Recommendations for "Toaru ____ no ____"?

[Fenris21]

So, I've noticed that Funimation had recently licensed two shows with similar names: "Toaru Kagaku no Railgun" and "Toaru Majutsu no Index".

I'd like to pick just one of these shows to purchase in the future, but I'm sort of in the dark as to which one I should concentrate on. The character designs and the basic premise are two things that have my attention so far from both shows.

Even if there needs to be some sequence I need to follow with either of them, I can definitely overlook it.

*EDIT: Note that I will plan on watching both eventually, but for right now I'd like to prioritize and purchase only one of these shows when it's released.

[HitokiriShadow]

For the first seasons, sequence doesn't matter. Railgun is a spin-off of Index, but there's no real need to see Index before Railgun, at least for the first series. (There's no second series yet nor has anything about one been announced, but there *will* be one.) Two of the main Railgun characters have significant roles in Index, and the main male character of Index makes a few appearances in Railgun, along with some cameos and a few references to things that happen in Index, but the stories are entirely separate. That won't be true for the second season of Railgun, but until it gets made, it won't be clear how much seeing Index first will matter.

Index's first season does not have a cohesive story. It has a premise and then storylines that are largely separate with no overarching plot connecting them. There are two types of storylines/arcs: magic and science. Other than Touma, each type of story line involves an almost entirely different cast of recurring characters, with little overlap. The problem is.... the magic side characters are distinctly weaker and the stories don't make up for the cast deficiencies, for the most part. They aren't, but they can be hard to watch for people who get attached to the science side characters. Also, Index's presence in the series is a joke. She's a highly amusing character, but she tends to basically disappear after the first episode of any given arc.

Railgun is the better series, by a long shot. The cast is vastly superior and it has a much better storyline even in the first series (and its the second season storyline that is the reason for the show's existence and where the "real" story starts), though it kind of wins by default simply for having an overarching story. It also has a number of "holy crap, that was awesome" scenes which soundly trounce anything Index had. It's also a much more character focused series than Index, as well as a much funnier series. Index has some really funny scenes (in fact, that's what made me fall in love with the first episode) but it doesn't balance things well and tends to suffer from whiplash in each arc when it goes from the first, highly humorous episode of any given arc to the second, which becomes really serious and largely humor free for most of the remainder of the arc. But that's not a problem with Railgun.

Pretty much everyone here is going to recommend Railgun over Index, and with good reason. Now, in many cases I would qualify that with "but it depends on what you're looking for in you're anime". People who are much more interested in plot and the general concept of Index than the characters are going to like Index more. The kind of people who complain when episode two or three roles around and some signs of a larger plot hasn't shown itself, the kind of people who complain about "filler" when an episode is spent on the female cast just having fun, the kind of people who tend to not like "moe" (or whatever they consider it). Those people should watch Index.

Railgun is for people who watch primarily for characters, particularly of the female variety, and for whom a good, interesting plot and awesome action scenes are more of a nice bonus than a requirement. In other words, its for the kind of people who use Clannad avatars on forums.

[Suwako Moriya]

In general, people tend to prefer "Rail Gun". A large part of it being because of the core cast. Mikoto is quite popular. Also, the story tends to be more focused and grounded.

That being said, I'm a bit mixed. I like the fact that Rail Gun is more focused and has a longer story arc. I also quite like Kazari and Ruiko. Who for me were the best aspects of Rail Gun.


However I also like Index quite a bit. For one thing, it has Index in it. It also has nice and varied cast. Although some might argue that it's major flaw. Since that means a lot more competition for screen time. Which can negate the value of a larger cast.


It could just be me, but I'm not sure I'd feel right only watching one of the two series. Sure, I might if I say for example hated one of the two. However since I like both series, it's hard for me to say either one should be ignored. That and both contain a character I have a strong liking for.

[Fencedude]

I'd like to pick just one of these shows to purchase in the future, but I'm sort of in the dark as to which one I should concentrate on. The character designs and the basic premise are two things that have my attention so far from both shows.


Is there any particular reason you made a prima facie decision to purchase/watch only one of them? That seems...strange, considering you know almost nothing about them.

