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[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
+6
Kira Kohaku
[Old] Misaka Imouto
Mugino Shizuri
Sir Alexander Beathen
Sogiita Gunha
Kihara Kisue
10 posters
Page 1 of 3
Page 1 of 3 • 1, 2, 3 
[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Kihara Kisue Sat May 09, 2015 12:06 am
FINAL WARNING.
BEYOND THIS POINT, THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO RESTRICTIONS ON SPOILERS.
IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT PROCEED PAST THIS POINT.
Due to the fact that any and all conversations about the light novels on the chatbox must be filled to the brim with asterisks if you wish to speak about them due to the anime only watchers, I have, by recommendation of Natsumi, created this thread. Here, you can say whatever interested thing you note, character you rage at, or thing you want to discuss (without even having to put it in spoilers)!
I will begin by continuing thelecture I was giving conversation Kirawa and I were having on the chatbox when the idea for this thread came up.
I will start us off with my belief on the relevance of Thelema as a major theme in the novels, typically occurring wherever Aleister is involved. First off, some explanation about Thelema is required. Thelema is a religion that more or less revolves around finding something called the True Will.
The True Will is basically your calling. Something you're meant to do. An sunflower seed's purpose, for example, would be to grow into a sunflower. The primary goal behind Thelema is to undergo a (called the Great Work) to discover your True Will, and then proceed to follow it. It is also, contrary to popular belief, what the phrase "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." is referring to (as opposed to hedonism).
As for where this comes into play within the novels, well... First off are the Aeons of Osiris and Horus. The Aeons are essentially ages where some sort of ethical code permeates humanity. For the Aeon of Osiris, it was duality. Good and evil, right and wrong, heroes and villains, true and false, holy and demonic, black and white.
Another main tenet of Thelema, however, is the celebration and ushering in of a new era, the Aeon of Horus. In the Aeon of Horus, rather than working around dualities, people follow their True Wills.
Accelerator's development is, from beginning to end, is based upon his Great Work, him finding his True Will, and eventually 'ascending' to the Aeon of Horus. All the way up until World War III he sees himself as a villain, evil, dirty, someone who shouldn't be around Last Order, who is good and pure, and is envious of Touma, who he sees as a hero. Duality, duality, duality. Seeing things in black and white.
The moment he gains his white wings, and ascends to the Aeon of Horus, is the moment he accepts the utter irrelevance of such concepts, and acts purely on the desire to save Last Order.
I hear a lot of people gripe about how Touma receives no development, about how he's a stereotypical protagonist who goes and punches people out. I disagree~
Kamijou Touma, right from the very beginning of the series, has already completed his Great Work, and he acts upon his True Will. Aiwass puts it nicely in OT19.
The 'spirit welling up from within him' that Aiwass refers to is his True Will. He doesn't save people because he is right, or they or right, or because the villains are evil, or because he is a hero. He saves them simply because he desires to. That may sound overly simplistic, but really, it is an outlook on life that is different from our's on an extremely fundamental level.
To tell the truth, I actually only noticed this specific point after Kirawa pointed it out to me. Obviously, seeing as Aleister is the one using Touma as an integral part of his plans, engineered Accelerator's ascension, and is named after the real world founder of Thelema, he has a lot to do with Thelema in very important ways~
Now, as for the actual point. Now, we all (except for those of you who are currently spoiling themselves) know that at some point, for some reason, the greatest magician of the magic side, Aleister Crowley, abandoned it all for the science side, saying he would 'start over again from the beginning'.
What I didn't notice, however, was how the Aeons of Horus and Osiris mirror the two sides. Magic is based off of religion, which revolves around dualities. The prime example of Zoroastrianism, purity and corruption, good and evil, heroes and monsters, angels and demons, God and Satan.
The science side, on the other hand, gives no thought for such things. They simply seek to advance their knowledge, without any thought for good, evil, or the like. Of course, since people on the individual level have these pesky little things called 'morals', whether of the Osiris of Horus variety, that ideal is basically nonexistent.
However, its a hell of a lot closer to it then the magic side, and Academy City (especially with its dark side) get even a closer than the rest of the world. You think its a coincidence that Aleister left the magic side to found Academy City?
Now for the Kihara. Now, you wouldn't think they had anything to with this, huh? Understandable, but also completely incorrect. You see, the Kihara are basically the science side's ideal form (as noted in the final paragraph of my notes on Aleister). And, to top it off, they were custom made by Aleister.
They care not for good or evil, who they save and who they kill. They simply advance through the most efficient methods. Though they lean towards what is considered evil by others, that phrasing, 'what is considered', cannot be stressed enough.
BEYOND THIS POINT, THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO RESTRICTIONS ON SPOILERS.
IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT PROCEED PAST THIS POINT.
Due to the fact that any and all conversations about the light novels on the chatbox must be filled to the brim with asterisks if you wish to speak about them due to the anime only watchers, I have, by recommendation of Natsumi, created this thread. Here, you can say whatever interested thing you note, character you rage at, or thing you want to discuss (without even having to put it in spoilers)!
I will begin by continuing the
I will start us off with my belief on the relevance of Thelema as a major theme in the novels, typically occurring wherever Aleister is involved. First off, some explanation about Thelema is required. Thelema is a religion that more or less revolves around finding something called the True Will.
