To Aru Majutsu no Index LN - New Testament Volume 22 Discussion / Poll

[Chosen_Hero]

^The Misaka Network and AIM has been foreshadowed for a long time to be an entirely new value being added to their current world, literally ever since AIM was used to create a angel (Kazakiri Hyoka) and the fact that the Misaka Network was being spread across the entire world.

Then there is Misaka WILL and the forced level 6 shift done on Mikoto in the Railgun manga using the network that turned her into a demon like figure and many more I might have missed and/or we have yet to know about.

Also, there is the fact that we already knew that Accelerator was the only esper with the potential to go beyond level 5, there has definitely been plenty of foreshadowing in the series.

[dniv]

Originally Posted by Marina2

Actually......it was the whole Accel upgrade that came out of nowhere with no foreshadow.

Like how Misaka WILL and the Misaka Network suddenly able to connect and communicate with Qliphoth??? And together they can create the "third tree" to power up Accel??? and Accel can somehow forced Coronzon's soul out of her body with it?? Since when all of these were foreshadow that it was possible before the moment it revealed? But again, we looked over these because the scene is super COOL to read.

Are you joking? This is the most foreshadowed thing in this series. Maybe even more than IT was. We just assumed it’d tie into Touma not Accelerator.

Refer to Chosen Hero’s post. There’s been a LOT of foreshadowing for this. Have you even been reading this novel?

[Wandering Soul]

Kamachi really likes taking the wind out of Touma's sails this volume. This is the second time he built up Touma striking down Cronozon only for him to get surprised instead. When you get down it Touma was pretty much a side character this entire volume.

I love how Villian has become so savage that Rimea doesn't even try arguing with her anymore. HC was pretty cool during that scene too.

[Requiem-x]

Originally Posted by WiliamZ0

No matter how you cover it, Hamazura is filled with so many BS.

Kamijou Touma ended become the one responsible for the sins everyone committed and knowing his personality, he accept it gladly

Part 3 will be Demon Lord Touma waiting someone to strike him down and let BS Hamazura become hero. F*** BS

Nah, he just got the short end of the stick, as usual.

Ugh, now I have this horrible thought of the next volume being like NT10 for Shiage

Originally Posted by Marina2

Actually......it was the whole Accel upgrade that came out of nowhere with no foreshadow.

Like how Misaka WILL and the Misaka Network suddenly able to connect and communicate with Qliphoth??? And together they can create the "third tree" to power up Accel??? and Accel can somehow forced Coronzon's soul out of her body with it?? Since when all of these were foreshadow that it was possible before the moment it revealed? But again, we looked over these because the scene is super COOL to read.

While I don't remember every single detail, the fact Will-tan, who managed to even bypass full power Othinus, if only through a tecnicality, has talked with Accel before, and that now he has Qli-chan to cover the magic side of things, and that Qli-chan has some aspects of Coronzon within her, and at least it doesn't sound as insane as Shiage winning everything by doing, well, not much.

[Inept Forum User]

A quick, minor note to perhaps bear in mind with regards to the third tree - the construction of a new tree was mentioned during the ascent through the Windowless Building in NT18.

[Requiem-x]

Aaaaaaand we're done. Goddammit, Kamachi, and also, finally! It seems we've finally reached the point of no return. What will happen now... who the hell knows?

On one hand I am glad

Spoiler for Spoiler:

Coronzon gets to actually suffer a very clear punishment for all her evil deeds (Pretty sure we can mark this as a win for Aleister since Lilith is still alive too), but on the other one, I really liked that passing of the torch between him and Accel, though I guess it does still stand.

[Wandering Soul]

And the volume is finished. It looks like all three heroes are now at a point of the story where they should go through some major changes.

Spoiler for epilogue:

Hamazura and Rikou decide to actually leave AC completely, Accelerator is now the head of AC, and Touma's true nature is apparently about to be revealed with Anna and Aiwass watching on.

[BladeMancer]

Crazy volume

[crowopolis]

Spoiler for Epilogue Clarification:

So the fake Anna Sprengel was this Madame Horos woman. Aiwass was summoned by the real one 100 years ago and now he killed the fake and put a brain in her head and that turned her into Fraulein Kretune. Who was actually Anna all along. What does this mean about Kretune's other indestructible body, was that just so her brain was kept safe until it entered this body.

[shmaster]

Nonono, Fraulein is not Anna.

100 years ago Horos tooks Anna's body.
Aiwass by Anna's contract was assigned to kill Horos so Anna can have her body back and return to this world.

[crowopolis]

Oh, okay. The fact that her body went kid sized and Aiwass called her Fraulein confused me. She shrunk because she's weakened and he called her that because she's German.

[Chosen_Hero]

Well, I finished it and... Well, I don't like saying this but this isn't one of my favorite volumes (not by a long shot). Don't get me wrong, it has great moments for sure, for example the Touma and Mikoto team up (more of this please) and just anything to do with Touma (except the part where Kamachi was clearly forcing himself to not have Touma do anything, heck, NT. 20 is also guilty of this), the Accelerator and Qliphaph parts, Misaka WILL, Kihara Noukan, Heaven Canceller and plenty of other things.

With that said, this the main reason I dislike this volume is NOT because of Hamazura himself (Hamazura CAN be a good character) but the, in my opinion, bad writing around him that has been creeping up for a time that finally reared its ugly head in this volume.