Anyway, ideally you'll watch both, and watch INDEX first. However RAILGUN is waaaaaay better overall. So if you are only going to watch one, watch it. However there is already a second season of INDEX airing, and there is a 99.99999999% chance there will be a second season of RAILGUN within the next year, and that will absolutely require having seen both the first seasons of INDEX and RAILGUN, and possibly even the second season of INDEX (I honestly have no idea).

So yeah.

For details, everything Hitokiri said.

[Fenris21]

Whoa, thank you so much for your responses so far!

I'm about to hit the hay right, but I'll definitely spend some time digesting your thoughts on this one.

I'd like to pick just one of these shows to purchase in the future, but I'm sort of in the dark as to which one I should concentrate on. The character designs and the basic premise are two things that have my attention so far from both shows.


Is there any particular reason you made a prima facie decision to purchase/watch only one of them? That seems...strange, considering you know almost nothing about them.
Well, about two years ago I did stumble upon an untranslated chapter of the Railgun manga, which I found kind of interesting just from the images (I think it was 'Railgun' - if I remember, it had the girl with the headband made of flowers, who arrived out of a helicopter). I also keep hearing the names of both these shows, which leads me to think that they are well-received among fans.

And simply from looking at some of the images of the shows alone, both seem like they have really high production values for an anime (and from what mentioned previously, I am a little partial to the whole 'moe' thing, hence the Clannad avatar).

So I figured that since the shows are now licensed, I should maybe give either one of them a try.

It's kind of the same feeling I got with Toradora!, in which I had a hunch that it would be a show I might like and would ask for opinions here in order to make a final judgement. In the end, I wasn't disappointed. :)

[lesterf1025]

I would like to introduce a dissenting opinion. I don't think that Railgun has better characters or better plots than Index. Quite the opposite, I think that Index by far has better characters and more interesting plots than Railgun.

However, Railgun is the better production. Railgun treats its characters and plots well, giving them lots of time to breathe and develop. So while, in my opinion, not being that great they are excellently handled. Index on the other hand despite having better characters and better plots handles them really poorly. The characters and plots are crammed into too few episodes per story arc and frequently mauled in the interest of getting to the finish line on time. All of the cracks and flaws are papered over with exposition that is frequently delivered via extended monologues. Railgun leans on the dull side because too often nothing much is happening while Index is very clearly on the frustrating side.

So if you want to see interesting characters and plots poorly handled then go for Index. If you want to see not so interesting characters and plots handled excellently then see Railgun.

There is my dissenting vote.

[Fencedude]

So I figured that since the shows are now licensed, I should maybe give either one of them a try.

But why only one of them? That just seems bizarre. If this were two completely different series, and you know you could only get one right now, that would be one thing, but we don't even have release dates, and have no idea when they will be released in relation to each other, so to already say you are only getting one of them is just...bizarre.

The shows really do go together, despite INDEX's flaws, it really does help to watch it first, since it establishes the setting a bit more than RAILGUN does early on.

[Fenris21]

So I figured that since the shows are now licensed, I should maybe give either one of them a try.

But why only one of them? That just seems bizarre. If this were two completely different series, and you know you could only get one right now, that would be one thing, but we don't even have release dates, and have no idea when they will be released in relation to each other, so to already say you are only getting one of them is just...bizarre.
Bizarre?

I really don't understand why you insist that a specific request be bizarre. It's not like I have the time in the world to watch every series out there in under the sun - unlike many of the members here, I absolutely do not have the money or the mindset to purchase everything at once.

What's wrong with prioritizing? And what's wrong with thinking ahead down the line when you have a budget?

I mean, I'm very content buying the first season of Clannad a year ago without also buying the second season. But that doesn't mean I won't consider getting it sometime in the future.

It's just a matter of timing my purchases and prioritizing on the things that I know will interest me.

[Fencedude]

I mean, I'm very content buying the first season of Clannad a year ago without also buying the second season. But that doesn't mean I won't consider getting it sometime in the future.

In that case I highly recommend you go and get After Story.

[Isuzu Inugami]

Bizarre?

I really don't understand why you insist that a specific request be bizarre. It's not like I have the time in the world to watch every series out there in under the sun

Well, people are perplexed because the two shows are pretty closely related, to the extent that they get regarded as almost a single big show. It's less like "I see Bandai has giant robot shows, and I want to pick up one; should it be Eureka 7 or Gundam Seed?" and more like "What single season of Nanoha should I watch?" I could give you an answer, but I kind of think you're cheating yourself out of the rest.