The True Will is basically your calling. Something you're meant to do. An sunflower seed's purpose, for example, would be to grow into a sunflower. The primary goal behind Thelema is to undergo a (called the Great Work) to discover your True Will, and then proceed to follow it. It is also, contrary to popular belief, what the phrase "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." is referring to (as opposed to hedonism).
As for where this comes into play within the novels, well... First off are the Aeons of Osiris and Horus. The Aeons are essentially ages where some sort of ethical code permeates humanity. For the Aeon of Osiris, it was duality. Good and evil, right and wrong, heroes and villains, true and false, holy and demonic, black and white.
Another main tenet of Thelema, however, is the celebration and ushering in of a new era, the Aeon of Horus. In the Aeon of Horus, rather than working around dualities, people follow their True Wills.
Accelerator
Accelerator's development is, from beginning to end, is based upon his Great Work, him finding his True Will, and eventually 'ascending' to the Aeon of Horus. All the way up until World War III he sees himself as a villain, evil, dirty, someone who shouldn't be around Last Order, who is good and pure, and is envious of Touma, who he sees as a hero. Duality, duality, duality. Seeing things in black and white.
The moment he gains his white wings, and ascends to the Aeon of Horus, is the moment he accepts the utter irrelevance of such concepts, and acts purely on the desire to save Last Order.
Kamijou Touma
I hear a lot of people gripe about how Touma receives no development, about how he's a stereotypical protagonist who goes and punches people out. I disagree~
Kamijou Touma, right from the very beginning of the series, has already completed his Great Work, and he acts upon his True Will. Aiwass puts it nicely in OT19.
Aiwass wrote:…And yet the Imagine Breaker that the #1 is chasing after does not take action because he associates himself with neither good nor evil. That Imagine Breaker is merely acting according to the spirit that is welling up from within him. It is merely that what he does looks like good from the viewpoint of others.
The 'spirit welling up from within him' that Aiwass refers to is his True Will. He doesn't save people because he is right, or they or right, or because the villains are evil, or because he is a hero. He saves them simply because he desires to. That may sound overly simplistic, but really, it is an outlook on life that is different from our's on an extremely fundamental level.
Aleister Crowley
To tell the truth, I actually only noticed this specific point after Kirawa pointed it out to me. Obviously, seeing as Aleister is the one using Touma as an integral part of his plans, engineered Accelerator's ascension, and is named after the real world founder of Thelema, he has a lot to do with Thelema in very important ways~
Now, as for the actual point. Now, we all (except for those of you who are currently spoiling themselves) know that at some point, for some reason, the greatest magician of the magic side, Aleister Crowley, abandoned it all for the science side, saying he would 'start over again from the beginning'.
What I didn't notice, however, was how the Aeons of Horus and Osiris mirror the two sides. Magic is based off of religion, which revolves around dualities. The prime example of Zoroastrianism, purity and corruption, good and evil, heroes and monsters, angels and demons, God and Satan.
The science side, on the other hand, gives no thought for such things. They simply seek to advance their knowledge, without any thought for good, evil, or the like. Of course, since people on the individual level have these pesky little things called 'morals', whether of the Osiris of Horus variety, that ideal is basically nonexistent.
However, its a hell of a lot closer to it then the magic side, and Academy City (especially with its dark side) get even a closer than the rest of the world. You think its a coincidence that Aleister left the magic side to found Academy City?
Kihara
Now for the Kihara. Now, you wouldn't think they had anything to with this, huh? Understandable, but also completely incorrect. You see, the Kihara are basically the science side's ideal form (as noted in the final paragraph of my notes on Aleister). And, to top it off, they were custom made by Aleister.
They care not for good or evil, who they save and who they kill. They simply advance through the most efficient methods. Though they lean towards what is considered evil by others, that phrasing, 'what is considered', cannot be stressed enough.
_________________
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Kihara Kisue- A Certain Unethical Scientist
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Sogiita Gunha Sat May 09, 2015 3:21 am
Isn't the entire Power Development Curriculum a practical application of Thelema magic theory anyway?
(I should go search that up...)
(I should go search that up...)
Sogiita Gunha- The 7th Level 5
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Kihara Kisue Sat May 09, 2015 4:21 am
Huh, really? I like to think that I know a decent bit about the philosophy (and to a lesser extent, the history) of Thelema, but I haven't really looked much into the Magick due to a lack of interest in the subject, so you probably know more than I do.
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Sogiita Gunha Mon May 11, 2015 6:34 pm
Thelemic magick is "the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will." The philosophies revolve around finding the Will and applying it.
This is literally how an Esper works: the Will of Thelemic philosophy is one's Personal Reality. They exert their reality onto the world and it works. Crowley (the real one) writes that "it is theoretically possible to cause in any object any change of which that object is capable by nature" and this is why Esper abilities tend to be so deeply ingrained with physics.
The Power Curriculum Program encloses the students into a more controlled environment to develop their mental, physical and spiritual growth to the rules Crowley (the toaru one, but it's clear they're using the real one's) dictates.
That's 'bout the most I know on it anyway.
This is literally how an Esper works: the Will of Thelemic philosophy is one's Personal Reality. They exert their reality onto the world and it works. Crowley (the real one) writes that "it is theoretically possible to cause in any object any change of which that object is capable by nature" and this is why Esper abilities tend to be so deeply ingrained with physics.
