That was an altogether enjoyable episode of “Index” for me. The focus was on the comedy, with a bit of the religious/magic side of things, both of which are the modes I prefer for this show. It also featured some good Touma/Mikoto interplay, really for the first time this season. In short, a winner.

That’s a well-placed – er…

Pretty much every major character of consequence had an appearance this week, with the focus on the school festival and the magicians trying to sneak into Academy City due to the reduced security it brought. The religious artifact of the week is the “Stab Sword”, supposedly packed with all the power of the weapon used to kill Christ on the cross. Pretty heavy stuff for the context, if you ask me, but hey – I’m not offended. This item is the latest prize in the seemingly endless war between the Roman Catholics and the Church of England. If only real life was that exciting.

All this was more or less a vehicle to get us to the meat of the episode, Touma getting himself into awkward situations as only he can. There was an almost Sora no Otoshimono level of cleavage this week, from Fukiyose to Oriana, and an indirect kiss with Mikoto. My favorite moments, though, were when he stumbled across Komoe (also in her first appearance of the year I believe) dressing Index in the park. Bit of a moe overdose there, but in a good way. All I can say is, damn you Sphinx! You couldn’t have jumped half a second later??