[Fenris21]

Bizarre?

I really don't understand why you insist that a specific request be bizarre. It's not like I have the time in the world to watch every series out there in under the sun

Well, people are perplexed because the two shows are pretty closely related, to the extent that they get regarded as almost a single big show. It's less like "I see Bandai has giant robot shows, and I want to pick up one; should it be Eureka 7 or Gundam Seed?" and more like "What single season of Nanoha should I watch?" I could give you an answer, but I kind of think you're cheating yourself out of the rest.
The issue for me is mainly which of these two similar series I should focus my attention more on down the line, even if they're released at different times. I didn't say that I wouldn't actually see both series eventually, but I would like to give priority to which one is the better of the two and pick it up when the time comes. (Which is why I mentioned in the OP that sequence doesn't matter.)

Like with Clannad, I held off buying After Story for some time to focus my budget on towards other shows. I do plan on getting that series as soon as word (or even lack of word) of a complete DVD set comes into view within the coming months.

[ilmaestro]

The only acceptable answer I can come up with is you should watch both of them, sorry. They're really good, if it's any consolation.

[Ingraman]

I'll cast my vote for Railgun. While I'm trying again with Index II, I couldn't force myself to finish Index. I think that I managed to get through a third to half of Index.

I would like to introduce a dissenting opinion. I don't think that Railgun has better characters or better plots than Index. Quite the opposite, I think that Index by far has better characters and more interesting plots than Railgun.

I'm not sure if the Index characters are more interesting. Most of the time, I felt that Index herself was an irritant and Touma was a bit boring. The plots might have been more ambitious than Railgun's, but I don't really remember too many details of the Index stories at this point (which were, I think Index's arrival and stopping the memory wipes, I remember something about rescuing a ?miko?, a guy who throws things, and I gave up just after the start of, uhh, a trip to an island and people are disappearing (?). Just how bad are my memories of Index? ^_^;;

However, Railgun is the better production. Railgun treats its characters and plots well, giving them lots of time to breathe and develop.Definitely. Those are some of the reasons why I imported the Railgun BDs.

All of the cracks and flaws are papered over with exposition that is frequently delivered via extended monologues.I'm not sure if "papered over" is a good phrase to use, since I found the long monologues to be rather monotonous. You're covering up something bad with something that's equally bad. ^_^ Mr. Wall-of-text was one of the reasons why I stopped watching Index.

Railgun leans on the dull side because too often nothing much is happening while Index is very clearly on the frustrating side.Railgun can seem to be episodic at times, especially early in an arc.

[pathos]

Well, people are perplexed because the two shows are pretty closely related, to the extent that they get regarded as almost a single big show. It's less like "I see Bandai has giant robot shows, and I want to pick up one; should it be Eureka 7 or Gundam Seed?" and more like "What single season of Nanoha should I watch?" I could give you an answer, but I kind of think you're cheating yourself out of the rest.

^^this

It's 2 different shows, but its not, really. I'd almost be tempted to say get Index, and then, if you like it, get part 2 (i.e. railgun). But, the shows do have a different feel, so I can't even really quite say that.

I would like to introduce a dissenting opinion. I don't think that Railgun has better characters or better plots than Index. Quite the opposite, I think that Index by far has better characters and more interesting plots than Railgun.

However, Railgun is the better production. Railgun treats its characters and plots well, giving them lots of time to breathe and develop. So while, in my opinion, not being that great they are excellently handled. Index on the other hand despite having better characters and better plots handles them really poorly. The characters and plots are crammed into too few episodes per story arc and frequently mauled in the interest of getting to the finish line on time. All of the cracks and flaws are papered over with exposition that is frequently delivered via extended monologues. Railgun leans on the dull side because too often nothing much is happening while Index is very clearly on the frustrating side.

So if you want to see interesting characters and plots poorly handled then go for Index. If you want to see not so interesting characters and plots handled excellently then see Railgun.

There is my dissenting vote.

I'm actually closer to this opinion. From Railgun, outside of Mikoto, Saten, and Kuriko (but only sometimes for her), I didn't really find any of the other characters that interesting. In particular, the fourth member of the main group, along with most of the enemies, were quite bland.