The Power Curriculum Program encloses the students into a more controlled environment to develop their mental, physical and spiritual growth to the rules Crowley (the toaru one, but it's clear they're using the real one's) dictates.
That's 'bout the most I know on it anyway.
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Sir Alexander Beathen Tue May 12, 2015 4:07 pm
I thought it was always obvious that Thelemic magick is applied through the The Power Curriculum Program. The lesson of personal reality emphases applying's ones personality onto one self. Or in this case will.
The known goal though of Aleister seems to be finding the will to ascend higher then the Gods and even Aiwass. His past and current actions seems to dictate that destination and for what reason I'm not sure yet.
Other then that, what do you guys think on the crack pot theory that the Will of the Misaka network is in fact Mikoto's subconscious. Which was born from the Level Six shift attempt on Mikoto herself, since it required her mind to absorb the network in its entirety.
The known goal though of Aleister seems to be finding the will to ascend higher then the Gods and even Aiwass. His past and current actions seems to dictate that destination and for what reason I'm not sure yet.
Other then that, what do you guys think on the crack pot theory that the Will of the Misaka network is in fact Mikoto's subconscious. Which was born from the Level Six shift attempt on Mikoto herself, since it required her mind to absorb the network in its entirety.
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Totally Out Of Context
Mugino Shizuri Wed May 20, 2015 5:07 pm
Yesterday I read my copy of the official English translation of Volume 2.
Here’s what I noticed:
Here’s what I noticed:
- NT12 Spoilers!:
- The concepts of NT12 and OT2 cross in more than one way. OT2’s afterword alone reminded me strongly of St. Germain who we’ve seen as the main villain of NT12. They pretty much fit all the characteristics of a true alchemist Kamachi explained in OT2’s after word.
But that isn’t the only noteworthy thing here. Actually there is quite a bunch of rather crucial parallels between the first two volumes of the Old Testament and NT11&12.
As for OT 2 and NT12
• The main villain is an alchemist; both are actually comparable to Magic Gods without being Magic Gods.
• The setting is a building that can neither be damaged from the inside nor can anyone inside it escape.
• Both control a large mass of people and both force Espers to use Magic, even healing the wounds they suffer in the process.
• There is quite some heavy development to be seen on Touma’s side.
As for OT1 and NT11
• Both are stories focused on the concept “memories”.
• Both end with the revelation that Touma has lost all his memories about the stories heroine.
And now there is NT13, which is already sure to be focused on Misaka Mikoto for the first time since the beginning of the new cycle. See any resemblance here?
I’m pretty sure that Kamachi is aiming for some heavy symbolism there. While I’m not entirely sure about how to express the kind of symbolism he is aiming for I feel like this is an interesting way to mark the return to the original state we had at the beginning of the series and a return to the originally important thing:
Aleister’s plan.
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
[Old] Misaka Imouto Mon Jun 08, 2015 2:14 pm
https://i.imgur.com/XAXqlqw.jpg
Discuss. Nt13
Mikoto's turn as heroine.
With Earth's destruction on the line.
The chase battle involving Kamijou and Mikoto begins!
Kamijou Touma rushing through AC on the Acro Bike.
On the back, Misaka Mikoto holds on to his waist for dear life so she doesn't get thrown off.
Great Darkness pursues the duo.
The "Darkness" chasing kamijou holds the overwhelming destructive force to overcome even dimensions.
This time, it's different from the negotiable Othinus or St Germain the fake.
The true Magic God, true Gremlin presses towards them.
Kamijou and Mikoto can no longer hold their own.
In these desperate moments, a surprising someone lends them his/her hand!
At the same time, while sitting behind Kamijou and fighting, Mikoto's buzzing feelings for him starts to well up in her chest.
The chase battle with Earth's destruction at stake! "Gremlin: Magic God Invasion Arc" begins!
When science and magic cross paths, the story begins!
Discuss. Nt13
Mikoto's turn as heroine.
With Earth's destruction on the line.
The chase battle involving Kamijou and Mikoto begins!
Kamijou Touma rushing through AC on the Acro Bike.
On the back, Misaka Mikoto holds on to his waist for dear life so she doesn't get thrown off.
Great Darkness pursues the duo.
The "Darkness" chasing kamijou holds the overwhelming destructive force to overcome even dimensions.
This time, it's different from the negotiable Othinus or St Germain the fake.
The true Magic God, true Gremlin presses towards them.
Kamijou and Mikoto can no longer hold their own.
In these desperate moments, a surprising someone lends them his/her hand!
At the same time, while sitting behind Kamijou and fighting, Mikoto's buzzing feelings for him starts to well up in her chest.
The chase battle with Earth's destruction at stake! "Gremlin: Magic God Invasion Arc" begins!
When science and magic cross paths, the story begins!