As I mentioned before, the writing consistency went out the window anytime the volume focused on Hamazura and tried way too hard to make him a part of this conflict, it doesn't help when the writing then tries to handwaved it with the usual "but he is an anomaly" line. Sorry but no, it was just plain bad writing.

The fact that the writing had to rely on plot induced stupidity and nerfing for Accelerator in that one train scene (meanwhile later on he can all of a sudden once again move like a freaking suoernatural bullet), constant deus ex machina (Nepthys saving his ass for literally no reason) and just plain bullshit (that one Dion Fortune scene) so that Hamazura could take part in the story shows that Hamazura was the wrong character to focus on in this volume (which is supposed to be the most important of this arc). Worst still is that the volume tried really hard to make the readers see his actions as a good thing just because he was trying to save a character we had no emotional attachment to while trying to make us believe their relationship was anywhere near the point where his actions are justified.

I have already made countless posts where I discuss and rant about this, so for the sake of not completely repeating myself I will leave it at that. If you want to know my thoughts just read the last few page before this post.

With that said, when the poll is up I will be rating this volume as a 6... No maybe 5 out 10 (the only other volume that I remember to have scored this low was the St. Germain volume, NT. 12 if I remember correctly) and the arc as a whole as a 6.5 out 10.

I could somewhat forgive Hamazuras' inactivity/almost none existence during NT. 20 and NT. 21, but if having him take action means that the writing consistency has to suffer to this extent then I would rather he had stayed in the van and done nothing at all, maybe then we could have gotten to properly know Dion Fortune and form an actual emotional attachment to her character.

[shmaster]

My problem with this volume actually comes from the Third Tree.
I have taken a liking on Kamachi's interpretation of Thelema thus far, and I do find his take on the functionality of the Sephiroth pretty interest. But, that Third Tree, is no good.

Evil as the stepping of the good? I am sorry, and you call this the Third Tree?
Then what's the difference between this and the other two than? If anything, presenting the tree in a duality interpretation of good & evil made this tree completely pointless.
Such duality already existed between Sephiroth and Qliphoth. Doing it again is redundant.
And on top of that, it downplays one to promote another. Which really made me rolled my eyes really really hard. Just how can something so shallow be the Third Tree?

[WiliamZ0]

^ I agree with Chosen Hero. Though personally I find the Hamazura part is nothing but pure BS that forced. He is an anomally, but forcing him like this in this Volume is pretty much make him Mary Sue character. People complained a lot about Touma's plot armor, even though most of it can be described clearly by reading the logic behind his action.

Hamazura? It's pure BS, his luck certainly above Saint's for that pure BS to work. While I do understand the reason he got the Demon's respect due to him accepting what he actually is and his hard work finally rewarded him, All the rest. Dion, Aneri,Tatsukibo is nothing but pure BS. He basically get away quite freely too, without being responsible for his action that actually lead to big problem in first place.

Not he and what he done is bad, but forcing to include someone / character where his element isn't really working is totally BAD

I would love to give this 9/10 because some redeeming actions in this Volume... but 8/10 would be nice for this volume since Touma really forced by Kamachi to take no action at all.

It should be better and should have gone better.

[Callum18]

Dat cliffhanger with Touma.

WHY KAMACHI! I thought this would be the big one for Touma and what ever is in his arm Now we have to wait for NT23 or part 3.

[Kuroageha]

Originally Posted by shmaster

My problem with this volume actually comes from the Third Tree.
I have taken a liking on Kamachi's interpretation of Thelema thus far, and I do find his take on the functionality of the Sephiroth pretty interest. But, that Third Tree, is no good.

Evil as the stepping of the good? I am sorry, and you call this the Third Tree?
Then what's the difference between this and the other two than? If anything, presenting the tree in a duality interpretation of good & evil made this tree completely pointless.
Such duality already existed between Sephiroth and Qliphoth. Doing it again is redundant.
And on top of that, it downplays one to promote another. Which really made me rolled my eyes really really hard. Just how can something so shallow be the Third Tree?

Couldn't it be another case of unreliable narrator?

[Keila]

In the past 3 volumes was there only 1 casualty? (who wasn't a Crowley possibility, or fundamentally an "object/Grimoire", not that the Grimoire's technically died but it seems superficial to draw some sort of distinction between "real" and "artificial" life at this point).

It's not like there needs to be Misaka levels of bodycount, but it just seems a little too clean (contextually) given what has happened.

[NeutralZero]

So Accell is now new head of Academy city
Shiage and his girl won't come back to AC and wll be else where
and Touma...
It is interesting that he is willing to negotiate with her but his fate is... none.
The heck? After something came out from that egg of his, we never knew what happened next.
This is a far worst cliffhanger than him dying in OT or when the world ended.
And what happened to coronzon after this?
They did not mention anything. So does she got munched off by IT?

[Keila]

Originally Posted by NeutralZero

And what happened to coronzon after this?
They did not mention anything. So does she got munched off by IT?

Did you not read the part after the 'Afterword'? You may want to go back and take a look

[NeutralZero]

^thanks,
didn't saw there's another one after the afterwords
...
Poor coronzon.
Though a shame there's no image on her new look...