an American in a foreign country can be absolutely terrifying- especially in an Asian country that you once conquered. Approved off military houses can be burned, broken into, etc. And the government/police look the other way. You also have to keep up on the protest schedules, or you might find yourself in the middle of a protest, and you might end up dead.

I've had a couple of friends who lived in some high rises- and then an Anti-American protest nearby got way out of hand, and they started burning buildings. My friends were terrified for the next couple of days, and only went out of the base with close Korean friends nearby.

[Asuras]

I was speaking of your memorization that the nuns were on the ground in the light novel.

But that's pretty interesting either way. I didn't know South Korea was like that! I always thought it was North Korea that was so screwed up; me and my American stupidity. Now I don't want to go to SK anymore. Thanks for the warning.

[outerelf]

Originally Posted by Asuras

I was speaking of your memorization that the nuns were on the ground in the light novel.

*pfft* Oh, you mean that! My reading comprehension scores on the SAT are 99% and if I read something once, then I can generally remember it for a few weeks after.

As for South Korea- it isn't all bad. A lot of the older guys will love you and thank you for helping them out during the Korean War. It's just the 'younger generation' that gets really riled up. Both groups do want to get back together with NK though.