![[Old] Misaka Imouto](https://2img.net/u/2716/29/67/12/avatars/150-32.jpg)
[Old] Misaka Imouto- Level 2 Radio Noise
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Kira Kohaku Fri Jun 12, 2015 5:02 am
NT13's Magic God is confirmed to be the High Priest. (Called it 3 months ago~)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels CHNiyPKU0AAt_AK](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CHNiyPKU0AAt_AK.jpg)
Kira Kohaku- Level 4 Diagnosis Touch
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Kira Kohaku Fri Jul 10, 2015 4:01 am
Index NT13 Illustrations, courtesy of the magical beings known as 4chan anons~
- Spoiler:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels Zo91y11](https://i.imgur.com/Zo91y11.jpg?1)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels HTDaRUq](https://i.imgur.com/hTDaRUq.jpg?1)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NorHUiR](https://i.imgur.com/NorHUiR.jpg?1)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels JMYGgTR](https://i.imgur.com/jMYGgTR.jpg?1)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels HeONytq](https://i.imgur.com/heONytq.jpg?1)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels 1wrfawa](https://i.imgur.com/1wrfawa.jpg?1)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels VwDtztC](https://i.imgur.com/vwDtztC.jpg?1)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels QL9arr4](https://i.imgur.com/qL9arr4.jpg?1)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels HxtSdRs](https://i.imgur.com/HxtSdRs.jpg?1)
Kira Kohaku- Level 4 Diagnosis Touch
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Sir Alexander Beathen Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:26 am
Touma in female clothing and now we know why Mikoto attempted to shove a railgun up his arse.
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Kira Kohaku Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:34 am
Sir Alexander Beathen wrote:Touma in female clothing and now we know why Mikoto attempted to shove a railgun up his arse.
I hate to destroy your illusions, Alex, but that's a trenchcoat...remember from the preview? He was wearing a trenchcoat over white briefs over skin-colored full body tights.
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Sir Alexander Beathen Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:37 am
He looks god awful silly. He deserves that railgun up his arse.
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Kira Kohaku Fri Jul 10, 2015 7:58 pm
One more NT13 Color Illustration that I missed and the ToC.
- Spoiler:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels Zqj6v10](https://i.imgur.com/zqj6v10.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels GC1fra8](https://i.imgur.com/gC1fra8.jpg)
Kira Kohaku- Level 4 Diagnosis Touch
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Yamaguchi Hiromi Fri Jul 10, 2015 8:26 pm
You forgot something, KohakuKira Kohaku wrote:One more NT13 Color Illustration that I missed and the ToC.
- Spoiler:
> This:
- Table of contents:
- Prologue: Before_the_End.
Chapter 1: Sword_and_Sheath.
Chapter 2: Chase_With_the Girl.
Chapter 3: Nightmare_to_Ray_of Hope
Chapter 4: A.A.A
Epilogue: The_End_is_Named......
Also, new spoilers:
- Spoiler:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels CIMd1hR](https://i.imgur.com/cIMd1hR.jpg)
Explanation: The line is about High Priest taunting one(or both) of Touma and Misaka.
He said " Hurry up and say it. 'Misaka, If you are going to daze around then you are a burden, don't do anything unnecessary'. Go on."
EDIT
- HQ illustrations:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_000](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/0/05/NT_Index_v13_000.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_001](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/0/03/NT_Index_v13_001.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_002](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/1/14/NT_Index_v13_002.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_003-005](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/8/8e/NT_Index_v13_003-005.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_006-008](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/3/30/NT_Index_v13_006-008.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_027](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/3/3c/NT_Index_v13_027.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_036](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/6/68/NT_Index_v13_036.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_067](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/2/2f/NT_Index_v13_067.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_204](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/2/28/NT_Index_v13_204.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_287](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/b/b2/NT_Index_v13_287.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_288-289](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/2/28/NT_Index_v13_288-289.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels NT_Index_v13_321](https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/images/a/ad/NT_Index_v13_321.jpg)
_________________
- Spoiler:
- "Hiromi Talking." 'Hiromi Thinking.'
"Sayaka Talking." 'Sayaka Thinking.'
"Shiage Talking." (Shiage Thinking.)
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Kira Kohaku Tue Jul 21, 2015 5:14 am
So, I'm going to repost something I posted elsewhere as a topic for discussion here. Maybe that will spur some interesting discussion.
So, I decided that it would be best to address Alex about my interpretation as to why Nephthys finally acknowledged Mikoto's existence.
- Spoiler:
So, this actually connect a lot to what Alex said earlier about Mikoto's own character development. The key here is what changed in that moment where she said 'No!' and grabbed Kamijou's arm.
So, let's look back to what Nephthys had said earlier.
“I can’t speak for the other Magic God, but I quite like Academy City. Even as one of the lives crawling along the ground, you dream of the stars in the night sky and draw up diagrams for them all. You’ve even reached the level of building a mass driver and landing an unmanned probe on a comet by matching its one hundred thousand kph relative speed.”
She removed her fingertip from her brown chin and casually reached her hand toward the sun in the blue sky.
“The stars can be plucked from the sky so easily, so why are you so desperate to reach them? It’s not even remotely logical, but humans are creatures filled with that sort of passion, aren’t they? That movement of your hearts is the one thing I’m honestly jealous of.”
Now, we see here what makes Nephthys so fascinated by and jealous of humanity. It is boils down to both the illogical and selfish desires of humanity as well as how much they strive to reach them. In essence, she finds that this is what makes them so human.
In other words, she's fascinated by humans and that is why she is acknowledging Touma the whole time--because both she and he acknowledge his humanity.
Now, let's look back to Mikoto's character development. As Alex had said, Mikoto had referred to herself the whole time as an 'abnormal monster'. Throughout most of her recent life, she had been acknowledged by the world as well as herself as something special. As something different from a normal human girl.