Not that Index didn't have its fair share of problems. In particular was the long speeches it gave off on a fairly regular basis. Some of them were neccessary, since the stuff they were talking about doesn't actually exist, its sort of nice to actually know whats going on. That didn't make it any more interesting while they were going on, however.

Although I like both shows, I vastly prefer Index. Of course, I'll be picking up both myself.

As far as Railgun being the more popular show, is that true? I thought that was just this board's preference. It was my understanding that Index was more popular over the entire fanbase. Wouldn't surprise me if I'm wrong on that one though.

I am kind of curious to see how the japanese sales went though. Wouldn't help to understand the States fanbase, but it might be worth something, anyway.

[Fencedude]

I am kind of curious to see how the japanese sales went though. Wouldn't help to understand the States fanbase, but it might be worth something, anyway.

Both sold quite well.

Railgun however sold significantly better.

[superdry]

As far as Railgun being the more popular show, is that true? I thought that was just this board's preference. It was my understanding that Index was more popular over the entire fanbase. Wouldn't surprise me if I'm wrong on that one though.


I wouldn't be surprised if the popularity between the two series is about equal. But, it all depends if you've been following the Index light novels. I can see Railgun being more popular if all you've been exposed to is the anime (I don't know how well the Index manga adapts the light novel stories). The Railgun anime does a good job adapting the manga, though.

Anywho...I have a hard time recommending which one you should start with. I'm leaning more towards Index to help learn the setting before going into Railgun. But, make note the other opinions here about Index's sloppy storytelling which might make you drop the series if you can't stand it.

Otherwise...you can always wait for Funi to do some free streaming so you can watch a few episodes to see what you like.

[Buster Darkwings]

I'd like to pick just one of these shows to purchase in the future, but I'm sort of in the dark as to which one I should concentrate on. The character designs and the basic premise are two things that have my attention so far from both shows.


Is there any particular reason you made a prima facie decision to purchase/watch only one of them? That seems...strange, considering you know almost nothing about them.

Anyway, ideally you'll watch both, and watch INDEX first. However RAILGUN is waaaaaay better overall. So if you are only going to watch one, watch it. However there is already a second season of INDEX airing, and there is a 99.99999999% chance there will be a second season of RAILGUN within the next year,

Do they have enough manga material to do that yet? I haven't read it yet and I know that a good bit of the 1st series was original, but there's still only like 5 volumes currently out, right?

[Fencedude]

Do they have enough manga material to do that yet? I haven't read it yet and I know that a good bit of the 1st series was original, but there's still only like 5 volumes currently out, right?

I believe they are finally coming to the end of the Accelerator arc, and once thats over they can do a new series.

One thing I recently learned was that the second half of the Railgun anime is actually "cannon" to the manga. In that the events it portrays are assumed to have happened, but weren't actually covered.

[Sly05]

Index has a lot of cool ideas but more often than not, fails to execute them very well. When it gets things right it can be very good but even then, I felt let down by many of the conclusions to its story arcs.

Railgun takes the best character from Index and gives her her own series that fixes many of Index's problems, resulting in a much better written and more focused story. The anime has yet to adapt the best story arc from the manga (which, incidentally, is also the best story arc from Index), but that should be coming sooner rather or later.

If I could only buy one, it would definitely be Railgun but as FUNimation is streaming many of their properties via their website I think it would be worthwhile to at least check out Index there if they put it up so that you will appreciate the references within Railgun to Index (especially in the OPs).

[Fenris21]

Thanks so much for the help, guys! I've decided that based on the responses, I will venture into "Toaru Kagaku no Railgun" first.

As I mentioned before, I'm doing this out of budgetary reasons - which means that even if Index was released first, I'll still wait for Railgun. And eventually, watching the "better" of the two series will no doubt get me pumped up to check out the other one.

With that said, I hope there is word on when they will get released soon. I do like to check out the preview episodes.

(BTW, has anybody watched Ookami-san? There's a hilarious, quick-fire scene in which the characters from Toradora! and Railgun/Index make a cameo.)

[Fencedude]

(BTW, has anybody watched Ookami-san? There's a hilarious, quick-fire scene in which the characters from Toradora! and Railgun/Index make a cameo.)

That was especially amusing because Arai Satomi was the narrator in that show, and she plays Kuroko in Index/Railgun