THIS. This is why Nephthys (and by extension Niang-Niang) refuse to acknowledge her existence. To her, Mikoto is nothing more than an existence who cannot acknowledge her humanity and her own selfishness. To her, Mikoto is not worth her time paying attention to.
However, this changed as soon as Mikoto requested that Touma reject the logical offer of taking the cheat code that is Nephthys's and Niang-Niang's intervention. This was Mikoto's selfish request, a request to not only prevent the person she loves from fundamentally changing and to prevent herself from losing those who she cared about. She acted as someone Nephthys would define as human and that is what allowed Nephthys to acknowledge Mikoto's existence.
Well, that didn't come out as well as I had hoped but I think I got what I needed out.
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Sir Alexander Beathen Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:05 am
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Yamaguchi Hiromi Tue Jul 21, 2015 7:06 pm
What is this about?Sir Alexander Beathen wrote:
- Spoiler:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels 10410666_902966009775751_3867444307799880143_n](https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/10410666_902966009775751_3867444307799880143_n.jpg?oh=c67baedf3517c220d4d2275c2570519f&oe=5616A4FD)
Actually I found something similar here: http://dengekibunko.dengeki.com/title/toaru/
But didn't understand what it was
Anyone has any idea? xD_________________
- Spoiler:
- "Hiromi Talking." 'Hiromi Thinking.'
"Sayaka Talking." 'Sayaka Thinking.'
"Shiage Talking." (Shiage Thinking.)
Yamaguchi Hiromi- Level 3 Mass Teleporter
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Join date : 2015-06-08
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Interview with OH&S
Yamaguchi Hiromi Thu Jul 23, 2015 5:24 pm
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels YndrdDx](https://i.imgur.com/YndrdDx.png)
Well, this is actually an Interview I did back in January with OH&S (The Editor of Index Translation Project on Baka-Tsuki). I thought I'd share it here, maybe you might be interested to read it xD I hope you like it
- Interview:
- Questions about the translation process:
1. When did you start working as an editor in BT?
If my contributions history is to be believed then I started in July 2013. I made an account on the website in order to share the Index Calendar I worked on. But even before that I made a few edits here and there.
2. Is Index the first project you participate in?
The one and only.
3. What made you participate in the Index translation project? Is it your love for this series?
Exactly. The series fell into a rare sweet spot for me with its science vs magic affairs and even to this day after seeing and reading a whole bunch of other light novels, the series remains a stand-out-from-the-crowd favourite.
As I said before, the initial reason for me to participate was so that I could put out the Index Calendar on the website and put my name on it. But the bigger reason for me joining was to fix up the terminology and translation errors for the first half of the Old Testament novels as well as attempt to clean up the Project page for the series that grew to be ridiculously bloated.
4. How did you become the manager of the Index project? Was it your own choice or did the other members of the translation team want/recommend you to do it?
For reasons I won't go into here, the previous manager ended up leaving the position. As I was the one making the most project page edits at the time compared to anyone (aka the one giving the most love to it), the previous manager gave me a message explaining why he was leaving. In the mean time, the position was empty. For the sake of temporarily keeping the position out of some random user I put my name there as a placeholder. Of course the editing staff were quick to remind me not get ahead of myself in regards to modifying the project to my whims and make decisions based on collaboration. That was my plan beforehand so everything worked out fine.
5. You translated some of the volumes yourself What are these volumes? How was it like to translate full novels yourself? & Do you plan to translate other volumes in the future?
Rather than calling it translation, I'd prefer to call it glorified editing. I've already mentioned that one of my long term goals in joining BT was to fix up the translation and terminology errors in the first half of the Old Testament Novels ie. OT Volumes 1-13+SS1. The reason for this was that the majority of these volumes (minus OT1 and OT3) were translated by another translator using Chinese translations (at least that's what I think), so some of the original meaning was lost.
The novels I translated (glory edited) were OT1 as a test (which was already translated by js06) and OT2 as the real deal. Doing a full novel was ridiculously hard. I've gone on record to say multiple times that my Japanese is Kindergarten level. OT1 was doable because js06's translations have little to no error but OT2 was such a time sink. It would take a full day to get through a couple of pages even though I was only doing glorified editing. In some places I had js06 and an online Japanese translator (jisho.org) hold my hand and guide me through some retranslations but ultimately translations are best left to those who've studied and practiced the language for years (I've only got 2 years experience from school).
My original plan was to do the same for OT4-11 but Yen Press threw a wrench into my plans by licensing A Certain Magical Index. Instead I blitzed through the rest of them and only focused on fixing major retranslations and terminology fixes. I was able to finish all of my work a few days before the OT novels were removed from BT.
After this experience, I'll probably never waste my time translating a light novel ever again. That being said, I might decide to help in the proofreading for the Index manga scanlations since that appears to be stalled for the moment.
About The Yen Press translation:
6. What do you think of the official release? What was your impression about their translation after you read the book? What did you like and what didn't you like?
As of now, I've yet to secure a copy of YP's translation. I attempted to do so while on a trip to Malaysia from the Kinokuniya bookstore there. It was out of stock; what a disaster. Though I was able to pick up a copy of NT9 in Japanese.
From the teaser that YP posted online and from all of the hearsay that I have heard regarding the translation, I'm over 90% satisfied with what they've done.
7. To compare your team's translation on BT with the official translation, what do you think are its weak and strong points? And how do you feel about having someone translate what you worked so hard on?
I can't comment on too many specifics but as of now, js06's translation is probably the better one overall. There are a few odd translation choices and sometimes the translation of non-important words aren't consistent. I feel that the translator needs to be someone who is familiar with series as whole and that there needs to be more work done on proofreading the translation in future volumes.
That being said, there are some definite advantages that even js06 can't top! The prime example of this regards the translations of Stiyl's spells. In the original Japanese novels, when Stiyl summoned Innocentius he spoke his spells as such:
"IIBOLAIIAOE. (It is a light of blessing that raises life and a light of judgment that punishes evil.) IIMHAIIBOD. (It is overflowing with calm blessings and with freezing misfortune that destroys cold darkness.) IINFIIMS. (Its name is fire and its role is the sword.) ICRMMBGP! (Be manifested and become the power that eats into my body!)"
The lines in the brackets are not spoken aloud but are the meanings of the letters that Stiyl's recites.
Yen Press translates the lines as such:
"It is born of life, and it is the arbiter of evil. It is mild happiness, and it is the bane of death. It is named fire, and it is my sword. I call thee into reality, masticate my body for great power!"
They translate the spell to match the letters as close as possible! I was sold on their translation after that. This should also extend to Index's Spell Intercept when they eventually reach that part of the story.
If I was a better translator, I might have this smug feeling of superiority and irritation. But I'm not; so a new translation of at least the first 11 volumes of the Old Testament is very welcomed by both me and js06 as it should be better than what we initially had before the novels were removed from BT. BT's primary goal is to raise awareness for light novels so that they may get licensed and brought over to the West for translation. Agreeing to use BT in the first place means you accept this.
About the LN content:
8. What do you like most about To Aru? The concept? The universe building? The plot and the story? The characters? etc...
I like all of those things but the initial thing that interested me was the concept. Its one thing to have espers vs magicians but as soon as you draw a direct line from espers to science and magicians to religion, history and mythology then you get hit with what makes the concept so unique: it's one big allegory of the science vs arts and science vs religion debates. Add the token science vs magic angle (specifically drawing a line and distinction between magic and science) and you've got my favourite topic to explore. I've always been fascinated by science vs magic themed series. Other favourites include the 2009 Sherlock Holmes Film (which while not the best Sherlock Holmes imagining was still a great logical reasoning vs perceived magic thriller) and the legendary Umineko no Naku Koro ni visual novel (murder mystery disguised as a magical fantasy with reality altering witches; sequel to Higurashi no Naku Koro ni but fiendishly more difficult and complex to solve).
Of course I could go on about the excellent world building and detail that went into describing the makeup and mechanics of the 2 contrasting supernatural powers at work and the iconic main characters that are stand out even today. But I think you get it.
9. What don't you like in To Aru? Like, for example, things Kazuma Kamachi put/used in the story that you didn't enjoy or that you think didn't make sense.
There's not a lot but there are some stuff worth mentioning:
Annoying fanservice in the first half of the Old Testament. I was fine for Volumes 1-5 but in Volumes 6-11, Kamachi was being too forceful and reusing gags. Thankfully he was able find the right amount of balance between the fanservice and the action afterwards.
Character Underutilization. He has a lot of great characters but needs to use them more often. I'm still waiting for Stiyl, Kanzaki and Itsuwa to be relevant to the plot again. Though when you read his Parody stories, he makes it sound like he's leaving them out on purpose...
Plot threads which involve trying to find out who the real big bad guy by following a trail. Railgun SS2, Necessarius SS, NT7. He's done it too many times now. No more, Kamachi.
Why we even have magic/science arcs this late in the franchise's life. I'm still waiting for this distinction to completely break down. New Testament seems to be heading in that direction.
10. Who's your favorite character? & Why?
Kamijou Touma. A no-brainer after the spectacular NT9 (my favourite volume). He's a genre definer, though despite originally being presented as a generic light novel MC (something many people who've only seen the anime still refer to him as), he is in fact a deconstruction of the trope, as NT9 showed. There's great value in giving the MC in a series with multiple kinds of supernatural powers the only ability to negate. Also give him difficult limits to his powers and downsides for carrying it and every fight he wins through logical deduction and critical analysis make it seem like he deserves his victories. I enjoy his fights the most in the series.
11. Do you hate any particular character? If yes, who is it and why?
The only negative feelings I have towards characters in this franchise are the extremely flanderized versions presented in the Railgun anime. That and all of STUDY. Such terrible villains.
12. Do you prefer the magic side related arcs or the science side ones? What does make you prefer that side over the other?
Believe it or not, I don't particularly have a preference. The science and the magic presented in the series can't be fully appreciated without juxtaposing the two of them. I hesitate to say that I'm slightly more in favour of the magic side arcs for two reasons. First, because by having Kamijou be the protagonist in those arcs, we are directly getting a clash between his science influenced way of thinking and the magic influenced way of thinking of his opponents; that stays true to the original concept of science vs arts/religion/magic. Second, the Science side arcs can't handle the awesomeness of Kamijou! Just look at the mockery he's made of the main antagonists in the NT Science side arcs. Though at the same time, the subject matter presented in the science side arcs interests me a bit more.
13. Do you like Index (LN), Railgun (manga) or Accelerator (manga) more? Or do you like them all alike because you consider them one and the same universe?
I like all of them as they are a part of the same universe. But I prefer the Index LNs to the Railgun manga and prefer that to the Accelerator manga. Kamijou's the main reason of course.
14. What's your favorite arc in To Aru?
Since you said the word arc, that would be the WWIII arc. If you had said novel, NT9 for sure.
15. What's your favorite To Aru LN and/or mangas (even the spin-offs) cover?
I'll have fun with this. The cover for the Toaru Gakuen no Index parody story. In the background we see Kamijou and Accelerator each with their fist in the others face. Hilarious.
16. Do you like OT or NT more? Or do you like them equally?
NT is at a significant disadvantage compared to OT. But I like them equally due to the huge amounts of character development that Kamijou got; and of course NT9.
17. Do you like the drawing style of Haimura Kiyotaka, Fuyukawa Motoi or Yamaji Arata?
When Haimura actually tries, he can make some amazing illustrations. For the manga artists (including Kogino Chuya), while their drawing style initially started off as questionable, over time they have developed into something really special and well suited for the stories they are trying to tell. Though right now, Yamaji's art is still stuck in the questionable phase. He needs to fix his character art.
About the Anime:
18. Do you think the anime adaptations of Index and Railgun are good? Which one do you prefer? What are the things that were done right and those that were done wrong in the adaptations?
They are okay. In fact, it was the anime that originally made me a fan of the series when it first aired all those years ago. Storywise, I'll always prefer Index over Railgun. But looking at it from the angle of a standalone anime, Railgun is better. As for what was done right and wrong, it'll take too long to explain. So I'll leave you with my quickest comparison:
The Index Movie is the textbook example of everything that was wrong in the Index anime. The Silent Party Arc is the textbook example of everything that was wrong in the Railgun anime.
19. Do you think JC Staff was a good choice as a studio for To Aru? Do you think there is another studio that would have done the adaptation better?
I'm fine with JC Staff. Though Madhouse could have done it as well. The issue doesn't lie solely with the studio but the production team behind it.
20. Do you watch the Japanese dub or the English dub?
Japanese. Once you start, you can never go back!
21. Who's your favorite Seiyuu/Voice Actor from the Japanese or/and the English dub(s) (depending on what you watched)
Accelerator's seiyuu. Misaka's seiyuu.
22. What's your favorite To Aru soundtrack?
Unmei no Hajimari. The defining tune for the series.
Link for the interview on facebook : https://www.facebook.com/notes/to-aru-series/interview-with-ohs/1599034833652476
_________________
- Spoiler:
- "Hiromi Talking." 'Hiromi Thinking.'
"Sayaka Talking." 'Sayaka Thinking.'
"Shiage Talking." (Shiage Thinking.)
Yamaguchi Hiromi- Level 3 Mass Teleporter
- Posts : 142
Join date : 2015-06-08
Location : Dangai University/A Certain Hospital, Academy City -
Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Himegami Aisa Fri Jul 24, 2015 5:49 am
So, New Testament volume 13's translation has finally finished, and I've finally finished reading it. My thoughts after reading it are listed below. ...I kind of went off on a tangent regarding something I've had on my mind for a while as I typed them, though.
Yeah, this can't really be called my thoughts on NT13 any more, can it?
- From this point on I'll be talking about the novel itself, so spoilers~:
- Throughout the first 85% or so of the novel, it felt like there weren't any defining moments. Touma was completely unable to fight back, so it wasn't even a fight. You could say that there wasn't even any real conflict. With that, it'd be easy, and perfectly justifiable, to mark it as a mediocre novel.
I don't intend to argue that point. While I think that the epilogue more than made up for the volume itself, it's obvious that most people probably don't view any single chapter, however good, is capable of making up for the flaws of an entire volume. However, to those of you who are disappointed with the volume, perhaps the series, and maybe Kamachi, I have something to say. This volume, and the last two or so as well were below average. However, they are just volumes. They are part of a greater series. The series is just falling down from a major high point. That has happened before and there has been no lull in the series, true. But look at it this way: it is going lower and lower and lower, building up strength. The lower it goes, the further it will go when it finally releases that built-up strength and leaps. To put it another way, Kamachi is using these 'low' volumes to built up the foundation for something truly spectacular.
The core building blocks of that foundation are probably mainly within the epilogues of the last few volumes, with several bits and pieces scattered throughout their bodies. Aihana Etsu's appearance, the spread of his name, the death game, Kihara Noukan's introduction, the exile of the magic gods, a portion of Imagine Breaker's hidden power being drawn out, Aleister's motivations being revealed, the revelation of the genesis of the Kihara, the Archetype Controller, the World Rejector, Laura destroying Aleister's plans, Aleister's superiority, which has been a constant throughout the series, crumbling completely...
The core workings behind the world itself are revealed one by one, mysteries greater than ever before are being put on center stage, monsters that have been lurking deep in the background but whose true natures and capabilities have hitherto not even been hinted at finally leaving their lairs and entering the outside world...
Some of you may this as a disappointment, but all I see is a something truly wonderful coming.
Yeah, this can't really be called my thoughts on NT13 any more, can it?
- Edit~☆:
- Also, I made a new chatango account. @KamisatoKakeru is mine~☆
Himegami Aisa- Level 3 Deep Blood
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Mugino Shizuri Tue Jul 28, 2015 2:08 pm
- NT13 Spoilers:
- Overall, to me this volume was together with NT11 probably one of the best volumes in the NT series, even outclassing NT4.
It was a fun read, bringing back a lot of elements I really enjoyed about OT and kept missing over the course of the new series. Misaka Mikoto was really a strong character this time, finally getting the attention and role she deserved. Not to forget that this was pretty much the first time in the whole series she was allowed to be more than just a sidekick, allowing her to become the actual main character of a main series novel. A rare but truly satisfying turn.
But even that small side story we had this time, following Akikawa Mie, was something I more or less enjoyed. It was a strange part, yet Kamachi actually managed to make something great out of it, having it influence the whole story indirectly as well as bringing back a lot of characters that have gone missing over the course of the last few volumes.
The only thing I am a little disappointed about is the lack of Accelerator and Fiamma’s humiliation. Even if it was obvious that the latter would be of no use against a Magic God, he could have at least been given a bit more of attention or purpose! But eh…
Instead we got Shitface Kakeru*, the killer of all the enjoyment I had when reading this truly fine volume. I hope Kamachi will somehow manage to make it at least a little worthwhile…right now however his very existence appears absolutely pointless to me
* = Copyright Natsumi for the kind nickname~!
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Yamaguchi Hiromi Tue Jul 28, 2015 9:51 pm
- NT13 colored illustrations:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels Cb4pdcr](https://i.imgur.com/cb4pdcr.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels 6j8VHzu](https://i.imgur.com/6j8VHzu.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels Cg0STpr](https://i.imgur.com/Cg0STpr.jpg)
Edit:
- New colored illustration:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels 2TMC3fk](https://i.imgur.com/2TMC3fk.jpg)
Edit 2:
- Another colored illustration, 2 ver.:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels A2QBADP](https://i.imgur.com/A2QBADP.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels 95rSEi3](https://i.imgur.com/95rSEi3.jpg)
Edit 3:
- A new colored illustration, 2 ver.:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels AwD9rct](https://i.imgur.com/AwD9rct.jpg)
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels 9fXjDSC](https://i.imgur.com/9fXjDSC.jpg)
_________________
- Spoiler:
- "Hiromi Talking." 'Hiromi Thinking.'
"Sayaka Talking." 'Sayaka Thinking.'
"Shiage Talking." (Shiage Thinking.)
Yamaguchi Hiromi- Level 3 Mass Teleporter
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Join date : 2015-06-08
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Kira Kohaku Mon Aug 17, 2015 3:04 am
...and here are the last set of colored illustrations by Gazing Eye.
- NT13 287:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels ZDOLwgl](https://i.imgur.com/zDOLwgl.jpg)
- NT13 288-289:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels Elcm2tf](https://i.imgur.com/Elcm2tf.jpg)
- NT13 321:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels KzBdxhZ](https://i.imgur.com/kzBdxhZ.jpg)
Kira Kohaku- Level 4 Diagnosis Touch
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Yamaguchi Hiromi Tue Aug 25, 2015 1:03 pm
A new Colored illustration by Gazing Eye.
It's Touma and Index in Green Mart, from Toaru Nichijou no Index-san Volume 1~
It's Touma and Index in Green Mart, from Toaru Nichijou no Index-san Volume 1~
- Colored illustration:
![[HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels Y7Afjf2](https://i.imgur.com/Y7Afjf2.jpg)
_________________
- Spoiler:
- "Hiromi Talking." 'Hiromi Thinking.'
"Sayaka Talking." 'Sayaka Thinking.'
"Shiage Talking." (Shiage Thinking.)
Yamaguchi Hiromi- Level 3 Mass Teleporter
- Posts : 142
Join date : 2015-06-08
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Sir Alexander Beathen Wed Sep 09, 2015 2:15 pm
Kamisato with World Rejecter erases the supposedly invincible Magic Gods one by one. His right hand now presses towards Kamijou Touma...and the one who holds the key to the clash between the two is...the Birdway sisters!?
NT14 tease get.
NT14 tease get.
Sir Alexander Beathen- Elisium928
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Re: [HEAVY SPOILERS] Light Novels
Yamaguchi Hiromi Wed Sep 09, 2015 2:48 pm
Sir Alexander Beathen wrote:Kamisato with World Rejecter erases the supposedly invincible Magic Gods one by one. His right hand now presses towards Kamijou Touma...and the one who holds the key to the clash between the two is...the Birdway sisters!?
NT14 tease get.
I'm looking forward to this volume!
Glad to see Leivinia still has a role in the story! I was afraid she would be forgotten like what happened to some other characters. So this was a nice surprise
And good to see Patricia too I'm curious as to how patricia would be of any help though xD
_________________
- Spoiler:
- "Hiromi Talking." 'Hiromi Thinking.'
"Sayaka Talking." 'Sayaka Thinking.'
"Shiage Talking." (Shiage Thinking.)
Yamaguchi Hiromi- Level 3 Mass Teleporter
- Posts : 142
Join date : 2015-06-08
Location : Dangai University/A Certain Hospital, Academy City -
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